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Post by denny on Dec 8, 2022 3:35:39 GMT
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Post by Southernman on Dec 8, 2022 8:21:38 GMT
Obviously personal preference would quibble with the positioning of individual albums, but overall the compiler has more insight than most. Good list.
I use these lists quite a lot as a listening guide through the discographies of different artists. Usually once you're past the top 5 things start getting a bit patchy.
Not with Jeff though... the 9th ranked is Zoom?! What a great body of work!
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Post by tremblinwilbury on Dec 8, 2022 11:55:37 GMT
An interesting read - thank you denny
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Post by lawrev on Dec 8, 2022 19:01:06 GMT
I think the comments are pretty well in line with experience. Especially the "hermetically sealed" comment in the Long Wave review.
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Post by pointofnoreturn on Dec 9, 2022 1:15:58 GMT
I'm usually not a fan of this type of list because they don't reflect my perceptions and experiences, but this one is pretty much on the mark. I could quibble about a couple of the placements and some of the observations, but all in all I think the author actually listened to the albums.
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Post by janne on Dec 9, 2022 6:36:26 GMT
Zoom and Alone In The Universe needs to be way lower down on the list. Armchair Theatre also. And I rank "Electric Light Orchestra" and "ELO II" much higher than this reviewer does.
Off the top of my head, this would be my list:
1. Eldorado 2. Out of The Blue 3. A New World Record 4. Discovery 5. Time 6. Face The Music 7. Electric Light Orchestra 8. Secret Messages 9. ELO II 10. On The Third Day 11. Balance of Power 12. Xanadu 13. Alone In The Universe 14. Armchair Theatre 15. From Out of Nowhere 16. Zoom 17. Long Wave
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Post by pelo on Dec 10, 2022 6:32:22 GMT
First of all, it's wrong to list "Long Wave" here, because it wasn't supposed to be an ELO album. With that said, I believe it's actually pretty good, but suffers from the short length. ( They should have added all the great tracks from the promo sampler.) Apparently, Jeff, in a rush of nostalgia, wanted to try an early '60s album format.
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Post by pelo on Dec 10, 2022 7:11:30 GMT
To me, the album sounds very modern and technological, which is a good thing. Sure, there's an eighties-meet-sixties concept to some of the songs, but it doesn't feel retro to me. To take "RRiK" as an example, it's rock 'n' roll, but with a new twist: industrial rock 'n' roll.
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Post by lawrev on Dec 11, 2022 0:42:59 GMT
Years later Jeff acknowledged that he lost his way with the use of technology around the time of SM, Dave Edmunds albums, and BOP. Not using Bev fully on every track on SM and BOP was a criminal mistake (metaphorically speaking). By the mid 80s any comraderie the members of ELO had with each other was long gone. But Bev was also correct in stating that ELO as a band ended when it was decided they would no longer tour (I'm sure that was Jeff's decision, not Bev's).
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Post by pelo on Dec 11, 2022 6:04:24 GMT
Years later Jeff acknowledged that he lost his way with the use of technology around the time of SM, Dave Edmunds albums, and BOP. Not using Bev fully on every track on SM and BOP was a criminal mistake (metaphorically speaking). By the mid 80s any comraderie the members of ELO had with each other was long gone. But Bev was also correct in stating that ELO as a band ended when it was decided they would no longer tour (I'm sure that was Jeff's decision, not Bev's). That's typical Jeff Lynne. He tends to belittle past approaches in light of current work. I believe he said this during the Wilbury era when he didn't care that much about technology. George Harrison might have played a considerable role in making him change his mind, but I know for a fact that Jeff Lynne really enjoyed all his adventures of modern recording in the mid-eighties. Personally, I love "Secret Messages", so soundwise, it wasn't a mistake at all. You may be right in saying that ELO as a band had ended by that time, but again, to me, ELO is Jeff Lynne's project, and he can do with it whatever he wants to do. It started as a studio collaboration with Roy, then developed into a great band, at least live and partly in the studio, and then finally became a pure solo project. I'm okay with this. Many other artists are doing the same kind of thing ( e.g. Metronomy or Tame Impala)
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Post by lawrev on Dec 11, 2022 14:24:19 GMT
Years later Jeff acknowledged that he lost his way with the use of technology around the time of SM, Dave Edmunds albums, and BOP. Not using Bev fully on every track on SM and BOP was a criminal mistake (metaphorically speaking). By the mid 80s any comraderie the members of ELO had with each other was long gone. But Bev was also correct in stating that ELO as a band ended when it was decided they would no longer tour (I'm sure that was Jeff's decision, not Bev's). That's typical Jeff Lynne. He tends to belittle past approaches in light of current work. I believe he said this during the Wilbury era when he didn't care that much about technology. George Harrison might have played a considerable role in making him change his mind, but I know for a fact that Jeff Lynne really enjoyed all his adventures of modern recording in the mid-eighties. Personally, I love "Secret Messages", so soundwise, it wasn't a mistake at all. You may be right in saying that ELO as a band had ended by that time, but again, to me, ELO is Jeff Lynne's project, and he can do with it whatever he wants to do. It started as a studio collaboration with Roy, then developed into a great band, at least live and partly in the studio, and then finally became a pure solo project. I'm okay with this. Many other artists are doing the same kind of thing ( e.g. Metronomy or Tame Impala) Speaking of SM, does anyone know why Hello My Old Friend has never been played live? At least in a more recent Birmingham gig?
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Post by Horacewimp on Dec 11, 2022 15:05:04 GMT
That's typical Jeff Lynne. He tends to belittle past approaches in light of current work. I believe he said this during the Wilbury era when he didn't care that much about technology. George Harrison might have played a considerable role in making him change his mind, but I know for a fact that Jeff Lynne really enjoyed all his adventures of modern recording in the mid-eighties. Personally, I love "Secret Messages", so soundwise, it wasn't a mistake at all. You may be right in saying that ELO as a band had ended by that time, but again, to me, ELO is Jeff Lynne's project, and he can do with it whatever he wants to do. It started as a studio collaboration with Roy, then developed into a great band, at least live and partly in the studio, and then finally became a pure solo project. I'm okay with this. Many other artists are doing the same kind of thing ( e.g. Metronomy or Tame Impala) Speaking of SM, does anyone know why Hello My Old Friend has never been played live? At least in a more recent Birmingham gig? Probably because it is too obscure for 95% of the audience who have come to hear the hits.
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Post by Timeblue on Dec 11, 2022 16:12:36 GMT
Speaking of SM, does anyone know why Hello My Old Friend has never been played live? At least in a more recent Birmingham gig? Probably because it is too obscure for 95% of the audience who have come to hear the hits. True, songs like that will never be sung at a gig where like you say 95% want to hear MBS and ROB for the zillionth time. BUT... could you imagine the atmosphere if only Jeff had the balls to do it?
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Post by lawrev on Dec 11, 2022 17:12:41 GMT
Or at least play it at a Birmingham gig. Jeff could simply introduce this particular song to a Birmingham audience as a love letter to his hometown. Ditch one of the hits to actually challenge the audience, and himself, by playing a new song.
Or maybe Los Angeles is his hometown now?
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