History Music / JeffWaynesMusicalVersionOfTheWarOfTheWorlds

----

* IncendiaryExponent: The animatronic fighting machine sports a fully-functional flamethrower (the most notable use of which is [[spoiler: coming back to life during the epilogue and blowing up the NASA control station]]), and various bits of the stage "catch fire" during the performance.

* ThePowerOfRock: One of the transitions on the tour's DVD menu involves a fighting machine firing its heat ray, with the sound of a guitar screech, as per the {{leitmotif}} of the album.

* UpToEleven: Parson Nethaniel and the Artilleryman are even ''more'' hamtastic on stage.

** [[spoiler: The "New Generation" tour ends the same way, with the added bonus of a NASA scientist on stage losing contact. The martian fighting machine on stage suddenly starts up again, an ominous voice says, "[[MythologyGag The only problem is the humans...]]", and the scientist disappears behind the heat ray.]]

* GunTwirling: The heat ray in the stage show, [[{{Narm}} to comical effect]].

** "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsXN16YtqNc The Fighting Machine]]" for when the Tripods attack.

** There's also a very brief moment where it seems like the shock of his wife's death has managed to snap Parson Nathaniel out of his madness -- unfortunately, he ends up spiralling further into derangement as a result of it.

''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'' is a 1978 concept album by JeffWayne, retelling the story of ''TheWarOfTheWorlds'' by HGWells. It was IMMENSELY popular around the world, selling millions of records (and still doing so today) and spawned multiple versions of the album, [[JeffWaynesWarOfTheWorlds a computer game]], a DVD, and a 30th anniversary live tour including Alexis James, Rhydian from ''TheXFactor'', Jason Donovan, and Jennifer Ellison in the cast. There's also a large amount of merchandise available at [[http://www.TheWarOfTheWorlds.com the website]].

* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. It's a musical interpretation of ''TheWarOfTheWorlds''. By Jeff Wayne.

* CanonImmigrant: The Martian campaign intro from [[JeffWayne'sTheWarOfTheWorlds the game]] is integrated into the prologue (verbatim in the original, re-recorded with new lines in ''The New Generation''), and the game's model of the Flying Machine appears at several points.

* MonumentalDamage: The Martians demolish several famous London bridges on their way upriver.

* MonumentalDamage: The Journalist ominously notes that a tripod has appeared above Big Ben at one point, making it very likely that this happened.

** Justin Hayward of Moody Blues fame sings two songs as "The Sung Thoughts of the Journalist", and David Essex (who had previously recorded with Wayne) plays the Artilleryman. In ''The New Generation'', you might recognise [[Music/TakeThat Gary Barlow]], Joss Stone and [[KaiserChiefs Ricky Wilson]]

* DeadlyDistantFinale: After the end of Dead London, the musical skips forward to a future NASA Mars landing, as a NASA technician (played by Wayne himself) watches another round of cylinders (this time presumably immune to Earth disease) fly towards Earth and one by one loses radio contact with the various NASA stations around the world.

** Justin Hayward of Moody Blues fame sings two songs, and David Essex (who had previously recorded with Wayne) plays the Artilleryman. In ''The New Generation'', you might recognise [[TakeThat Gary Barlow]], Joss Stone and [[KaiserChiefs Ricky Wilson]]

* MillionToOneChance: Ogilvy the astronomer says this in ''The Eve Of The War''. Probably the best-known song on the album.

** {{Narrator}}: The Journalist, played by RichardBurton no less.

* DeathFromAbove: On cue, a 40 ft tall fighting machine descends onto the stage.

''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'' is a 1978 concept album by JeffWayne, retelling the story of ''TheWarOfTheWorlds'' by HGWells. It was IMMENSELY popular around the world, selling millions of records (and still doing so today) and spawned multiple versions of the album, [[JeffWaynesWarOfTheWorlds a computer game]], a DVD, and a 30th anniversary live tour. Including Alexis James, Rhydian from ''TheXFactor'', Jason Donovan, and Jennifer Ellison in the cast. There's also a large amount of merchandise available at [[http://www.TheWarOfTheWorlds.com the website]].

!''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds'' provides examples of:

* AutobotsRockOut: Martian attacks are usually accompanied by ''The Fighting Machine'', which includes the best guitar solo on the album.

** Justin Hayward of Moody Blues fame sings two songs, and David Essex (who had previously recorded with Wayne) plays the Artilleryman.
** RichardBurton narrates the piece as the Journalist.

* SirNotAppearingInThisFilm: The Black Smoke was set to appear, but was cut for time.
** It was mentioned: "We took shelter in a cottage and Black Smoke spread, hemming us in. Then a Fighting Machine came across the fields, spraying jets of steam that turned the smoke into thick, black dust."

** Justified because of the medium - "[[ShowDontTell show, don't tell]]" is impossible here.

* OrIsIt: The Epilogue. [[spoiler: A NASA observer watching a probe to Mars notices some odd flares and dust clouds coming from the planet, shortly before contact with the probe is lost. And then, one by one, much to his confusion and frustration he loses contact with the other observers around the globe...]]

* {{Narrator}}: The Journalist, played by RichardBurton no less.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Justin Hayward of Moody Blues fame sings two songs, and David Essex (who had previously recorded with Wayne) plays the Artilleryman.

* CulturalTranslation: The Parson is definitely based on more recent American evangelical variants of Christianity, rather than the kind of stern Evangelical Christianity you'd expect to find in Victorian England, though [[TropesAreNotBad it's hard to see his fire-and-brimstone proclamations working as hammishly well with an English character]].

''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'' is a 1978 concept album by JeffWayne, retelling the story of ''TheWarOfTheWorlds'' by HGWells. It was IMMENSELY popular around the world, selling millions of records (and still doing so today) and spawned multiple versions of the album, [[JeffWaynesWarOfTheWorlds a computer game]], a DVD, and a 30th anniversary live tour. Including Alexis James, Rhydian from ''TheXFactor'', Jason Donovan, and Jennifer Ellison in the cast. There's also a large amount of merchandise available at the website via http://www.TheWarOfTheWorlds.com.

->''Are a million to one...''
->''But still, they come!''

** Justified because of the medium - "show, don't tell" is impossible here.

* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. It's a musical interpretation of TheWarOfTheWorlds. By Jeff Wayne.

* MillionToOneChance: Ogilvy the astronomer says this in ''The Eve Of The War''. Probably the best=known song on the album.

* MillionToOneChance: Ogilvy the astronomer says this in ''The Eve Of The War''.

* EpicRiff: ''Eve of the War''
** And the [[EarWorm spine-tingling]] riff from ''Horsell Common'' immediately after the above track.
** ''Wee-oo, wee-oo, wee-oo...''