Jeff Wayne sprang to the public’s attention in the late 1970s with his concept album based on H.G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Written by Wayne and featuring the spoken or singing talents of David Essex, actor Richard Burton, Justin Hayward, Phil Lynott, Chris Thompson and Julie Covington, the album was a huge success. Living off its royalties, Wayne kept a low profile for a time although in '84 he performed on the Kevin Peek and Rick Wakeman album BEYOND THE PLANETS. In '92 his next project, SPARTACUS, featuring Anthony Hopkins, Jimmy Helms, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo among others, was premiered to a lackluster response, but Wayne rebounded by producing a popular computer game based on his WAR OF THE WORLDS musical.