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Line-up:
Jeff Lynne - Synthesizer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Vocals
(bckgr)
Bev Bevan - Percussion, Drums, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Melvyn Gale - Cello
Kelly Groucutt - Bass, Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Mik Kaminski - Violin
Hugh McDowell - Cello
Richard Tandy - Synth, Guitar, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals, Clavinet
Tracklist:
1. Tightrope
2. Telephone Line
3. Rockaria
4. Mission (A World Record)
5. So Fine
6. Livin' Thing
7. Above the Clouds
8. Do Ya
9. Shangri-La
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The initials stand for Electric Light Orchestra. And by listening to their music, the name of the group takes substance as an orgy of organs, and sounds enrich the songs, creating a electrified music amalgam recognizable at once.
I don't know if this one is their best release, as it has to compete with the magnificent "Eldorado" and even their most successful (but kind of danc-y) "Discovery", but it is their first work I ever listened to and occupies a significant part of my heart (a good friend bought me the original LP some years ago as a gift). It definitely is among their best works and for sure the most representative of their style. Rock parts are followed by rock-n-roll rhythms, with stringed instruments and choirs playing a leading role, creating a unique atmosphere! Just to mention this: the forming members Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, Rick Price and Bev Bevan kept arguing that their intention was to keep up Beatles' work. A few years later, George Harrison admitted that if Beatles hadn't been disbanded, they would have followed the identical musical paths with ELO.
If you don't have any problem in listening to something "softer" then try this record, which will pay you back a million times. I'm sure that if an unsuspected listener puts this on, he/she will be haunted for years after the monumental introduction of "Tightrope" and the smart break to its funky rhythm! Speaking for myself I know that each time I listen to this album I have to play this part twice in order to enjoy it.... This haunting feeling....
by
Alex Savatianos
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