Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds from 1978 delivers plenty of ’70s cheesiness, but also some catchy tunes and a decent adaptation of a classic sci fi tale.
[Updated]
What Is It?
In 1978, musician Jeff Wayne put together an ambitious project to produce a musical version of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. This recording, which spanned two LPs, combined an orchestra with rock musicians and adapted Wells’ tale using narration, dialogue, and music. Actor Richard Burton voiced the role of the central character from the novel, and musicians David Essex, Phil Lynott, and Julie Covington played additional characters and provided vocals for the songs. Moody Blues lead singer Justin Hayward also contributed, providing the vocals for the song “Forever Autumn,” which became a worldwide hit single. The album itself was a huge hit upon release and has since sold an estimated 15.5 million copies worldwide.
Performances: Richard Burton (The Journalist), Justin Hayward (Vocals), David Essex (Vocals and The Artilleryman), Phil Lynott (Vocals and Parson Nathaniel), Julie Covington (Vocals and Beth)
Original Release: 1978
Track Listing:
Side 1
1. “The Eve of the War” Justin Hayward – Lead Vocals 9:07
2. “Horsell Common and the Heat Ray” 11:36
Side 2
1. “The Artilleryman and the Fighting Machine” David Essex – Lead Vocals 10:36
2. “Forever Autumn” Justin Hayward – Lead Vocals 7:42
3. “Thunder Child” Chris Thompson – Lead Vocals 6:07
Side 3
1. “The Red Weed (Part 1)” 5:53
2. “The Spirit of Man” Julie Covington, Phil Lynott – Lead Vocals 11:38
3. “The Red Weed (Part 2)” Phil Lynott – Lead Vocals 5:25
4. “The Artilleryman Returns” Jeff Wayne – Lead Vocals 1:27
Side 4
1. “Brave New World” David Essex – Lead Vocals 12:15
2. “Dead London” 8:35
3. “Epilogue (Part 1)” 2:31
4. “Epilogue (Part 2) (NASA)” Jerry Wayne 1:50
Legacy:
While this is very much a product of the late ’70s, with all of the pretensions of the aging prog/art rockers of that time, it is still full of catchy tunes and delivers a good bit of sci fi music as well as a decent–if not completely faithful–adaptation of an all-time genre classic.
A Closer Look:
At a time when science fiction was experiencing a renaissance, in large part because of the Star Wars phenomenon, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds allowed the genre to briefly take over the world of music and helped revive interest in the classic tale by H.G. Wells. Up to that point, Wayne was known mostly for composing jingles for advertising and television. But he had bigger aspirations, and those came to fruition with this orchestral rock suite that brought together several well-known musicians and actors.
Revisiting it today, modern-day listeners may wince at its overbearing ’70s pretensions and cheesiness. This came out during the waning days of the first progressive rock movement, and the album gleefully incorporated all of the bombast and pomposity that we saw from the prog/art rock bands of that decade. But it also has a definite charm as well as an addictive quality. You may cringe at times on the first listen (or re-listen for returning fans), but pretty quickly you will find the album’s catchy, poppy tunes buzzing through your head, and you will not be able to resist going back for more.
It does a decent enough job of adapting the original story, even if it takes some liberties and adds some new characters tailor-made for the guest appearances. And the voice actors all do a good job with their parts, especially Richard Burton as the central character and David Essex as the Artilleryman. While the ’70s cheese is apparent from start to finish, the album never sinks under its own weight as it delivers a sci fi and rock music guilty pleasure. Just call it H.G. Wells-lite wrapped up with radio-friendly pop tunes.
The Story Continues:
In 2012, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – The New Generation was released as a reworking of the original album. It has new characters, new songs, additional dialogue, and revised versions of the original songs. Basically, it is an expanded and updated version of the 1978 album. It has received mixed reviews, and may believe it does not measure up to or surpass the original, but it is still worth a listen.
Wayne then expanded his adaptation further in 2018 with Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds: The Musical Drama, a five-hour Audible production that delivers much more of the original story while incorporating Wayne’s music. There were also plans for an animated CGI film version of the original album, but that project ultimately failed to materialize.
Tours
Starting in 2006, the first full tour for the album began with Wayne conducting the 48-piece ULLAdubULLA Strings and 10-piece Black Smoke Band. A “virtual” Richard Burton was used as the narrator, and a short animated prequel to the story was included as part of the production. That concluded in 2007, and several more tours would follow over the years, including one focused on the New Generation version of the album.
A new tour is planned for Fall 2026 and it will deliver a special concert rendition stripping back the massive arena spectacle to focus on the foundation of the music from the original 1978 LP.. It will be performed with a live band, orchestra, animation, and West End performers, and Jeff Wayne will step back from the podium. All of the current dates are set for Great Britain (you can get tickets at this link), and there is no word at this point on whether the tour will be extended beyond that in 2027.
Interesting Facts:
A PC game based on the album was released in 1998. It was a real-time strategy game that allowed the player to take the role of either the defending humans or the attacking Martians. A separate PlayStation game followed in 1999 and offered a much different experience, putting the player into the action from a third-person perspective with a heavy emphasis on vehicular combat.
The album became an extraordinary long-term seller. It peaked at only No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart, but ultimately accumulated 240 weeks in the UK Top 100. The official War of the Worlds site says it has sold more than 15.5 million records worldwide, reached the Top 10 in 22 countries, and hit No. 1 in 11 (though it only made it to No. 94 in the Billboard Top 200 in the U.S.). The album’s biggest hit single, “Forever Autumn” which hit No. 5 in Britain, actually started out as a tune planned for a LEGO commercial in 1969.
The album received its premiere at a launch party at the London Planetarium on June 1, 1978, which included a laser show accompanying the playback.
Where Can You Listen To It?
The album had a CD re-issue in 2005 which included a 7-disc box set special edition. That set has since gone out of print, but the original album is available on CD, MP3, and LP. The New Generation version is also available on CD and MP3.
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