It’s hard to think of many long-form pieces of music that have the longevity of Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds. Musicals have revivals, but this 1978 extravaganza was never really that – rather a multimedia event in which the instrumentation and visuals become as important as the songs and the dialogue.
This massive deluxe set features 16 CDs plus Blu-rays of the 2006 and 2012 concert versions, which also appear as audio mixes. A 156-page hardback book provides a wealth of background information and interviews, while the Ultimate Edition also has coloured vinyl reproductions of the original album, plus the 2012 New Generation reboot.
The contents mainly hit, but occasionally miss. The original album, narrated by Richard Burton, maintains its charm, and only the disco-tinged The Eve Of The War has dated.
The 2012 re-recording adds some extra digital synth and new vocal performances from Liam Neeson as narrator, plus Take That’s Gary Barlow among the singers. But with the exception of a powerful Joss Stone, the brief seems to have been to sound as much like the 1978 artists as possible, and their distinctiveness is buried in the production.
Four CDs of thumping remixes might test many listeners’ patience, but there are also treasures to be found; not least three albums of outtakes and extended dialogue from the original.
Burton fans will enjoy the great Welsh thesp’s alternative readings, as well as David Essex’s amusingly self-effacing flubs. It’s also clear that the entire Parson Nathaniel section was intended to be a far longer, more faithful dramatic section, before being rewritten for Julie Covington and Phil Lynott, with an unused song and dramatic dialogue reproduced here in full.
The final CD adds two sequences from later stage versions, Forever Autumn performed as a duet and a new song With Joy, Hope And Wonder, which is a bit cloying but pretty enough.
The new versions of War Of The Worlds are on sale now via Madfish.
