Wednesday, October 7, 2009

E: Electric Light Orchestra


10-7-09 E: Electric Light Orchestra


Jeff Lynne & Co. I was a fan of The Move, after trying the “Looking On” LP. I was all over “No Answer”, as their debut LP was known in the US, but – at the time – I never made it to “ELO II” or “Roll Over Beethoven”. I must already have felt the call of European music, by that time. And Roy Wood left after the debut E.L.O. album, further increasing my inability to remain too interested in them. Oddly, I never particularly followed Roy Wood / Wizzard, either.


7" 10538 OVERTURE promo U.A. US 50914

1972 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, promo – debut US single

LP BALANCE OF POWER CBS ASSOC. FZ 40048

1986 10 TRKS

7" BOY BLUE promo U.A. US UA-XW634-X

1974 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, promo

12" CALLING AMERICA EPIC UK QTA 6844

1986 3 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP DISCOVERY CBS/JET UK JETLX 500

1979 9 TRKS insert

7" DO YA (mono) / (stereo) U.A. US UA-XW939-Y

1976 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, promo

LP ELDORADO U.A. US US-LA-339G

1974 10 TRKS

LP ELO II U.A. US UA-LA040-F

1973 5 TRKS 2nd album

LP FACE THE MUSIC U.A. US US-LA-546G

1975 8 TRKS

7" I'M ALIVE / DRUM DREAMS JET UK JET 179

1980 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" MA-MA-MA BELLE promo U.A. US UA-XW405-W

1973 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, promo

LP NEW WORLD RECORD, A U.A. DE UAS 30017 XOT

1976 9 TRKS

LP NIGHT THE LIGHT WENT ON IN LONG BEACH WARNER DE WB 56058

1974 7 TRKS Live

CD NO ANSWER CBS/SONY JPN CSCS 6026

1971 9 TRKS

LP NO ANSWER U.A. US UAS 5573

1972 9 TRKS 1st album

LP OLE ELO U.A. US SP-123

1976 9 TRKS yellow vinyl, promo-only issue

LP ON THE THIRD DAY U.A. US US-LA-188F

1973 9 TRKS 3rd album

LPx2 OUT OF THE BLUE U.A./JET US JT-LA-823-L2

1977 17 TRKS

7" ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN promo U.A. US UA-XW173-W

1973 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, promo

LP SECRET MESSAGES EPIC/JET US QZ 38490

1983 10 TRKS

7" SHINE A LITTLE LOVE / JUNGLE JET US ZS8 5057

1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" SHOWDOWN / IN OLD ENGLAND TOWN HARVEST US HAR 5077

1973 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

7" STRANGE MAGIC / NEW WORLD RISING U.A. US UA-XW770-Y

1975 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

CDx2 STRANGE MAGIC: BEST OF EPIC US Z2K 64157

1995 29 TRK Collection

7" SWEET TALKIN' WOMAN / FIRE ON HIGH U.A./JET US JT-XW-1145

1978 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, purple vinyl

7" TELEPHONE LINE / POOR BOY ( THE GREENWOOD) U.A. US UA-XW1000

1976 2 TRKS with pic sleeve , green vinyl

LP TIME EPIC/JET US FZ 37371

1981 13 TRKS

7" TURN TO STONE / MISTER KINGDOM U.A./JET UK UP 36313

1977 2 TRKS with pic sleeve


As I began working in a record store in the summer of 1976, I was present for the increased popularity of the Electric Light Orchestra around the time of the “A New World Record” LP’s release. People who had never even heard of The Move were suddenly buying E.L.O. records, way back then!


2 comments:

chas_m said...

I feel very torn on the topic of ELO. Some of their songs are emotional or memory triggers for me, and there was always something about that "super-produced" sound of theirs, but I always got a SUPER strong "douchebag" vibe off Jeff Lynne himself, and his "War of the Worlds" is the "Plan 9" of concept albums.

That said, he played an important role in resurrecting Roy Orbison's career, and I have to give him props for that. Probably would have done the same for Del Shannon had he lived. Ah well.

PS. There's an episode of Doctor Who -- a very atypical episode, possibly one of the oddest ones every produced -- that features ELO's music very prominently in the story (!). It's called "Love and Monsters" if you ever happen to be watching.

Anonymous said...

Zing! Charles - that was Jeff WAYNE'S WOTW 2xLP...!! Ha HA!! I trump you!