Jeff Wayne's Musical Version: The War Of The Worlds - Live On Stage Special Edition (2 Discs)

I have always been a fan of the Audio version of Jeff Waynes war of the Worlds and so I was a little sceptical of this release. All to often the reworking of a classic fails in translation.

I need not have worried. This is not only a faithful recreation of the original (if it ain't broke why fix it) but the 'live' stage show that accompanies the musicians is yet another layer of enjoyment.

The sound is a truly brilliant reproduction with genuine surround and immersive quality.

This is a must have for any fan.

I have been a fan of this musical since it was first released, and I feel that the characters in this musical captured the essence of the audio recordings. I expected the parson's character, brought to life so vividly by the late GREAT Phil Lynott would be lost, but I was pleasantly surprised at the performance. I felt that the artilleryman could have been improved, but on listening to a subsequent spin of the disc, I decided that he was a good choice.

Maybe the 'talking head' didn't come out all that good on DVD, but I imagine it would have been really good 'live'.

The CGI was good too, as were the backgrounds of old England. And naturally there is that brilliant song 'Forever Autumn'..gives me goose-bumbs every time I hear it.

I saw this on a blu-ray DVD player with upscaling and a 50inch plasma TV, and I must say that the recording is beautiful. The audio is also really crisp. A worthy purchase, and one that I will be returning to often.

If you haven't got this DVD yet, then it's a must have.
I've been a fan of WOTW album, book for more years than i care to remember..this is a superb Concert, i was lucky enough to be there to see it and had to buy the DVD on day of release, i was even lucky enough to get my copy signed by the great man himself, Jeff Wayne.
the show was brilliant and the light show was second to none. if you can get to see this years tour, don't miss it

This DVD of the wembley arena performance provides a visual representation of all that was so great about listening to the original album when it first came out. The fact that they tried hard to represent the late Richard Burton by using a lookalike actor projected into a face mould hovering above the stage, rather than replacing his mellifluous Celtic tones is but one thing that makes the stage version so interesting.
A lot of the original 'cast' appear here, including Chris Thompson (Thunderchild) and Justin Hayward (a superb rendition of both Eve of the War and one of the high points of the album, his 1978 top five hit, Forever Autumn). Musically, it is almost a complete replica of the album - which is actually what you want from the stupendous double-album that is now almost 30 years old. What you want from a stage show you get, with a thirty feet high fighting machine descending on to the stage, a filmic backdrop with an introductory CGI short of the Mars landscape leading to their intended colonisation of Earth, and the frisson you get when the familiar orchestral string chords come in.
Jeff Wayne conducts the orchestra and old stalwarts Chris Spedding and Herbie Flowers are there at the forefront too. The only disappointment for me was the horrendous over-acting and misplaced attempts at operatic delivery by Russell Watson as the preacher. But this was completely tempered by the Soldier and his ability to evoke the fear and despair through his performance of David Essex's album song and through his actions.
Overall, the stage version could have been embarrassingly trite or completely above expectation. The trepidation I felt before the performance was completely blown away once those chords from the string section chimed in.
If you couldn't get a ticket to the stage show then get this DVD - it is a brilliant enhancement to the fantastic vinyl original!

Having heard the album many times I was really looking forward to getting this and if you are a fan of the music, you will not be disappointed.

It makes for a great spectacle, mixing the music, special live effects, actors, a creepy-but-cool Richard Burton head narrating and some really great visuals on a giant screen behind the musicians which displays all of the iconic images from the book and album.

The extras are decent, focusing on the problems getting the show set up, with a great making of documentary.