Jeff Wayne - The War Of The Worlds (Remastered & Expanded) [Hybrid SACD] (CD 2005)

I love this CD so much. I have the original on vinyl, bought when I was a teenager. I love the story, the music & Richard Burton's voice. I play it loud when I'm cooking dinner!

this cd was bought because the music of the cd is just brilliant i first bought it quite a few years ago on lp but as its on cd i can now play it in the car.the quality of the remaster and remix is excellent and i am very happy with the purchace nd the speed of delivery with the seller.geoff clark

This was probably one of the first albums I ever bought in the lates 70's on cassette. I heard one of the tracks on radio recently and decided it was long overdue to get a version on CD.

This version with surround sound features (just need the surround sound stereo to go with it ;-)) is fantastic and I noticed many more sound effects, synths and striking guitar than the original tape recording. Comes with a detailed booklet on the key cast and musicians. I prefer the first CD with the famous open lines by Richard Burton, Forever Autumn and ThunderChild - but the recurring theme music always strikes a nerve. A must for any record collection!

I knew I would love it as I have the LPand always listened to it lying on the floor in the dark with the volume high.Wanted to experience it on CD & headphones - wasn't disappointed.
It was wonderful to hear Richards Burton's unique voice and the music was far more moving than I remembered.
The original was probably a little ahead of it's time.For me it is timeless.The recording artists were at their peak.
I know of nothing else like it so don't have any comparisons to make.

Really good really enjoyed listening to the CD reminded me of when I was a child and my Mum and Dad had it on LP. Brilliant expecially David Essex....

excelent music very very enjoyable, this compact disc is highly recommended, now sounding much better for being remastered, this has been one of my favorites since it was released nearly 30 years ago

What can I say, a total classic. I bought this to replace the cassette I had. Absolutely brilliant with excellent sound quality, 5/5.

This is the most fantastic thing since the original.completely mind blowing.So good that i immediatly made a back up copy incase of any accidents in my own busy war of the worlds household. Thank you for taking the time to read this, love from paganshop1

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!

Having bought the original Double LP many years ago I wanted to hear it again this time as digitally remastered and top spec quality production.
I was not disapointed. The unmistakable tones of Richard Burton made me feel as though he was here in my living room.And on top of that, there are several remastered tracks for "surround sound" which are fantastic.
Apart from that, what more can one say, other than it does exactly what it says on the tin!
Brillllliante!

I used to listen to this on casette tape with my mum and brothers when i was, well, since i remember.
Im also a DJ and have my mums old vinyl copy of it (although one side is lost). When the 2007 WOTW film came out my girlfriend thought it was the best so when I was arsing around with the record I thought i show her what the original was all about. She begged me to buy it and Im glad I did.

Even if this wasn't remastered & expanded, its a classic hour or so of 1978 art. This is coming from someone whos into drum & bass and hardcore breaks.

If you have someone who hasn't ever heard of jeff waynes version, shock them and see if you can give Speilberg's americanised poo version another kick in the arse.

I seen the tv broadcast of the musical and loved it.
so i looked up ebay because i could not find it at my local music store.
it is a great double disc album you can listen to it back too back all day long and never get tired.

Great cd,it has wonderful artwork depicting the aliens attacking the earth. excellent sound quality.i enjoy Richard Burtons voice.i did not realize that there was a lot of talking by the other characters.

I'm taking advantage of the bargains on e-Bay to convert from vinyl to CD,and I came across this classic.

I think everyone know's it, or at least knows of it, so I was surprised that it was quite reasonably priced.

Now I can drive and sing my heart out to this everlasting album by probably one of the world's most underrated artists!

This title is one I have long wanted and the sale of my vinyl record collection on e-bay has allowed me to purchase it. Richard Burton stitches the whole thing together beautifully and the music binds the story together well too. A shame that David Essex was chosen to play the Artilleryman as his voice lacks the timbre needed to do the part justice. Otherwise the whole thing is very polished. I bought this on e-bay and the seller had obviously looked after their copy, it was pristine.

Absolute genius. Richard Burton's voice is the making of this. Buy it, listen to it, enjoy. The songs are mostly quite simple and yet very profound in a strange kind of way. For some reason the sinking of the Thunderchild is one of the sadest moments in music that I have ever heard. Compelling.

Having found that my copy of this cd was scratched i set about replacing it. I was attracted to this particular copy because the picture of the cover was excellent and i thought as it also had a free booklet with pictures and song words available with it it was great value for money. I loved everything about it the music is clear and a much better sound quality than my original record that i had way back when it was first released. As a replacement cd i was very pleased with it and would recommend it to anyone.

simple guide should just score as 5.1 Excellent! remastered into 5.1 sound is great to chill out on a Sunday.

I've been after this albumn since my LP was ruined years ago. This copy saved me the hassle of converting an albumn into CD, it is in excellent, plays well therefore good value.

i bought war of the worlds because it is a true classic album that anyone can listen to. i have always loved the album as my father played it when i was young, in fact i bought this for him but have almost claimed it for myself.
it is a classic example of an almost perfect album, which there are very little of.

this cd is a treasure... since lp's were made obsolete i have waited for a cd of it and when i got it i was over the moon! this cd is a great reminder of my childhood...and i am so pleased that has been ressureccted in this better than ever film and soundtrack!!!!!!!

I bought this album for my Dad who had the vinyl version originally. If you know anything at all about this you do not need to read a review, just buy it and enjoy it.

I purchased this to play it through my 5.1 surround sound system. However, on receipt of the album I have found that it requires a SUPER AUDIO player to deliver the 5.1 surround sound recording.I can only listen to it in stereo,which is not what I purchased it for, unless I buy a Super Audio player at some considerable cost.I am very dissappointed that this important fact is not made known when advertising this album.This fact is found in very small print in the accompanying booklet and if you are reading that you have already parted with your money!Be warned!