Out of the Blue (Remastered) Electric Light Orchestra

• 1 Turn to Stone 03:48
• 2 It's Over 04:08
• 3 Sweet Talkin' Woman 03:47
• 4 Across the Border 03:54
• 5 Night in the City 04:04
• 6 Starlight 04:38
• 7 Jungle 03:51
• 8 Believe Me Now 01:21
• 9 Steppin' Out 04:38
• 10 Standin' in the Rain 04:21
• 11 Big Wheels 05:08
• 12 Summer and Lightning 04:13
• 13 Mr. Blue Sky 05:05
• 14 Sweet Is the Night 03:28
• 15 The Whale 05:05
• 16 Birmingham Blues 04:23
• 17 Wild West Hero 04:40
• Total Runtime 01:10:32

Info for Out of the Blue (Remastered)

Pop magicians Electric Light Orchestra, headed up by Jeff Lynne, were one of the most successful British bands of the 1970s. Blending rock melody with classical overtones, they created a unique sound and gained recognition as masters of the four-minute pop format. Out of the Blue was first released in 1977 and this re-mastered version features extra tracks, alongside the classics from the original such as “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” and of course “Mr Blue Sky”.

„The last ELO album to make a major impact on popular music, Out of the Blue was of a piece with its lavishly produced predecessor, A New World Record, but it's a much more mixed bag as an album. For starters, it was a double LP, a format that has proved daunting to all but a handful of rock artists, and was no less so here. The songs were flowing fast and freely from Jeff Lynne at the time, however, and well more than half of what is here is very solid, at least as songs if not necessarily as recordings. 'Sweet Talkin' Woman' and 'Turn to Stone' are among the best songs in the group's output, and much of the rest is very entertaining. The heavy sound of the orchestra, however, as well as the layer upon layer of vocal overdubs, often seem out of place. All in all, the group was trying too hard to generate a substantial-sounding double LP, complete with a suite, 'Concerto for a Rainy Day.' The latter is the nadir of the album, an effort at conceptual rock that seemed archaic even in 1977. Another chunk is filled up with what might best be called art rock mood music ('The Whale'), before you finally get to the relief of a basic rocker like 'Birmingham Blues.' Even here, the group couldn't leave well enough alone -- rather than ending it on that note, they had to finish the album with 'Wild West Hero,' a piece of ersatz movie music that adds nothing to what you've heard over the previous 65 minutes. In its defense, Out of the Blue was massively popular and did become the centerpiece of a huge worldwide tour that earned the group status as a major live attraction for a time.“ (Bruce Eder, AMG)

Jeff Lynne, vocals, backing vocals, guitars, electric piano, synthesizers
Bev Bevan, drums, gong, percussion, backing vocals
Richard Tandy, piano, electric piano, synthesizers, clavinet, sequencers, guitar
Kelly Groucutt, co-lead vocals on 'Sweet is the Night', backing vocals, bass, percussion
Mik Kaminski, violin
Hugh McDowell, cello
Melvyn Gale, cello

Recorded May – August 1977 at Musicland Studios, Munich
Engineered by Mack
Produced by Jeff Lynne

The Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra's ambitious yet irresistible fusion of Beatlesque pop, classical arrangements, and futuristic iconography rocketed the group to massive commercial success throughout the 1970s. ELO was formed in Birmingham, England in the autumn of 1970 from the ashes of the eccentric art-pop combo the Move, reuniting frontman Roy Wood with guitarist/composer Jeff Lynne, bassist Rick Price, and drummer Bev Bevan. Announcing their intentions to 'pick up where 'I Am the Walrus' left off,' the quartet sought to embellish their engagingly melodic rock with classical flourishes, tapping French horn player Bill Hunt and violinist Steve Woolam to record their self-titled debut LP (issued as No Answer in the U.S.). In the months between the sessions for the album and its eventual release, the Move embarked on their farewell tour, with Woolam exiting the ELO lineup prior to the enlistment of violinist Wilf Gibson, bassist Richard Tandy, and cellists Andy Craig and Hugh McDowell; despite the lengthy delay, Electric Light Orchestra sold strongly, buoyed by the success of the U.K. Top Ten hit '10538 Overture.'

However, Wood soon left ELO to form Wizzard, taking Hunt and McDowell with him; Price and Craig were soon out as well, and with the additions of bassist Michael D'Albuquerque, keyboardist Richard Tandy, and cellists Mike Edwards and Colin Walker, Lynne assumed vocal duties, with his Lennonesque tenor proving the ideal complement to his increasingly sophisticated melodies. With 1973's ELO II, the group returned to the Top Ten with their grandiose cover of the Chuck Berry chestnut 'Roll Over Beethoven'; the record was also their first American hit, with 1974's Eldorado yielding their first U.S. Top Ten, the lovely 'Can't Get It Out of My Head.' Despite Electric Light Orchestra's commercial success, the band remained relatively faceless; the lineup changed constantly, with sole mainstays Lynne and Bevan preferring to let their elaborate stage shows and omnipresent spaceship imagery instead serve as the group's public persona. 1975's Face the Music went gold, generating the hits 'Evil Woman' and 'Strange Magic,' while the follow-up, A New World Record, sold five million copies internationally thanks to standouts like 'Telephone Line' and 'Livin' Thing.'

The platinum-selling double-LP, Out of the Blue, appeared in 1977, although the record's success was tempered somewhat by a lawsuit filed by Electric Light Orchestra against their former distributor, United Artists, whom the band charged flooded the market with defective copies of the album. Columbia distributed the remainder of the group's output, issued through their own Jet Records imprint, beginning with 1979's Discovery, which notched the Top Ten entries 'Shine a Little Love' and 'Don't Bring Me Down.' In the wake of ELO's best-selling Greatest Hits compilation, Lynne wrote several songs for the soundtrack of the Olivia Newton-John film Xanadu, including the hit title track. The next proper Electric Light Orchestra album, 1981's Time, generated their final Top Ten hit, 'Hold on Tight.' Following 1983's Secret Messages, Bevan left the group to join Black Sabbath, although he returned to the fold for 1986's Balance of Power, which despite the presence of the Top 20 hit 'Calling America' received little interest from fans and media alike.

However, as Electric Light Orchestra's career descended, Lynne emerged as a sought-after producer, helming well-received comebacks from George Harrison (1987's Cloud Nine) and Roy Orbison (1989's Mystery Girl) and additionally re-teaming with both rock legends as well as Bob Dylan and Tom Petty in the hit supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. Lynne made his solo debut in 1990 with Armchair Theatre but otherwise spent the decade out of the limelight, instead producing material for Joe Cocker, Tom Jones, and Paul McCartney in addition to working on the Beatles' Anthology project. In 1988, meanwhile, Bevan formed Electric Light Orchestra Part II with vocalist Neil Lockwood, keyboardist Eric Troyer, and bassist Pete Haycock; although Lynne filed suit against the group (hence the 'Part II' tag), a self-titled LP followed in 1991, with a live collection recorded with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra appearing a year later. Outside of 1994's Moment of Truth, subsequent ELO II releases have been live efforts as well. (Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide)

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