"Well finally" I can hear you saying, if you've bothered to stick around. After all, why keep following a blog whose author can't start reviewing an artist without taking over two months to do it? My witty humor and erudite ways, I suppose.
Excuses or reasons? Well, I burned out on listening to ELO music would be one. Not sure which. It just isn't collectively that good. I thoroughly enjoy the occasional ELO song and forty minutes with the Greatest Hits album is doable, but thirteen albums turns out to be over my limit. At least for ELO. Anyway, I promised three more albums and I will deliver three more albums.
Secret Messages
Meh. Except for Rock and Roll is King, which is a good song but on All Over the World.
Balance of Power
OK, so this actually has a couple pretty good songs. Getting to the Point and Calling America are definitely worth a listen. Endless Lies is OK but that could be personal history, and then the album ends with Send It which isn't bad at all, if a little too electronic. I'd say this one is worth keeping in the rotation.
Zoom
So I was about to say some nice things about this album, including how much I liked the song Shangri La, and then I looked up the lyrics, only to find that it came off the album A New World Record. Doing a little digging and somehow when I imported NWR into iTunes one of the songs (Shangri La) got listed on another album and one song (Above the Clouds) is missing altogether. Weird.
So, Zoom is a pleasant album with nothing that really stands out and further proof that Jeff Lynne probably should have stuck with his decision after 1986's Balance of Power.
My takeaway from listening to thirteen ELO albums multiple times each, they weren't great but they were more than pretty good, less than very good. There aren't many albums that are flat out un-listenable (Xanada, if you consider it an album). On the other hand if you can crank out as many quality songs as Jeff Lynne did over two decades, I guess that puts you in the top ranks. I could probably put together a triple length greatest hits that I could listen to regularly but other than A New World Record and my personally constructed GH, I'll probably stick to All Over the World when I need a Jeff Lynne fix.
Showing posts with label electric light orchestra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electric light orchestra. Show all posts
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Electric Light Orchestra Comprehensive Discography Review Part 2
Tactical error. I made it through Xanada and Time then took a break. I'll give you some quick thoughts then explain.
Xanadu. Uhh. I didn't listen to the Olivia Newton John side. I could have skipped the ELO side also, except for the title track. I'll add it to my personal playlist and delete the rest.
Time Nothing special. Very electronic. The song Yours Truly reminded me of Buggles Living in the Plastic Age which came out the previous year. Must have been the sound that year. The Way Life's Meant to Be, Rain Is Falling, and The Lights Go Down are decent. Hold on Tight was the hit from this album. I suppose four decent songs off an album that in my head was pretty bad is pretty OK. So I'll rank this one above Xanadu and keep the four songs. On a quick re-listen I might delete The Lights Go Down.
So what was this big tactical error. I took a break from ELO before I put on Secret Messages. I needed a break after the last two albums and I felt like listening to a podcast. On went Political Beats with two more episodes.
1) The Beatles Part 1 with Charles CW Cooke
2) The Beatles Part 2 with Charles CW Cooke
I grew up with the Beatles as background. They had broken up by the time I was listening to music and my parents weren't into that kind of music anyway. My dad was opera, my mum was silence. Their music was, however, everywhere. I know dozens of Beatles songs, there was Breakfast with the Beatles for three hours every weekend, there was Beatlemania when I was in high school. Because it was background, however, it just drifted further into the background as time went on. Until two weeks ago. I listened to almost seven hours of Beatles podcast, interspersed with songs and albums. Songs when they were mentioned and I wanted to hear the whole song, not the clip, and albums when they finished talking about an album. I downloaded the whole discography.
What I discovered was that the Beatles were, and remain, the best band in history. I had forgotten so much. Songs I never remember even hearing the names of are now vying for places in my own personal top ten. My favorite Beatles album is now either With the Beatles, Revolver, Hard Days Night, or Abbey Road. Then there's Magical Mystery Tour which, although it hardly qualifies as an album, has all sorts of good songs including Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. When you know the backstory these two songs become even more incredible.
Favorite Beatles song? I'd wear out the keyboard on my laptop listing the possibilities. I wouldn't mind choosing You Never Give Me Your Money through The End, an eight song masterpiece on the back side of Abbey Road. The first side is almost as good. Things We Said Today, A Hard Day's Night, I Saw Her Standing There, In My Life, Girl, A Day in the Life, Tomorrow Never Knows, It Won't Be Long. How do you choose? My favorite Beatles song is album length and possibly a double.
Fun facts, the weird noises on Tomorrow Never Knows is a recording of Paul laughing, sped up.
Best songs I had no recollection of: And Your Bird Can Sing, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, Devil in Heart, I'm Only Sleeping.
I have listened to every album at least five times in the past two weeks except The White Album (which I had on my ipod and had listened to occasionally over the past few years. Good songs but just didn't do anything for me as an album. Found out from the podcast that this album was recorded much more sloppily and with less discipline than the rest of the Beatles discography), Help, which I listened to once and am going to get back to soon, and Let It Be, which didn't do much for me the one time I listened. Again, recorded more loosely in the Get Back sessions and released after they had already broken up.
I also haven't listened to the Past Masters which has all their singles plus more (singles in Britain weren't put onto albums generally on the theory that "if you had already bought the 45, why would you want another copy?"). I'm looking forward to spending some time with them although the fact that they weren't put together as an album but are rather a collection of songs might reduce the experience.
So then, of course, having downloaded everything in order to listen, I had to make it right. Found The Beatles: Complete Studio Recordings, Remastered on ebay and they arrived the other day. I also found a decent price on a set of the original mono masters. Stereo music in the early sixties was recorded in mono and then dual tracked (or something, I'm not a recording engineer). Apparently the original mono is much better. I guess we'll find out.
So, there you go. Bonus discography review included for the price. I think, at this point, I'll hit "post" and finish ELO in Part 3. I listened to Secret Messages today but still have Zoom and Balance of Power to go. I'd hate to only give you three albums in a post but I'll leave you with this little tip. Don't rush out and buy a copy of Secret Messages until you have a chance to come back and check out Part 3. You may not want it in your collection.
Xanadu. Uhh. I didn't listen to the Olivia Newton John side. I could have skipped the ELO side also, except for the title track. I'll add it to my personal playlist and delete the rest.
Time Nothing special. Very electronic. The song Yours Truly reminded me of Buggles Living in the Plastic Age which came out the previous year. Must have been the sound that year. The Way Life's Meant to Be, Rain Is Falling, and The Lights Go Down are decent. Hold on Tight was the hit from this album. I suppose four decent songs off an album that in my head was pretty bad is pretty OK. So I'll rank this one above Xanadu and keep the four songs. On a quick re-listen I might delete The Lights Go Down.
So what was this big tactical error. I took a break from ELO before I put on Secret Messages. I needed a break after the last two albums and I felt like listening to a podcast. On went Political Beats with two more episodes.
1) The Beatles Part 1 with Charles CW Cooke
2) The Beatles Part 2 with Charles CW Cooke
I grew up with the Beatles as background. They had broken up by the time I was listening to music and my parents weren't into that kind of music anyway. My dad was opera, my mum was silence. Their music was, however, everywhere. I know dozens of Beatles songs, there was Breakfast with the Beatles for three hours every weekend, there was Beatlemania when I was in high school. Because it was background, however, it just drifted further into the background as time went on. Until two weeks ago. I listened to almost seven hours of Beatles podcast, interspersed with songs and albums. Songs when they were mentioned and I wanted to hear the whole song, not the clip, and albums when they finished talking about an album. I downloaded the whole discography.
What I discovered was that the Beatles were, and remain, the best band in history. I had forgotten so much. Songs I never remember even hearing the names of are now vying for places in my own personal top ten. My favorite Beatles album is now either With the Beatles, Revolver, Hard Days Night, or Abbey Road. Then there's Magical Mystery Tour which, although it hardly qualifies as an album, has all sorts of good songs including Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. When you know the backstory these two songs become even more incredible.
Favorite Beatles song? I'd wear out the keyboard on my laptop listing the possibilities. I wouldn't mind choosing You Never Give Me Your Money through The End, an eight song masterpiece on the back side of Abbey Road. The first side is almost as good. Things We Said Today, A Hard Day's Night, I Saw Her Standing There, In My Life, Girl, A Day in the Life, Tomorrow Never Knows, It Won't Be Long. How do you choose? My favorite Beatles song is album length and possibly a double.
Fun facts, the weird noises on Tomorrow Never Knows is a recording of Paul laughing, sped up.
Best songs I had no recollection of: And Your Bird Can Sing, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, Devil in Heart, I'm Only Sleeping.
I have listened to every album at least five times in the past two weeks except The White Album (which I had on my ipod and had listened to occasionally over the past few years. Good songs but just didn't do anything for me as an album. Found out from the podcast that this album was recorded much more sloppily and with less discipline than the rest of the Beatles discography), Help, which I listened to once and am going to get back to soon, and Let It Be, which didn't do much for me the one time I listened. Again, recorded more loosely in the Get Back sessions and released after they had already broken up.
I also haven't listened to the Past Masters which has all their singles plus more (singles in Britain weren't put onto albums generally on the theory that "if you had already bought the 45, why would you want another copy?"). I'm looking forward to spending some time with them although the fact that they weren't put together as an album but are rather a collection of songs might reduce the experience.
So then, of course, having downloaded everything in order to listen, I had to make it right. Found The Beatles: Complete Studio Recordings, Remastered on ebay and they arrived the other day. I also found a decent price on a set of the original mono masters. Stereo music in the early sixties was recorded in mono and then dual tracked (or something, I'm not a recording engineer). Apparently the original mono is much better. I guess we'll find out.
So, there you go. Bonus discography review included for the price. I think, at this point, I'll hit "post" and finish ELO in Part 3. I listened to Secret Messages today but still have Zoom and Balance of Power to go. I'd hate to only give you three albums in a post but I'll leave you with this little tip. Don't rush out and buy a copy of Secret Messages until you have a chance to come back and check out Part 3. You may not want it in your collection.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Electric Light Orchestra Comprehensive Discography Review Part I
Just found a really interesting podcast called Political Beats. Political pundits talk, in depth, about their favorite bands. When I say "in depth" I mean that the ELO podcast was three hours long. They went through the ELO catalog album by album, track by track, talking about the strengths, the weaknesses, and the history. The Beatles podcast, which I haven't listened to yet, took two three-hour podcasts.
Before you read any further, however, be warned. Having listened to a three hour podcast on ELO, I found myself compelled to go back and listen to the whole discography, in order, to see what I might have been missing. So here's my thoughts, after a couple bits of interesting trivia:
No Answer:
ELO songs you've probably never heard of but should: 10538 Overture. The first song on the first album, definitely takes you where ELO will go in the future.
Lots of Beatlesque sounds. Norwegian Wood, This Bird Has Flown (perhaps although I'm rusty on my Beatles so I may have the songs wrong, but definitely not the sounds. Look at me Now and Mr Radio if you want to hear those sounds.
Lots of weirdness. Avoid Battle of Marston Moore and Manhattan Rumble unless you like prog rock weird.
Conclusion: Listen to the first song and add it to your music playlist.
Electric Light Orchestra II:
Only five songs.
Hits: Roll Over Beethoven. Yes it's a Chuck Berry song but man are they having fun playing it. Add to playlist.
Not much else of note. From the Sun to the World has a bit of everything during it's 7:16 playtime but I wouldn't say you'd be missing too much if you didn't listen. Except that Beethoven.
On the Third Day:
Hits: Showdown and Ma-Ma-Ma Belle. Two really good ones, especially Showdown.
ELO songs you've probably never heard of but should: Oh No Not Susan. Excellent. Get's in your head. They also have a 6:33 version of Grieg In The Hall of the Mountain King. I guess it was de rigeur back then but this may be the worst I've ever heard.
Eldorado:
This is ELO. What you expect when you hear the name.
Hits: Can't Get it Out of My Head, which I like a lot
Overall: I'm not impressed. Boy Blue, anti war song right about the time that the Vietnam war was ending anyway, Laredo Tornado, there just isn't anything else on this album that stands out. So still waiting for my favorite ELO album to show up. I'll let you know when I find it. I do, however, have six songs that I can put into my music rotation so far.
Face the Music:
Fire on High, fun instrumental, although I'm not a big fan of instrumental oddly. I listen to classic, etc, love Grieg and Dvorak, but rock instrumental comes on and I tend to tune out a bit. Perhaps I'm listening for a different reason and the vocals fills that need.
Apparently waterfalls are illusions or something.
Hits: Evil Woman, not my favorite ELO hit; Strange Magic, ranks right up there.
All in all, decent album, nothing annoying but nothing that says "listen to me again" right now.
A New World Record: Here it is. My favorite ELO album. Haven't listened to all the rest yet but wow. Just no breaks from good music. The low point is Mission (A World Record) but it isn't terrible, I just couldn't figure out the point. Meanwhile:
Hits: Telephone Line, one of Lynne's best ever; Rockaria, right up there in the top ten (pronounced Rock Aria, by the way, not rokaria, like a rock and roll and opera mixed); So Fine, another decent piece; Livin' Thing, another top ten, (how about that incredible intro, go listen to it right now); Do Ya
Out of the Blue: Was going to post what I had through A New World Record, and was on my way up to do so, but got distracted by some woodwork that has had stripper on it for the last couple hours while I made dinner. Needed to be scraped and scoured. So I listened to Out of the Blue. At first I thought I might have jumped the gun with "my favorite album" A New World Record. Out of the Blue starts with Turn to Stone. One of the greats, followed by It's Over and Sweet Talkin' Woman. Then it gets a little iffy with Across the Border which frankly is mediocre, a series of OK songs before Mr. Blue Sky. Just OK, and ends with three just OK songs. Just not as overall outstanding as A New World Record.
ELO songs you've probably never heard of but should: Sweet is the Night
Watch this space for Part II.
Before you read any further, however, be warned. Having listened to a three hour podcast on ELO, I found myself compelled to go back and listen to the whole discography, in order, to see what I might have been missing. So here's my thoughts, after a couple bits of interesting trivia:
- The name has nothing to do with lights. A normal orchestra (symphony or philharmonic) can have 70 to 100 musicians according to Wikipedia. A chamber orchestra typically has only fifty or fewer. Light orchestra is apparently a British term for a much smaller version of the full orchestra.
- ELO started as a prog rock project by Roy Woods and Jeff Lynne, members of The Move. It was supposed to be a side project but then Woods left and Lynne kept going.
No Answer:
ELO songs you've probably never heard of but should: 10538 Overture. The first song on the first album, definitely takes you where ELO will go in the future.
Lots of Beatlesque sounds. Norwegian Wood, This Bird Has Flown (perhaps although I'm rusty on my Beatles so I may have the songs wrong, but definitely not the sounds. Look at me Now and Mr Radio if you want to hear those sounds.
Lots of weirdness. Avoid Battle of Marston Moore and Manhattan Rumble unless you like prog rock weird.
Conclusion: Listen to the first song and add it to your music playlist.
Electric Light Orchestra II:
Only five songs.
Hits: Roll Over Beethoven. Yes it's a Chuck Berry song but man are they having fun playing it. Add to playlist.
Not much else of note. From the Sun to the World has a bit of everything during it's 7:16 playtime but I wouldn't say you'd be missing too much if you didn't listen. Except that Beethoven.
On the Third Day:
Hits: Showdown and Ma-Ma-Ma Belle. Two really good ones, especially Showdown.
ELO songs you've probably never heard of but should: Oh No Not Susan. Excellent. Get's in your head. They also have a 6:33 version of Grieg In The Hall of the Mountain King. I guess it was de rigeur back then but this may be the worst I've ever heard.
Eldorado:
This is ELO. What you expect when you hear the name.
Hits: Can't Get it Out of My Head, which I like a lot
Overall: I'm not impressed. Boy Blue, anti war song right about the time that the Vietnam war was ending anyway, Laredo Tornado, there just isn't anything else on this album that stands out. So still waiting for my favorite ELO album to show up. I'll let you know when I find it. I do, however, have six songs that I can put into my music rotation so far.
Face the Music:
Fire on High, fun instrumental, although I'm not a big fan of instrumental oddly. I listen to classic, etc, love Grieg and Dvorak, but rock instrumental comes on and I tend to tune out a bit. Perhaps I'm listening for a different reason and the vocals fills that need.
Apparently waterfalls are illusions or something.
Hits: Evil Woman, not my favorite ELO hit; Strange Magic, ranks right up there.
All in all, decent album, nothing annoying but nothing that says "listen to me again" right now.
A New World Record: Here it is. My favorite ELO album. Haven't listened to all the rest yet but wow. Just no breaks from good music. The low point is Mission (A World Record) but it isn't terrible, I just couldn't figure out the point. Meanwhile:
Hits: Telephone Line, one of Lynne's best ever; Rockaria, right up there in the top ten (pronounced Rock Aria, by the way, not rokaria, like a rock and roll and opera mixed); So Fine, another decent piece; Livin' Thing, another top ten, (how about that incredible intro, go listen to it right now); Do Ya
Out of the Blue: Was going to post what I had through A New World Record, and was on my way up to do so, but got distracted by some woodwork that has had stripper on it for the last couple hours while I made dinner. Needed to be scraped and scoured. So I listened to Out of the Blue. At first I thought I might have jumped the gun with "my favorite album" A New World Record. Out of the Blue starts with Turn to Stone. One of the greats, followed by It's Over and Sweet Talkin' Woman. Then it gets a little iffy with Across the Border which frankly is mediocre, a series of OK songs before Mr. Blue Sky. Just OK, and ends with three just OK songs. Just not as overall outstanding as A New World Record.
ELO songs you've probably never heard of but should: Sweet is the Night
Watch this space for Part II.
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