Dead London

Since I couldn't find it on here (or a full version, at least) and was a bit miffed about it, here's Dead London from Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds.

JOURNALIST: There were a dozen dead bodies in the Euston Road, their outlines softened by the black dust. All was still, houses locked and empty, shops closed - but looters had helped themselves to wine and food, and outside a jewellers some gold chains and a watch were scattered on the pavement.

Ulla!

JOURNALIST: I stopped, staring towards the sound. It seemed as if that mighty desert of houses had found a voice for its fear and solitude.

Ulla!

JOURNALIST: The desolating cry worked upon my mind. The wailing took possession of me. I was intensely weary, footsore, hungry and thirsty. Why was I wandering alone in this city of the dead? Why was I alive, when London was lying in state in its black shroud? I felt intolerably lonely, drifting from street to empty street, drawn inexorably towards that cry.

Ulla!

JOURNALIST: I saw, over the trees on Primrose Hill, the Fighting Machine from which the howling came. I crossed Regents Canal. There stood a second machine, upright, but as still as the first.

Ulla-!

JOURNALIST: Abruptly, the sound ceased. Suddenly, the desolation, the solitude, became unendurable. While that voice sounded, London had still seemed alive. Now suddenly, there was a change, the passing of something - and all that remained was this gaunt quiet.

I looked up and saw a third machine. It was erect and motionless, like the others. An insane resolve possessed me. I would give my life to the Martians, here and now!

I marched recklessly towards the titan and saw that a multitude of black birds was circling and clustering about the hood. I began running along the road. I felt no fear, only a wild, trembling exultation, as I ran up the hill towards the motionless monster. Out of the hood hung red shreds, at which the hungry birds now pecked and tore.

I scrambled up to the crest of Primrose Hill, and the Martian's camp was below me. A mighty space it was, and scattered about it, in their overturned machines, were the Martians - dead. Slain, after all man's devices had failed, by the humblest things upon the Earth. Bacteria. Minute, invisible, bacteria!

Directly the invaders arrived and drank and fed, our microscopic allies attacked them. From that moment - they were doomed!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• dead
• london
• jeff
• wayne
• war
• of
• the
• worlds

[Wharding85]

Ever hair on my body is now standing on end, its so eary and spooky, you really get the feeling of him walking thru a dead city and how lonely he must be, and then this hidious unearthly howl, spooky and always gets me, you just dont get that in the films, no film of the war of the worlds has been this dark, we need a new version of the film this time set in the correct time period and not modern day garbage!

[prophetoftru7h]

I love this, and it captures the mood of Wells' writing perfectly. This is by far the best ending to a Sci-Fi story I've read. Ever. Makes you realize that perhaps despite man's view of superiority, even the smallest things we take for granted have the power to alter the way of things. :p

[jjashman117]

This always makes me cry for some reason

[elounitedj4]

@Whirrednerd totally agree that part, is nice and slow kinda mellow right? coming home after you worked your butt off at work and let your self fall on your chouch kinda feelin.... if you catch my drift.



[Whirrednerd]

I think the best bit is from 0:00 to 1:18

[DinokillerSithlord]

@garrettvader1 I find it more of sad than creepy

[scorch048]

@Wharding85 Scared me to death as a kid when I used to sneak a listen to it when my brother and friends played it. People say Pink Floyd is timeless music and I agree with them but this is a masterpiece that will never be matched, replaced or duplicated. Pure genius for its time and for time eternal. After David Bowies 'Space Oddity" and 'Jungle Book', this album was my very next buy(Even tho it scared the shite out of me lol)

Didn't mind the recent movie but ur right...

[reformedfruit]

"our microscopic allies"... yay for probiotics!

[loquatiousbadger]

@LazyScott99

Move ahead to 1995 and you've just described me!

[loquatiousbadger]

@isyou

I do agree there. Trying to film the book exactly wouldn't work. Having said that, I found the Tom Cruse verson extremely true to the spirit of the book, if not the fact of it. (I'm not a fan of Cruse, but I overlooked that!). It scared me just as much, and had the same sense of desperate helplessness and a REALLY eerie Martian metallic war-cry! The "river of bodies" scene was beautifully done.

[isyou]

@Wharding85 A movie wouldn't work, if you ask me. Books are, in my opinion, supposed to be taken as /you/ see them, the same thing for this album.