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Post by spike on Feb 25, 2016 1:30:48 GMT
It was my understanding that after Roy Wood left the name of ELO belonged to both Bev and Jeff, therefore whilst they could hire and fire other musicians Jeff was stuck with Bev. There are a lot of clips on Yooootoobe of Bev doing the promo's on telly all over the world, which I think was his main role beyond being told what to play. This is obviously why Jeff had to buy half of the name from Bev.
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Post by Chippa on Feb 25, 2016 2:26:27 GMT
The Uncut interview is a print interview, therefore I'm sure they paraphrased quite a bit.
I distinctly remember Jeff being interviewed back when he was given the Birmingham Walk Of Stars honor, and he said that, while he and Bev hadn't spoken on 20 years (not 45), he wished him well and still considered him a "mate".
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Post by fourlittlediamonds on Feb 25, 2016 3:14:55 GMT
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Post by jackpunch on Feb 25, 2016 6:41:04 GMT
I think Jeff and Roy made up a long time before that. I'm sure they wrote together in the 80s or 90s.
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tl77
Full Member
Posts: 62
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Post by tl77 on Feb 25, 2016 6:45:38 GMT
I would never put Richard Tandy in the "other musicians" group in a "Jeff + other musicians" definition. I see it more like "Jeff & Richard + other musicians". Richard did an awful lot of stuff, he didn't just play keyboard parts. He even played lead guitar! Yes, but we are still talking about playing instruments here. When it comes to the creative process, all I know Richard contributed was the intro to "Strange Magic". I was thinking of arranging and sounds as well - not just playing - when I wrote "did an awful lot of stuff". I've always thought that Richard was involved with that as well - what kind of sounds to use, what the keyboards do. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've always thought that he din't only play what Jeff wanted, but participated in the arranging as well. Or what I call arranging. But maybe Richard didn't do that. In the Mike Edwards era, I understand, the string parts were written between Jeff and the players. That too sounds like a band to me. As I recall, Melvyn played the piano part in the middle section in Wild West Hero. I wonder if that was written by Jeff and he then wanted someone to play it, or if Melvyn went "I got an idea".
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Post by ash2 on Feb 25, 2016 6:54:09 GMT
You also have to remember these weren't MATES they were musicians brought together to perform a role and was paid to stay in a group in the same way that we all get along with people at work but once someone leaves then it's "Oh well , never mind". Now Jeff probably had a lot of resentment while he was creating ELO as the sole writer, producer, front man, lyrics, nearly all instruments etc Bev would play the drums and later would away to a click track....but in the eyes of ELO Bev was classed as a 50% owner of the ELO Brand (how the royalties were split...who knows) the same could be said about Kelly, Mik etc to a lesser degree, Jeff must of thought "Ten years of me making this super-group and all the pressure is on me, yet everybody else gets a cut and struts about on stage....blah blah blah" (I am guessing here ) This came to a head in the eighties when Kelly was sacked , Bev left ELO to play for someone else and Jeff was desperate to end his contract with Jet. But as I have said before that group brought out the best in Jeff, and I think everything since has been very vanilla , don't get me wrong I like Cloud nine , the Willburys first album and a couple of songs off Armchair,zoom and AIU but the selfishness or bitterness has hurt the music more, as well as the members of ELO.
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Post by nickheynes on Feb 25, 2016 12:16:28 GMT
I'd just like to say that it pleases me no end to be a member of a forum where a conversation like this can carry on without dissolving into the sort of stuff that I've seen on so many others ( along the lines of "JL is god and anyone who says otherwise deserves to be thrown into a firey pit? ") sort of thing Very refreshing.
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Post by Helmut83 on Feb 25, 2016 17:51:42 GMT
Well, I haven't read the previous messages but my 5 cents to this discussion are that Jeff Lynne is God and anyone who says otherwise deserves to be thrown into a firey pit.
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Post by nickheynes on Feb 25, 2016 17:58:38 GMT
Well, I haven't read the previous messages but my 5 cents to this discussion are that Jeff Lynne is God and anyone who says otherwise deserves to be thrown into a firey pit. I should have known you'd let the side down ! Helmut
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Post by jackpunch on Feb 25, 2016 22:44:45 GMT
Well, I haven't read the previous messages but my 5 cents to this discussion are that Jeff Lynne is God and anyone who says otherwise deserves to be thrown into a firey pit. Bollocks, you beat me to it.... well done
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Post by 88keys on Feb 25, 2016 23:36:27 GMT
He called him by his last name? Shit, I call most of my friends by their last names. I guess that must mean I hate them.
I don't know if anyone remembers, but didn't somebody on here say that Kelly Groucutt and Bev had a falling out, too?
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Post by Helmut83 on Feb 25, 2016 23:40:49 GMT
Well, I haven't read the previous messages but my 5 cents to this discussion are that Jeff Lynne is God and anyone who says otherwise deserves to be thrown into a firey pit. Bollocks, you beat me to it.... well done See, Nick? I wouldn't have been the only one anyway.
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Post by Timeblue on Feb 26, 2016 0:07:04 GMT
I'm not usually one to be so forward, but Jeff must surely know that fans - both hardcore and casual - wouldn't need to spend an eternity searching online to disprove the amount of time he claims not to have spoken with "Bevan," which I definitely see as a knock on his former colleague. Even if they didn't exchange a single word after going their separate ways in 1986, there's still the months of negotiations that had to be settled before Part II came into existence, plus it's believed they have at least spoken over the phone since Bev gave up his 50% share in ELO. I don't recall Bev ever saying anything immediately hostile about Jeff in recent years, though he's been quite vocal when it comes to stating a few regrets. First of all, he said that he preferred being in The Move, and feels they should have made greater efforts to crack America before focusing all of their collective energy into ELO, as this meant losing a lot of the momentum they'd worked hard to build up. The one thing that has changed is Bev's gone back on his vow to never play another ELO song again, though I believe that was a comment made around the time he'd just left Part II under circumstances that saw pretty much everyone in that group fall out with him (apart from Phil Bates, as they later reunited on stage). Despite the noble and completely unexpected gesture of Bev congratulating Jeff on Alone In The Universe, the fact remains that ELO remains whoever its sole leader chooses to include, and for now that appears to be almost entirely Mr. Blue Sky himself in the studio, with Richard Tandy on stage plus a revolving door of session musicians who are undeniably talented yet never permanent fixtures. Although he was invited to make a credited appearance on the Time Tour and subsequent Secret Messages sessions, even returning for the handful of shows in 1986, it seems as if Jeff was reluctant to announce Dave Morgan as a permanent member of ELO. On the other hand, he went on to produce a song for Dave and then had him participate in the choir for several Armchair Theatre tracks, so it's not as if there was a snubbing taking place due to Jeff already having one eye beyond ELO. My guess is that Jeff's simply afraid to make such major commitments because of what happened with Kelly, whose death he didn't openly acknowledge. Like it or not, Jeff owes his old colleagues nothing, yet it's equally noble that he continues to call on Richard, both as a nod to his own past and to give fans another familiar face up there with him. As for the subject of Bev as a musician, let's not forget that The Move came to exist because of Ace Kefford and Trevor Burton poaching who they felt were the best talents from some of the biggest groups around the Brum Beat scene. They clearly saw potential in Bev, and I doubt he was offered equal partnership in ELO as a result of there being no other drummers available. Sure, he later called Looking On ponderous, notoriously refused to be involved with recording The Battle Of Marston Moor then enraged Roy Wood by reforming The Move in his absence by using the argument he too was recruited and therefore didn't need asking for permission, but why did Black Sabbath turn to him in their own hour of need? There are few examples of Bev's true capabilities on the later ELO material especially, but to dismiss him outright is unfair. In a live capacity, he's always been a powerhouse, and for a while he even had to adjust his stick grip due to a serious wrist injury without compromising his speed or thunderous sound. Beyond his role behind the drums, Bev was just as much a public figure in ELO as Kelly, and I certainly won't deny him for helping to allow countless fans a chance at experiencing Jeff's work long after its creator had decided to focus on mostly producing other artists. No, I'm not usually one to be so forward, but in my opinion, Bev's place in history is sealed! This .....
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Post by Helmut83 on Feb 26, 2016 0:15:00 GMT
Timeblue : it's not just a matter of learning how to think outside the box... also how to write outside the box.
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Post by Timeblue on Feb 26, 2016 0:18:41 GMT
yeah yeah I know.....
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