War Of The Worlds (1978)

Composer(s):
Jeff Wayne

Released in:
1978

Reviews

A Fascinating And Incredible Listen
by timdalton007 (December 5, 2006)
Being a fan of The War Of The Worlds story, I was a little skeptical when I first saw this. But having purchased it and listened to it I must say it is the best adaptations of the novel and certainly one of the most unusual things I've ever listened to.

It is the most faithful of all the adaptations of the novel. It keeps the Victorian setting and locations, which gives this a big plus. There are minor details that are changed and these are done mostly to make the story better for a musical.

In terms of the actual songs, this is one of the most unusual mixes I have ever heard. Richard Burton, one of my favorite actors, gives a well done narration of the piece and gives a lot of seriousness to this. The rest of the cast/singers are excellent as well and they make many of the songs memorable and addictive.

The music is one of those things that seem out of place during the first listening, but one gets used to the rock music in this Victorian era story. The rock music overtones of tracks like "The Eve Of The War", "Thunder Child", and "Brave New World" are perfect examples of how well Jeff Wayne's music works. But the best song is probably "Forever Autumn" which is well done and at times moving love song detailing the narrator's love for his wife.

The album can best be described as a classic novel mixed with a fine actor reading passages, the best singers in Britain circa 1977, and 70's rock music put together into one of the most intriguing things you are ever likely to listen to. If you're a fan of the classic Wells novel, concept albums or 70's rock music this is a must-listen.

A Million to one
by Shawn Watson (May 1, 2004)
For a double disc set lasting 2 hours it's a shame that there's only 2 good tracks between them. 'The Eve of the War' (and it's remix) is the track that everybody knows and loves. It's truly great music and both tracks last for quite a while, fully exercising the brilliant theme. Richard Burton's narration works wonderfully well blended into these tracks but on the rest of the tracks the story seems out of order and boring.

I got this set for dirt cheap so it wasn't such a big deal forking over the dough for it. Like I said there are only 2 good tracks and even though they are super cool paying full price for them is a little steep.

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