# Question about a "rock opera" based on War of the Worlds

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-rock-opera-based-on-war-of-the-worlds/210353>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 30, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-rock-opera-based-on-war-of-the-worlds/210353 "2003-10-30T01:13:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-rock-opera-based-on-war-of-the-worlds/210353/1 "2003-10-30T01:13:31Z")

</div>

Back in the 70’s my then-fiance(now ex-husband) had a record. I don’t know who, or what group, produced it, but it was a sort of rock musical of the War of the Worlds story. There was some spoken dialogue, quotes from the book mostly, IIRC. Two titles I _think_ I remember are “Thunder Child” and “When You’re Not There”. The latter was beautiful and haunting, a man longing for the wife he thought he had lost.

Can anyone help point me to this album, or recall more information about it?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-rock-opera-based-on-war-of-the-worlds/210353/2 "2003-10-30T01:25:27Z")

</div>

Is [this](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000025CO/qid=1067477592/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/102-7738156-7078568?v=glance&s=music&n=507846) it?

If the link doesn’t work, go to [Amazon](http://www.amazon.com) and search for “Jeff Wayne.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-rock-opera-based-on-war-of-the-worlds/210353/3 "2003-10-30T01:26:25Z")

</div>

[Here it is](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS80310261920&sql=A47dovwnya9uk)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-rock-opera-based-on-war-of-the-worlds/210353/4 "2003-10-30T01:49:29Z")

</div>

That’s the one! When I clicked on the links and saw the album cover I recognized it, although beforehand I didn’t remember it. One of my title guesses was right, about Thunder Child, but the other must be the “Forever Autumn” track.

God, I love the SDMB. Less than fifteen minutes and I have the answer. And the links showed what seemed to be some other cool music as well.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-rock-opera-based-on-war-of-the-worlds/210353/5 "2003-10-30T02:15:30Z")

</div>

Wow. I listened to the War of the Worlds rock opera on a camping trip I took when I was nineteen. I’d always wondered where my friend (whom I’ve now lost track of) had found it, and where the recording came from. I too love the SDMB.

(Funny thing is, I was nineteen only four years ago. I guess I had some odd friends.)