A funny thing happened to this record on it's way to being released in America.

The story is a secretary was instructed by her boss to inquire about the name of ELO's debut album (so as to do the artwork for the US release). The secretary made the phone call and there was noone there to pick up. So she scratched a note on a piece of paper that there was no answer on the line in the UK.

The record company executive got the note and thought the secretary said that the name of the record was No Answer! So, that may be a bit of ELO lore, and there may be a bit of fiction involved, but none the less, this album is brilliant. From start to finish, it is a rock masterpiece.

For those of you thinking ELO="Out Of The Blue" type sound, this record will break ....no wait ....it will shatter all reason to think ELO has any particular sound. Hard strings, ripping guitars, massive drums, passionate vocals... ELO had all this and more.

Roy Wood was the main catalyist for ELO. With relative newcomer Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood hit on the ELO Project will sails full of gusto.

It is a pity, however, that Roy Wood would soon abandon this pet project and leave it in the hands of a young and untested Jeff Lynne to persevere with.

Roy Wood, the musical genius that he is, instantly formed another rock and strings band (with saxophones even!) called Wizzard. Wizzard enjoyed a brief succcessful run in the mid-early 70's, mostly as a singles band.

But, I digress!

This album starts off with the opening riff of ELO's first single, "10538 Overture", and swirls around in orchestral textures grabbing your aural senses finally ending with the very surreal and soft Roy Wood penned tune "Whisper In The Night".

Here are the track listings, writer and other information
1) 10538 Overture - written and sang by Jeff Lynne. This song was the first single of ELO's history. This song also graces other ELO compilations albums, Ole' ELO, Strange Magic - The Very Best Of ELO, Afterglow and Flashback. If you have not heard this album, do not think that this album or song resembles the ELO that produced Living Thing, or Sweet Talking Woman. This version of ELO is a rock powerhouse with their stringed instruments amplified...not multiplied.
2) Look At Me Now - written and sang by Roy Wood. This song is Roy Wood's first post-Move composition. For many of Roy Wood fans, this song would have fit nicely on his solo album Boulders which was recorded around the time this album was being finished.
3) Nellie Takes Her Bow - written and sang by Jeff Lynne. This song begins the pattern in the album No Answer by swapping every other vocal track track between Roy and Jeff. You will not hear a vocal track back to back featuring just one of the two main vocalists of ELO. Bev Bevan, the drummer, never sang lead vocals for ELO, not counting the line "Come and join us if you so desire" in the song Jungle on the album Out Of The Blue.
4) Battle Of Marstoon Moor (July 2nd 1644) - an instrumental written by Roy Wood. This is the first of three instrumentals that grace No Answer. In fact, No Answer, has the record for most ELO instrumentals on any studio ELO disc. Most ELO fans would agree that this is the weakest song on the album and least liked song in the entire ELO library. Why did ELO release it on this album? What is the significance of Marstoon Moor?
Well, here is some history about the subject matter.
Marstoon Moor is almost exactly centered between Scotland's Edinburg and England's London. The battle at Marstoon Moor occurred during the English Civil War (1640-49) that was both civil and religious in nature. On one side of the conflict were the Cavaliers (or Royalists) who supported King Charles I. On the other side of the conflict were the Roundheads (or Puritians) who supported Parliament. The English Civil ware effectively ended the King's ultimate rule over England, which, after the civil war, the kings only power was what The Parliament granted him. The Battle of Marston Moor was where the English army (who were strong behind the King) and the Scottish Army (who were strong behind Parliament) fought and a major win by the Scottish Army pushed forward the premise of a Parliament victory in the English Civil War. In essence this battle was the turning point of the war.
Why did ELO record this song on such subject matter? The answer can be found in the whole premise of the ELO experiment... to continue where the Beatles left off. On the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart's Club Band there is a song called "A Day In The Life" and in it there is a line that goes, "I saw a film today, oh boy. The English Army had just won the war." (or did they?) The inference being that ELO (being an orchestra) really preceeded the Beatles in their music, since orchestra music was most likely enjoyed prior to the revolution of "popular music" such as rock and roll, blues and folk. ELO, tongue in cheek boasting that they should be more popular than the Beatles, since orchestra's were considered the class music of the period of the civil war, enjoyed by the ruling class, but made accessable by way of rock medium which ELO was now employing. The Beatles were just ruffians, turning merseybeat into a fan idium that rocked the world for 6 years, ELO contending that merging classical elements with rock would be the more enginuitive way to entertain both rulling and sub classes.
This is always subject to argument here.
5) 1st Movement (Jumping Biz) - an instrumental written by Roy Wood. This is the second of three instrumentals on No Answer. This album is basically a classical guitar with backing string quartet much like Mason William's "Classical Gas" in 1970.
6) Mr. Radio - written and sang by Jeff Lynne. If there were any clues as to the future of ELO, this song was indicative. The lush arrangments, the simple piano echoed in post production and the ending coda.... absolutely a pure ELO song from start to finish. This song also appears on Afterglow.
7) Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre) - an instrumental written by Jeff Lynne. This is the first instrumental that Jeff Lynne ever recorded. Like the Battle Of Marston Moor, this song deals with a violent subject matter. Whereas the Marston Moor was primary British, the Manhattan Rumble was American.
8) Queen Of The Hours - written and sang by Jeff Lynne. This is the last song Jeff Lynne ever wrote that was ever produced by someone else other than himself.
9) Whisper In The Night - written and sang by Roy Wood. In a way that is fitting, Roy Wood says goodbye to the band that he loved (after all, it was his idea in the first place) by giving it his aural blessing. During the rest of ELO's rich history we can still here Roy Wood's whisper in the night of ELO songs all the way through to Balance of Power. Roy Wood had a tremendous impact on Jeff Lynne and how Lynne approached song writing and production. ELO was off to a powerful start.
Bonus Tracks (on the ELO import called "ELO - The Early Years)
10) 1st Movement (Jumping Biz) (Quadraphonic Mix)
11) Mr. Radio (Quadraphonic Mix)
12) Nellie Takes Her Bow (Quadraphonic Mix)
13) Whisper In The Night (Quadraphonic Mix)
14) Roll Over Beethoven (Single Version)



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