Music / Out of the Blue

"Sun is shining in the sky, there ain't a cloud in sight!"

Morning! Today's forecast calls for blue skies!

Out of the Blue is the seventh studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra, released on October 28, 1977 through Jet Records. It was released as a double-album, with side three being designated as the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" based upon the weather experienced while recording in Munich. The album is the most commercially successful of the band's output, with "Turn to Stone", "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Mr. Blue Sky" as the biggest singles within. "Mr. Blue Sky" remains a fan favorite to this day, its current profile partially boosted via an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

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Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Turn to Stone" (3:49)
2. "It's Over" (4:08)
3. "Sweet Talking Woman" (3:49)
4. "Across the Border" (3:53)

Side Two

1. "Night in the City" (4:03)
2. "Starlight" (4:31)
3. "Jungle" (3:53)
4. "Believe Me Now" (1:21)
5. "Steppin' Out" (4:40)

Side Three ("Concerto for a Rainy Day")

1. "Standin' in the Rain" (3:59)
2. "Big Wheels" (5:32)
3. "Summer and Lightning" (4:14)
4. "Mr. Blue Sky" (5:03)

Side Four

1. "Sweet Is the Night" (3:27)
2. "The Whale" (5:07)
3. "Birmingham Blues" (4:23)
4. "Wild West Hero" (4:45)

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Principal Members:

• Bev Bevan: drums, percussion
• Melvyn Gale: cello, jangle piano ("Wild West Hero")
• Kelly Groucutt: vocals, bass, percussion
• Mik Kaminski: violin
• Jeff Lynne: vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, production
• Hugh McDowell: cello
• Richard Tandy: keyboards, guitars, backing vocals

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Slow down, Sweet Tropin' Woman! You got me runnin', you got me searchin':

• Alternate Music Video: The original music video for "Mr. Blue Sky" was a Dress Rehearsal Video, as was standard for the band prior to their dissolution in 1986. At the start of 2019, the song received a second video that loosely adapts the lyrics via incredibly surreal and kaleidoscopic animation.
• Animated Music Video: The 2019 music video for "Mr. Blue Sky" combines rotoscoping, 2D puppeteering, and hand-drawn animation.
• Big Rock Ending: "Mr. Blue Sky" has an electric guitar-heavy section after the Fake-Out Fade-Out.
• Concept Album: Although the album itself isn't a concept album, Side Three is "Concerto for a Rainy Day", which involves how the mood gets affected by weather conditions, particularly the rain.
• Everything Is an Instrument: According to the credits for "Mr. Blue Sky", the metallic percussion in the song was produced with a fire extinguisher.
• Fade In: "Turn to Stone" starts by fading into the middle of a synth solo.
• Fake-Out Fade-Out: "Mr. Blue Sky" appears to end once the choral section peters out, only to launch into a coda a moment later, consisting of guitar, strings, and choir, with the song finally ending with a vocoded voice singing "please turn me over."
• Instrumentals: "The Whale" contains no lyrics, unlike most songs on the album.
• Motor Mouth: The bridge to "Turn to Stone" features lyrics sung in very rapid succession.
  Yes I'm turning to stone
  'Cause you ain't coming home
  Why you ain't coming home
  If I'm turning to stone
  You've been gone for so long
  And I can't carry on
  Yes I'm turning I'm turning I'm turning to stone
• Something Blues: "Birmingham Blues"
• Surreal Music Video: The 2019 Animated Music Video for "Mr. Blue Sky" consists predominantly of abstract, brightly colored imagery that only loosely follows the song's lyrics.
• Taken for Granite: "Turn to Stone" metaphorically uses the singer turning to stone to indicate how he feels when his loved one has left him.
• Train Song: "Across the Border" involves trying to catch the train to the border.
• Weather Report Opening: "Mr. Blue Sky" begins with a literal weather report, delivered with the crackle and reverb of a radio broadcaster predicting a clear day ahead. The track then launches into first verse of the song, with Jeff Lynne breathlessly describing a beautiful day with cloudless skies and abundant sunshine:
  Intro: "Morning! Today's forecast calls for blue skies."
  Verse 1: The sun is shining in the sky
  There ain't a cloud in sight
  It's stopped raining, everybody's in the play
  And don't you know, it's a beautiful new day, hey

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Please turn me over!