Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: The New Generation [DVD]

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In 1984 CRL Group PLC released Jeff Wayne's Video Game Version of The War of the Worlds for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum home computer. The touring cast includes Jason Donovan (who previously played the Artilleryman on tour) as Parson Nathaniel and West End theatre star Kerry Ellis as Beth. Among the synthesisers used was the Thunderchild SZ3540, a custom made monophonic model built by JWM Electronics after Wayne sought for a fatter, bassy sound.

The cast features actor Liam Neeson as the Narrator and Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson as the Artilleryman. Jonathan Vickers reprised his role as the NASA controller, and Stephanie Aves joined the company as Vera May.This release was dedicated to Falzon, who died on 23 June 2020 from germ cell cancer, and included link to a donation page for the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse where he was treated. Freeman was able to create various sound effects from scratch, including a military drum sound on "The Artilleryman and the Fighting Machine". We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our site, provide personalised content and advertising, analyse our traffic, and ensure you see more of what you love.

Due to the indisposition of Daniel Bedingfield during the run, the Artilleryman was played by understudy and West End performer Simon Shorten for a number of shows; later Shorten took over as the Artilleryman for the remaining month of the run.Justin Hayward, lead singer and guitarist for the Moody Blues, sings the song " Forever Autumn" (sung from the perspective of the Journalist), which was a hit single from the album. In January 2013, a music video was released for the song "Forever Autumn", performed by Gary Barlow, however Barlow does not appear in the video. It was a totally original concept album featuring legendary narration by Richard Burton and wonderful electronic music while also telling a faithful and enjoyable adaptation of H G Wells story. The first Spanish edition featured Anthony Quinn re-recording the Journalist's narration and other dialogue originally voiced by Essex, Covington, and Lynott.