THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

Look - this has to get 4 stars because the good bits are so good, but the number of people giving this 5 stars just goes to show how over-the-top people can get with the things they love. The opening two tracks on disc 1 are epics / classics - whatever you want to call them - when they are played I get shivers down my spine. Of course, I heard this when I was very young, courtesy of my father and the alien sounds used to scare me alot - it would be hours before the unease left me. And it still is affecting. Richard Burton is marvellous - there is nothing like a well-spoken Englishman to add gravity and emphasis to the fantastic. And the illustrations and booklet - especially in the 2 LP set - are mind-blowing, memorable, sinister and very well conceived. Definitely an excellent addition to any prog collection. But the 5 star rating glosses over the fact that there are some really cheesy tracks here, and not of the highest quality. There are some hilarious passages - 'No Nathaniel' - and some epic, overblown 70s synth, spacey-type fun. A great album, but not 5 stars.

By the way, as well as the Spielberg release, Pendragon Pictures have released a version faithful to HG Wells book in terms of period and country setting (AT LAST!) and Jeff Wayne himself has commissioned UK and European animators to commence work on visuals for a 2007 animated release based around this album - go to www.waroftheworlds.com and check them out - it looks awesome.