034: Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds (1978)

ULLA!!! Discord & Rhyme tackles an art-rock/disco musical based on the 1898 H.G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds and which John posits as the most ‘70s album ever made. Featuring an unforgettable spoken word performance by Richard Burton, as well as an absolutely fascinating who’s who collection of prominent late-’70s vocalists from the worlds of rock music and musicals, this album has gone down in history in the United States as a cult obscurity, but is one of the 40 best-selling albums of all time in the United Kingdom. In this episode, John leads Amanda, Phil, and Rich in a deep-dive examination of this album, with particular focus on the various leitmotifs used in creating the music, but also focuses on the question of how such a strange album, made by somebody best known for writing British advertising jingles and television themes, became such a lasting cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking nations outside the United States and Canada.Cohosts: John McFerrin, Rich Bunnell, Phil Maddox, Amanda RodgersComplete show notes: https://discordpod.com/listen/034-jeff-waynes-musical-version-of-the-war-of-the-worlds-1978Support the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/discordpod