The Girl in the Scarf

With Halloween season in full swing, I wanted to take a moment to talk about an album that I play quite a bit around this time. It’s also a record that I consider to easily be one of the most underrated of all time, and one of my most favorite concept albums. Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds is a remarkable accomplishment, not just in the realm of prog rock, but in the realm of art in general. It’s one of those creative works that makes me think and marvel at the lengths of human creativity.

The album was brought to my attention about 2018, when I went to see Justin Hayward perform an acoustic solo show in Southern California. I think I actually went to a couple dates on that tour. I would post a photo, but as it turns out, I didn’t take any! Anyway, Justin told the story of how he got the opportunity to provide vocals on that album, and this story was used to lead into his acoustic rendition of “Forever Autumn.” Moved by his performance, I decided to look further into this mystery album that garnered zero audience reaction, and it led me to Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds. It only took one listen for me to be hooked, and that rarely happens with albums I’m just discovering.

The whole package enhances the experience of the album and story. You have artwork, lyrics, crescendos, decrescendos, guitar solos, epic prog moments. The list goes on. It’s one of those albums that I find impossible to listen to on shuffle. It just doesn’t work for me.

Yes, I have heard the 2012 “New Generation” reimagining of the album with Liam Neeson narrating. My understanding is that that version is the basis for the more recent performances of the album. I did enjoy that version. There were lots of strong moments, but, of course, it can’t compare to the original.

This album doesn’t appear to have caught on here in the States as much as it has in Europe. I have zero idea as to why that is. Whenever Justin Hayward mentioned the record as a lead-in to his acoustic rendition of “Forever Autumn” at the numerous solo concerts of his I attended, the crowd was radio silent every time. There was no apparent excitement or appreciation for this album, unlike when Hayward would mention a Moody Blues record. Maybe someone can help me out with that?

As far as I know, there haven’t been any live shows of the album performed in America. The closest I’ve come to enjoying such a thing has been via YouTube, where I enjoyed the 2006 “Alive on Stage” performance, where Justin performed his role as the “Sung Thoughts of the Journalist,” and the original narration by Richard Burton playing through a disembodied head projected on the screen. I’ll admit that part was a little uncanny, but jokes aside, it was an amazing performance.

Anyway, if you haven’t heard this album yet, I can’t recommend it enough. Who knows? Maybe you’ll decide to make it part of your Halloween season too. 😉