Miller, Thomas Kent. Mars in the Movies: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2016. ISBN 978-0-7864-9914-4.

In 1897, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells was published in serialized form. Its immense popularity led to the science fiction story being published as a novel. The book has since inspired plays, films, television series, and a wealth of sci-fi stories. In January 1975, [6] Wayne and his father acquired the rights to adapt the work from Wells's estate, which at the time was overseen by Wells's son Frank. Wayne spent three months locating Frank Wells, and found his ideas were well received because it was the first adaptation that stayed true to the story. [4] Wayne was aware of the famous 1938 radio drama adaptation directed and narrated by Orson Welles, but he wanted to stay close to the original story and set his version in Victorian England. [4] From the start Wayne saw his adaptation as an opera, with "story, leitmotifs, musical phrases, sounds and compositions that relate to the whole." [3] He wanted the music to have a "big, symphonic" sound when humans were telling the story, and a more aggressive and electric-based sound when the Martians were in action. [8] Wayne started by "organising a cast of characters", while having the book adapted to fit the content of the songs he had outlined for it by Doreen Wayne, his future stepmother who at the time was an established script writer and journalist. [9] Wayne used artistic license to create a love interest by replacing The Journalist's brother for Carrie, his wife. [10] At the same time, Wayne started to write the score and recorded demos in the studio, paying particular attention to how Wells originally wrote the story as a series of episodes with multiple cliff hangers to each chapter. [7] [3] Wayne recalled that he "wanted to have a bit of pressure" applied to the project in January 1976, so he booked studio time at Advision Studios in Fitzrovia, London for May of that year. The idea proved to be a productive for Wayne, who completed a draft of the entire work in six weeks. [3] The character of the curate, who is not given a name in the novel, is changed to Parson Nathaniel, who is introduced in the second act instead of prior to the Thunder Child sequence. Shea, Christopher D. (20 March 2016). " 'War of the Worlds' Shape-Shifts Onto the London Stage". The New York Times . Retrieved 21 March 2016.The Music Australia Loved". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ( link) Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. Lewis, Richard (20 November 2010). "The War of the Worlds: Alive on Stage - Jeff Wayne Interview". Nerve . Retrieved 17 February 2022. Album of the week - Various Artists: The War of the Worlds" (PDF). Music Week. 3 June 1978. p.46 . Retrieved 17 February 2022– via World Radio History. Dutch album certifications – Jeff Wayne – War of the Worlds" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter War of the Worlds in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1978 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".

White, Chris (3 June 1978). "Talent Scene: Wayne's War: Set to conquer the concept album market" (PDF). Newsweek. No.22. United Kingdom. p.22. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2021 . Retrieved 21 November 2021. Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Diverse; 'War of the Worlds ')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 16 November 2019. Fortunately I wasn’t the only person who felt that a Musical work based upon HG Wells’ iconic novel had promise, and we managed to attract an incredible cast - Richard Burton one of the leading men of his day, played The Journalist. The rest of our cast were musically based - and what a diverse and special group they were. The Moody Blues’ Justin Hayward (The Sung Thoughts of The Journalist), David Essex (The young Artilleryman), Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott (Parson Nathaniel), Manfred Manns Earth Band’s Chris Thompson (The Voice of Humanity) and Julie Covington (Beth, Parson Nathaniel’s wife).Interview: Jeff Wayne, War of the Worlds composer". Culture Whisper. 26 September 2014 . Retrieved 17 February 2022. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p.430. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 16 November 2019. In 1999, a third-person shooter, also entitled Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds, was developed by Pixelogic and released for the Sony PlayStation. It used much of the 1998 game's music and graphical elements, but featured an entirely different campaign with a focus on vehicular combat.

International - Platinum Worlds" (PDF). Billboard. 4 November 1978. p.100 . Retrieved 8 October 2020– via World Radio History. In response to the COVID-19 shutdown, the musical was streamed for free from October 23-25, 2020, on the YouTube channel The Shows Must Go On.Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience - The Making of the Video Series". Flashbang Studio . Retrieved 25 August 2022.