JEFF WAYNE'S MUSICAL VERSION OF THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1978) was an album that seemed to live in every home in Britain by the early 80s. The music was scary enough, but the artwork by Geoff Taylor, Mike Trim, and Peter Goodfellow caused many a sleepless night... - ThreadSky

scarredforlife.bsky.social • 17 days ago

JEFF WAYNE'S MUSICAL VERSION OF THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1978) was an album that seemed to live in every home in Britain by the early 80s. The music was scary enough, but the artwork by Geoff Taylor, Mike Trim, and Peter Goodfellow caused many a sleepless night...

1 / 4

Comments

kevinjordan64.bsky.social•17 days ago

I’ve bought it on almost every format and still listen to the whole thing at least a couple of times a year. An absolute classic.

circlingthedrain.bsky.social•17 days ago

Bought it at launch, happily still have it.

tulpas.bsky.social•17 days ago

So good. Still got mine. Though nothing to play it on…😃

dmdevotee.com•17 days ago

It was the cry of the tripods UUULLAAA!! that scared me.

iamrikasmith.bsky.social•17 days ago

Part of growing up, and I've passed this tradition on to my kids.

mickeystrabane.bsky.social•17 days ago

...but still they come!

reelsteve.bsky.social•17 days ago

We're listening to this classic album right now on cd. Bought at the time on vinyl. Played it to death.
Recently listend to the updated one with Liam Neeson narration, but it doesn't work nearly as well as the original iconic release.

merrimanlyon.bsky.social•17 days ago

Brainwashed by this (in a good way) in my early years. Only this morning someone mentioned their colleague called Nathaniel and all I could think of was “No Nathaniel, no”!!!

leepkelly.bsky.social•17 days ago

What’s even scarier is how much this looks like it’s AI…

merseymal.com•17 days ago

Have a 5.1 mix on SACD somewhere. Must dig it out.

vickythelabrat.bsky.social•17 days ago

My parents had the album, and I remember happily playing through headphones until the "ULLAAAA", when I almost threw them across the room. It still freaks me out, and I can't listen to Forever Autumn without sobbing.

therealdouble-l.bsky.social•17 days ago

Phenomenal album!

Finding this in my mum's record collection as a kid in the '80s was a formulative moment for me. It scared the crap out of me to the point I would have frequent nightmares, but the next day I'd listen to it again and again. Funnily enough, now *my* young son is obsessed with it.

therealdouble-l.bsky.social•17 days ago

Also, this TV promo from '78 was probably Scarred For Life material on its own, especially the almost jump scare at 2:20

https://youtube.com/watch?v=WCYiND0ER2k

scarredforlife.bsky.social•17 days ago

When I was 8, I managed to convince myself this was a tv spot for an entire film! I was so disappointed when no such thing arrived.

therealdouble-l.bsky.social•17 days ago

There was early work on an animated Jeff Wayne WotW movie back in the early '00s, but all that remains is some test footage

https://youtube.com/watch?v=q5JYmKi4_8U

silentbazz.bsky.social•17 days ago

Still have a vinyl copy of this.. the art book is as good as ever and the music has aged surprisingly well. Insanely talented musicians and vocalists on this too. Classic album.

dantootill.bsky.social•17 days ago

The opening bars of "Horsell Common and the Heat Ray", specifically the pulsating bass riff that plays as the first cylinder unscrews, still makes me shudder to this day.

bazza2112.bsky.social•17 days ago

I still cry when the HMS Thunderchild is destroyed after downing a Martian Tripod.
Farewell Thunderchild.

rebsiem.bsky.social•17 days ago

A couple of years ago I mentioned to my daughter that a family friend had that album when I was a kid and I would love to own it. She tracked down an original pressing with the book and gave it to me that Christmas. She's never been able to top that gift.

jakeinoz.bsky.social•17 days ago

Played for my kids still good in 2025zz scaring one child at time

teammeat.co.uk•17 days ago

I used to beg my mum and dad not to play it in the evening 💀

(I now have 3 copies).

apoplexia.bsky.social•17 days ago

And my uncle's house in Sydney. Deeply traumatic as a kid. The album, that is. Mostly.

nhelks.bsky.social•17 days ago

Was fascinated by my Dad’s vinyl copy of this when I was a kid. Spent ages listening to it and looking at the inlay art.

stemwinder.bsky.social•17 days ago

brilliant LP - I can still remember great chunks of it now, and I haven't listened to it for 40 years. David Essex rocking out...

garethmurtagh.bsky.social•17 days ago

My Primary 7 teacher played this to us, we had to write essays about the various scenes, I got the top mark in the class for mine about the destruction of Woking!

leegoatboyhartnup.bsky.social•17 days ago

Never got into the music but loved it when my mate would let me read the album cover....was there a booklet or something?

waldrini.bsky.social•17 days ago

It was the red weed that did it for me!. Terrifying. Love the whole thing though

livefastdaiawn.bsky.social•17 days ago

The artwork kept me awake for weeks as a kid. Still creepy now!

lonecosmonaut.bsky.social•17 days ago

Brilliant album and artwork, but also freaked out a 9 year old me back in 78. This image of the red weed, in particular, always made me feel a bit queasy...

waldrini.bsky.social•17 days ago

That’s it!!

oscroftt.bsky.social•17 days ago

The CD reissue of a few years ago has all the artwork, sketches and booklet ad it sounds amazing as well.

4u5t0.bsky.social•17 days ago

The Immersive Experience in East London takes its aesthetic cues from the LP cover art. Recommended, I found it very enjoyable.

skybluebrunty.bsky.social•17 days ago

The first three notes played by the full orchestra at the beginning of "The Eve of the War" still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up."

christhebarker.bsky.social•17 days ago

My friend told me recently that when he was little his mum had this on tape in her car and she used to play it a lot. His sister loved it but it terrified him. So one day he took it from the car when nobody was around, ran into the woods and hid it inside a tree never to be seen again. True story.

cromerty.bsky.social•17 days ago

it’s still there. playing on the breeze.

dantootill.bsky.social•17 days ago

Forever Autumn. 👍

christhebarker.bsky.social•17 days ago

No one would have believed…

worldofalfie.bsky.social•17 days ago

oh I loved that album and the insert artwork was awesome!!!

simonc1975.bsky.social•17 days ago

My cousin had a poster set depicting the grabbing machine chasing people across a common, the view from the hood of the fighting machine and a third which was mock blueprints of the machine. Beside the one of the grabbing machine I’ve never seen the other two since… Great album too!!

realmarkrez.bsky.social•17 days ago

Uuu-laaaaa!

adverse-camber.bsky.social•17 days ago

Life changing album for a young me. Forever Autumn led me to the Moody Blues, which spiralled out to rock, folk, country, blues, festivals, paganism, partners and my beautiful wife.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply