When I was a teenager (too many years ago), one of the albums that I played over and over again with great delight was Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. When the opportunity came to review the remastered CD of this classic album, I was thrilled.
As I anticipated the arrival of the CD I had many questions running through my mind. Would the production seem dated today? Would the digital remastering enhance the original production or expose its limitations? Most importantly, would it still be as fresh and exciting to me as it was 25 years ago when I first heard it?
First, a little background about the production itself. Originally released in 1978, Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds was inspired by and closely resembles the classic novel by H. G. Wells.
By combining progressive rock and classical music influences combined with narration from Richard Burton along with vocal performances by 70's rock stars David Essex, Justin Hayward (Moody Blues), Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) and Julie Covington, Jeff Wayne sets out to create musical experience unlike any other.
The months of work that went into assembling the production are evident in the quality of the performance.
This program is so unlike Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds (1938 radio broadcast) that it may seem a little startling to a new listener. However, the program quickly draws the listener in allowing the music to tell much of the story.
I was pleasantly surprised listening to these CDs that the production sounds as fresh and exciting as it did when I first heard it nearly 30 years ago. Anyone who is a fan of science fiction or progressive rock such as that of the Moody Blues will enjoy this production.
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds is available in a 2-disc Super Audio CD format as well as a seven-disc collectors' edition. The collector's edition includes the Super Audio CDs of the original production, a disc of the best club remixes from the album, rarities, outakes, and unreleased tracks. One disc contains the entire, unabridged Richard Burton performance of which only 40% made it to the original album. There is also a "Making Of" documentary DVD which includes video footage and a sneak peek into the upcoming animated CGI version of the production.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
"Forever Autumn" is one of my all-time favorites, "Dead London" is pretty good too.
This book needs no spicing up to be a blockbuster, I fear Spielberg is giving it too much of a jingoistic "Independence Day" style theme.