Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds

This is the complete debut album by Jeff Wayne, retelling the story of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, released in the UK in June 1978. A concept album, its main format is progressive rock and string orchestra, using narration and leitmotifs to carry the story and rhyming melodic lyrics that express the feelings of the various characters. The two-disc album remains a bestseller, having sold millions of records around the world, and by 2009 it was the 40th best selling album of all time in the UK with sales of 2,561,286. It has since spawned multiple versions of the album, video games, DVDs, and live tours.

Duration: 109 minutes

Track Listing:

1. Eve of the War
2. Horsell Common and the Heat Ray
3. Artilleryman and the Fighting Machine
4. Forever Autumn
5. Thunder Child
6. The Red Weed (Part 1)
7. The Spirit of Man
8. The Red Weed (Part 2)
9. Brave New World
10. Dead London
11. Epilogue (Part 1)
12. Epilogue (Part 2)

The Cast:

• Sir Richard Burton – spoken words (The Journalist: the narrator-protagonist)
• Justin Hayward – vocals (The Sung Thoughts of the Journalist)
• David Essex – spoken words and vocals (The Artilleryman)
• Chris Thompson – vocals (The Voice of Humanity)
• Phil Lynott – spoken words and vocals (Parson Nathaniel)
• Julie Covington – spoken words and vocals (Beth)
• Jerry Wayne – spoken words (The Voice of NASA)