This Is the Original CBS Radio Broadcast (October 30, 1938)
This is the original Orson Welles "Mercury Theater on the Air" production of October 30, 1938, that fooled so many CBS radio listeners. Even though Welles announced at the beginning of the program that it was only a fictional dramatization, many people tuned in late, and hearing what sounded like legitimate live news reports that killer Martians were attacking the United States, thousands panicked. The broadcast prompted a suitably contrite apology from Welles -- just 23 at the time -- on behalf of the Mercury Theater and CBS the next morning. The "War of the Worlds" is a classic, Welles is a classic, and any collection of important, historic radio broadcasts is incomplete without this landmark recording -- digitally restored and remastered on this CD. And it's still fascinating listening today.

MP3 artifacts ruin an otherwise terrific tale.
I won't discuss the content of the mp3 file, as if you are reading this then you probably already know that this is one of the most entertaining and convincing products of the entertainment industry in history.

However, in addition to the obvious artifacts of 1930's era recording technology (cackling which do not distract from the content), there are many metallic whistling mp3 artifacts as well. If this were available in another format, such as an uncompressed wav or possibly a lossless flak, it would be much better.

phenomenal
I always wondered why this radio program caused so much panic back then. So after listening to this, I realized how people could've easily mistaken it for the real thing had they missed the beginning. This is a kind of a radio program that was way ahead of its time in 1938. We're used to it now, we are more jaded and habituated to this type of broadcast. But if you transpose the Mars aliens to terrorist in planes etc.. we could just as easily believe it and create panic now. Orson Wells in incredible!

a landmark
This is a landmark of radio. Orson Welles successfully pulled off the greatest farce? tragedy? show? of all of radio history. And the way they did it, cutting in and out of the music of the day (much like if CNN did it today, but a video version) many people thought this was real. It's a testament to the power of Orson Welles, though he did, at the beginning, let people know that this was just a show. It's the latecomers (let that be a lesson to you) that panicked. History aside, it is a great radio show, the only that I own. Buy it. Love it. And think about it.

Timeless classic
Need not much to say, this is the radioplay that shook a lot
of U.S. citizens, (Kane?) :) It's style (radioplay) is realistic
done, that's why it's a bit boring to start with, (like the movie 2001 of Stanley Kubrick) but it then, gets tense,
in short, it follows the story of Herbert George Wells closely,
Just like Justin Hayward's musical version, (using Richard Burton
as narrator)
So with this cd you can hear the perfect sounding voice of Orson
again...in the play he did in his Mercury Theatre,
The reason why so many people thought this show was "the real thing", is because on a other radio station a very populair comedy show just ended, and those people didn't hear the start
of this radioplay, many people called the station, Orson said
he was sorry but also, that it was Haloween !