Post by SAT-I need more room!! on Jan 16, 2006 16:32:38 GMT -5
Well, only a few responses from last week but that's ok since they seemed pretty positive!
Now keep in mind, some of these I may not know EVERY song on all 3 albums. (I did last week for Yes, but even there, I only knew Siberian Khatru since I got it for Christmas.) I hope this doesn't make me sound like I'm full of it! LOL!
E.L.O.
-Face the Music
-A New World Record
-Out of the Blue
These are the albums where E.L.O. really hit their stride, where they were at their peak. They were HARDLY slouches before this as their first 4 albums were chock full of hits like Can't Get it Out of My Head, Roll Over Beethoven, Showdown as well as popular album cuts like 10538 Overture, Mama and Bluebird is Dead.
But those early albums were a bit more experimental with many different styles. The 3 albums of the "hat trick" really caught the attention of people on both sides of the radio dial. And most of the E.L.O. stuff you hear today is from these 3 records.
The first of these is 1975's Face the Music. It kicks off with Fire on High, a VERY popular instrumental track these days, but doesn't make many of their compilations. It actually made the B side of Evil Woman. Many people might consider Evil Woman their signature track. The song just crashes through, goes into Jeff's singing, "You made a fool of meeeeee...." right into that wonderful piano. Strange Magic was another popular early single. Hell, my grandma liked this one! Nightrider is my favorite song on the album, and Jeff trades lead vocals with bassist Kelly Groughcut. (Why he doesn't sing this now in the ELO 2 lineup, I'll never figure out.) Other goodies here are Waterfall and One Summer Dream.
It is general consensus, especially here on The Click, that A New World Record is their finest hour. As I've stated numerous times before, we were a singles house, but this album was in the collection. Although the songs aren't all linked together like So Fine & Livin' Thing kicking off side 2, the album almost tells a story, like an epic saga. It's best taken as a whole. You start out with Tightrope which kicks things off with that almost monk-like gospel chanting that goes throughout the album. This song rocks HARD and I can't understand why it wasn't a popular FM cut. From there you go into Telephone Line which, despite being number 7 on the charts, I don't remember hearing on the radio back then-only as part of this album. Wonderful use of "outside" instruments with the phone in the beginning. Rockaria!, another hard "rocker" in the style of Chuck Berry, is another song that for some reason is not an FM hit, although it did make the "medallion" Greatest Hits. Mission completes side 1, and just swallows the world whole. Love Jeff's gargling "Who are you and who am I?" Very spooky song, fit in well in the mid 70's. So Fine is yet another track that should be getting FM play, as a multi-part song with the hit single Livin' Thing. I think it would've done well on the AM as well. Above the Clouds is a short little number which breaks up side 2 well. Although there is a complete pause between this song and Do Ya, I always kept them together. Although never a single, Do Ya pretty much stands up as the most popular track on the album.
Out of the Blue is the album I am least familiar with. It's a bit of a slip from A New World Record, but it was like Frampton trying to follow up the live album or Fleetwood Mac following up Rumours. The 2 big singles, Turn to Stone & Sweet Talkin' Woman are the two best tracks on the album. Turn to Stone goes from sounding like early Bee Gees to Queen.
It should be noted that all three albums feature the "classic" 7 man lineup of Jeff, Bev, Kelly, Melvyn, Hugh, Mick and Richard. I could be wrong, but I don't think these 7 guys were all together for any other albums.
Their next album, Discovery, had several hits and popular cuts, especially in Don't Bring Me Down and Shine a Little Love, but it didn't have the same sound as the 3 earlier records. Gone was the "haunting" sound in favor of a more disco-almost new wave sound.
Whattya think?
Now keep in mind, some of these I may not know EVERY song on all 3 albums. (I did last week for Yes, but even there, I only knew Siberian Khatru since I got it for Christmas.) I hope this doesn't make me sound like I'm full of it! LOL!
E.L.O.
-Face the Music
-A New World Record
-Out of the Blue
These are the albums where E.L.O. really hit their stride, where they were at their peak. They were HARDLY slouches before this as their first 4 albums were chock full of hits like Can't Get it Out of My Head, Roll Over Beethoven, Showdown as well as popular album cuts like 10538 Overture, Mama and Bluebird is Dead.
But those early albums were a bit more experimental with many different styles. The 3 albums of the "hat trick" really caught the attention of people on both sides of the radio dial. And most of the E.L.O. stuff you hear today is from these 3 records.
The first of these is 1975's Face the Music. It kicks off with Fire on High, a VERY popular instrumental track these days, but doesn't make many of their compilations. It actually made the B side of Evil Woman. Many people might consider Evil Woman their signature track. The song just crashes through, goes into Jeff's singing, "You made a fool of meeeeee...." right into that wonderful piano. Strange Magic was another popular early single. Hell, my grandma liked this one! Nightrider is my favorite song on the album, and Jeff trades lead vocals with bassist Kelly Groughcut. (Why he doesn't sing this now in the ELO 2 lineup, I'll never figure out.) Other goodies here are Waterfall and One Summer Dream.
It is general consensus, especially here on The Click, that A New World Record is their finest hour. As I've stated numerous times before, we were a singles house, but this album was in the collection. Although the songs aren't all linked together like So Fine & Livin' Thing kicking off side 2, the album almost tells a story, like an epic saga. It's best taken as a whole. You start out with Tightrope which kicks things off with that almost monk-like gospel chanting that goes throughout the album. This song rocks HARD and I can't understand why it wasn't a popular FM cut. From there you go into Telephone Line which, despite being number 7 on the charts, I don't remember hearing on the radio back then-only as part of this album. Wonderful use of "outside" instruments with the phone in the beginning. Rockaria!, another hard "rocker" in the style of Chuck Berry, is another song that for some reason is not an FM hit, although it did make the "medallion" Greatest Hits. Mission completes side 1, and just swallows the world whole. Love Jeff's gargling "Who are you and who am I?" Very spooky song, fit in well in the mid 70's. So Fine is yet another track that should be getting FM play, as a multi-part song with the hit single Livin' Thing. I think it would've done well on the AM as well. Above the Clouds is a short little number which breaks up side 2 well. Although there is a complete pause between this song and Do Ya, I always kept them together. Although never a single, Do Ya pretty much stands up as the most popular track on the album.
Out of the Blue is the album I am least familiar with. It's a bit of a slip from A New World Record, but it was like Frampton trying to follow up the live album or Fleetwood Mac following up Rumours. The 2 big singles, Turn to Stone & Sweet Talkin' Woman are the two best tracks on the album. Turn to Stone goes from sounding like early Bee Gees to Queen.
It should be noted that all three albums feature the "classic" 7 man lineup of Jeff, Bev, Kelly, Melvyn, Hugh, Mick and Richard. I could be wrong, but I don't think these 7 guys were all together for any other albums.
Their next album, Discovery, had several hits and popular cuts, especially in Don't Bring Me Down and Shine a Little Love, but it didn't have the same sound as the 3 earlier records. Gone was the "haunting" sound in favor of a more disco-almost new wave sound.
Whattya think?
. I've mentioned before how I had given my Mom the money to buy the record and running home after school to listen to it - oh the memories. I also still have my 45's of Do Ya (love that guitar intro (and that slide) not to mention Bev's powehouse drumming) and Livin' Thing. I have the album on CD
