Customer Reviews

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds

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I hesitated before spending over a hundred bucks on the collector's edition of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. There's a two-disc version of the CD that's a whole lot less; surely I could put the "collectors" money into something else?

But as they say, you never regret your luxuries.

I should state up front that this music has special meaning for me. In 1979, when I met my husband, he had a tape of this album in the car -- back in the days when we all took the time to tape our vinyl albums! -- so I strongly associate it with our first days together, driving around Clearwater Florida and getting to know one another. I think I'd love the album anyway, as I'm a sucker for melodic versions of spoken-word stories, such as Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Center of the Earth.

If you're new to the music, and are trying to get a sense of its value from Amazon's little 30-second previews, I'll simply summarize by saying that the album is very true to the original novel. One friend of mine disliked the WotW movies (all of them) because he feels the story needs to be told in Victorian England; if you feel as he does, you'll be well pleased by this version.

But you'd get that with the $20 version, which Amazon also sells. Is it worth it for the extra stuff?

Yes and No. The Yes-reasons strongly over-power the Noes, so I'm still quite happy I sprung for the expensive version.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first. I've no real interest in the "club mix" CD (in fact I haven't even listened to it yet); to me, this album is about melodies and story-telling, not dancing. The two CDs of out-takes and variations (such as some of the narration from a German version) are interesting, but they're inherently "listen once" items. There's nothing wrong with these, but nothing compelling either.

On the other hand... I really enjoyed the Making-Of DVD. It could have been a sappy, self-congratulatory indulgence on the part of Jeff Wayne, but the video escapes that trap. He (and others) explain how the album came about; the business and people negotiations; and particularly the artistic and creative efforts. I'm not a musician, but I really enjoyed Jeff Wayne's demonstrations of constructing the musical themes for the heat ray and so on.

Plus, the printed material is simply beautiful. Some of it was in the original vinyl album (I still do own it!), but the photos, script, and other stuff is really enjoyable. I haven't had the chance to read it all the way through, but I'm trying to spread out the pleasure.

If you're unsure which version to get... go ahead and get this one. I don't think you'll regret it.

First I'd start off by stating that I'd actually give it 4.75/5 stars, only because it seems that some of the sounds in the 5.1 mix have been cleaned up and changed slightly from the original vinyl and have come out sounding "too clean" or slightly different.

However, overall the presentation of the package is superb with a justified return to the 12" album cover and art. The booklet inside in well presented and informative regarding everything from Jeff's War of the Worlds biography to information about HG Wells and poster and book art for the hundereds of variants that have been published since the begining of the original HG Wells story.

The actual package comes on 6 CDs and 1 DVD. The first two CDs are the Hybrid SACD, so if you don't have an SACD player, don't fret, it will still work on your CD/DVD player but you'll only get the original mix analogue tracks. If you do have a SACD player, then the CD is a real treat on SACD stereo, but particularly on 5.1 where you really feel you are in the albumn with the voices becoming especially alive and spacious.

However, as I said at the begining, one or two of the guitar effects seems to have been cleaned up too much, especially noticable in the epilogue. Still, when you hear the opening and Richard Burton's powerful voice in 96kHz 24-bit clarity it is sonic heaven!!

The DVD is also a rare treat, with Jeff talking about his life, and how he came to produce War of the Worlds and also how he got together with the artists that are on the album. You also get sneaky snippets of the CGI version of War of the Worlds that Jeff Wayne is supposed to be producing for 2007. It was intriguing to see how the album was produced, but does give some of the secrets away that you have to wipe out of your mind when listening to the album again (i.e. remember the scary moment when the lid is unscrewing - excellent sound, but must forget that it is a saucepan!!)

Disc No. 3 is a collection of Remixes from 1979 to 2005 that have been made by Jeff or part of his merry men. I have to say that there are some dissapointing mixes, several which are very Euro-Techno style, but there are some jems in there none the less, just don't expect miracles.

Disc No. 4 Provides out-takes, some of which are funny, but also the original versions of Forever Autumn and some unused version of songs, or early versions, which are interesting to hear the development and the changes that went into making the final edit of the War of the Worlds albumn.

Disc No. 5 has again more out-takes and interesting alternatives mainly covering "The Spirit of Man".

Finally we have Disc No. 6 which has, again, some alternative versions and out-takes, but the excellent, unabridged story narrated by Richard Burton, quite a bit of which doesn't get into the final albumn but is none the less excellent to listen to.

Overall an excellent package, and one of the best collectors items that I shall treasure having grown up with this albumn as a kid.

Well done Jeff Wayne, highly recommended, especially if you are a fan of the original 12" albumn.

Over 25 years ago, I received the 12" double vinyl LP version of "Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds" as a gift from my brother (a Moody Blues fan), and I can say that this is one of my personal treasures. I was immediately blown away by the illustrated cover and the booklet that offered more illustrations and the biographies of all involved. Two of my all-time favorite entertainers were showcased, Welsh actor Richard Burton and Irish rock legend Phil Lynott. The music was staggering in its brilliance, and even then the music lept out of the speakers. Over the years, I reinvested several times (cassette, the "dub" cds, the previous 2cd reissue), and made this masterpiece my gift-of-choice to favorite friends and relatives until cd copies became too hard to find.

The deal with "collector's editions" is that you should get improved production and increased clarity that is noticeable to even the untrained ear; attention to detail in the packaging should then be second only to the digitally remastered sound quality on the CD's. Here, then, is a lavish, carefully assembled
set for those who basically worship the ground Jeff Wayne and his musical collaborators walk on. The 12" hardbound cover is a large size picture book, not some lump of paper wedged into a digipack, with beautiful reproductions of the original illustrations, new illustrations, and updated bios of the artists (some, including Burton and Lynott, have passed away).

If you are unfamiliar with this extremely well-conceived collection of music, you should first understand that this has to be in any serious rock library. As far as renditions (movie, musical, or written) of this H. G. Wells science fiction classic are concerned, I believe this one best conveys the very primitive yet real sense of impending doom for a self-assured species, largely due to Burton's masculine but worried narrative tone. The music is awesome, jaw-dropping, and mind-bending. The description of the spaceship's opening ("2 feet of shining screw projected, when ,suddenly, the lid fell off....a huge rounded bulk, larger than a bear, rose up slowly, glistening like wet leather...the clumsy body heaved and pulsated") set to scorching guitar riffs (before "an invisible ray of heat leapt from man to man") is my own personal highlight.

For those who know the music, this treatment of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds is like the "director's cut" of a great film you've already seen. Every fan feature imaginable is here, sounds much better than ever, and includes every alternate take, outtakes, snippets of foreign language adaptations, and even some recording room conversations. The DVD hosted by Jeff Wayne himself is the Holy Grail, and could not have been done better.

This is pure Heaven for those of us who know the music, and worth every penny. I've got to thank my little brother again for turning me on to this so many years ago.

My wife purchased this collector's set for me for my birthday this year. She was never really fond of the original version so she was brave to give this to me, knowing I'd be blasting it in the car and at home! Therefore, I must first give her five stars for courage!

This collection is just wonderful. The packaging, the collection cover, the internal 80 page booklet, even the artwork and individual packaging of all seven discs make for a real eye opener. I first listened to the two main discs in the car on a three hour drive, and was immediately taken back by the sound quality and clarity.

When I got home, I listened again on a surround sound system and was totally impressed. For me, it was like listening to the original vinyl edition for the first time all over again. Some of the musical notes and background melodies seem to have been tweaked a bit, and I am fairly certain some of the lyrics were altered also (Spirit of Man and Brave New World) - subtle, though. The album still invokes the imagery of the HG Wells classic, and successfully maintains the mood of doom and helplessness throughout.

The other discs are fun to have. The disco remixes are fun (at least my kids like bopping to them). I really enjoyed the outtakes discs, and one track (Spirit of Man guitar and string instrumental) is really quite moving. The DVD was thrilling. I like Jeff Wayne. He doesn't seem to be full of himself and possesses a real love for his work. Seeing him walking around parts of England that HG Wells wrote about in the novel while discussing the making of his music was a very interesting format. Seeing some test CG footage from the upcoming movie didn't hurt either! ;-)

Overall, a fine piece of work and a part of my War of the Worlds collection that I am very proud of. This year has seen the release of quite a few Worlds iterations, but if you designate one stormy evening to read the original novel while listening to this album, I think you will capture the essence of this amazing yet disturbing tale.

If all my personal favorite albums and movies got this kind of treatment, I'd think I died and went to heaven. This is the best quality "box-set" I have ever seen. It's a 12" square hardback containing the seven CDs, with a full color (stunning) 80 page book in the middle that reviews the history of the work.
The SACD treatment of the original disks (which is all I've listened to so far) is very good - I was constantly hearing things I'd never heard before (in the almost 27 years I've owned the original in album, cassette, and CD formats).
Bottom line is that if this album is really important to you, this is the ultimate format to get. I sat and listened to the whole thing last night while reading the book, and really enjoyed it.

The eloquent opening monologue by Richard Burton (greatest shakesperian actor of the 20th century) is captovating to say the least, and for me has become the defacto monologue for this story. The recent Tom Cruise / Stephen Speilburg remake of the original movie (updated to modern times) has the opening monologue done by Screen actor Morgan Freeman, which is well done but pales in comparison to the Richard Buton version. Really, you MUST hear Burtons naration through out the album / CD.
The music itself is supurb as well being done by the Majority of the Moody Blues with Justin Haywards smooth vocals. The main musical themes within the story are very meloddic and catchy. you will find yourself humming these for days afterwards. The integration of the Burtons naration, along with the voices of the other acotors, and the music paints a mental picture that is better than either of the two films (and one tv series) to date. After watching the newest version of the film two days ago, I cam home, played the CD all the way through, and found that I still like it better than the films.. give it a listen here, and you'll soon find out why yourself.

The illustration and the booklet provided are excelent as well.

I highly reccomend this to anyone who has enjoyed the War of the Worlds Story, or who likes the Moody Blues.

just hearng burton speak these words is worth the price..

"No one would have believed, in the last years of 19th centry, that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space.
No one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinized, as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.
Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets.
And yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours, regarded this earth with evnious eyes, and slowly, and surely, they drew their plans against us."

That monologue is slightly different than the original book, but much better I think.

I wrote that from memory, as once you hear it, you too will remember it.

Wow. I have listened to Jeff Wayne's War of the World hundreds of times since I bought the original albums in the 70s. I waited for months for this set to come available and even bought an SACD player so that I could hear it in full surround sound. I love it when the cap unscrews how the sound goes around you.

The making DVD is very interesting and I learned a lot. I found the remix CD a mixed bag.

The package is beautiful and the reprints of the art work nice. Lots of lyrics and notes.

I am very happy with my set.

Excellent Boxed Set! Great sound too. I have a SACD player that brings all the stuff on SACD right out. Sounds better than the original disc set when I listen to them side by side on my standard CD changer too. Worth every penny and the info in this booklet is out f-in standing!

I'm running this on a Onkyo THX875 Reciever, Harmon Kardon DVD 48 player, Technics (10+ year old CD changer), a HSU 175 watt RMS sub, Swann Towers, center, and surrounds. It makes my system pump too, especially those 'thunder childs' they sound fantastic with the sub. I tend to play it in dolby or THX sound, usually THX and it rocks!

My husband has been looking for this ALBUM for a very long time. When I found it on line at Amazon I immediately ordered two copies. One for my husband and one for my son.. They couldn't have been happier and are still raving about the set.

Jeff Wayne's musical version of the War of the Worlds is an all time classic.
If you don't own it, you're missing out on part of music history the likes of which will never be repeated!