| Electric Light Orchestra / No Answer | 1971 |
| ELO 2 | 1972 |
| On The Third Day | 1973 |
| Eldorado | 1974 |
| Face The Music | review #2 | 1975 |
| A New World Record | 1976 |
| Out Of The Blue | 1977 |
| ELO's Greatest Hits (compilation) | 1979 |
| Discovery | 1979 |
| Xanadu | 1980 |
| Time | 1981 |
| Secret Messages | 1983 |
| Balance Of Power | 1986 |
| Afterglow (boxed set) | 1990 |
| ELO's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (compilation) | 1995 |
| Strange Music: The Best Of Electric Light Orchestra (compilation) | 1996 |
| The BBC Sessions (live) | 1999 |
| Zoom | 2001 |
ELO, led mainly by vocalist/guitarist Jeff Lynne, set their own niche in the AOR scene with their overblown arrangements and pseudo-progressive tendencies. They had decent solo chops too. Not outstanding, but their musical ablilty was respectable, and thats about it. So lets get to the albums!
--John Sieber
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: 10538 Overture, Mr Radio, Queen Of The Hours, Whisper In The Night. LOW POINTS: The Battle Of Marston Moor, Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)
The Wood/Lynne project finally beared fruit in 1971 in the shape of the grandiose sounding Electric Light Orchestra. The debut album was released in the UK self titled as intended but apparently due to a mix up involving a secretary with an answering machine it was released stateside as No Answer, truly bizarre. The band was essentially the final three piece Move line up of Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan (that had recorded the final Message from the Country album amidst the sessions for this album) supported by occasional Move member Richard Tandy, Bill Hunt, Wilf Gibson, Hugh McDowell and Andy Craig.
The Electric Light Orchestra marked a distinct change in fortunes for Jeff Lynne as despite (in my view) writing the stronger songs on the previous Message from the Country album he was still largely living in the shadow of his more famous counterpart. On this ELO debut Lynne shifts up another gear and overshadows Wood who for a third consecutive album appears to be simply treading water, this time producing a mix of self indulgent and experimental idea's and leaving Lynne to create the real substance that holds the whole set together.
The album kicks off with what is historically recognised as the very first ELO track, Lynne's outstanding "10538 Overture". It originally began life as a Move track with Rick Price since revealing that he had originally played bass on it, although Wood has since assured all that Price's part was wiped and re-recorded. "10538" is undoubtedly heavily "Walrus" influenced and it features the trademark cello's that dominate this entire set. To me this track is one of the finest examples of what can be achieved by combining (as Mr Lord would phrase it) Group and Orchestra, it's an amazing start to any album and certainly stronger than any of the tracks Lynne penned for The Move.
Wood follows with one of his stronger compositions on this set the medieval entranced ballad "Look at Me Now" with it's heavy cello backing supporting Wood's double tracked vocals. Lynne's "Nellie takes her Bow" picks up the pace again, Lynne's disjointed vocals actually blend perfectly with the feel of the track which unfortunately does lose it's way in the middle a little with a couple of changes in direction before Lynne brings the whole piece back together for one final rousing verse.
Things take a slide as Wood introduces his bona fide orchestral piece to the table "The Battle of Marston Moor". Following a spoken introduction the track is an instrumental that attempts to re-create the sound of battle with it's highs and lows, changes in tempo and swings in mood. "Marston Moor" is often selected as a high spot for the album but not me I'm afraid, and it's only saved from being the low point of the album due to the inclusion of Lynne's painfully dull "Manhattan Rumble" instrumental. There is indeed a third instrumental on this set proving that the boys really did want to roll out an orchestral feel. "First Movement" is more upbeat than the others with playful acoustic guitars bringing a little light relief from the otherwise heavily orchestrated backdrops.
"Mr Radio" is the closest we get to the more familiar ELO sound that Lynne would take forward into the mid 70's, the "Honey Pie" style opening is followed with piano and violins sweeping sweetly through this pleasantly effective piece, all keeping Wood's cello's firmly in check. Lynne continues to cast a long shadow over Wood's tracks with "Queen of the Hours" which alongside "10538 Overture" makes the best use of the group and orchestra combination on this set. A solid and well structured track with none of the false endings or changes in tempo or direction than litter the other tracks here, just a gentle piano refrain mid course, another really strong Lynne composition. The album closer "Whisper in the Night" is probably Wood's peak here, a gentle ballad with mellower orchestration and a delightful instrumental passage midway. Wood's vocals are backed by a full choir no less and whilst this is an impressive track it possibly would have felt a little more at home climaxing his Boulders album than it does here.
Wood unbelievably soon turned his back on the project he had been striving so long to achieve. Various reasons are sited for his departure, but whatever the genuine reason it was possibly in everyone's interests as in my humble opinion had Wood remained the band would have probably sunk without trace inside three albums. As it was, Lynne unshackled from the burden of his more famous counterpart went from strength to strength and went on to produce some of the classic albums of the 70's before selling out totally and leaving his reputation irreparably damaged. Wood did show signs of a full recovery when he returned with the awesome Wizzard Brew album but unfortunately this revival was short lived and by 1977 he (along with many other artists) would drown forever in the tide of the new wave movement.
On the balance this is a nice historical piece, if only as it's the only ELO album to feature Roy Wood. Don't start your ELO collection here but its well worth working your way back to a little later. The set suffers largely due to the three long instrumentals and it's rating falls accordingly, but in it's purest form it is simply the original Electric Light Orchestra concept, and there's not another album in their catalogue like this one.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Momma, Kuiama, In Old England Town. LOW POINTS: Roll Over Beethoven
Most critics must have written this band off following the departure of Roy Wood. After all despite being conceived as a band of equal parts, and despite Lynne writing more or less all of the accessible material on the debut, Wood was still regarded rightly or wrongly as the leader and creative force of the band. Lynne to credit was determined and pushed on regardless and after a long wait finally unleashed the second Electric Light Orchestra album ELO 2 in February 1973. ELO 2 was (predictably given the circumstances) far less successful than its predecessor and only actually charted in the UK for a mere 1 week. The album is constantly dissected and destroyed by the majority of critics who dislike it mostly for it's minimal track listing and inevitably the track lengths. Only five tracks to be found here with the shortest coming in at just over six minutes, but why should this be such a problem, the quality is generally acceptable and I guess these tracks could have been edited down somewhat but for what purpose. If the purpose be that Lynne could have found room for a two or three lame instrumentals that padded out the first album then the album is off without them.
The album is radically different from the debut with all of Wood's self indulgent experimentation and heavy heavy orchestration toned down to a far more accessible level. It's not immediately apparent when you listen to the first track "In Old England Town" and if the tales are to be believed that Wood actually played uncredited on certain parts of this album I would expect to discover him kicking around in this track somewhere. "Old England" could easily mislead you into believing that ELO 2 is going to be respecting Woods ideals for the project but Lynne quickly stamps his authority on the material as you are greeted with electric guitars and sweet violins and a feeling that the instruments are now complimenting each other rather than battling for supremacy as they often did on the debut. Cello breaks are still present and still heavy on this opener and Lynne introduces a different vocal style that is buried deep in the mix but it's really effective on this dark track.
"Momma" is the birth of ELO as most know them, the first in a long line of Lynne trademark ballads this track could easily slot onto any album up to Out of the Blue in an edited format. "Momma" is stretched over six minutes but worth every second for me, it's much more of a band sound with just a subtle orchestral backing. The first side closes with the weakest track on the album, the lame and unconvincing "Roll over Beethoven" which was released as a single in an edited format to bridge the gap between the first two albums. It simply doesn't work for me, working original material into an orchestrated format is one thing, but taking Rock and Roll standards and applying the same trick is something totally different. Having said this I have been somewhat more impressed with this track when performed live, especially on the much more recently released Zoom Tour DVD where Lynne's extended guitar soloing really adds character and depth to the track.
The second side of the set has just the two tracks on offer, the first of which "From the Sun to the World" is a pleasant enough track in it's own right and one of the few tracks here that gives a slight nod to the debut with it's multi part stop start structure. The album closer is also the longest track "Kuiama". Its' often described as an epic on the strength of running on past 11 minutes and it's regularly beaten down for it's naive anti war lyrical content. I can agree with the lyrical views but then Lynne was never the greatest lyricist and his strength was always found in his melodies which don't disappoint here. "Kuiama" never feels like 11 minutes to me and I often wish Lynne had extended some of his later material as there's always a couple of lame ducks to be found on most future albums.
ELO 2 is far better than most critics give it credit for, it's short on tracks but there's no filler to be found either, swings and roundabouts I guess. It's certainly no disaster and it's streets ahead of any of the bands post Discovery output.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: King of the Universe, Bluebird is Dead, Oh No Not Susan, New World Rising, Ma-Ma-Ma Belle. LOW POINTS: Hall of the Mountain King, Daybreaker
Roy Wood's defection following the debut ELO (No Answer) album, and the critical hammering that met the release of ELO 2 meant that On The Third Day was probably going to be the most important album Jeff Lynne would ever put together, he was literally fighting for his survival. On The Third Day released in the December of 1973 10 months after the potentially career threatening ELO 2 was launched was nothing less than a credit to Mr Lynne and gave birth to the more pop orientated sound he would take forward with his band for the remainder of the decade.
The first section of the album is a near masterpiece, the heavy orchestration of the previous sets has disappeared and has been replaced with a far mellower sound, sweet infectious melodies wrap themselves up and intertwine themselves throughout the first four tracks as they drift gracefully and seamlessly into each other. The delightful "King of the Universe" opens the account on the back of the sharp orchestral "Ocean Breakup" intro. "Universe" could be lifted straight from Out of the Blue if you didn't know any different, it's instantly accessible, sweet, simple and harmonious like so many of Lynne's classic melodies. "Bluebird is Dead" follows which again could be lifted straight from any of the later albums before gliding seamlessly into the equally enjoyable "Oh No Not Susan". All the tracks in this first section are linked together with clever orchestral ties which disguise the incoming track but somehow work to introduce it at the same time. "New World Rising" climax's the section and features more of everything that made the band as popular as they were in the 70's, sweet violins, infectious melodies and Lynne's classic vocal style. A reprise of the "Ocean Breakup" theme closes what is simply a magnificent start to the album and a credit to Lynne's determination to get the band back on it's feet.
"Showdown" which is now often regarded as the single that really broke the band follows and had been released and charted respectably prior the release of the album. Despite this hit single and all their chart and touring success in the US it would be practically another 3 years before Lynne would really crack the UK market. "Daybreaker" an instrumental which appears to contain long section's of the melody line from The Love Affairs "Everlasting Love" is the first drop in standards before we welcome the second single release from the album the riff heavy "Ma Ma Ma Belle", a great album track but never a single surely??. It's lowly UK chart placing supports this fact and in terms of the singles market it's release did nothing to raise the image of the band to the 7" buying public.
"Dreaming of 4000" features both heavier orchestration and guitars than elsewhere and is another well crafted and delivered Lynne composition which rounds the album off well for me as I'm afraid I always switch off before hearing the opening bars of the closing "In the Hall of the Mountain King" instrumental. On the whole it's only the two instrumentals that bring the set down a little for me, otherwise an excellent set all round with the opening medley of tracks encased between the "Ocean Breakup" theme being of the highest order. Jeff Lynne really starts to flex his muscles from here onwards and it's the first really accessible ELO album and the furthest late period ELO fans really need to look back.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Laredo Tornado, Mister Kingdom, Eldorado. LOW POINTS: Illusions In G Major, Boy Blue.
Jeff Lynne riding high on the back of the successful On The Third Day billed his bands fourth album as Eldorado a symphony by The Electric Light Orchestra. Well it's not quite a symphony, nor is it a great conceptual work, so what is it??, quite simply a solid collection of accessible pop melodies, a little overblown in places and far less prog than the previous outings but enjoyable all the same. Lynne certainly was proving (like his former partner Mr Wood) that he was a master of catchy pop hooks and gentle rolling ballads. The tracks are all linked with short effective orchestral sequences in a similar way that the tracks on the opening side of the previous On The Third Day album were.
Eldorado is a pretty sweet affair all round really, the strings and orchestral involvement is mellow to say the least, and the song craft is effective throughout with possibly one exception. The album tracks are sandwiched between the symphony parts in the opening "Eldorado Overture" and the closing "Eldorado Finale" with the opening track rolling nicely into the first track proper, "Can't Get it out of my Head" the single from the album, classic mid 70's ELO and a big seller in the US which raised sales of this parent album further. At this stage the UK market was still a little wary of Lynne's offerings, while his more famous former counterpart Roy Wood was still rampaging the UK charts on a regular basis.
"Boy Blue" is one of the tracks a little unnecessarily overblown for me, kicking off with it's brass fanfare and rolling strings and taking a good minute and a half before breaking into the main section, not the strongest track on the album but still fairly inoffensive all the same. In contrast the following "Laredo Tornado" kicks off with a soaring guitar riff before settling into a steady mellow groove, the tempo lifts at the choruses with a great vocal hook spiralling back into the opening riff, one of the standout tracks on this set without question.
"Poor Boy (The Greenwood)" is little folk, a little singalong, and not quite as engaging as other tracks such as the enchanting "Mister Kingdom" that follows, a sublime melody delivered in the classic familiar mid 70's ELO style with lush string arrangements complimenting the melody perfectly. "Nobody's Child" strolls along steadily utilising the big choir backing that Lynne would refer back to regularly on later albums.
"Illusions in G Major" is the one real turkey present that brings the overall effect of the set down a touch for me, many an ELO album has been brought down in this way by Lynne's insistence of squeezing in a Rock n Roll work out somewhere along the line. Eldorado didn't need "Illusions" any more than ELO 2 needed "Roll Over Beethoven" or Time needed "Hold On Tight", it's simply out of place and upsets the flow of the album for me. If it's there for the sake of diversity it simply doesn't work any more effectively than "Sloop John B" works for Pet Sounds, one odd track does not make an album diverse and the flow of many albums have been disrupted in this way. The album regains its composure after this unwelcome interruption and closes off in style with the grandiose five minute title track before climaxing with the sweeping strings and choir of the "Eldorado Finale".
Eldorado was another solid and bold move by Jeff Lynne and it moved ELO just another step nearer the mainstream pop sound of the mid 70's. They would reach their peak over the next three albums before overstepping the mark totally, and sliding quickly downhill disastrously into the doldrums of disco and bland synth pop. At this point though The Electric Light Orchestra were a credible force and Eldorado (the pick of the bands albums for many reviewers) is a highly recommendable set.
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(Rob Eustace's review)
HIGH POINTS: One Summer Dream, Strange Magic, Waterfall, Nightrider. LOW POINTS: Down Home Town, Poker, Fire On High.
Face The Music presents itself as a bit of a mixed bag, and in reality may arguably be one of the bands most diverse albums. The album contains some of Jeff Lynne’s strongest and most commercial offerings to date, but also includes three very lacklustre efforts. We have an instrumental, three ballads, a little folk pop, a little country jig, a mainstream pop outing, and a little nod to the past. The problem with Face The Music is, being relatively short on tracks the three ordinary selections tend to weigh heavy on the listener and unfortunately bring the set down as a whole.
It starts with the bands darkest moment since the 1971 debut in the form of “Fire On High”. A real eerie and edgy intro opens the album which is a little strange as most of what follows is largely light and melodic, still this intro certainly makes an impression, of that there’s no doubt. Lynne creates a classic horror atmosphere combining heavy orchestration with choirs, tape loops, menacing voices, creaking doors and a variety of effects. It’s pretty impressive stuff but sadly once you break into the main section of the track “Fire On High” is a real disappointment. The solo which links the eerie opening to the main body of the track is more befitting of opening a Boston album, and the instrumental that follows is simply dull, dreary and uneventful.
Still the album lifts itself with the arrival of the first vocal track “Waterfall”, its the first of the Lynne trademark ballads on this set with a real middle of the road, commercial sound pushing the band away from the artistic, progressive format that semi dominated the previous sets. “Waterfall” together with the two singles here (the equally melodic “Strange Magic”, and the wonderful commercial pop of “Evil Woman”) were the tracks that made Face The Music a little uncomfortable for some of the existing fan base. The three aforementioned tracks gave the band regular airplay on radio stations that “you" wouldn’t, but “your parents" might listen too. For many, a difficult concept to grasp, being able to discuss the strengths of one of your favourite bands new singles with “your old man”. As strong as these tracks were, there are enough of them contained to deem this album as a distinct change in approach for Lynne, and whilst many site the album that follows as the first sell out to commercialisation the seeds were definitely sown on Face The Music. The band exploded in terms of sales figures following this album, and as far as bank balances go this was certainly (for Jeff Lynne at least) the right move.
The strongest track for me here is the album closer, the beautifully sweet and haunting “One Summer Dream”. It’s another ballad sure, but it rises above the others due to it’s simple but atmospheric structure, it’s delicate lead and backing vocal, and the generally lazy, feel good mood it creates. It’s often described as the most Beatle like track present for those who like to draw comparisons. But come on, lets be honest here, it’s not the Beatles, it’s nothing like the Beatles, it’s simply Jeff Lynne very close to a peak in terms of song craft and melodic composition.
It appears to me that tracks by hundreds of artists during this period (and indeed to date) are like Jeff, billed as Beatlesque simply on the strength that key tracks on their respective albums are either harmonic, melodic or orchestrated, or any combination of the three. Absolute trash, many of these artists are no doubt influenced by The Beatles as Lynne openly admits, but does that mean that every time they write a melodic ballad, perhaps with subtle harmonies or maybe a string arrangement that it needs to be billed in this way. Happens far too often for my liking, Oasis Beatlesque??, in Noel’s mind, or Creation Records Marketing Suite maybe, but in reality perhaps Smithesque or La'sesque might be a little closer. “Nightrider” is another of the stronger tracks present, and the only nod to the past here I’m afraid. Lynne’s best vocal outing on this set, great hooks throughout with a stunning chorus all backed by a simply charming arrangement.
The let downs are the country styled jig “Down Home Town” and the up-tempo “Poker”. The former frustrating with it’s questionable backing vocals and it’s terminally annoying “I wish I was in the land of Dixie” passages, and the former simply being a bland and uninspiring blend of folk pop, a kind of cross between Lindisfarne and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band featuring Brian May (something like that anyway!!!), fortunately something we weren’t to see to much more of in the ELO catalogue. Have a listen to the riff at the start of "Poker" though, is it me or is it not a million miles away from what Jim Steinman worked into "Dead Ringer". Funny really as I've never really thought of any of Meat Loaf's output as being Lynnesque!!!!.
On the balance then not as strong as the previous, or the following sets, but a real breakthrough for Lynne and the band commercially. The four high points are genuine high points for sure and justify your attention, and this is an essential album if nothing else in understanding the link between The Electric Light Orchestra progressing from the band they were, to the band they were soon to become.
The cut off of this album that hooked me was not either of the classic rock radio staples ("Evil Woman", "Strange Magic"). Oh no. The song that hooked me for life was the opener, "Fire On High". To me, this track epitomizes AOR/art rock to a tee. Loud, bombastic playing accompanied by over-the-top vocals in the middle section make this piece a musical orgasm. Yes, I said "orgasm". You got a problem with that?
Thankfully, the rest of the album doesn't try to keep up with the opener, but instead impresses in a subtle way. "Waterfall", a slow ballad, segues into the radio hit "Evil Woman", with help of a clever string segue. Next is "Night Rider", Kinda slow, but kinda sweet too. Followed by "Poker", a fast motherfucker that could almost be a Green Day song, except for the fact that these guys are actually good. The snoozer "Strange Magic" and the hokey southern ditty that makes me nauseous, "Down Home Town", drag the album a bit, but the last cut, "One Summer Dream", redeems the last two songs with smooth balladry and almost excessive moodiness. Gotta love it. This album almost desrves a nine, except for "Down Home Town", so I feel I should dock it a point and only a point (out of respect of bombast).
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Mission (A New World Record), Shangri-la, Telephone Line, So Fine. LOW POINTS: Living Thing, Rockaria
This is the point where Jeff Lynne embraces the commercial world “full on” over a complete album for the first time. There’s nothing in least bit experimental here, nothing progressive, and no quirky instrumentals, just a complete exercise in orchestrated pop for the masses. The seeds sown on parts of the previous album are certainly taken a step forward here, but the big difference between A New World Record and its predecessor is that this release is generally regarded as far more consistent affair. I tend to agree with this view, however there are a couple of sticky areas for me personally, that said I would suggest that if you enjoy the opening track then you’re in for a real treat, if you don’t I’m afraid its going to be a rough ride.
Even each side of the original vinyl release were balanced perfectly to my mind. Both sides opened with up tempo tracks “So Fine” & “Tightrope”, then dipped into the mellower singles from the album “Telephone Line” & “Livin’ Thing”. If you excuse the brief “Beyond the Clouds" on Side Two, we move to the stranger selections on the set “Rockaria” & “Do Ya”, and then close each side with the longer, but for me key tracks from this album “Mission” & “Shangri-la”. “Tightrope” is certainly a bright opener, loosely based on the formula that produced “Evil Woman” on the previous venture, bright, catchy, upbeat, full of vocal hooks and harmonies. “So Fine” is built on the same foundations, and although I feel that this album has not dated well, these two opening tracks, to receptive ears, remain wonderfully structured easy listening pop. You knew from this point that Lynne had given up any ambitions of ELO being an out and out “Rock Band”, and they were never going to attempt re-produce anything like the weight and density of the “10538 Overture”. Still Jeff could write a catchy hook and as sweet a melody as anyone and he had clearly decided to play to his strengths.
"Telephone Line” falls into this sweet melody category and is simply one of the finest tracks Lynne ever put his name to. All of Lynne’s greatest moments appear to be based around very simple melodies, but the arrangements, production and Lynne’s incredible vocal lines take the tracks to levels that others simply couldn’t. “Livin’ Thing” is another fanbase favourite, but to me is a flawed track. The verses are fine, pretty much your standard Lynne fare, but the bland, unadventurous chorus coupled with the sudden change in tempo (when string section bridges to the verse) make the track extremely irritating, nevertheless “Livin Thing” was a massive hit in its own right.
“Rockaria” is the other questionable track present. Lynne tries his hand at recreating the formula used for “Roll over Beethoven” (another questionable track) but this time adds an operatic flavour and the results are disastrous. It simply doesn’t work on any level and dire lyrics coupled with constant intrusions from opera corner combine to make this the low point of album. “Above the Clouds” is another fine Lynne melody, but why so short, this track surely had enough charm that it could have been extended into a main player on this set. “Do Ya” is as loud as we get here, Lynne had already recorded this with The Move years earlier and so in a way it’s a bit of a strange inclusion, but a solid track nonetheless.
The star attractions on A New World Record however close each side of the original vinyl release. “Mission (A New World Record)” is an absolute joy from start to finish. Lyrics aside (this is one of Lynne’s endless sci-fi tales) this is yet another top drawer melody wonderfully arranged and performed. The official album closer “Shangri-la” is simply more of the same, again nothing to write home about lyrically, but with hooks and melodies like this, who needs strong lyrical statements. “Shangri-la” even contains (for the Beatlesque Brigade) a line in their honour “fading like the Beatles on Hey Jude” Jeff proclaims, and he even adds a heartfelt “Judy Baby” towards the close, hey now that’s Beatlesque!!!. A tiny flaw at the end of track when Jeff reprises his “Rockaria” opera singer to close the album off, but that’s a minor issue
Summing up then, it’s essentially the first album that’s delivers the familiar ELO sound over a complete set, the first real commercial venture, and the first to feature the familiar ELO spaceship on its front cover. Another dreadful cover, in fact I’m hard pushed to think of another artist who consistently produced worse cover artwork than ELO managed through their entire career. Still it’s not the cover, it’s what’s inside that counts, and A New World Record is a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Concerto For A Raining Day, Starlight, Sweet Is The Night, Steppin’ Out. LOW POINTS: Jungle
Often slammed mercilessly by critics Out Of The Blue is often isolated (at least in the UK) as a mark of everything that was bad about popular music in the mid 70’s. It was without doubt released at a time of great change for music culture, and inevitably Out Of The Blue may sound a little “old hat” when judged alongside Rattus Norvegicus, Marquee Moon, or Leave Home but in reality it shouldn't be compared or judged in this way. We had already established that Lynne was not pushing his output to the teenage market, the last album had proved that he was more comfortable at targeting an older generation who were not seeking “cutting edge”, “push the boundaries” rock. Lynne was delivering an altogether lighter and easier experience, and Out Of The Blue serves as the ultimate ELO album and possibly Lynne’s greatest moment.
In essence Out Of The Blue is A New World Record, but twice the length, with twice the hooks, twice the melodies, and generally minus the flaws of its predecessor, with one exception (why does there always have to be one). Out Of The Blue is one of the most consistent albums I’ve experienced, which is no mean feat considering that this is a double album. It is on the other hand not one of the most diverse projects either, most of the tracks are delivered in the same style, but the quality of the compositions is such that you really don’t seek, or miss any diversity.
The album kicks off with the up tempo “Turn to Stone” single, a confident and bright start to any album. The acoustic led “It’s Over” follows, which maybe surprisingly is one of the few ballads on this album, but trademark Lynne ballad it is with all the usual trimmings. The big selling “Sweet Talkin Woman” single restores the pace to proceedings, and there’s no let up as the original first side closes off with two more fine ventures in “Across the Border” and “Night in the City”.
The slower “Starlight” opens the second side and precedes the only let down on the entire set, the truly offensive “Jungle”. Why oh why did this dire venture make it onto such an otherwise even and consistent album. Lynne allows himself to fall into the McCartney trap by writing what amounts to not much more than lightweight, childish rhymes set to insipid music. “Jungle” contains none of the spark or melody that flows through the remainder of this set, and put simply, it is to Out Of The Blue what “Yellow Submarine” was to Revolver. Still the flow soon returns after this unwelcome interruption with the short and heavily orchestrated “Believe Me Now” which serves as a link to the wonderful second side closer “Steppin Out”.
The whole of the third side is handed over to what turns out to be the centrepiece, and perhaps masterstroke of the project, four stunning tracks that combine to form the “Concerto for a Rainy Day”. It’s not really a concerto (at least not in the Jon Lord format anyway) but merely four tracks all with a common theme and linked by the sound of rainfall. The set kicks off with the dramatic “Standin’ in the Rain” which is as close as we get here to the old On the Third Day / Eldorado sound, wonderfully structured and arranged. “Big Wheels” takes the baton next, a mellower section but no less engaging, before handing over to the solid “Thunder and Lightning”. The concerto reaches its climax, as the weather turns brighter, with eternally catchy “Mr Blue Sky”. A wonderful section of the album, the tracks all twist and turn, and weave hooks and melodies everywhere, and are not overblown in any shape or form as the Eldorado concept was in places.
The final side of the album opens with yet another Lynne classic “Sweet is the Night” arguably the highlight of the entire album. “The Whale” is a spacey but inoffensive instrumental, and the solid stomping “Birmingham Blues” sounds a little like a throwback to Jeff’s days with The Move. The album closes with what I believe was the fourth single from the album “Wild West Hero”, a piano led ballad that sparks into life with another of Lynne’s folk/pop choruses and a effective country/rock bridge.
You can feel the Out Of The Blue sound building if you listen to the all the albums chronologically, and Lynne surely reached a peak here as a composer. One of the key differences with the new lighter sound is that far more emphasis is placed on the harmonies and backing vocals, the majority of which are handled superbly by Lynne. Don’t go looking for anything groundbreaking here, this is in reality, quite simply, an easy listening experience. But Out Of The Blue contains more hooks than an anglers tackle box, and melody after melody flow endlessly from its grooves to make it one of the most consistent double packages to date. The dreadful cover artwork continues with simply “the good old spaceship” at a different angle, but what's inside is really a lot better than most give it credit for. Sadly however Jeff and the band would never scale these heights again.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Don't Bring Me Down, Last Train To London. LOW POINTS: The Diary Of Horace Wimp, Midnight Blue, Need Her Love, Confusion.
If must have been difficult for Jeff Lynne to know which direction to lead his band next. The previous eight years had seen the band evolve from being a generally underrated experimental prog rock outfit, to (by the time of the previous Out Of The Blue album) stadium filling, orchestrated pop maestro’s for the over 25’s. In all honesty there was very little difference in the make up of the previous two albums, the boundary pushing new wave movement had taken over during the same period and Lynne knew he couldn’t affiliate his band to this genre in any shape or form. Lynne's reputation, and that of the band would be so different than it is today had he taken the decision to split the band at this point. But that was not to be, and forced to move the sound somewhere, he created his own destiny by making a similar decision to many artists from the period, ELO joined the likes of The Bee Gee’s and Rod Stewart by embracing the dance beats of the disco era.
The Bee Gee’s were arguably the only artists to actually manage to make a credible transition. Lynne had a damn good go, and to many of the singles buying public, and the casual listener he succeeded. Discovery, and the numerous singles drawn from it, shifted vast numbers of units and raised the profile of the band even higher than Out Of The Blue had in commercial terms. However the majority of the more discerning fans, and the critics alike viewed Discovery as simply a bridge too far, and the bands reputation, and most importantly Lynne’s, were in tatters from this point onwards. This is a reputation that Lynne has never managed to shake off, and whilst he would be practically silent as a recording artist post ELO, he would be continually slammed and criticised on the projects he involved himself with, The Travelling Wilbury’s, the solo Armchair Theatre, and production work with George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and the Beatles (no less) on their Anthology project. Whether this is unfair, or justified criticism, there is little no doubt that it all stems from the run of albums he produced starting with Discovery.
In all fairness Discovery is not a disaster, but it really is the beginning of the end for the band, as the songwriting and arrangements just aren't up to the same standards set over the previous four years. The album starts positively enough with the disco drenched "Shine a Little Love" which together with the second side opener "Last Train to London" are most dance orientated ventures from the set. "Shine a Little Love" is however followed by the sickly sweet "Confusion" with its dreadful, nauseating, semi operatic shriek mid chorus, and sadly this tracks opens the blandness stakes for the rest of the album. "Need Her Love" is the first of three ballads, ballads always previously being safe territory for Lynne, such was his reputation for creating entrancing melodic material. But this time I'm afraid he's found wanting, as the same can be said for the remaining mellower moments here, "Midnight Blue" and "Wishing". Bland is the only word to describe these three faceless tracks which plod along without ever grabbing for your attention. Is it the songwriting, the arrangements, the production, I really don't know. It could be a combination of all three I guess, but whatever it is these are simply not tracks in the same calibre as "Strange Magic", "One Summer Dream", "It's Over", "Steppin Out" or "Telephone Line", a real pity.
"The Diary of Horace Wimp", was a top 10 UK hit in it's own right, and believe me, there's a great song trying to get out there somewhere, but it's simply masked by a limp chorus and absolutely dire lyrics, what the hell was Lynne thinking. He was never one to write dangerous or thought provoking lyrics I would admit, but come on, this is something else. "The aforementioned "Last Train to London" is a catchy, solid disco workout and like "Shine a Little Love" works reasonably well. "On the Run" is closer to the Out of the Blue sound than anything else here, and the album closes with probably it's best track. The big selling "Don't Bring Me Down" tends to stand out and doesn't really gel with the remainder of the album, vocally Jeff is back on form and the track tends to recall a soft rock edge which is missing from the remaining ballads and disco orientated ventures.
"Last Train to London", "Confusion", "The Diary of Horace Wimp", "Shine a Little Love" and "Don't Bring me Down" were all released as singles onto the UK market place, the first two billed as a double A side. The album went Top 5 both sides of the Atlantic, so all in all this was a massive publicity and income generator for the band. The fact that the normally top drawer Lynne ballads were overlooked in favour of the aforementioned singles probably tells you all you need to know about the quality of those particular tracks and looking at the album twenty years on you realise that the attempted jumping on the disco bandwagon is not the biggest let down about Discovery. There's generally a lack of quality about the whole album in reality, and it's truly astonishing that Lynne could craft so many hooks and melodies over the previous sprawling double set, and then find so little to bring to the table on this occasion. You'll either love it, or hate it, that tends to be the way with this set, but from this particular viewpoint its a clear mark of a band past their peak and on the most slippery of slopes.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Magic. LOW POINTS: Don’t Walk Away, The Fall
Oh boy, this is just something else. What on earth ever possessed Jeff Lynne to allow himself to become embroiled in this kind of project is totally beyond me. I haven’t seen the film personally but even those who sing in praise of the soundtrack more or less unanimously slate the film as a dire piece of cinema. Olivia Newton-John fresh from her profile raising exercise in the 1978 Grease movie was the star of the show, and the resulting soundtrack was originally split neatly into two sides, an Olivia side, and an ELO side. The big plus for Jeff Lynne here is that the title track from the soundtrack gifted him his only UK No.1 single, kind of sad I guess seeing as Olivia takes on the lead vocal duties. I believe Lynne has recently released a version of the track with his good self at the microphone on a recent ELO re-package. I haven’t heard it, and I’m not sure whether it’s an outtake from the period or a recent reworking, either way it may be interesting.
“Xanadu” is a typical Lynne composition from the period, limp and lightweight, and not enhanced in any shape or form by Olivia’s angelic vocals. In fact the entire ELO side of this album follows the style laid down on the previous Discovery album except it lightens the tone even more, if that’s at all possible. The tracks are all synth drenched pop excursions with no depth or ambition in any shape or form. The aforementioned “Xanadu”, “I’m Alive”, “All over the World” and even the appalling “Don’t Walk Away” were all UK hits in their own right, which is truly offensive when you consider that much of Lynne’s far more credible and vastly superior earlier works were, and are still, largely ignored. The commercial pop world in the late 70’s and 80’s was a strange place indeed. Reviewing as part of the ELO catalogue I would admit to never really paying much attention to the Olivia side of events, however I tend to view the opening track “Magic” as being a case for the strongest track on the album, elsewhere she can be found lavishing duets with Cliff Richard, Gene Kelly and The Tubes!!!!.
Lynne was without doubt, to a changing audience a huge commercial success, but to just as many he had sunk as low as he could possibly go. Unfortunately for Jeff, it’s the latter of these two parties, who have the longer memories, and his already questionable reputation was simply in tatters from here on. Strangely he did manage to pull himself round slightly, but the damage had already been done. The commercial singles buyers are far more fickle than the critical album buyers, and Lynne must have known that when they tired of his synth laden sci-fi yarns the game would be up, in reality he probably knew the end was in sight.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Rain Is Falling. LOW POINTS: Hold On Tight, Another Heart Breaks, Yours Truly 2095.
Eager to continue his successful run in the commercial market place it appears that Jeff Lynne set out to try to please everyone with this album. Fans of his early output must have mostly been put off by the huge commercial sell out of the previous Discovery and Xanadu ventures, and so to try to win back their support, and maintain his new band of followers, he constructed the a bouncy synth pop concept album Time. Time is a reasonably well respected ELO release, and is generally perceived as Lynne's last great hurrah. It takes a concept theme and presents it in the same kind of format as the earlier, and vastly superior, Eldorado album. The tracks are all wrapped between the opening "Prologue" and closing "Epilogue" and generally the compositions do show a revival of sorts from the previous project. That said, they are in reality only marginally better, and there remains a fair proportion of unadventurous, play it safe, cheesiness about this entire package. The band by now consisted of the fourpeice of Lynne, Tandy, Groucutt and Bevan and whilst the disco tendencies were pretty much put to bed this time round there remains less orchestra, and synths certainly dominate more than ever before.
The concept is more based around more sci-fi yarns with the backdrop being Lynne set in future, I guess in the year 2095. Jeff looks back at the 80's, tells tales of rocket lag, liaisons with computers and trips to the moon. It's embarrassingly limp for the most part and lyrically it's simply appalling, but on a positive note some the melodies do instil some belief that Lynne could (with a little outside quality control) perhaps re-produce material of A New World Record or Out Of The Blue quality. The main problem with Time is that many of these tracks given the aforementioned albums arrangements and production would be vastly improved. The tracks here all crave the strings that gave Lynne's material an extra depth and a sense of quality, and the cheesy synth arrangements here do nothing to restore any real credibility to Lynne's armoury.
After the brief, pompous, and cringe worthy "Prologue" introduces the album the album, "Twilight" is actually a bright opener but is quickly followed by the first of a number of dire tracks. "Yours Truly, 2095" is kind of Lynne's sister track to his former partner in crime's "Miss Clarke and the Computer", an equally dire tale from the pen of Roy Wood. "I've met someone who looks alot like you, she does the things you do, but she is an IBM", lyrics to die for Jeff, the trouble is when you're songwriter, performer, arranger and producer I guess there's no one around to tell you that your material is creating your own destiny. “Ticket to the Moon”, a single release from the album, is a tired lifeless ballad that meanders into the track that is often credited as a peak here “That’s the way life’s meant to be”. To me it’s just another generic 80’s synth pop effort and does nothing to suggest that Lynne has turned things round. An instrumental revival comes next (well mostly instrumental) in the form of “Another Heart Breaks”. Even at the peak of his creative powers Lynne’s instrumentals were never really anything to relish and so no surprises here when this track turns out to be as dull as it is. Just the title line and some occasional chanting form the vocal sections here and both are delivered in a tepid, morbid drone.
If there’s a high point then I suppose it has to be the second side opener “Rain is Falling”. It doesn’t stand shoulder to shoulder with Lynne’s peak output for sure, but particularly during the choruses it does come close to reviving some of the melodies and vocal twists last witnessed on Out Of The Blue. “From the End of the World”, “Lights go Down”, and “Here is the News” unfortunately bring you back down to earth very quickly, faceless and tired tracks that only support the notion that the band was now a spent force. You can hear a great track in “21st Century Man” performed perhaps simply with just Jeff and an acoustic, or given a string arrangement of old, but in this format it’s just another track that doesn't cut it for me. The Eldorado comparisons are revived close to the end with the up tempo (and your Mum & Dad's favourite) “Hold on Tight” which immediately brings back memories of the ghastly “Illusions in G Major” which flawed the aforementioned Eldorado album. “Hold on Tight” was a big hit, and if your going to hear an ELO track on any of the "easy" radio stations in the UK, there’s a fair chance it will be this monster.
This is the sad legacy of Jeff Lynne and ELO, that their reputation can never begin to recover as a result of the post 1979 albums, and the wealth of big selling singles that were drawn from them. It’s years since I’ve heard “10538 Overture”, “Showdown”, “Can’t get it out of my Head” or “Telephone Line” over the airwaves, yet “Rock and Roll is King”, “I’m Alive”, or in this case “Ticket to the Moon” and “Hold on Tight” tend to find their way onto lightweight radio play lists on a regular basis. Time was an attempt without doubt to recover some lost ground for Lynne after the career destroying Xanadu project. For some it’s a success, and I would agree it is a step forward from Xanadu, but when considering the bands catalogue as a whole Time is poor relation to any of the bands 70’s output, including Discovery.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Secret Messages, Bluebird, Danger Ahead. LOW POINTS: Time After Time, Train Of Gold, Letter From Spain, Rock N Roll Is King
Secret Messages is the point where Jeff Lynne practically falls out of favour with everyone, and the album that is regularly isolated at the lowest point in the entire ELO catalogue. This is somewhat unjust however as in reality it's probably the peak of the bands 80’s output, even if you remove the much admired, and vastly overrated Time from the equation, surely Secret Messages is stronger than Xanadu and the pitiful Balance Of Power album that followed. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a poor relation to any of the 70’s output, but at least Lynne gets back to trying to construct a well rounded album of straightforward tracks. You get the feeling listening to the album that Jeff is really trying hard to repair his ailing reputation by keeping the format simple. The tracks are very much individual affairs and with the exception of a couple of areas there are no overly messy links between tracks and the album is possibly the most diverse since 1975’s Face The Music. Unfortunately however, as hard as Jeff tried, his touch appeared to be still disappearing fast. The same guy who packed hook after hook, and melody after melody into the sprawling Out Of The Blue double set is hard pushed to grab your attention outside a handful of tracks here.
Secret Messages was originally planned like Out Of The Blue as a double set. I don’t know (having not heard many of the outtakes) whether it’s eventual release as a single disc is a good thing or not. The quality is not high enough throughout to suggest that the overflow material was going to be any stronger and so my view is that the proposed double, given the general perception of this album, would have been a far bigger commercial disaster. Lynne could never resist a concept though and this time it’s a reaction to the belief that ELO (and many other bands from the period) were lacing their output with mind altering, satanic messages. Can you honestly imagine Out Of The Blue, Discovery, Xanadu or Time containing any evil under tones. So the concept for the album is, as the title suggests Secret Messages, and they are indeed littered throughout the entire album, looped tracks, backwards vocals, ghostly voices, barking dogs, the list goes on. Probably the best of Lynne’s concepts really because it doesn’t effect the main subject matter of the tracks one little bit, they all keep their own identities unlike the tedious sci-fi yarns of the previous album.
It’s a spacey intro with looped tracks and haunting voices that opens the album, rekindling works gone by and acting as an introduction to the title track. The upbeat “Secret Messages” with it's infectious chorus is in reality one of the best Lynne compositions in quite some time, it feels kind of similar to “Twilight” which opened the previous album but surpasses it in many ways, a bright and positive start for sure. “Bluebird” which appears midway through the first side is another strong contender and along with the title track ranks as one of the best individual tracks since Discovery. This I’m afraid comes after the disappointing “Loser Gone Wild”, with its annoying, repetitive, stuttering chorus, it's more akin to the synthetic ventures of the previous two albums. “Take me on and on” on the other hand is an effortless listen, and whilst it may not have the dynamics and hooks of Lynne’s prime work the track still has enough about it to steady the quality stakes on this particular set. “Time after Time” closes the first side and unfortunately kills off any notion that Lynne was going to present a reasonably consistent album. It’s a clumsy mess of a track, devoid of any kind of meaningful melody, and with some dreadful vocal phrasing throughout, the lowest point of this first side by far.
The second side opens with the unconvincing but inoffensive rocker “Four Little Diamonds”, it adds a little diversity to proceedings and contains some nice guitar touches. “Stranger” is another laid back track in the same mould as “Take me on and on”, whilst the solid “Danger Ahead” is another of the stronger moments. There are generally more strings in the arrangements than recent ventures (even if most are synth strings) and whilst it’s not quite “back to basics” it’s certainly a welcome break from the constant bouncy pop of some of the more recent albums. Having said this, I’m afraid Lynne makes one of the cardinal mistakes on Secret Messages by putting the stronger material at the front of the set and closing with three absolute lifeless tracks. “Letter from Spain” is a dire, monotomus plodder with a terminally annoying background vocal repeating “Letter” every six seconds or so throughout the entire track. “Train of Gold” is an equally limp washout short of a pleasant guitar solo and a few more of Louis Clark’s strings, nothing like enough to save the track though. The closing “Rock and Roll is King” is from the same mould as the shocking “Hold on Tight” which closed the previous set. Another dire pop/rocker that sold by the bucket load when released as a single, and serves to keep Lynne’s reputation as low as it remains to this very day. Mik Kaminski returns incidentally as a guest to provide the violin solo.
The cover is a change from the previous space ship dominated affairs, it’s kind of ELO’s Sgt Pepper cover, and depicts the band in the distance gazing out of the top floor windows of a house numbered 86 Royal Street. In amongst the motley crew of historical characters that make up the foreground however, is there not a circa 1971 Jeff Lynne seated third from the right?, if it’s not Jeff the similarity is quite striking, is it not?. The rear cover also has further secret messages tied up in the form of the artwork labels which are all anagrams of the band member’s names. I suggest then a stronger album than many perceive it to be, but it’s simply let down by the weaker tracks which really are absolute shockers. The outtakes include “Mandalay”, “Buildings Have Eyes” and the rather worryingly titled “Beatles Forever” which Lynne has apparently vowed never to release, I dread to think.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Heaven Only Knows. LOW POINTS: Sent It, Getting To The Point, So Serious, Calling America, Sorrow About To Fall.
Balance Of Power was released three years after the previously critically slaughtered Secret Messages and saw the once eight strong Electric Light Orchestra reduced to the trio of Lynne, Tandy & Bevan. In all honesty though, the fact that they were now reduced to just three members made very little difference to the finished product. After all, following Roy Wood's early departure, were the band really ever anything more than a vehicle for Lynne’s material which was in his prime years incredible, but in these later years, a sad refection of what used to be. Balance Of Power is in reality the final nail in the ELO coffin, after a break of three years one might of expected Lynne to come up with a completely fresh, or even a back to basics approach, but sadly this is neither. This is an all time low for the band, as is it’s nothing more than a sad collection of characterless synth pop, and Lynne’s most uninspired, unsatisfactory project ever (over a complete album at least).
There’s simply no reason for this album to exist, the band was already a spend force, and Lynne’s reputation had been practically at gutter level since his 1979 disco sell out was quickly followed by the disastrous Xanadu project. The album simply continues where the dire "tail end" of the previous album left off, and I simply can’t believe that Lynne couldn’t find any material stronger than this during the bands three year absence. There’s simply very little to say really. "Heaven Only Knows" is the only track worthy or any credit at all, and the single releases from the project “Calling America”, "So Serious" and the disastrous "Getting To the Point" all bombed understandably. The remaining tracks are simply lifeless synthetic pop, and all in all it’s a really sad end to a force that was once so creative. Bev Bevan had only recently returned to the band after a brief spell with Black Sabbath when this was recorded, "out of the frying pan" as they say Bev.
You really do not need this album, although you should perhaps hear it to believe it. This is possibly one of the strongest cases I could make for an album to be immediately deleted and it’s beyond all comprehension that you can pick up this rubbish practically anywhere in the UK, and yet you’ll struggle to get hold of a copy of Face The Music or A New World Record. Avoid at all costs, this is surely for completists only.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: State Of Mind, Lonesome Lullaby, Moment In Paradise. LOW POINTS: In My Own Time.
2001 was the year that Jeff Lynne decided to make a mockery of his former colleagues by releasing Zoom, the first official Electric Light Orchestra album in 15 years. Messrs Bevan, Groucutt, Kaminski, McDowell and friends had been parading Lynne’s material (and some of their own!!!) around second rate venues for 10 years performing as the tedious and embarrassing ELO part II. In reality Zoom is a Lynne solo album, but then his dominance in writing, arranging and production of pratically the entire ELO catalogue could be viewed that in the same way I guess. So this is the real thing, the next ELO album and from a marketing perspective there was always going to more interest in a new generation ELO release after 15 years than simply a second Lynne solo album.
It was a worrying prospect first sliding this disc under the laser, when remembering the rapid decline in Lynne’s songwriting talent evident on bands 80’s output. But Zoom is a pleasant and rewarding experience from start to finish, and is genuinely an incredible return to form after a fifteen year lay off. The major difference that Zoom offers to the 80’s ouput is firstly that Lynne has rediscovered how to write a melody and engage his listeners, and secondly whilst he hasn’t reverted fully to the classic string arrangements, he has importantly rediscovered the guitar and pushed those synths into a distinctly supporting role. Zoom sure ain’t no Physical Graffitti, but in Lynne’s terms it rocks harder in places than any album since Face The Music.
“Alright” opens the album positively, featuring a guest appearance from Lynne’s long time Move & ELO colleague Richard Tandy. The Beatlesque brigades have subject matter from the opening track as at times "Alright" does appear to borrow from the Beatles “Revolution”, or that’s what they’d have you believe anyway. “Moment In Paradise” is mellower number with a real Cloud 9 feel about it and featuring Ringo no less on drums. In fact the entire album has that Cloud 9 feel running through it although Lynne’s material here is far stronger than the patchy late period Harrison compositions.
“State Of Mind” is a riff driven rocker that is quite simply a sheer joy. I never expected to hear this kind of material again from Lynne but the solid guitars and the soaring solo make this the first peak on the album. “Just for Love” recalls the Face The Music era ballads but whilst as a composition it’s as strong as “Waterfall” and “Strange Magic” the overall effect is left wanting by the lack of strings in the arrangement. “Stranger in a Quiet Street” has a nice atmosphere about it and is in places quietly reminiscent of Neil Innes’s “Eine Kleine Middle Klasse Musik" from The Rutles Archaelogy album (more Beatleseque links I guess).
“In my own Time” recalls some of the mood and tempo of Lynne’s Armchair Theatre album. It has a effective Marc Mann string arrangement but that can’t save it from being the sole low point of the album I’m afraid. “Easy Money” is I guess in reality one of Lynne’s normal album closing pop/rockers, but on this occasion it is saved by a heavier guitar track, a barrelhouse boogie piano line, a great solo and a second guest spot for Mr Starkey. The acoustic led “It really doesn’t matter” is another solid melodic pop venture and a real solo effort in every sense with Lynne playing each and every instrument involved. “Ordinary Dream” starts with some real 70’s sounding ELO strings and is rolled out as an effective Out Of The Blue period ballad. “A Long Time Gone” again has an Out Of The Blue feel about it combined with a whole load of Cloud 9, largely due to the slide guitar of one George Harrison.
“Melting in the Sun” chugs along quite nicely with Lynne again handling each and every instrument with the exception of the very complimentary Marc Mann string arrangement. “All She Wanted” kicks off with a bluesy riff and appears to borrow a lot from Ma Ma Ma Belle, yet another solid track and a second outing for Mr Harrison’s slide guitar work. “Lonesome Lullaby” sounds every bit like it might be a lightweight playout to the album but I’m pleased to say its nothing but. “Lomesome Lullaby” brings the curtain down in solid groove, handsome guitars combine with the confident melody to deliver a most satisfying end to a remarkable album. More Beatlesque references abound as the Cry Baby Cry refrain offers more than enough for the fabs entourage to chew on.
The spaceship returns to the cover and though this was a triumph it was still not enough to repair any of Lynne’s reputation as the supporting tour was quickly cancelled due to poor ticket sales. A shame really as the studio recorded Zoom Tour DVD is an enjoyable and consistant run through of the bands prime material and the key moments from this album. Lets hope there’s more to come, if its of this standard anyway, as this must act as one of the most surprising and inspired comebacks ever, well played Mr Lynne.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Momma, Kuiama, Bluebird Is Dead. LOW POINTS: Hall Of The Mountain King, Roll Over Beethoven.
Everyone’s BBC sessions are now seeing the light of day so why should ELO be any exception. One reason really, that being that you’re going to be hard pushed, or need to be a complete Jeff Lynne historian to tell any difference between these versions and the studio originals. This of course is a credit to Lynne and the band that they could re-produce their material practically note for note on request, and the level of performance is only to be admired. The problem is though, if you own ELO 2 and On The Third Day this album simply becomes a senseless and unnecessary purchase.
The BBC Sessions draws performances from three Bob Harris Radio 1 sessions recorded between late 72 to early 74. The fact that that this album presents the lengthy “Momma” and even lengthier “Kiuama” (running in at over 11 minutes alone) which are two of Lynne’s most heavily criticised early works, probably lessens the overall appeal further. I personally bear no grudge against these particular tracks but do find problems elsewhere in the moody instrumental “Hall of the Mountain King” and the frustratingly lightweight “Roll over Beethoven”. Elsewhere there is pleasure to be found amongst the clutch of On the Third Day standouts “Bluebird is Dead”, “King of the Universe”, "New World Rising" and the big riff driven single from the period "Ma Ma Ma Belle".
The BBC Sessions does serve as a fair introduction to the two aforementioned albums so maybe there is a purpose for it to exist after all. The ideal sampler to post Roy Wood, early period ELO then. Get it if you need to, but in reality you probably don’t.
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: Nobody Home, What Would It Take. LOW POINTS: September Song, Save Me Now, Stormy Weather
Lynne’s one and only official solo album to date released four years after ELO’s appalling last stand Balance Of Power is a mixture of tepid and luke warm material. Fresh from his Cloud 9 Harrison production, and his ventures in the Travelling Wilbury’s, this was a poor attempt at Lynne trying to shake the lowly ELO credibility and re-establish himself as a credible solo artist.
It fails fairly miserably I’m afraid, as like the later ELO albums the songs and arrangements are simply not consistently strong enough. There’s a mixture of late period ELO, Cloud 9 elements, and acoustic and Indian influenced tracks coupled with old crooning covers that are more akin to Brian Ferry’s repertoire than Jeff Lynnes. “Nobody Home” and “What Would it Take” are standout tracks, and both have an ELO feel about them and wouldn’t have been out of place on the much later released ELO comeback Zoom. The covers are dire, and really are the lowest points on this album and are a strange inclusion for my money. "September Song" and "Stormy Weather" are the kind of tired material that McCartney and Costello were trying their upmost to make fashionable again around this period. Costello could at least put his own slant and invention on this kind of revival material, but Lynne falls into the same trap as McCartney by instilling nothing imaginative or personal into the tracks so that in reality you are delivered nothing more than second rate covers.
Little to say then really, a couple of good tracks just don’t save the day. Elsewhere there’s two or three further average moments, and a whole load of filler. A real disappointment really, I would have expected Lynne to make a much more concerted and focused effort for this first solo release. The fact that he didn’t venture onto vinyl during the remainder of the decade suggests that it did little for his self belief. Jeff Lynne is songwriter and performer and you'll never convince me he was happy hiding behind other artists material in his production capacity, the critics even slated him for that.
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