I've just discovered that a new version of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds came out last year. Entitled Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: The New Generation, it features some tweaks to the text*, slightly more elaborate arrangements, and a new cast (most prominently, Liam Neeson takes over from the late Richard Burton as the voice of the Journalist), but is essentially the same work. The sound is not massively different from the original version, it's just... bigger. And a bit more synth-y, which frankly makes it sound even more like something Kate's Art of Noise would borrow an orchestra and put on for a special evening show.

The iTMS version also comes with a PDF of what must be a quite lovely booklet, with the kind of artwork that makes me pine for the days of 12" LP gatefold jackets.

It's not a "reinvention" of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version so much as a refinement, in much the same way that long-running rock bands' old standards slowly get bigger and more polished in concert over time. I confess I haven't listened to it all yet (I keep going back and listening to "The Eve of the War" again :), but so far I quite like it. And I imagine the live show is a bit less disturbing now that they're no longer using the Giant Robot Zombie Head of Richard Burton.

--G.
* Tragically, the opening narration still does not include Wells's finest phrase, "intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic". Come on, Jeff!
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Thanks for the heads up - I've got an Amazon gift card and hadn't thought of anything to use it for. :)

And apparently, it's not only available on CD, but on actual vinyl...

Offsides

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