ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Whamalamabamalama Rock n Roll is King.

28 Mar

**THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA**

**Released: 3rd December 1971**

The Electric Light Orchestra is the debut studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in December 1971 in the United Kingdom by Harvest Records. In the United States, the album was released in March 1972 as No Answer, after a misunderstood telephone message made by a United Artists Records executive asking about the album name;^[1] the caller, having failed to reach the ELO contact, wrote down "no answer" in his notes, and this was misconstrued to be the name of the album.

The album is focused on the core trio of Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan, who were the remaining members of rock group the Move. The Move were still releasing singles in the UK at the same time as this project was undertaken, but interest was soon to be abandoned in Wood's former band. In fact, the Move's final album, Message from the Country, was recorded simultaneously with The Electric Light Orchestra.

From Wikipedia

10538 Overture

Look At Me Now

Nellie Takes Her Bow

The Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1664)

First Movement (Jumping Biz)

Mr Radio

Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)

Queen Of The Hours

Whisper In The Night

Derivative. They can't deny it and there is ample evidence in the first two songs, no matter what they might have said about an ambition to create a new kind of rock music with classical instruments. The '10538 Overture' rips off 'Dear Prudence' and 'Look At Me Now' is the deformed bastard child of 'Eleanor Rigby'. So not only derivative, but derivative of a particular band. I am expecting that to become a theme. I'll say this for the overture, I quite enjoyed the snatch of that old fifties radio tune that always accompanies black and white footage of steam trains chugging through the countryside, but I can't find out it's exact title. Not 'Worker's Playtime' but of that ilk. And 'Look At Me Now' does at least chuck in some Ali Baba style Moroccan souk stylings.

'Nellie Takes Her Bow' might be about Nellie The Elephant, there's a jarring 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' section in the middle and it rambles about quite a lot. 'The Battle Of Marston Moor' rhymes with 'The Battle of Evermore'. Coincidence? You decide. It's nothing like the Zep track and features spoken parts and is heavily cello-ed. It's jagged and erratic, but it IS different and was clearly quite experimental at the time for something touted as a rock album. Ultimately though, it's not something I'd be inclined to listen to twice. My elder son would be in time signature hog-heaven however.

At the start of side 2 they aim their plagiaristic sights at Mason Williams' 'Classical Gas'. How they got away with it I cannot fathom, maybe they didn't. Apparently Roy Wood has admitted that the 'inspiration' was there. Well he would have to really wouldn't he? Back to the Beatles for 'Mr. Radio', but at least it has a style that Lynne developed effectively for future offerings. 'Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)' is a disjointed jazz cacophony, with snatches of what might be a precursor to the Star Wars Imperial March (can't accuse them of perfidy there). Lynne is possibly trying to be Bowie on 'Queen Of The Hours' and Wood doubles down on the Dame pastiches with the closing 'Whisper In The Night'

So this isn't great. The best songs are those that show heavy influence from elsewhere and the experimental stuff misses the mark. It's a tribute that they forged such a successful career after such a dodgy start. It was called 'No Answer' in the US and released there in 1972. After the barren deserts of REM's packaging, I'm looking forward to something more extravagant with ELO, although this one is rather literal.

ELO 2 is the second studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1973. In the US, the album was released as Electric Light Orchestra II. It was the band's last album to be released by the Harvest label, the last (in the UK) on which the band used the definite article The in their name, and the one that introduced their abbreviated name 'ELO'.

The album was originally to be titled The Lost Planet, but that concept was quietly dropped. During the initial recording sessions, Roy Wood left the band and formed Wizzard in June 1972, taking Bill Hunt and touring cellist Hugh McDowell with him.^[2] Although uncredited at the time, Wood performed on two tracks, playing cello and bass on "In Old England Town" and "From the Sun to the World".^[2] Classically trained cellist Colin Walker replaced Wood, and Wilfred Gibson played violin. Richard Tandy made his ELO studio debut on this album, playing keyboards; he had earlier performed live with the original lineup alongside Wood, Gibson, co-frontman Jeff Lynne, drummer Bev Bevan and cellist Mike Edwards, playing bass (and in TV appearances with the Move playing guitar). Bassist and vocalist Mike de Albuquerque also made his ELO studio debut on the album.^[3] All five pieces are longer than standard rock songs, and feature multi-layered orchestral instruments that create a dense, complex sound.

From Wikipedia

In Old England Town (Boogie Number 2)

Momma...

Roll Over Beethoven

From The Sun To The World

Kuiama

I reckon Jeff Lynne has a valid claim to pioneering the vocoder. His voice is often modulated and I can only conclude that he can't actually hold a tune. ELO's third album is called ELO 2. I'm sure there are lots of interesting reasons as to why this is, but I'll survive without knowing (breaking news: Spotify cocked up the order, so ELO 2 is actually the second).

This is all a bit of a mish-mash really, although 'Roll Over Beethoven' is performed with a lot of conviction. There's a thing about early synthesized brass sounds which is mildly comedic. They are almost too brassy. It features heavily on 'From The Sun To The World'. Lynne tries out his Roger Waters voice on this one but it does feature a quite compelling piano refrain, I mean, musically, it's pretty interesting. The boogie woogie section is really good too. Of course this is 1973, so no-one is afraid of a good long track and ELO weigh in with the 11 minutes and 19 seconds of 'Kuiama', which comes across as a piece of rather good light Southern boogie-blues hybrid. It's good because it holds together as a single piece of music despite its length. 'Showdown' is back on the Spotify version and I forgot to mention its resemblance to 'Witch Queen Of New Orleans'. But I have now. The cover with the light bulb spaceship is OK, but has a feel of a Terry Gilliam animation about it.

**ON THE THIRD DAY**

**Released: 12th September 1973**

On the Third Day is the third studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the first to be recorded without input from Roy Wood. It was released in the United States in November 1973 by United Artists Records, and in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1973 by Warner Bros. Records. From this album on, the word The was dropped from the band's name (other than The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach which was one of their live albums). The album was reissued on 12 September 2006.

On the Third Day was released in 1973 and failed to enter the UK charts at the time, although it did reach the US charts at number 52.^[8] Side two of the album was recorded during or shortly after the sessions for ELO's second album ELO 2. On The Third Day contains shorter tracks than its predecessor, but the four songs on side one of the album were linked into a continuous suite. Violinist Mik Kaminski made his debut on side one of this album, replacing Wilfred Gibson, although Gibson plays on side two (plus the bonus tracks). Also, cellist Colin Walker left the line up around the same time, leaving Mike Edwards as lone cellist.

From Wikipedia

Ocean Breakup/New World Rising

Bluebird Is Dead

Oh No Not Susan

New World Rising/Ocean Breakup

Showdown

Daybreaker

Ma-Ma-Ma-Belle

Dreaming of 4000

In The Hall Of The Mountain King

This is a bit more like it. It sounds like a low-budget seventies Sci-fi movie soundtrack, which is about as high praise as I could give anything. When Queen were handed the Flash Gordon contract they clearly sought this out for inspiration. I also detect that freakish looking musical peer Andrew Lloyd Webber might have had it in the back of his mind when writing the Phantom Of The Opera. Even Macca himself may have heard 'Bluebird Is Dead' while writing 'Pipes Of Peace'. Jeff doesn't quite forget that they are supposed to be a Beatles tribute band with 'Oh No Not Susan' with it's whiny violins and fazed-out Lennon vocal. However it also has a closing section which is at least 15 years ahead of its time. The thing is blighted in places by some unplaceable bleepy noises that do not play well with my ageing ears.

'Daybreaker' is a pretty glorious piece of synth-pop which would be played as our silver spandex-clad hero speeds through the solar system with his arm around his bubble-haired space-babe wearing a red sparkly flared jumpsuit. It's better than Robin Hood and His Merry Men Journey to The Top Of Mount Olympus or whatever project Rick Wakeman was working on at the time.

'Ma-Ma-Ma Belle' is a kind of cross between Slade and the Faces, which is all good. At the last moment Jeff remembers his classical pretensions and throws in Grieg's 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King' (with added snatch of 'Morning' from Peer Gynt as well - or as I like to think of it "Kerrygold butter, Kerrygold butter, Kerrygold, Kerrygold, Kerrygold butter). Rock groups love ITHOTMK, Marillion have dabbled, and of course ELP were always mutilating the classics. This is a rather ponderous take. The Mountain King seems to have been feasting overmuch.

**ELDORADO**

**Released: September 1974**

Eldorado (subtitled A Symphony by the Electric Light Orchestra) is the fourth studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in the United States in September 1974 by United Artists Records and in the United Kingdom in October 1974 by Warner Bros. Records.

Eldorado is the first complete ELO concept album; bandleader Jeff Lynne conceived the storyline before he wrote any music.^[2] The plot follows a Walter Mitty-like character who journeys into fantasy worlds via dreams, to escape the disillusionment of his mundane reality. Lynne began to write the album in response to criticisms from his father, a classical music lover, who said that Electric Light Orchestra's repertoire "had no tune".^[3]

From Wikipedia

Eldorado Overture

Can't Get It Out Of My Head

Boy Blue

Laredo Tornado

Poor Boy (The Greenwood)

Mister Kingdom

Nobody's Child

Illusions in G Major

Eldorado

Eldorado Finale

ELO assume their pomp, and I guess move into a sequence of albums that cemented them in the UK charts for the rest of the decade. Lynne does sing like his chest has been tightly wrapped in gaffer tape throughout, like his lung capacity is at a permanent minimum. A couple of early irritating points, the "High on a hill" lyric demands to be followed by "stood a lonely goatherd" and the opening to 'Can't Get It Out Of My Head' really does lead you to think he's going to burst into "Memories, like the corners of my mind..".

But never mind all that, the album jumps from one style to the next, whilst always remaining true to the rock with a hefty dash of classical formulae. 'Boy Blue' is a great track and a standout for me, but the borrowing from Trumpet Voluntary at the start is a tad unnecessary. It's a bit of an odd listen on Spotify as the artificial breaks that the streaming service inserts only serve to emphasise the abrupt changes of pace.

Wikipedia claims it's a concept album and there are some spoken word parts here and there, but I didn't get a sense of any clear narrative. The Lennon delusions have kicked in again when we get to 'Mr Kingdom', it's too obvious to compare it to 'Across The Universe' and you'd only accuse me of nicking the notion from Wikipedia anyway. They like to throw in a bit of honky-tonk Rock and Roll and they do a fine job with 'Illusions in G Major'. They finish off by reprising the Eldorado themes from the start and there's a bit more doomy narration. I don't understand the Wizard Of Oz cover.

Maybe if I'd listened closer to the lyrics and got the alleged concept I might have gained some insight.

**FACE THE MUSIC**

**Released: 1st September 1975**

Face the Music is the fifth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in September 1975 by United Artists Records and on 14 November 1975 in the United Kingdom by Jet Records. The album moves away from the large-scale classical orchestrated sound of the previous album, Eldorado, in favour of more "radio-friendly" pop/rock songs, though the string sections are still very prominent. The new sound proved successful for the group, for Face the Music was the first ELO album to go platinum.^[7]

By January 1975, bass player Mike de Albuquerque and cellist Mike Edwards had left the band during the Eldorado recording sessions and subsequent tour, respectively.^[8] Bass player Kelly Groucutt and classically trained cellist Melvyn Gale joined the band as their replacements. Following the conclusion of the European leg of the Eldorado tour, the band began recording the new album at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany. ELO had frequently opened for Deep Purple on the initial North American leg of the Eldorado tour, and Deep Purple had recommended Musicland to ELO.^[9] This was the first time ELO recorded at Musicland; the band would later return to record most of their future albums here, owing to frontman Jeff Lynne's great fondness for it and to his good working relationship with sound engineer Mack.

From Wikipedia

Fire On High

Waterfall

Nightrider

Evil Woman

Poker

Strange Magic

Down Home Town

One Summer Dream

Breaking News! ELO invented punk rock, or at least they could be the missing link between prog and punk. More on this story later. First of all however, they start off by meddling in things they don't really understand, the ouija board of rock, back-masking. I definitely got the following message when I heard it: "Mephistopheles wants your soul. Kill yourself. Do it now". I managed to resist the command, maybe Satan should choose more direct lines of communication than via a Brummie rock band with a Beatles fixation.

This also features the first bona fide classic hit, 'Evil Woman'. Misogyny was big in the seventies, even Cliff was having a go at the fair sex. There's plenty of strings and that, but the song itself is a fairly straightforward piece of soul-pop.

Now, back to our top story, 'Poker' is full on punk, but then halfway through they indulge in some very twiddly keyboard work and string arrangements to slow it down.

Funny thing about ELO's best known songs, the intros rarely give a clue as to what's coming. They'd be no good on Name That Tune. 'Strange Magic' is a case in point. In fact the song is sort of not how I remembered it anyway. 'Down Home Town' has Jeff and co trying their hand at being the new Bob Dylan. It's alright actually, but the Americanisms are a touch forced. 'One Summer Dream' is a bland ending with a Midnight Cowboy feel to it. Electric chair on the cover. Nice.

**A NEW WORLD RECORD**

**Released: 15th October 1976**

A New World Record is the sixth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released on 15 October 1976, by United Artists Records in the United States^[1] and on 19 November 1976, by Jet Records in the United Kingdom.^[2]^[3] A New World Record marked ELO's shift towards shorter pop songs, a trend which would continue across their career.

Their second album to be recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, the LP proved to be the band's breakthrough in the UK; after their previous three studio recordings failed to chart in their home market, A New World Record became their first top ten album in the UK. It became a global success and reached multi-platinum status in the US and UK. The album sold five million units worldwide within its first year of release. The cover art features the ELO logo, designed by Kosh, for the first time; this logo would be included on most of the group's subsequent releases. The album yielded four hit singles, including "Livin' Thing", the transatlantic Top Ten hit "Telephone Line", which became the band's first gold US single, the UK Top Ten hit "Rockaria!", and the US number 24 hit "Do Ya", a remake of the 1972 single by The Move, of which Lynne was a member between 1970 and 1972.

From Wikipedia

Tightrope

Telephone Line

Rockaria

Mission (A World Record)

So Fine

Livin' Thing

Above The Clouds

Do Ya

Shangri La

Very symphonic, and ELO are rising above the accusations that they always sound like someone else. I have to admit that the double meaning of the title eluded me for some time, kind of like an optical illusion where you can only see one thing until you suddenly see it the other way, at which point you can't get the original picture back in your head. Anyway, my initial thought was the emphasis was on New World and not World Record, and indeed, via a rather clunky piece of elliptical writing I can tell you that this was their breakthrough recording in the US.

Anyway, on my original point, they now sound more like ELO than anything else. Some big hits here too; 'Telephone Line', 'Rockaria' and 'Livin' Thing'. Lynne's songwriting is good now too. 'Telephone Line' blends some remotely Beatlish arrangements with bits that resemble some of Bacharach's best work. 'Rockaria' is quite successful at the ELO Mission Statement of blending Classical and Rock. 'Mission (A World Record)' is an oddly rambling that might be an attempt to emulate 'Space Oddity' although there are parts of the melody that resemble Macarthur Park.

The nasty bleepy bongo bit in the middle of 'So Fine' is best forgotten as it destroys an otherwise acceptable song. 'Livin' Thing' is a classic. They rhyme 'livin' with 'given', there's all sorts of call-outs from the backing vocalists and the string backing melds with the pop melody perfectly. 'Above The Clouds' is less successful but then they kick back in with 'Do Ya' which apparently is an old Move song written in 1971. It has a bit of The Sweet's 'Fox On The Run' and even a touch of Bruce's more melodramatic early stuff. No need for that military drum break in the middle though. The closing 'Shangri-La' is a bit tedious.

On the artwork front, they finally settle on some branding with the disc-ey, flying saucer-ey thing. More on that for the next one..

**OUT OF THE BLUE**

**Released: 28th October 1977**

Out of the Blue is the seventh studio album by the British rock group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released on 24 October 1977 in the United States and four days after in the UK on 28 October. Written and produced by ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, the double album is among the most commercially successful records in the group's history, selling about 10 million copies worldwide by 2007.^[6]

Jeff Lynne wrote the entire album in three and a half weeks after a sudden burst of creativity while hidden away in his rented chalet in the Swiss Alps. It took a further two months to record in Munich.^{[citation needed]}

From Wikipedia

Side 1

Turn To Stone

It's Over

Sweet Talkin' Woman

Across The Border

Side 2

Night In The City

Starlight

Jungle

Believe Me Now

Steppin' Out

Side 3 (Concerto For A Rainy Day)

Standin' In The Rain

Big Wheels

Summer Lightning

Mr. Blue Sky

Side 4

Sweet Is The Night

The Whale

Birmingham Blues

Wild West Hero

I have this. On vinyl! Which makes it vanishingly rare as a component of my record collection. I got it in Boots in the Gracechurch Shopping Centre in Sutton Coldfield and it cost me £5, which thoroughly cleaned me out of pocket money. As soon as I bought it I felt like I'd blown my life's savings. At the time I think I was trying to establish some clear musical water between myself and my older brother so I latched onto ELO as The Band I Would Be A Fan Of. He never had that much time for them and I liked the hit songs, so it seemed a good choice. I didn't get the cardboard spaceship though. It must have been a limited edition for the early releases. Or you sent off for it. I don't know. It would have been nice to have it for all the money I spent on the bloody thing. However, now at last I see a return on my investment as I avoid a Google search for the artwork.

Oh. It's also a great album of course. It starts with 'Turn To Stone' approaching like a train in a tunnel. The album actually fades in. So many great things about this song. Jeff puts the age old pronunciation of 'scone' debate to bed by successfully rhyming stone with gone and there's that bit in the middle where he just sings everything very fast, like he's doing a condensed version of the song. Throughout the album they do overdo the call and response nature of the lyrics and 'It's Over' is a prime offender: "It's over - it's o-over - it's over!".

Right. We have already established that Jeff Lynne is the Thomas Edison of popular music, it's no accident that the first two albums had a light bulb on the cover. He's invented the vocoder, punk rock and the electric violin (I expect) already. So it's no surprise to find that he also invented the artificial voice. Without JL, Stephen Hawking would never have been able to explain string theory, event horizons and how telephones are great for talking to each other. 'Sweet Talkin' Woman' features some of it, although I have to be honest, the technology is in its infancy and I can't make out what it says. The song's great anyway, so who cares?

'Over The Border' is a standard Rock n Roll song enhanced with latino flourishes and the obligatory multilayered strings. And we're already on Side 2 of 4 by the time 'Night In The City' kicks in. Another great song, but the cowbells and sound effects halfway through do spoil it a bit. 'Starlight' is a slower song, and has something of easy jazz about it. You could even call it easy listening, if it didn't have what sounds like a theremin going on in the background.

What's this? 'Club Tropicana'? Nope, the tropical sounds usher in 'Jungle'. I looked up the lyrics to the chorus. They are "Chooka chooka hoo la ley; Looka looka koo la ley". It's a nice bit of daft fluff. I did work out the artificial voice lyric on 'Believe Me Now' although the title gives a big hint. 'Steppin' Out' ends Side 2. You'll note that ELO like to make their song titles that little more Rock n Roll by droppin' a terminal 'g' wherever possible.

Side 3 is the 'Concerto For A Rainy Day', so it's more of a concept 'side' than a concept album. This obviously features the ELO signature tune 'Mr Blue Sky' and as a whole is utterly British by discussin' the weather. It starts with 'Standin' (oh yes) In The Rain', moves into 'Big Wheels', then 'Summer and Lightning' which features a rather jarrin' transition into and out of a light soul section before everybody's favourite; MBS. Lynne's breathless delivery is quite upliftin'. I think ELO might have suffered in the credibility stakes for producin' music that was upbeat and joyous, but at least they worked at it and made it interestin'. I have to admit to not being overly fond of the false endin'. 'Please turn me over' says Sparky the Magic Piano at the end. Doesn't make sense in the age of streamin' and CDs does it? They go a bit TOO far when they start tryin' to produce artificial whalesong at the start of 'The Whale' and it's probably the least successful track on the whole album.' 'Birmingham Blues' is quite funny. They are clearly not referrin' to Birmingham, Alabama, but insist on pronouncin' it Birming-HAM, instead of the correct Bir-MING-hum. They bring it all home with the terrific 'Wild West Hero'. We all know it. I won't insult your intelligence by describing it. ELO's best album? I think not. The next one 'Discovery' beats it for my money.

**DISCOVERY**

**Released: 1st June 1979**

Discovery is the eighth studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released on 1 June 1979 in the United Kingdom by Jet Records, where it topped record charts, and on 8 June in the United States on Jet through Columbia Records distribution. A music video album featuring all the songs being played by the band was then released on VHS in 1979, then re-released as part of the Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley DVD and VHS in 1998.

Discovery was the band's first number 1 album in the UK,^[10] entering the chart at that position and staying there for five weeks.^[10] The album contained five hit songs in "Shine a Little Love", "Don't Bring Me Down", "Last Train to London", "Confusion" and "The Diary of Horace Wimp", many of which were heavily influenced by disco (in fact, Richard Tandy nicknamed the album, Disco Very).^[11] "Don't Bring Me Down" would become one of their only two top three hits in the UK throughout their career ("Xanadu" would be number one in 1980), and also their highest-charting US single at number 4. "The Diary of Horace Wimp" was also a hit single in the UK, not patterned after the disco sound; instead it was closer in its Beatlesque style to the band's earlier hit "Mr. Blue Sky". The album itself was the first ever to generate four top-ten singles (one of which was a Double A-side) from a single LP in the UK and was eventually certified 2× platinum by the RIAA in 1997.

From Wikipedia

Shine A Little Love

Confusion

Need Her Love

The Diary Of Horace Wimp

Last Train to London

Midnight Blue

On The Run

Wishing

Don't Bring Me Down

First the artwork. Ali Baba has been given one of those Simon electronic toys for his birthday and he's trying to figure out how to play it. I have this one on vinyl too (and, spoiler alert, Time too - see, I was quite serious about them back in the day). This one is consistently good. 'Shine A Little Love', 'Confusion', 'Last Train To London' and 'Don't Bring Me Down' represent their best work for me. But the centrepiece of the whole thing has to be the pinnacle of the ELO canon, 'The Diary Of Horace Wimp'. A tune with a tale and hope for every nerdy boy that ever lived. We all secretly dreamed that our lives would sort themselves out as Horace's did by finding a small but very pretty girl who would gladly marry him. It's a touching tale and a call to arms all in one. "Horace Wimp! This is your life! Go out and find! Yourself a wife!". It's like an antidote to Craig David's dreadful '7 Days' in which the arrogant bastard has bedded the girl by Wednesday. ELO's vision of young love is much purer and sweeter. Electro-voice is on backing vocals doing a sort of scat. Lynne's little interjections at the end of each verse are funny. "If he was late one more time, he'd be out. Uh-oh!"; "His head was reeling when she said yes. OK!" and "When she said "gladly", Horace cried. Boo-hoo". Its all perfect, from the wedding bells to the climactic ending. Even if rest of the record was rubbish, it would be worth it just for this.

Luckily the rest maintains the standard. I'll forgive them Heatwave's 'Boogie Nights' bass riff on 'Last Train To London', and the rather intrusive keyboard interlude in the middle. There's a slightly annoying effect in 'On The Run' which is half like the opening to Baba O'Reilly and half like that noise the radio makes when you put your phone too near it. 'Don't Bring Me Down' is a fitting finale. And it's 'Grooss' not 'Bruce'. But then I always knew that since I had the lyrics on the inner sleeve.

Time is the ninth studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (credited as ELO), released in July 1981 on Jet Records. It is a concept album about a man from the 1980s who is taken to the year 2095, where he is confronted by the dichotomy between technological advancement and a longing for past romance.^[7] The record topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks, though it attracted mixed reviews for its heavy use of synthesizers and stylistic shift away from the orchestral rock of previous ELO albums. It has since gained a cult following, particularly among retrofuturist enthusiasts.

Time is a work of synth-pop that combines elements from 1950s music, new wave, reggae, rockabilly, the Beatles, Phil Spector and the Shadows. The album signalled a departure from the band's sound by emphasising electronics over its usual orchestra. It is also the band's second concept album, the first being Eldorado in 1974.^[2] The music video created for its lead single, "Hold On Tight", was the most expensive ever made to that point, with a budget of approximately £40,000.^[8] Four more singles followed the album's release: "Twilight", "Ticket to the Moon" (backed with "Here Is the News"), "Rain Is Falling" and "The Way Life's Meant to Be".

From Wikipedia

Prologue

Twilight

Yours Truly, 2095

Ticket To The Moon

The Way Life's Meant To Be

Another Heart Breaks

Rain is Falling

From The End Of The World

The Lights Go Down

Here Is The News

21st Century Man

Hold On Tight

Epilogue

Ooh. Hang on. Can I change my vote? Maybe this is my favourite album. No. It's good, but Discovery still just edges it. Completists may be heartbroken that I have skipped over Xanadu, but Spotify only offers a few of the tracks and I can pretend it doesn't count as a proper studio album. I was tempted to get the DVD, watch it and review that, but there are limits to what I am willing to do.

I've credited Jeff Lynne with some groundbreaking inventions so far, but I begin to suspect that he also had a time machine hidden under a tarpaulin in his garden shed. This album is weirdly, indeed spookily, prophetic of the modern age. 'Yours Truly 2095' is about a robotic woman '"She has a jumpsuit and is also a telephone", in 'Ticket To The Moon' he sings "Remember the good old 1980's when things were so uncomplicated? I wish I could go back there now and everything could be the same". OK he also goes on about hover cars and that, but he's actually looking forward to the end of the 21st Century.

This is clearly a concept album, and it's quite a good concept I reckon. The protagonist has travelled into the future and doesn't much enjoy what he sees. Lynne is also unafraid to have a go at keeping up with his contemporaries. 'Yours Truly 2095' is very like The Buggles. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. I love the deeply robotic voice in the opening prologue which sets the scene. Very much what we now associate with Hawking and 'Twilight' is full on ELO. 'Ticket To The Moon' is wistful, but 'The Way LIfe's Meant To Be' will be of interest to Smokie's extensive legal team. The verse structure is identical to 'Living Next Door To Alice'. Mind you, I'd forgive them just for the deeply satisfying use of a kettle drum.

They chuck in an instrumental 'Another Heart Breaks' which mimics the synth-drum beat of 'Vienna'. Side 2 opens with the rather dull 'Rain Is Falling' No song about precipitation is ever going to get me excited. Next ELO try their hand at Electro-pop with 'From The End Of The World'. It's a pretty good Sparks pastiche with Jeff gamely having ago at a proper falsetto and a "Batmaaaan!" backing beat. Our current obsession with 24 hour news channels is accurately predicted in 'Here Is The News' "Coming to you every hour on the hour". It has a rather raw and buzzy synth melody. Love it.

I haven't listened to King Crimson's '21st Century Schizoid Man' in many a year, but ELO have the sheer cheek to use nearly the same title. This isn't anywhere near as mad as that song. In fact it's moderately bland. Finally a big hit to close it all out. 'Hold On Tight' doesn't really fit with the themes of the rest of the album. Maybe Lynne just knew it was good single material and so just bunged it on. He sings the chorus in French for a bit of variety, but it's a standard traditional rocker at the end of the day. There is a little epilogue which reprises 21st Century Man.

Nice artwork too. I'm not finished yet, and I still have a way to go through material that I don't really know, but so far this has been about as enjoyable as it gets. I haven't listened to ELO in far too long and these last three albums represent everything that was so joyous about their music at that time.

**SECRET MESSAGES**

**Released: 24th June 1983**

Secret Messages is the tenth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1983 on Jet Records. It was the last ELO album with bass guitarist Kelly Groucutt, conductor Louis Clark and a full orchestra, and the last ELO album to be released on the Jet label. It was also the final ELO studio album to become a worldwide top 40 hit upon release.

Secret Messages, as its title suggests, is littered with hidden messages in the form of backmasking, some obvious and others less so. This was Jeff Lynne's second tongue-in-cheek response to allegations of hidden Satanic messages in earlier Electric Light Orchestra LPs by Christian fundamentalists, which led to American congressional hearings in the early 1980s (a similar response had been made by Lynne on the Face the Music album, during the intro to the "Fire on High" track).^[10]

From Wikipedia

Secret Messages

Loser Gone Wild

Bluebird

Take Me On And On

Four Little Diamonds

Stranger

Danger Ahead

Letter From Spain

Train Of Gold

Rock 'n' Roll Is King

By now my interest was waning. At 15 years old your tastes change with alarming frequency. It wasn't due to any perceived drop in quality, but there were exciting new acts coming onto the scene in 1983. They still play around a lot with back-masking on this album which I suppose fits with the album title. A little more research tells me that ELO were targeted by Christian groups for supposedly using the technique for furthering El Diabolo's aims, so this is a knowing riposte. Unsurprisingly the Christian right didn't get the joke.

The second track, 'Loser Gone Wild' has touches of brilliance, but the decision not to settle on one style for the song just doesn't quite work. I like the cod-reggae sections best. 'Bluebird' is more consistent. There's a jokey opening to 'Four Little Diamonds' Tap, tap, tap on the microphone. "Is this on? After 4. 4!". Laugh? I never came close. It's a rocker in the early Beatles style but with a modern electronic sheen. Lynne sounds like he wishes he could have recruited jobbing vocalist Paul Carrack for 'Stranger'. He does a decent impression and there is also a hint of Chicago's 'If You Leave Me Now' about it.

'Letter From Spain' is low key and almost prefigures the kind of stuff with which Enya had success later in the decade. I would have sworn blind that 'Rock 'N' Roll is King' was a much earlier song. It starts so much like 'Hold On Tight' that I thought I'd got to the end and was back on Time again. I assumed it was 'Ramalamalamalama' but careful listening and subsequent checking reveals it is 'Whamalamabamalama'. These things are important after all. There is obviously lots going on with the cover art and the Secret Messages theme is apparently continued on the packaging, but I can't seee it clearly enough.

**BALANCE OF POWER**

**Released: 3rd March 1986**

Balance of Power is the eleventh studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in 1986.^[4] It is the final album by the band to feature co-founder Bev Bevan on drums, as well as the last album to feature a significant contribution from keyboardist Richard Tandy.

During sessions for the previous album Secret Messages, bass guitarist Kelly Groucutt departed and the group was pared down to a trio of Jeff Lynne (who doubled on bass as a result of Groucutt's absence), Richard Tandy and Bev Bevan.^[5]^[6] Recording for the album began in mid-1984, with a planned release for Spring 1985. The addition of several synthesizer tracks and mixing work by Reinhold Mack to the album caused^{[citation needed]} its release to be pushed back to March 1986.^[7]

From Wikipedia

Heaven Only Knows

So Serious

Getting To The Point

Secret Lives

Is It Alright

Sorrow About To Fall

Without Someone

Calling America

Endless Lies

Send It

What is it with rock groups who had a good reputation for interesting packaging and artwork and the mid-eighties? I refer you to Yes's Big Generator and this. Both awful and clearly the result of someone on the corporate side being given the pictures job.

Of couse the actual musical content is fine. Quite good actually. However the more I listen to the second track, 'So Serious' the more convinced I became that it was a rip-off of Limahl's Neverending Story theme tune. So much so that I began to suspect that Lynne might have produced it, so I checked, and of course it was Giorgio Moroder. So I think I have to accuse Jeff of unashamedly wearing his current influences on his sleeve again. But, it's a great pop song. Only the truly churlish couldn't enjoy it.

'Getting To The Point' is a rousing soft-rock anthem complete with saxophone-led middle eight. Cheesy synths of the Christopher Cross variety introduce 'Secret Lives'. It is light as a feather, well constructed and just a little soulless. Same with 'Is It Alright'. ELO were always about polish, but they've overdone the Mr. Sheen here. 'Without Someone' is all muted sounds and whispered vocals. It's nice, but very much by-the-numbers.

'Calling America' was the first single. I vaguely remember it. I was a dedicated Radio 1 listener at this time and I think ELO had fallen out of favour with even them, but it is really good. You could date it to the nearest week by the sound, but it is hard to dislike.'Endless Lies' is an intentional Orbison tribute. Just like 'Jumping Biz' and 'Classical Gas' on the first album, they'd have trouble denying it and Lynne may have already have forged the links with Orbison that led to their collaboration on his fabulous 'Mystery Girl' album.

They broke up after this. Lynne subsequently enagaging in all that Wilbury nonsense, but the closing song 'Send It' is a fitting sign-off. Probably the most ELOish on the album. But you can't keep a good band down and there are two more comebacks to cover in the next 30 years.

Zoom is the twelfth studio album by British symphonic rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released on 12 June 2001 on Epic Records. It was the first official ELO album since 1986's Balance of Power.

Zoom was recorded primarily by Jeff Lynne alone, with guest musicians including George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Zoom is the first ELO album not to feature original drummer Bev Bevan and was one of Harrison's last recordings before his death. The only other ELO member appearing on the album, Richard Tandy, appears on the opening track and performed live in promotional concerts.

From Wikipedia

Alright

Moment In Paradise

State Of Mind

Just For Love

Stranger On A Quiet Street

In My Own Time

Easy Money

It Really Doesn't Matter

Ordinary Dream

A Long Time Gone

Melting In The Sun

All She Wanted

Lonesome Lullaby

There's a bit in the recent reboot of Robocop where Michael Keaton's character decides that he needs his law enforcement killing machine to look 'more tactical' and therefore gives him a black paint job. Well, Jeff obviously decided that the reboot of ELO also needed a sexier black image, so the UFO on the cover has also been given a more menacing look. The effect is somewhat diminished by a terrible album title. It must also mark something of a dream come true for Lynne, since he collaborates with both George Harrison and Ringo Starr on it, although no doubt the relationships went back several years by the time this was made. It sounds like it should, but then Lynne has never had a problem stamping his production style over anything he touches. It probably sounds like the album the Beatles would have produced if they had still been going in 2001, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. Anyway, it's good to listen to even if nothing stands out.

The opening 'Alright' has a slightly harder edge than we are used to and features 1986's-next-big-thing-that-never-quite-delivered, Rosie Vela, on backing vocals. Her Steely Dan backed album 'Zazu' was on the Sunderland student house playlist back in the late 80's. According to Wiki-really? she also contributes 'tap-dancing' to the track 'In My Own Time'. Although it doesn't feature either George or Ringo 'Just For Love' is about as Beatlish as it is possible to get without actually forming a tribute band. Maybe ELO were actually breaking new ground all this time and actually coming up with a new genre of music, the 'Pastiche Band', where everything is done in the style of someone else. That's a bit harsh I suppose, there IS an ELO sound which has evolved, but they've never strayed far from their influences. Both 'In My Own Time' and 'Easy Money', which appear consecutively are quite classic blues numbers and in fact there is a lot of blues on the album. 'It Really Doesn't Matter At All' is clearly a World Party track. The whole thing feels like a missed opportunity and it seems that it wasn't a massive success. As a result ELO disappeared for another 14 years before they re-emerged just last year.

**ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE**

**Released: 13th November 2015**

Alone in the Universe is the thirteenth studio album by British rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the first credited to Jeff Lynne's ELO.^[1]^[2] The moniker came out from Lynne as a response to ELO tribute and imitation bands, who repeatedly used ELO for promoting their own tours.^[3] Released on 13 November 2015, the album is the first of new original material credited to the group since Zoom in 2001, and the second since the group's original disbandment in 1986.

The album was met with generally favourable reviews, peaking at number two on the Billboard Top Rock Albums and number four on the UK Albums Chart, where it has been certified Platinum. It was followed by the album From Out of Nowhere, which was released on 1 November 2019.^[4]

From Wikipedia

When I Was A Boy

Love And Rain

Dirty To The Bone

When The Night Comes

The Sun Will Shine On You

Ain't It A Drag

All My Life

I'm Leaving You

One Step At A Time

Alone In The Universe

Now it is 'Jeff Lynne's ELO'. Like it wasn't before. I have paid scant attention to the likes of Bev Bevan, Richard Tandy and Kelly Groucott since ELO has clearly been Lynne's project all along. Anyway, this is essentially a solo album. The only other musicians listed on the Wikipedia page are daughter Laura as backing singer and Engineer Steve Jay who shows his mastery of shaker and tambourine, It starts with the inevitably a-bit-like-the-Beatles, 'When I Was A Boy' which was released as a single and got a lot of airplay on BBC Radio 2, at least partly because Chris Evans was pretty instrumental in digging Jeff out of the where-are-they-now file. Lynne does seem comfortable with what he is doing. The songs seem quite effortless and it would be easy to accuse him of a repeat of the blandness of Zoom, but these do seem more heartfelt than on that album.

There's a return to an Orbison-influenced sound on 'I'm Leaving You' and 'One Step At A Time' comes close to some of his best classic ELO hits. It's also short, 10 songs and only 32 minutes, but no-one should complain about that, an ability to rein oneself in is an asset in a rock star. There are a couple of bonus tracks on Spotify, the rather good 'Fault Line' a C&W effort with nice Hawaiian guitar and the waltz-time'Blue'. Let's hope that now he has his mojo back he sticks at it for a few more years.

From Wikipedia

From Out Of Nowhere

Help Yourself

All My Love

Down Came The Rain

Losing You

One More Time

Sci-Fi Woman

Goin' Out On Me

Time Of Our Life

Songbird

I'm going to upset some valued followers who are die-hard ELO fans here. Circumstances mean that I've been listening to this in tandem with The Who's latest release WHO. It's an interesting situation in that we have two old rock warhorses trying to recapture past glories. But where The Who still have some spleen to vent while staying true to their heritage, Jeff Lynne is content to run some stuff through the ELO algorithm (itself based on re-purposed Beatles and Wilburys code) and stick it out. He's not trying to win any new fans, in fact it seems entirely designed to appeal only to those who have been there since 1971.

So it's all Lynne's limited vocal range - it sometimes sounds like he's taken a deep breath at the start and is simply trying to sustain himself on it throughout the entire song - layered and with callbacks half a bar later at an octave higher pitch, set against a set of simple rock and roll standard beats. So dull is it that he resorts to that laziest of song themes, being in the rain, and calling it 'Down Came The Rain'.

Lloyd-Webber's 'Phantom Of The Opera' is ripped off on 'One More Time'. 'Goin' Out On Me' is like 'Tears On My Pillow', but perhaps the most appallingly self-indulgent move is the penultimate 'Time Of Our Life'. Jeff's story of 'didn't we have a lovely time, the day we went to Wembley'. But where at least Fiddler's Dram's 'Day Trip To Bangor' had a certain folksy charm, this just seems to be Jeff being gobsmacked at how popular he is after all these years (well I'll admit, I'm surprised too). Modern stadium crowds now wave their mobile phone torchlights these days. Who knew?

With no apparent sense of self awareness he even does a song called 'Songbird' which is not a Fleetwood Mac cover, but in fact resembles a cack-handed attempt to capture something of McCartney's 'Blackbird'. It doesn't, Lynne just drones on as usual.

But, at least it is short. Just a tad over 30 minutes, so the sense of annoyance is fleeting.

RockOdyssey

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Whamalamabamalama Rock n Roll is King.

The Clash - The Zombies of Death

R.E.M