- All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra · 1977
- Discovery · 1979
- Face the Music · 1975
- A New World Record · 1976
- A New World Record · 1976
- Out of the Blue · 1977
- A New World Record · 1976
- All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra · 1975
- Out of the Blue · 1977
- On the Third Day · 1973
- Discovery · 1979
- Time · 1981
- Eldorado · 1974
Essential Albums
- No one ever accused Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra of thinking small. On 1977’s Out of the Blue, ELO allows its ambitions to run unrestrained through a host of symphonic rock permutations. Released as a two-disc set, this album marked the fullest flowering of the group’s expansive musical vision. As on earlier releases, Beatles-derived motifs are present in abundance—the bouncy English charm of “Mr. Blue Sky” and the dreamy atmosphere of “Big Wheels” owe a particular debt to Paul McCartney. By this point, though, Lynne and his bandmates had developed their own recognizable sonic trademarks, especially a fondness for ’50s-style roots-rock. Tracks like “Birmingham Blues” and “Across the Border” harken back to the prime of Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, while “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” invokes the layered vocal interplay of the Beach Boys. ELO’s fascination with pre-World War II pop is evident in elegant, slightly campy tracks like “Sweet Is the Night” and “Wild West Hero.” Smoothly-crafted hit singles like “Turn to Stone” are counterpointed with impressionistic instrumentals like “The Whale.” With a sense of grandeur and a touch of humor, Out of the Blue shifts from whimsy to melodrama like a widescreen film spectacular.
- Electric Light Orchestra’s audacious dream of fusing classical orchestration with rock ’n’ roll approached near-perfection on A New World Record. This 1976 work justified the semi-successful experiments that bandleader Jeff Lynne had conducted earlier, and this time all the elements were held in balance: the pounding piano riffs, heroic guitar flourishes, and aching vocals fully compliment the swirling violins and moaning cellos surrounding them. Lynne applies these arrangements to a brace of songs both carnal and angelic in feel. Tracks like “Shangri-La” and “Tightrope” have an opulence that recalls the great Hollywood soundtracks of the 1930s. “Above the Clouds” conveys dreaminess, while “Rockaria!” ascends operatic heights on slide-guitar energy. ELO manages at times to compress its grandeur down to hit-single size, as “Telephone Line” and “Livin’ Thing” demonstrate, and Lynne even reaches back to his days with the Move for a remake of the surging “Do Ya.” Few other bands could follow ELO into the rarified realms of classical-rock without stumbling; A New World Record is practically a planet unto itself.
- 2016
- 2015
- 2015
- 2015
- 2015
Artist Playlists
- Want to hear the sound of pure, manic, ‘70s ecstasy? Just listen to ELO.
- Glorious rock and electronic—with a hint of the psychedelic.
- The melodic glam and pop behind the orchestral-rock giants.
Live Albums
Compilations
- 2021
About Electric Light Orchestra
Outside of the prog scene, the most ambitious rock band of the ’70s were Electric Light Orchestra. Thanks to the meticulous production ear and vivid imagination of frontman Jeff Lynne, their music melded together lush orchestral arrangements and Beatles-caliber melodic pop tropes. Electric Light Orchestra initially formed in 1970 as an offshoot of psychedelic rock troupe The Move, which Lynne had joined at the urging of future Wizzard multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood. Together, the pair created the blueprint for ELO’s sound, which emerged fully formed on the string-laden 1972 debut single “10538 Overture.” Wood departed the band that same year, but Lynne and a rotating group of collaborators propelled ELO to stardom by merging their Beatles-y sound with changing musical trends: jaunty art pop (“Mr. Blue Sky”), glammy hard rockers (“Don’t Bring Me Down”), and frothy disco numbers (“Shine a Little Love,” the Olivia Newton-John collaboration “Xanadu”). Lynne put playing with ELO on ice in 1986 and spent much of the next three decades focused on production work for artists such as George Harrison and Tom Petty. However, in his absence, ELO’s influence started emerging in modern bands; both Flaming Lips’ animated psychedelic pop and Daft Punk’s elaborate arrangements and staging bear Lynne’s imprint. When ELO took flight once again in 2014 for rare concerts and subsequent tours (including the band’s first North American dates in 37 years), that creative magic returned. In 2019, Lynne released a new ELO album, From Out of Nowhere, that overflowed with sweet harmonies and plush instrumentation.
- ORIGIN
- Birmingham, England
- FORMED
- 1970
- GENRE
- Rock