History Music / JeffWaynesMusicalVersionOfTheWarOfTheWorlds

* LargeHam: Phil Lynott as Parson Nathaniel spends most of his time eating any scenery which isn't nailed down ("A ''SIGN''! I have been given a ''SIGN''!") and is easily the biggest ham in the entire piece -- impressive, when considering he's up against Creator/RichardBurton (no slouch in the hamminess stakes himself when he felt like it). David Essex as The Artilleryman deserves a mention too; he may be relatively tame in his first appearance, but becomes deliciously unhinged in the SanitySlippageSong "Brave New World" ("YES, AND WE! WILL HAVE TO BE! THE CHOSEN FEEEEEEEEEEW!")

* GiantEnemyCrab: The Martian Handling machine is described as "a squat, metallic spider with huge, articulated claws", and is enough to carry an unspecified number of humans in a giant basket upon its back.

* NothingIsScarier: Despite there being several pieces of artwork based on the musical, several of which depict the machines, not one provides a clear image of the Martians (the closest we get is one image depicting the fall of the Martians, in which birds can be seen tearing what appears to be flesh out of the cockpits of the machines). Their strange and otherworldly appearance is left entirely up to the listener's imagination, which might be for the better considering the films had a tendency to turn them into HumanoidAliens.

* ShoutOut: The "[[https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5452/9220184949_c96f2052bc_b.jpg Parson Nathaniel]]" painting in the CD booklet is a (mirror-flipped) visual reference to Salvador Dalí's painting [[http://i.imgur.com/6xTS4pP.jpg The Temptation of St. Anthony]], with Parson Nathaniel taking the role of St. Anthony and the tripods standing in for the monstrous horse and elephants.

* DarkReprise: ''Brave New World'' relates the utopian dreams of The Artilleryman, who thinks the alien invasion is a opportunity to throw away the hated modern world and build an underground utopia. The music is a heart-rousing soundtrack to revolution. The Journalist punctures this in deadpan narration: The Artilleryman has a tunnel ten feet long and outside tripods are moving. The song is reprised, with a maudlin tone that now belies the words, and the discordant interpretation of the music gives the impression of a drunken, foolish dreamer, sitting in a cellar singing to himself as the world goes to hell outside.

!The album provides examples of:

--> The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one - but still they come!

* MythologyGag: According to the official website's making-of book, the sound of the cylinder opening was created in exactly the same way as it was in the Orson Welles radio version: a saucepan being scraped along the rim of a toilet bowl.

* MythologyGag: Naturally, during ''Thunderchild'' there is a shot in the background film that almost perfectly emulates the album cover.

* StiffUpperLip: The artillery officer in ''The Fighting Machine'', who reacts to all his men getting blown away by calmly pulling out a pistol and firing up at the nearest tripod until he too is vaporised.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Unlike the novel (in which he is [[KilledOffForReal killed]] early on), Ogilvy disappears from the story completely after "Eve of the War", leaving his fate ambiguous.

* LargeHam: Phil Lynott as Parson Nathaniel spends most of his time eating any scenery which isn't nailed down ("A ''SIGN''! I have been given a ''SIGN''!") and is easily the biggest ham in the entire piece -- impressive, when considering he's up against ''RichardBurton'' (no slouch in the hamminess stakes himself when he felt like it). David Essex as The Artilleryman deserves a mention too; he may be relatively tame in his first appearance, but becomes deliciously unhinged in the SanitySlippageSong "Brave New World" ("YES, AND WE! WILL HAVE TO BE! THE CHOSEN FEEEEEEEEEEW!")

* {{Narrator}}: The Journalist, in two parts. The spoken half played by RichardBurton no less.

''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'' is a 1978 concept album by JeffWayne, retelling the story of ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' by Creator/HGWells. It was IMMENSELY popular around the world, selling millions of records (and still doing so today) and spawned multiple versions of the album, [[VideoGame/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'' is a 1978 concept album by JeffWayne, retelling the story of ''Literature/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, [[VideoGame/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]].

* TheSongBeforeTheStorm: The Eve of War, obviously, and arguably the Horsell Common section of Horsell Common and the Heat Ray.

* {{Narrator}}: The Journalist, in two parts. The spoken half played by RichardBurton no less.

* NothingIsScarier: Despite there being several pieces of artwork based on the musical, several of which depict the machines, not one provides a clear image of the Martians (the closest we get is one image depicting the fall of the Martians, in which birds can be seen tearing what appears to be flesh out of the cockpits of the machines). Their strange and otherworldly appearance is left entirely up to the listener's imagination, which might be for the better considering the films had a tendency to turn them into HumanoidAliens.

* HeyItsThatVoice:
** Justin Hayward of Moody Blues fame sings two songs as "The Sung Thoughts of the Journalist", Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy is unmistakable as the Parson, 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]]
** RichardBurton narrates the piece as the Journalist, with LiamNeeson pulling the same duty in the re-release.

* PokemonSpeak: The Martians use exactly one word, in various intonations, throughout the musical.
** Averted in the stage show, however, where the intro features a short section where the Martians outline their plan.

* EvilAlwaysTriumphsInTheMiddle: The first [[WhatAreRecords disc]] is "The Coming Of The Martians", the second is "The Earth Under The Martians". The break comes when the Martian domination is complete.
-->'''The Journalist:''' But the Thunder Child had vanished forever, taking with her man's last hope of victory. The leaden sky was lit with flashes, cylinder following cylinder, and no-one and nothing was left to stop them. The Earth belonged to the Martians. \\
'''Martians:''' ''ULLA!''

* YouShallNotPass: The Thunderchild holding off the fighting machines while the civilian ships escaped. hey do manage to get away safely, but the Thunderchild was the very last line of defense for humanity. Cue [[YouCantThwartStageOne "The Earth Under The Martians"]].

* YouShallNotPass: The Thunderchild holding off the fighting machines while the civilian ships escaped. hey do manage to get away safely, but the Thunderchild was the very last line of defense for humanity. Cue [[EvilAlwaysTriumphsInTheMiddle "The Earth Under The Martians"]].

* YouShallNotPass: The Thunderchild holding off the fighting machines while the civilian ships escaped. hey do manage to get away safely, but the Thunderchild was the very last line of defense for humanity. Cue [[EvilAlwaysWinsInTheMiddle "The Earth Under The Martians"]].