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Post by trekkielo on Jun 13, 2021 2:14:11 GMT
20 Years Ago: Jeff Lynne Relaunches ELO With the Underrated ‘Zoom’ultimateclassicrock.com/electric-light-orchestra-zoom/"The lean, tune-focused Zoom was the Electric Light Orchestra album that Jeff Lynne should have put out at the turn of the '80s" I like 2001VI, but ELO's Time album was perfectly put out at the turn of the good old 1980's back in 1981!
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Post by lawrev on Jun 13, 2021 14:46:05 GMT
The one "quibble" mentioned in the Classic Rock article is actually quite significant - JL playing virtually all the instruments himself. That leads to the "samey" quality in several of his recent albums. By saying "quibble," the writer also avoids a edit from Jeff and his management. I'm surprised that the compliment about Kelly Groucutt made it into the article, quite frankly.
There is nothing organic about his past couple albums - an organic quality by having different human beings playing on each track. Jeff is an excellent songwriter, but I often wonder how his songs would have turned out over the past 20 years if he had a true band backing him. But having a band is more inconvenience and complexity for Jeff - those musicians would need to be paid, there is resulting pressure to be more successful (album sales), etc. With his recording model now, he can work when he wants and not have to worry about schedules, other band members, etc. But at least Jeff's aversion to touring is no longer the issue that it was for 30+ years.
But there is a new issue. Age. That is a subject for another post. That someone else may kick off. But age is affecting all classic rock artists.
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Post by Timeblue on Jun 13, 2021 15:05:57 GMT
For Jeff, age isn't an issue...... for the moment. He's looked after himself and his voice has if anything, improved over the years (he reminds me a bit of Tom Jones, his voice certainly has improved and he's in his 80s now) . He's never been the most 'active' of lead singers so for the next 10 years, I wouldn't worry too much....
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Post by tightrope on Jun 13, 2021 17:48:39 GMT
For Jeff, age isn't an issue...... for the moment. He's looked after himself and his voice has if anything, improved over the years (he reminds me a bit of Tom Jones, his voice certainly has improved and he's in his 80s now) . He's never been the most 'active' of lead singers so for the next 10 years, I wouldn't worry too much.... While age isn't an issue as far as his recording voice is concerned, (his voice on FOON is the best since ANWR in my opinion) he has to take it easier when touring I'm sure. Trust me at 73 age is a concern when it comes to everything else.
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Post by Timeblue on Jun 13, 2021 17:54:39 GMT
For Jeff, age isn't an issue...... for the moment. He's looked after himself and his voice has if anything, improved over the years (he reminds me a bit of Tom Jones, his voice certainly has improved and he's in his 80s now) . He's never been the most 'active' of lead singers so for the next 10 years, I wouldn't worry too much.... While age isn't an issue as far as his recording voice is concerned, (his voice on FOON is the best since ANWR in my opinion) he has to take it easier when touring I'm sure. Trust me at 73 age is a concern when it comes to everything else. A lot of us forumites complain about Jeff's lack of charisma whilst on stage but if he was like say, Iggy Pop on stage then I would worry!
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Post by tightrope on Jun 13, 2021 18:01:12 GMT
While age isn't an issue as far as his recording voice is concerned, (his voice on FOON is the best since ANWR in my opinion) he has to take it easier when touring I'm sure. Trust me at 73 age is a concern when it comes to everything else. A lot of us forumites complain about Jeff's lack of charisma whilst on stage but if he was like say, Iggy Pop on stage then I would worry! While Jeff may not have a lot of charisma on stage he has a presence that I can't explain. He commands everyone's attention without appearing to try. Casual fans I met at shows were just in awe of him. It was amazing to see.
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Zoom
Jun 13, 2021 18:10:46 GMT
via mobile
Timeblue likes this
Post by fireonhigh on Jun 13, 2021 18:10:46 GMT
A lot of us forumites complain about Jeff's lack of charisma whilst on stage but if he was like say, Iggy Pop on stage then I would worry! While Jeff may not have a lot of charisma on stage he has a presence that I can't explain. He commands everyone's attention without appearing to try. Casual fans I met at shows were just in awe of him. It was amazing to see. That's probably because the music is so damn perfect that just hearing its composer playing and singing it live is all you need for stage presence, espicially when us diehard fans never thought Jeff would utter the words ELO again, let alone tour and release new music under the name. You don't need the front man trying to 'excite' the audience to a frenzy to enjoy the show, nor do you need some loon running round acting a twat!! However the one thing I will say is the sometimes long periods of silence between songs can be uncomfortable and you can lose the 'flow' a little. The music does the talking and he knows we see him to hear the songs not all the other stuff.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2021 19:27:11 GMT
Jeff is what he is.
He's not Mick Jagger on stage. We all know that.
But also, he is a studiomaniac, and these days, doing it all, alone, in the studio is what he wants to do, for better or worse.
FOON and AITU are not SM or Time, but they are damn fine little records.
I'll never forget my wife's reaction when I shoved AITU into the car CD player for the first time:
Me: This is the new ELO then. She: WTF? ELO? New? Me: Oh yes. Check this out.
***WIWAB starts playing***
She: OMFG. He hasn't changed. Bullshit...this isn't new. Really?
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Post by trekkielo on Jun 13, 2021 21:18:08 GMT
I'm surprised that the compliment about Kelly Groucutt made it into the article, quite frankly. Along with Mik Kaminski and Bev Bevan! "Guys like drummer Bev Bevan, violinist Mik Kaminski and the late bassist and backing vocalist Kelly Groucutt are sorely missed. Even ELO stalwart Richard Tandy appears only on the opening cut. Endless overdubs can't mimic the intimacy that true interaction provides, and Zoom occasionally could have used a bit less manicured perfection."
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Post by lawrev on Jun 14, 2021 1:36:56 GMT
Criticism of JL's ELO music as being "perfect" (on record and on stage) has been around since Out of the Blue. If I want to see a version of ELO that was hungry for success, I will pull up the Fusion concert in London (1976). Watch Bevan hit the skins on the 10538 Overture / Do Ya combo during that show. Fantastic powerhouse drumming!
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Zoom
Jun 15, 2021 12:00:19 GMT
via mobile
Post by pelo on Jun 15, 2021 12:00:19 GMT
"ZOOM" - a lean recording, this may be true to some degree, but only if you compare it to ELO's classic albums. But then again, listen to those lush harmonies.
What I find interesting is that some people refer to AITU or FOON as lean recordings as well. Maybe, it's because of heavy compression that yiu get this impression but in fact Jeff was quoted as saying that he used more tracks than ever before.
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Post by ShardEnder on Jun 15, 2021 13:26:23 GMT
Jeff's extreme use of compression dates back to Don't Bring Me Down, where he was applying such levels of limiting to hide how little was actually going on in the mix. Time is an entire album produced the same way, and short of a few exceptions (like when the drums on Yours Truly, 2095 literally sound like they're playing in reverse - a side effect of pushing the UA 1176LN too far), it worked to create one of his most artistically successful efforts.
Unfortunately, even after he began to avoid artificial reverb at the suggestion of George Harrison and go in more of a stripped back direction throughout the late 1980s all the way through to the onset of the Zoom sessions, this aspect remained in place, even when it wasn't necessary. Zoom definitely reintroduced some of that lushness, and Jeff's output since then has slowly built on this approach with just one notable difference remaining...
If you were to try overdubbing a 40-piece orchestra and a full choir over pretty much any track from an album like Alone In The Universe or From Out Of Nowhere, you'd quickly find that there isn't space left to accommodate such a detail. I still can't put my finger on exactly why, but Jeff's modern sound doesn't leave room for this, and it surely can't just be the ever-increasing compression that made some of FOON fatiguing to me, especially the title track.
As he'd been saying for years, Jeff grew weary of having to commit to adding strings where they didn't need to be. At first, his solution was to push this apparently necessary detail down in his mixes, with Time being the last example of him adopting this solution. Then, on Secret Messages, the fresh input of Bill Bottrell encouraged guitars, programmed elements or anything else Jeff felt like using from his vast musical palette, this effect working for a while.
By the time we get to Balance Of Power, string synths weren't just good enough for use on stage, but were now creeping into the studio. Sure, this was more a result of fledgling sampler technology, though it meant that ELO's swansong was able to retain some degree of familiarity. Fast forward to Zoom, and Jeff brought back actual cello parts, though not violin, lending the album a darker tone that worked perfectly for that material, if you ask me.
These days, strings are more a novelty limited by how much Jeff himself is able to play. Do I miss them, though? I'd rather he continued on pursuing whatever his heart wants, rather than catering to a portion of the wider ELO fanbase that thinks it has an understanding of what makes his craft work. Short of a few misfires, which is massively above average for someone this late into their career, I truly believe that Jeff's still capable of delivering the goods.
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Zoom
Jun 16, 2021 2:22:30 GMT
Post by StrangeMagic on Jun 16, 2021 2:22:30 GMT
While Jeff may not have a lot of charisma on stage he has a presence that I can't explain. He commands everyone's attention without appearing to try. Casual fans I met at shows were just in awe of him. It was amazing to see. That's probably because the music is so damn perfect that just hearing its composer playing and singing it live is all you need for stage presence, espicially when us diehard fans never thought Jeff would utter the words ELO again, let alone tour and release new music under the name. You don't need the front man trying to 'excite' the audience to a frenzy to enjoy the show, nor do you need some loon running round acting a twat!! However the one thing I will say is the sometimes long periods of silence between songs can be uncomfortable and you can lose the 'flow' a little. The music does the talking and he knows we see him to hear the songs not all the other stuff. Have you seen Jeff onstage recently? If you have, I guess you're immune to his magic. I know what tightrope means about commanding everyone's attention without appearing to try, whether they be long-time fanatics or casual fans who have heard a few songs on the radio.
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Zoom
Jun 16, 2021 21:26:04 GMT
Post by lawrev on Jun 16, 2021 21:26:04 GMT
I'm curious to see whether Jeff can still bring NEW goods to the table......the last two albums were not as good as Zoom and AT, and I think that still goes back to him playing 95% of the music in his home studio.
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Post by StrangeMagic on Jun 17, 2021 4:14:57 GMT
I'm curious to see whether Jeff can still bring NEW goods to the table......the last two albums were not as good as Zoom and AT, and I think that still goes back to him playing 95% of the music in his home studio. I thought both FooN and AitU were better than Zoom. It's all so subjective...
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