Electric Light Orchestra

So here it is: an ELO thread. And I have something to talk about; it's not just another "can we talk about ___" thread.

Let's discuss Time, and most specifically, the story told in this 1881 concept album. I found a forum/blog yesterday where ELO fans were speculating on that subject (along with other things). Apparently, the songs could be listened to in different order, and that would change the story. And if you add at least one of the 3 songs that did not make it into the album for length reasons, it makes the story better/different.

And of course, the main question here is: was there a solid concept behind the album, or it is merely a collection of songs inspired by different ideas Jeff had at the time?

Discovered this recentlyish through Youtube, and I love the music. But I can't see the lyrics as forming a full narrative.

Scientist in 2095 decides to go back to 1980 because the future is... drab? And he brings someone to the future, who then...

You can read different endings into certain lines, even rearranging the songs, but that's tea leaves at that stage. The lyrics are very consistent in theme, but they don't make a story.

But that isn't my biggest problem with the album's direction. That would be that the songs are very touching and expressive, but the theme falls apart when I give it any thought because it never explains why this future is so oppressive. It hints at emotional disconnect and maybe dependency on technology but it never sets it out. Yours Truly seems to be about the unfulfilment of a digital replacement lover, an empty doll who does whatever you want... but then "she" is described as behaving like an extreme tsundere, it makes no sense.

(Whereas Pushin' the Speed of Light draws pathos by posing a scenario based on real science and its effects.)

My favourite track is Here is the News, which actually suggests some future problems in a comedic vein. The rest of the album might have worked better were it less serious.

That said, I love the electronic composition and at least they tried to do something unique.

Hmmm... I don't think Jeff ever intended to write a detailed story, more like a vague experience (I hate using the word experience) However, that experience is not an instrumental; it has words. Certain songs follow each other in logical sequence (song A is about sending a message while song B is about already having sent that message a day before). The fact is, a man was transported into the future by a mysterious figure that made the offer, and the man agrees. After being trapped in the future, he realizes the latest technology will not make him happy and his girlfriend means a lot to him (very big deal). After going through depression (of sorts) and learning about the future he is then offered to go back with all the knowledge and wisdom he gathered. So he does. The question here is whether all the songs from the sessions belong in an intended sequence (songs are almost always cut for time reasons since vinyl can only hold so much). And whether or not the final track order is correct (labels often have the final say on which songs go where). Fun fact is, When Time Stood Still was intended to be included on Time, if you read the notes on one of the early singles. It's all a mystery.

I just wonder if there was any word from the creator himself regarding the perfect track order.

About the band itself. I was introduced to it by my uncle, who compared it to Pink Floyd: "PF made intellectual music for intellectuals while ELO were all about making 'feel good music' for 'feel good people'." So, listening to a "best of" CD, I grew to like "Can't Get It Out of My Head", "Stranger", and other songs. I am currently a follower of all past ELO members, including Jeff, Roy Wood, ELO Part II, OrKestra, Parthenon Huxley, and Kelly Groucutt (who is not with us anymore).

edited 27th Nov '14 8:48:26 PM by KlarkKentThe3rd

Can we talk about that "best of" album that was put out a year or two ago which was actually just Jeff Lynne rerecording all of their hits using synthesizers? That was awful. I mean, the recordings are technically sound, but there was no point to it beyond Jeff Lynne being a greedy bastard. And, really, they're just infinitely worse performances than the originals, sounding even cheaper due to the synthesized parts replacing the strings and the drums for some reason being overly compressed (even more than any of Jeff Lynne's prior production work! and I'm pretty sure some of the drum parts are synthesized too), Jeff's voice not nearly being what it used to be, the mixes being just plain off... I mean, just compare that album's opening track, "Mr. Blue Sky" with the original version (skip to like 25 seconds in) from Out of the Blue. It sounds like a cheap cover from one of those unsavory studios that try to capitalize on people not reading closely on iTunes. It just sounds empty. Even the guitar solo is worse. That song has such a simple guitar solo, one that even I could probably play! How do you screw that up?

I'll never understand what possessed Jeff to totally give up on the whole "Orchestra" part of "Electric Light Orchestra"—that's the thing that made them stand out the most, and though they still made good music after he gave the string section the boot, it just wasn't quite the same.

Just another perfectionist who discovered sequencing. I care not for the re-recordings, but for the his upcoming new album.

And Time. Time is awesome.

I have kind of a fondness for that first album (a.k.a.: No Answer) due to my soft spot for Roy Wood. Sure, he’s a terrible cellist, but there’s just something about his voice and songs (“Whisper in the Night” is very affecting). And there’s just something so exuberant about the way he saws away at that cheap Chinese cello on “10538 Overture.” It’s a big time case of Early-Installment Weirdness (see also: the proggy meanderings on ELO 2) but it’s not without its charms.

I always thought that all ELO albums are perfect, save for Balance of Power, which is a Jeff Lynne solo album, regardless of what anyone says. I am simply unable to comprehend how someone, anyone, could dislike No Answer. Also... how is Wood a terrible cellist if he does not get the notes wrong?

Speaking of Wood, he should be ashamed of not releasing new material since 1990.

Agreed. Roy still tours heavily, apparently. Last I checked, he was going around with an all-female horn section. I hope they did at least one song off of Super Active Wizzo. I love that album!

It's weird, I got that box set they released a couple years ago with all their albums, yet I still haven't listened to all of them. Heard everything up to the Xanadu soundtrack (which, weirdly, isn't included in that box—I just happened to already own the album), haven't gotten around to listening to the ones after that yet. I might have listened to Zoom (which also isn't included in that box for some reason) as well a while ago, but I don't remember most of it.

A New World Record, for the record, is probably one of my favorite albums of all time.

Still listening to Time... at least a few tracks per day. I now believe that in order to put the tracks in correct order you just have to listen to them for 100 times and learn the words by heart. And apparently The Bouncer does not really fit, hence the reason for its replacement. When Time Stool Still also might not fit... while Julie fits perfectly before Another Heart Breaks.

I believe I found a treasure!

It's funny how Jeff wanted to write an album about a man transported 100 years into the future, but, even as he was writing it, he had no idea if it was real or a dream. He didn't even know what most of it meant at the time. Which is understandable, since artists rarely do.

I guess that means I can create any interpretation I want! I personally place Jullie as track 6. Jeff said it was probably about her trapped in another dimension. In my superior interpretation, the man found Jullie's old home in the future, and the realization of her not living there finally hits him full force.