Eldorado was not only my first Electric Light Orchestra record, it was also the first rock album I ever owned (the first I heard was Cosmo�s Factory, but it was never officially mine). Even today, I marvel at it. It�s no less amazing than when I first had it. Even though I like a lot of ELO�s other recordings, everything else pales in comparison to Eldorado. It�s a concept album, where all the songs are about what happens in a dream world. It�s also arguably a rock-opera, as at the end, the dreamer wakes up to reality and realizes he likes his dream world better and tries to return to Eldorado. This album affected my way of thinking permanently. I constantly have little daydreams where I�m an all-conquering hero like in some of those songs, and I like my dream world better than the real world. Thanks, ELO!
Eldorado Overture: My mum got me the album and she put it on in the car. She said, �Just listen, you�ll like it.� I was skeptical. The narration was a little weird, but then�THE ORCHESTRA! OH! I will never forget the moment I first heard all those violins and cellos and everything! It was incredible! Thus was I hooked on rock for life.
Can�t Get it Out of My Head: This is pretty much the album�s only hit, but that�s okay. (I like albums that only had one or no hits.) It also describes very well what I thought of the album after listening to it. I simply could not get this out of my head. I read the lyrics and I realized what they meant; he meets someone from his dream world, and she tries to lead him into his own little world. And his real life is so darn boring, and he just can�t get her out of his head. It�s so simple yet complex.
Boy Blue: This one starts off great, and it�s basically about an all-conquering hero warrior type, and everybody loves him and he has great adventures. I like to think that the hero is really the Dreamer, except he�s in a dream world taking on the persona of one of his dream characters.
Laredo Tornado: I don�t see how this one fits in with the rest of the album, as it doesn�t seem to have much to do with the Dreamer�s story. As Jeff Lynne says: �It�s sort of a protest dream against the proliferation of concrete.� I see. And need we say more?
Poor Boy (The Greenwood): This was one of the tracks that stood out to me when I listened to the album first. Don�t get me wrong, all the songs are great on this record, but this is one of my bigger favorites. It�s about Robin Hood, who lives in the Dreamer�s dream world. By extension, I guess it could also be the Dreamer himself, because earlier, he says something to the effect of he wishes he were the characters in the stories he read. If you�re in a dream world, why can�t you become them? That�s what I love about this album. You can put your own meaning to it and as long as you have a dream world, it�s all meaningful to you.
Mister Kingdom: I put this on for a friend once. She said: �Oh, I know this song. Across the Universe. By the Beatles.� I said, �No, it�s Mister Kingdom, by ELO.� Her: �But it�s still the Beatles, right?� Me: �No�� Her: �They�re doing Across the Universe, though.� Me: �Uh, no�� I�ve never heard Across the Universe so I can�t compare them. But I still like this song. It makes me feel like I�m floating around in my own little world and I don�t even need to return to reality. If only I could be that way all the time.
Nobody�s Child: This is a darker song on the album. It�s about a woman seducing a boy (in a dream world). I don�t much care for it. I mean, the tune�s alright and everything, except I don�t care for the subject matter. In the story of the Dreamer�s dream world, I guess it could be about him learning that sometimes, in dream worlds, not everything goes perfectly and he finds the darker side of escapism.
Illusions in G Minor: No, this song isn�t in G Minor. Actually, it�s in G Major. It doesn�t seem to fit in with the story of the Dreamer, but that�s okay (ELO never actually had such a story written; I made it up to fit what I was hearing). It�s about a rock-and-roller who has dreams of rock bands coming and singing to him. In other words, he gets a free concert in his dream world. Lucky! It�s pretty cool, and I like it because parts of it are almost about me (I have dreams where rockers give me concerts).
Eldorado: This is probably the most escapist song I�ve ever heard. The Dreamer wakes up to reality and decides he likes the dream world better, so he tries to get back to it instead of living in the world. I like it. It really makes me feel like somebody who�s trying to return to a dream world after having lived in the real world.
Eldorado Finale: It�s basically like the same thing as the Overture, but it�s different somehow. What a fitting conclusion to one of the best albums I know.
Best Tracks: Can't Get it Out of my Head, Poor Boy (The Greenwood), Mister Kingdom, and Eldorado.
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