100 Great Songs to Publish a Book to, #3: War of the Worlds, Forever Autumn

I’m not entirely sure Jeff Wayne realised the significance of what he was doing when he took one of the greatest works of English literature, chopped the plot about a bit, and wrote such wonderful music to go with it.  In addition, he employed some of the best talent of the day, his masterstroke being to have the brilliant actor Richard Burton read the narration.  Forever Autumn is the stand-out part of this magisterial album.

In Wells’ novel, the narrator’s brother relates the destruction of London, as the narrator was by then buried under a cylinder in Sheen.  Here we have the narrator fighting his way through the city to get to the love of his life, Carrie.  This is a neat plot device, as it makes us care more about the narrator, and raises the stakes nicely in the subsequent battle between the Martians and the Thunderchild.  But it is here, in Forever Autumn, that Hayward’s vocal, Burton’s narration (quoting passages from Wells’ book verbatim) and the orchestration combine to deliver wholly unmatched musical storytelling.

Onslaught is out now at the special introductory price of $2.99 in the US here, in the UK here, in Canada here, and in Australia here.