Get Your Arts To Mars

 I've just realised, reading the comments about Jeff Waynes's album, that the Roger Dean illustrations are covered in his second art book - 'Magnetic Storm'. 

The first volume 'Views' was released in the back end of the seventies and includes his seminal work on the sequence of 'Yes' albums and other rock album classics and helped cement his artwork as the style of the period. Magnetic Storm followed much later and unfortunately, I think that Dean's ship had sailed a little by then, having been overtaken by other artists such as the great Rodney Matthews who illustrated the Michael Moorcock books and Peter Jones, who cornered the sci fi novel market.

Storms devotes an entire chapter to Dean's work on WOTW and shows his interpretation of the war machines. Unfortunately, as much as I love Dean's work, I don't think it's suitable for this story, as the tripods look a little too bird like and cumbersome. The art did however find its way into an Amiga computer game during the 16bit era, with game giant Psygnosis, who used publisher Paper Tiger's almost complete catalogue of fantasy art as the basis of both the games and the gorgeous box artwork.

Meanwhile, here are some shots of Dean's artwork from Magnetic Storms book.

Kev's Tripods

Here's my scratchbuild of the tripod from the Jeff Wayne War of the Worlds album.

Ooh lah,

Kevin

UK

AMERICAN FOLK ROBOTS

We stopped on the way out of town to visit the American Visionary Art Museum, a fancy name for folk art, that is, art by artists without a formal training.

Here is the exhibit MC readers might enjoy. A Robot Family. For size the red one on the left is about 6 feet tall.

Terranova47

USA

Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds: Martian Arts

I've been listening to an LP Junior got me, Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds.

It's an LP I know as I had a battered copy. Junior upgraded me.

It's a great album, both prog and futuristic yet Victorian as well. The ensemble cast are fabulous, my faves being Richard Burton the narrator and David Essex the artillery man.

There are many fine things in the production. The close following of HG Wells book, the different phases of the Martian invasion, the stark suffering of humanity and the sound effects.

The most startling is the Oo Laa sound of the Martian death rays. This was achieved with a guitar voice box and works really well.

In some ways the Martian war soundscape recalls the hellish fray in Rush's By Tor and the. snow Dog with it's snarling and screams created on guitars.

I'd no idea just how successful this LP was or is. One the best selling if all time and often cited as the best sci-fi album. Do you agree?

I had the chance to get cover artist Mike Trim to sign my battered copy in 2010 at the TV21 con. I took a Project SWORD box instead and asked Mike to sign that, as well as a few other guests there. I still have that box, the Cape Kennedy set.

Do you like War of the Worlds readers?

STINGRAY IS LAUNCHED ON TALKING PICTURES

 

Just a quick heads up for those Anderson fans in the U.K. Talking Pictures TV is showing Stingray today at 3.00 P.M. 

https://talkingpicturestv.co.uk/

ELDRADOR AND THE SNOW DOG

This Schleich Eldrador set looks great! Just what are those creatures?

It reminds me of my favourite Rush album cover, Fly by Night, featuring the giant owl, which I've always thought was By Tor from By Tor and the Snow Dog, the stand-out track.

and the sleeve notes. But that's not an owl in the little sketch. Looks like a dragon?

Is it an album or track you know?

MONSTER HUNTER MOVIE

This Milla Jovovovich vehicle caught my eye. The word monster does that. 

I suppose it was OK. The main big creature looked like a Kaiju, which I liked and it's diving into sand, then encircling large boulders was clearly lifted from Tremors.

There were giant spiders too. Nasty ones. Not bad filming really 

I didn't see all of it. I wondered if it had been a computer game. Milla has made a career of hunting large resident bugs and beasties, with a brief interlude into super-being being with Bruce Willis. This flick fits right in.

Have you seen Monster Hunter?

MANTA BANTER

 As a kid I adored Manta Rays. It was part of that whole 007 skin diver frogman craze I think, mixed in with some Jacques Cousteau! Oh, how I loved his TV show!

Anyways, here's some footage of a Manta. Not by me! By New Atlantis WILD. Do you like Rays?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfgJx-ShRGI