REVIEW - The War of the Worlds: The New Generation

My eager psyche has betrayed me again.

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds is an album that's been a part of my life for longer than I care to remember. It's the sort of rock 'n' roll that I have affection for. Then The New Generation came along and oh... dear... God. What a train wreck. I mean it's not BAD, but still, it just doesn't do the classic any justice. Now, I bought this album and listened to it the day it came out, and being that I was such a big fan of the original musical, I just accepted it for what it was... just held the truth inside. And, given a clear case of mixed criticism across the WOTW community, I came to the conclusion that I'd have to pick which side I was on: The Old Generation or the New. And before long, I felt myself gravitating towards the former... because I became aware that the New tried hard to be modern.... TOO hard.

To understand how it was such a big let-down, perhaps a little backstory is in order. My passion for Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds stems indirectly from the Orson Welles radio play, which I listened to after reading a short story about a family who was mildly affected by the accuracy of its scripting. Some time later, I tried to play the ZX Spectrum game adaptation of the musical, and from looking at the title screen, I knew I'd seen that image before... that iconic painting of the Fighting Machine melting the Thunder Child's valiant heart... of course! I'd seen a copy of this album before! In my grandma's house, I believe. I had no idea that the same thing would eventually integrate with my life and my way of thought.
   And so the Spectrum game introduced me to the mesmerizing music of the album. Which is a little strange because, all in all, the game doesn't really hold out. The graphics and sound are minimal, and the gameplay is monotonous. In fact, the bleeps and bloops that were meant to emulate the first bars of "The Eve of the War" led me to believe that it was an orchestral soundtrack. But nope, it was rock 'n' roll. But it was GOOD rock 'n' roll! You've got a band with electronic instruments and drums, accompanied by a forty-strong band of violins. Simply put, it works. Today, I question why the music of the Spectrum game was so simplistic as to fool me into thinking it wasn't progressive rock. After all, it's not like the hardware is incapable of producing more complex music, as I learned when I played Back to the Future III. Although that was the 128k release; TWOTW was 48k. I guess it depends on the memory bank.... but I digress.
   When I actually got the CD and listened to it, I was utterly enthralled, not just by the music, but also by the cast: Richard Burton, an actor known for his innumerable roles and his relationship with Elizabeth Taylor; Justin Hayward, a singer hailing from his album "Moody Blues"; David Essex, an actor as well as a performer, who would eventually get a part on EastEnders; not forgetting Julie Covington, Phil Lynott and Chris Thompson! Jeff also got his family involved too: Doreen wrote the script, Jerry provided the voices of the NASA controllers, Zeb would be on the keyboards, and Anna-Marie would play Carrie in the stage show. Anyway, I was enthralled, as I said before. I even got the 1998 PC game and the DVD of the 2006 tour, which used the Martian intro from the former, as well as a model of Richard Burton's head hanging to the left of a gigantic screen showing some impressive CGI, and in the centre of the stage, a scale model of the Martian Fighting Machine that shoots coloured smoke. And the tour expanded on the original: the 2009 tour introduced a moving CGI hologram of Richard's face, and in 2010 came an addition to the prelude, brand new CGI, the Machine shoots actual flame, and the epilogue has a new twist on the end.

When The New Generation was announced, I was psyched. I mean, I can hardly describe how psyched I was, and given that I despised the initial reinventions of Cluedo and Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, I'd taken the news of this one very well. We had to wait a whole year before it was actually released. So you'd think that, because they're taking so long to create it, it's going to be incredible - right? The wait was chewing me up! I pre-ordered the collector's CD, slated for release in July.
   But then the release date was pushed further away, into November, so as to coincide with the arena tour. Still I anticipated getting my copy. As a matter of fact... when the day finally came, and my copy hadn't arrived on my doorstep, I ended up buying the digital download version and eventually the CD itself (for the script and the new art). Later, I found out, the collector's CD was cancelled, so of course mine wouldn't have gotten anywhere. Could this, possibly, have been a bad omen? The art wasn't too bad, but only the "Horsell Common" and "Thunder Child" pieces were totally redesigned, the others being, for the most part, a CGI remake of the original paintings. There's also a new one, "The Earth Under The Martians", which serves as the cover for the CD.

Which brings us to the actual feature itself. It's supposed to be an enhancement of the original, using more modern audio technology, an attempt to add a little more atmosphere, and I can live with that, but really... it wouldn't hold up on its own! Granted, the additional narrations (which were also recorded by Richard; it's in the Collector's Edition) are a nice touch, they describe the story more. And the Steampunk theme extends from the "Brave New World" song; the packaging is nice, and the atmosphere is present. Alas, not even that can justify one thing: The New Generation jumped the shark! But there ARE a few things that are good about it, so I might be able to balance it out, but I make no promises. We'll look at each separate track and talk about what's right and wrong with them. I'll throw in the extra scenes from the tour (which should've been on the album too, by the way!) for good measure.

1. Prequel (tour only)
So the show begins with William Rowland and Vera May (not THE Vera May, of course) studying the mysterious green flashes in the direction of Mars. Can't argue with that, except until the DVD gets released, I can't really put my finger on what it is they're saying. It doesn't mean I'm not interested, in fact I am, but there really isn't a lot of footage of them, so I can say nothing about it.
   Then comes the Martians' side of the prologue, taken direct from the 1998 PC game. Which more or less makes the properties of the PC game canon in the Wayneiverse. That includes all the machines that were created for it too! Yeah, there are images of them in the tour book, save for the Tempest - where on earth is the Tempest? - but I digress. This part still invokes nostalgia in me, even though Lewis McLeod was brought back to record a new, rewritten iteration of the Martians' speech, and obviously the Martians themselves looking different.
   But one question: what about the hydrogen accelerator that propels the pods Earthward? Space guns are feasible - but any cannon powerful enough to blast a pod to another planet would also destroy the pod, would it not? To that end, even if they DO make it to Earth, they'd be in no state to terrorize the humans. My guess is that the accelerator pushes the pod into orbit like normal, and then the pod goes into warp drive. Should explain how they arrive so quickly as well.

2. The Eve of the War
The Journalist, played here by Liam Neeson, delivers the introductory narration. I guess he's okay... I mean he's not great, but he's not terrible either. Richard gave us a captivating and dramatic narrative; Liam is more to-the-point, a little monotone, but still resembles a journalist. Anyway, when he finishes his opening speech, the iconic first bars of the song blares over your speakers.
   This is the one we've been hearing all year. We've had plenty of time to nitpick it! And I accepted it for what it is: a rave-up of the classic. It's not really badly butchered, but all the problems in this album can be traced back to one thing: the techno beats. Thanks to these, the music sounds a lot less classical than it already was. They kind of drown out the string orchestra.
   After an actually rather splendid segue into the next half, we get more narrative, and then the Sung Thoughts of the Journalist. Now we had an earlier version of this song with Justin Hayward, but he was ultimately replaced by Gary Barlow. Gary does okay in this song, I guess. In fact he's not bad at all! I mean he's not like Justin, but he's okay! And the next bit has more descriptive:

"Then came the night the first missile approached Earth. Hundreds saw it, but thought it was an ordinary falling star. Some say it travelled with a hissing sound - (wheeeeesh) - some that it landed with a green flash. (PEOW!)
   However: next day there was a huge crater in the middle of Horsell Common, and Ogilvy came to examine what lay there: a cylinder, thirty yards across, glowing hot... and with faint sounds of movement coming from within.
   Suddenly the top began moving, rotating, unscrewing, and Ogilvy feared there was a man inside trying to escape. He rushed to the cylinder, but the intense heat stopped him before he could burn himself on the still glowing metal."

Fine, but possibly that second sentence is a little... I dunno. For some reason, "But next day there was a huge crater on Horsell Common" sounds better to me. But it'll do.
   At the end of this track you might hear some sort of alien whispering under the haunting ambience. That is one part I welcome without question!

3. Horsell Common and The Heat Ray
This track is not much different, except that the "wah-oh-wah" warble a little in is different. But there's the part after the Heat Ray strikes for the first time that bothers me. I liked the original version with all that "waka-waka", whatever you call it, in the background, as well as the strings supporting the guitars. Here, it seems the guitar is not only synthesized, but is no longer accompanied by the strings, it's techno buzzes instead. I will admit, the screams of a single electric guitar string in the original were cringeworthy, but not so much here.
   In the tour, Chris Spedding gets a guitar solo in this part. And just watch the CGI: the Heat Ray cannon spins around like crazy! Like, possibly, a basketball on the fingers of a Harlem Globetrotter, if that analogy works. Previously I hadn't thought the cannon couldn't possible swivel that fast, but then again: they surprise you!

4. The Artilleryman and The Fighting Machine
Only one word can describe this one: BOTCHED. This, possibly, is the black sheep of Disc 1. The acting isn't that good either. It starts out with a few spooky sound effects... fine... and then the bass line from the previous track starts up, which leads us into this part. Doesn't sound too bad so far. So we're introduced to the Artilleryman, played here by Ricky Wilson. Now these parts have a new twist to them: one voice is played on the left speaker, the other on the right. In this case, the Journalist is on the left speaker, the Artilleryman on the right.
   Now, the first thing you'll notice is - well - just listen to it! David Essex properly expressed trauma having had to witness hundreds of people being annihilated. With Ricky, well... it's almost as if he doesn't care. That's kind of dark, isn't it? Also, instead of "picking up men and bashing them against trees", he says the Fighting Machines are "setting fire to everything in sight". Well... okay, I can live with that! Makes more sense! And it's not so messy.
   The two set off on a two-and-a-half-hour long hike to Weybridge. This time they actually go inside the inn and loot the kitchens before continuing onwards. They haven't had time to investigate the crowds there before the Fighting Machines appear and open fire.... Cue the town exploding to the sound effect of... a hydraulic piston? ...I don't get it.
   The main part of this song is... well, it's alright, but for some reason it sounds like something out of Pirates of the Carribean! The original has an essence of the music used in Japanese anime movies in the era, and that's something I praise. This version doesn't carry that essence over, and that disappoints me.
   The effect of the Journalist hiding underwater, though, is the highlight of this track, almost like the speakers have followed him in. The muffled beats of the background... love it! What is there to say? And I have to say, adding the part about the wave rushing upon the Journalist gives this scene more explanation, as somehow just being scalded by the Heat Ray sweeping across the river isn't altogether saying much. But that's just me.
   The arena tour gives this part a very interesting effect, though: when the Journalist offers a glass of whisky to the Artilleryman on the hologram screen, and next thing Art is actually holding that same glass in his hand! How do they do that? Could it be... that the producers know more than they let on...?

5. Forever Autumn
Gary Barlow presents some haunting melodies and deep lyrics sung with passion... perhaps a little too much though? When I listened to this track for the second time, I knew my art would be influenced, and indeed it was. The result:

This might make more sense if you've watched My Life as a Teenage Robot. Gary convinced me that this song suited the bittersweet aftermath of the episode "No Harmony with Melody".

"Like the sun through the trees you came to love me...
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away...

Through autumn's golden gown we used to kick our way...
You always loved this time of year.
Those fallen leaves lie undisturbed now...
'cause you're not here!
'cause you're not here!
'cause you're not here!"

The question is: was this the right mood? Later, I learned, this song was originally meant to be one of despair; Gary made it sound like one of heartbreak. And Brad wasn't so much despairing for his loss as he was heartbroken. So, to summarize: it's a good song, but it has borne upon me some erroneous concepts.
   By the way... walking all the way from London to the coast - it's plausible, but I've checked: they'll be walking for 18 hours!  And that's assuming Carrie's house is in the region of Chalk Farm. Any further than that, it'll take longer than a day!

6. Thunder Child
First off: Liam's narration before the song isn't quite as memorable as Richard's, but... it's Liam Neeson, he knows what he's doing!
   Alex Clare takes over as the Voice of Humanity. He's... actually not bad! He sounds bold and fearless, and definitely has that vintage feel in his voice. Possibly there's a hint that the song is actually being sung at sea.
   After this, Liam's grim conclusion, "The Earth belonged to the Martians!" echoes and echoes and echoes... the sound builds up, almost like it's experiencing tachycardia. I even sensed the buzz of electricity within. I was actually quite afraid it might explode! And the "UUULLLAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" almost deafens me as the final bars of "The Eve of the War" play again.... Let me tell you, I was truly blown away by this ending! And this time, the whistly tunes and alien whispering left me in utter suspense......

7. Distant Shores (tour only)
Remember Jeff saying he wanted to expand on George and Carrie's relationship? Well... this is that scene! You had to see the stage show in order to hear this scene. Sneaky incentive!

"The Earth now belonged to the Martians... and I knew not how the fate of mankind would end. But at least for the moment, I also knew that my beloved Carrie and her father were safe, on another, but distant shore."

This is actually quite an interesting scene. For one thing, Carrie actually has a bigger speaking role, as another head-and-shoulders hologram, where Richard and Liam both have narrated. So that makes two holograms talking to each other. And it's actually quite neat! It's nice to know, too, that these two people are thinking of each other even though their world is being dominated by walking brains from another planet.

8. The Red Weed, Part 1
Well, what's there to be said about this one? I can't really say too much is different. Just two things:
   The Journalist mentions, "It was like walking on gigantic blood drops." Pretty much cinches this song for me! Because it's true! The Red Weed looked like gigantic blood drops in the original painting. It makes perfect sense! Although in the new version it's more of a stringy frond. But again, I digress.
   When he's finished his dialogue on this track, I started hearing this odd "dit-di-d-d-dit-dit-dit-dit" like the song had been chopped up by a helicopter blade! I was worried that my download had gone wrong somehow. But no! Turns out it was deliberate! I believe they call it a "Dubstep" or something. I don't really know much about it. But once you've gotten over it... it's actually quite addicting to listen to! Yeah! It's fun to hear that outrageous "dit-dit-dit" over and over!! This is accompanied by a seizure-inducing rapid blinking of the lights in the stage show, so that may be a little far.

9. The Spirit of Man

Parson: "No, you're one of them: a devil!!"
Beth: "But they're not devils, they're Martians!"

Journalist: "Yes: they came from Mars, not from God."

 ...so... you're saying that God can send demons upon the Earth? ...What culture is this guy from???
   The Parson (Maverick Sabre) sounds like he had a head cold when they recorded him. Could be trouble. In fact - no, it's more than that - if he was deliberately trying to shoot for a Phil Lynott impression, he's come out instead with something of a Jamaican accent! BAM!!! Look at that!! This actor's just jumped the shark so high he's gone right through the ceiling!!
   Beth (Joss Stone) is... okay, I suppose, but she perhaps ought to have been a little softer. She sounded a little harried in some of the lines. There's also a choir inserted into the song - logical, these characters are religious.
   But really, not even that could save the original essence from being lost. Again, this song in the original reminded me of anime movies of the era. This version just doesn't do it for me!
   So... after the song is done, a pod crashes into the cottage, where they're hiding. But for this part, I actually kind of expected the dialogue to be extended, but alas, it was not to be. And yes, I was half-expecting Liam to say "One more word and I throw you out there!" to the Parson. But... yeah, that'd be cruel, considering that Beth has just been buried under the rubble. Her ghost's song gets a part on the album though!

10. The Red Weed, Part 2
Again, not much different from the original, but my problems with Maverick Sabre as the Parson continue here. Phil, in the original, gave a strangled cry when he caught the Martians drinking human blood. Yeah! That strangled scream resonates with me as an iconic part of the dialogue. Here, though... well - it defines "half-assery"! A lazy "Aghhhh!", replete with an echo for good measure. To stop him from attracting any more attention, the Journalist bashes him on the nose. Now, I'm told Liam, being an ex-boxer, could easily give the man a bloody nose, but I'm not quite sure how even that knocks him out. Surely the Parson couldn't be THAT weak? I can understand being knocked out by the blunt end of a meat cleaver, but a punch to the face? Hmm.
   I was actually quite glad the Journalist mentioned the Martian "understood doors!". I mean, for Richard's dialogue, you'd have to conclude that he knows they understand doors in the first place. But then it's logical! With all their machinery and technology, they'd have to have SOME knowledge of how we operate!
   When the Parson gets dragged away... the song sort of stops, and that "dit-dit-dit" thing is back... I'm almost used to this by now, but even so listening to it is again addicting - but for some reason, not quite so addicting as the last time it was done.

11. The Artilleryman Returns
Okay, I really like this track. The almost disco-like beat - I'm not sure how I explain it, I'm not really a musician - but listening to it, I almost felt like Moonwalking! The dialogue is extended too: the Journalist mentions that "only the Red Weed lived", and how the Martians are clearly sexless beings, and they've eliminated cancers from their planet as well as all the other things.
   Ricky Wilson's back too. His chirpy demeanour is more suitable this time around, and what's more, he gets more dialogue, which is really a nice touch. I kinda thought that David just had to rush into the "Brave New World" song. But these two men take a little more time to discuss what next for civilisation. And what's more, the Journalist questions whether the Artilleryman has a plan... which, of course, he does.

12. Brave New World
As I said previously, I loved the clock ticking effect in this song. It clearly underlines the Steampunk atmosphere that Jeff and co. were shooting for. In fact, I think this song is the highlight of the entire album! It truly defines the theme in which it's been immersed in. The reverb on the singing clearly says "vintage" too, and that's something I've been looking for in this whole thing. What else is there to say about this song? I simply LOVE IT.
   Although again, I half-expected the dialogue to be extended, with the Journalist mentioning Carrie again and that "assurance and daring stuff". But still, this doesn't really detract from how much "Brave New World" really shines through. Furthermore, it actually makes me think of how much the Martian's technology will benefit the humans after all this is over (a la Scarlet Traces).

13. Dead London (Part 1)
This one, I'm sort of on the fence about. It sounds sort of like a half-baked edition of the Mister JoyBoy remix (aka the remix in the PC game). If you've listened to these two tracks, you'll see where I'm getting at.
   The Martian's dying wails are still as haunting and nerve-wracking as ever... and yes, the Journalist gets more to say. A few of these are echoed, which I can understand, because in truth, by now the English capital has been hollowed out. This track is as moving as it ever was. I can't really say much more about it. Except perhaps that... the Martian's last "Uuullahhh!" ends more abruptly; even the music stops with it! I'm not sure, this doesn't exactly let it sink in as much as the original, when only a slight echo remained. It still sinks in, yes, but it sort of... throws you in there.

"Abruptly... the sound ceased! Suddenly the desolation, the solitude became... unendurable. While that voice sounded, London had still seemed alive... but suddenly there was a change... the passing of something, I knew not what, except now all that remained was this... gaunt quiet."

14. Dead London (Part 2)
The Journalist goes on a suicide bid to the tune of "The Eve of the War". I can't really say there's too much difference here, except Gary Barlow returns one more time to sing the lyrics again. I can't imagine why, but it would sound a little bit more sensible if these lyrics were put into the past tense for this part. I can re-edit it right now.

"The chances of anything coming from Mars

were a million to one, he said...
The chances of anything coming from Mars
were a million to one... BUT STILL, THEY CA-AME!"

Ah. Might just be me.

15. Epilogue (Part 1)
The choirs in this one mesmerise me. Can't decide how exactly, but the term "haunting melodies" comes once again to mind.
   I kind of expected this track's structure to be re-arranged to resemble the stage show, with the final words from the Journalist followed quickly by those short bursts from the string orchestra, which fade slowly into...

16. Epilogue (Part 2; NASA)
Jerry Wayne reprises his role (from beyond the grave, no less!) of the NASA men - the Pasadena one, according to the the Tour Book, is named Jerome Marvin Krauth. I'm impressed, I didn't think they'd given him a name.
   So there isn't much new here, except the sound of the cylinders launching. The Martians chime in one more time with "THE PROBLEM IS OF COURSE THE HUMANS...".... the crescendo put me on the edge of my seat... the whistling and ringing... and then the pitch went up, right up, nearly to a shriek....!!
   And then I was greeted by abrupt silence.
   ...that's it?! That's... that's all I get for that suspenseful build-up?! I mean in the original, the abrupt end was actually suspenseful! But here... it's wasted! I was hoping to hear that crazy KERRAANNGGG of the Heat Ray blasting Pasadena Control to smithereens!! This is a serious disappointment! But on the other hand... it's in the Minigame Adventure - I can pinch the sound from that and re-edit the track with it. There... that's better!! To put that at the end will give the listeners something of a shock!...


Well. There you have it: an awe-inspiring, but half-assed new interpretation of a classic. Now, for the record, I actually commend Jeff Wayne's wishes to let others have a crack at playing the characters he brought to life. They did that in the stage shows too. And the stage tour serves as eye-candy in its own right.
   However... there's one problem. This tour is even more broken!! I hate to say it, but it's the truth! It's not the album as a whole - in fact I hear it's enhanced when it's being played live - but it doesn't get with the times that much. Now I'm just nitpicking, but here are three things that should be improved.


1. Hologram
When they first announced the stage show, they told us that one of the new holography elements, "a world first in live entertainment, will see Liam Neeson appearing  full body on stage interacting holographically with the show's live performers."
   Wow! But wait a minute... "world first"? That's debatable. As far as I'm aware, Japan did it first: bringing Hatsune Miku to the stage. They use rear projection onto a clear DILAD screen to attain that "holographic" effect. And that definitely looks 3D, at least if you're seated looking straight up onto the stage! TWOTW:TNG is almost there. I think they use overhead projection, onto a curved but not so translucent screen. Furthermore, when they filmed Liam, they did what they could to make the lighting add to the 3D effect. So they're almost there. What they need is use rear projection and have that curved screen be a DILAD one. And make it clear! Then the illusion will be sold!
   To be fair, the photos and videos of the tour probably don't show the 3D-ness altogether. But then again, that might very well be me. After all, cameras tell truths! You know... it's a shame they didn't do this with the original. I know I said animating a figure of Richard Burton might have difficulties, but really, that never stopped Pixar or Dreamworks or all those CGI film makers! It'd be fun to see Richard interacting with the live performers! I wanna see THAT in the next version of the original!

2. Cast
This time every member of the cast is alive and well, and STILL they're not present! Of all the performers (excluding Liam), Ricky Wilson is the only one who's reprising his role from the album. Again, I don't mind others playing their roles, but when the album has just been released... well - it's so inconsistent! If you're going to bring a cast of singers into the album, you've got to have them on the first tour, at least! We get: Marti Pellow, Will Stapleton, Kerry Ellis and Jason Donovan. I'm sure they're all fine actors, but until I watch the tour as a whole, I can't really say much about them.

3. Technical Issues
I've been talking in puns. The tour is literally broken! According to the TWOTW community, things kept going awry. Aside from the sound levels being irregular - sometimes the vocals drown out the music, and vice versa - there's also a crippling handicap in the O2 Arena show: nobody could hear Carrie at the beginning of Act 2! That's right! The audience could apparently see her talking but nothing could be heard, and Liam was responding to non-existent lines. Only Jeff Wayne himself could hear it; it was on an in-ear monitor thing.
   And to cap it all: this was the night that was recorded for the DVD! They could NOT have picked a worse night!!! They're going to gloss over it with sound editing, but still! You've gotta be sure that everything is WORKING if you're filming it!


I waited a whole year. And for what? The New Generation's broken. It's simply tried too hard to be modern and trendy. I've said it once, but it bears repeating: It has literally dug its own grave!

But to be fair, there are a handful of things I like about it, even on repeated listening. And the additional dialogue is a nice touch. But please, tell me: if you couldn't fit the unabridged original onto a vinyl, how on EARTH could you possibly fit this onto one now?! It's about 10 minutes longer! Still, that'll probably explain why the two new beginnings aren't present... But once more, I digress.
   The War of the Worlds: The New Generation isn't going to go away any time soon. They never went back on the original Cluedo or Millionaire, did they? I don't care what people say, it's as much of a replacement as the first reinvention of Cluedo replaced the original: go back to playing the original all you want, the new stuff is here to stay! But it'll give you a few good tunes, as many as it does bad ones. But, nevertheless, a mixed bag is still a train wreck in my book, when it doesn't know whether it wants to be good or bad. It's a train wreck - but one I might have affection for.