Product reviewsJeff Wayne : Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds: Remastered

This should have been the template for Hollywood

Having heard this composition on vinyl many moons ago, it had lodged itself firmly in my mind as a real belter of a record which is why I bought this CD version. The War of the Worlds was originally adapted (from a book) for the radio, and Jeff Wayne's version makes perfect use of the audio-only medium.

It tells the story of an invasion by Martians in the late 19th century, through the eyes of a nameless journalist voiced by Richard Burton (yep, THE Richard Burton). Through the confusion during the early stages of the attack, the deadly aftermath and a so-brilliantly-simple-you-never-even-considered-it finale (plus an extra 'epilogue' twist), the tale follows the journalist as he takes up his own personal mission amongst the devastation.

Where Jeff Wayne really succeeds is in his manipulation of the atmosphere created by each section of the story. Using just the right instrumentation he achieves the perfect feel at every step along the way, from the eerie throbbing effect after the first Martian capsule lands, to the surprisingly expressive alien cry of "uuulaah!", which is terrifying, triumphant, elated and defeated in various measures throughout.

The journalist meets a small cast of characters on his journey, including Mum's favourite David Essex as a deluded artilleryman, and Philip Lynott (of Thin Lizzy fame) as a priest driven out of his mind by the invasion. Singing the thoughts of the journalist is none other than Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.

Plenty of the narrative is taken up by Burton talking. He doesn't ramble and events move on swiftly, but they dwell magnificently just where the listener wants them to. Songs intersperse the talking on a fairly regular basis, and as you'd expect from the list of people involved, there are some really great tunes in there that are also engineered magnificently to fit the states of mind of those singing them. It's an extremely well-rounded production with no holes or mis-judged styles. Everything fits beautifully and the story flows smoothly from start to finish. The sheer character of the singers' voices brings extra depth to a tale that's already blessed with great dignity by Burton's legendary voice.

After The War of the Worlds reaches its suitably reflective conclusion, the final twist jumps decades into the future with a NASA landing on Mars. Big mistake, boys! It's a curtain call that sends chills up my spine every time.

Absolutely flaming brilliant. One final note is that it also plays extremely well on expensive stereo equipment, including proper surround sound systems that use multiple hi-fi speakers, not necessarily just tweeters or mini-speakers on stands. Add in the beautiful case and booklet that come as part of this particular version, and what you'll have made is a supremely wise purchasing decision. Enjoy!Read full review...

Revisiting old favourite, War of the Worlds.

There are few people that I know of my age who don't own a vinyl copy of Jeff Waynes 'War of the Worlds'. As a piece of musical theater it was groundbreaking, introducing many of us to a world which we had been bought up to believe, was something confined to parts of society who were either financially well off, or had been fortunate enough to have had a university education.

Moreover, it was made more attractive to us in that the vocal cast were names which we knew and loved. Richard Burton's unmistakable, rich, deep tones painted the pictures for us in his role as the narrator, David Essex was the idealistic soldier full of hope and ideas, Phil Lynott played the part of the priest on the edge of sanity, while his desperate wife was played by the wonderful stage and TV actress Julie Covington.

We listened to it in darkened rooms, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups, escaping into the mesmerizing orchestration of a fusion of classical intstrument's and electronics which gave us that feel of other worlds threatening our survival, just as the original HG Wells radio play had on October the 30th in 1930, but we got to keep and revisit our copy's, the gate leg sleeve with its book of lyrics giving us chance to sing along, deepening our connection with the story, letting us escape and partake all at the same time.

The CD revolution meant that we tucked out vinyl collections away into lofts, turntables became a rarity, the clean sounds of the newest medium made us buy a fresh soundtrack for our lives, its compact disc fitted in with our more compact lives.....then one day, nostalgia, a yen for the things which we remembered gave us peace and pleasure, prompts us to scroll through The Music Magpie's eclectic mix of music, rather like standing in a record shop of old, leafing through the records. Their consistently low starting prices and the quality we have come to know and trust, means that we can treat ourselves to a second hand CD to fill in the hole left by progress and start to rebuild the soundtrack of our lives, without breaking the bank.

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Classic CD

I owned the vinyl LP of this album as a kid and had not heard it in years. I wanted to hear the album again so decided to buy the CD.
It did not dissapoint, it is a fantastic album from start to finish. A great story narrated by the legendary Richard Burton who has a voice like no other, the music is superb, so many good songs from the epic 'Eve of the War' to the beautifully haunting 'Forever Autumn'.
Very recommended, a true classic.Read full review...

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War of the worlds cd

Great cd my disc 1 was badly scratched but plays ok it was a good price though so cant complain nice cd 2 listen to if u want 2 chill out good story great music if u have never listened to war of the worlds + want something different then i recommend itRead full review...

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Bargain CD's

Fantastic CD's at an incredible price, delivered well wrapped at almost "warp speed"
This is definitely the way to either get the music that you missed out on in its day or to replace damaged discs at an almost unbelievable price. Read full review...

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War Of All Wars

Jeff Wayne's concept double album was a great success when it appeared in the 1970's. There's never been anythng quite like it since. This CD/SACD hybrid remaster, with stellar sound, makes the album as much fun in the 21st century as it was when first released 40 years agoRead full review...

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the chances of anything coming from Mars

Had it on vinyl years ago...always loved it. Bought this copy for my grand-daughter who loves music of this era. An all time classic and so cheap now.

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No regrets

Both CDs excellent. Quality is good and worth every penny.

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Remastered

Superb quality & not just stereo but uses all the speakers in my car for a great sound

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A classic

This album is a true classic if only for Richard Burton's narration. I think everyone should have this album. Might only play it once every couple of years but it's just ... Well, classic!

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