This is one of the most famous, interesting and respected rock bands in the history of popular music. In the biography of the Electric Light Orchestra, there were changes in the genre direction, it broke up and gathered again, divided in half and dramatically changed the number of participants.
John Lennon said that songs were even more difficult to write because everything was already written by Jeff Lynne.
Interestingly, the gap between the penultimate and last studio albums of the Electric Light Orchestra is 14 years!
Some performers would have managed to create up to a dozen records during this period and make good money on them. But the team can afford to torment the fans for a long time with the release of a new release.
Currently, ELO is singer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Lynn, as well as keyboardist Richard Tandy. At the beginning of the formation of the group of official musicians, there were much more in the team. And in general, the ensemble corresponded to the last word in the title.
How did it all start with ELO?
The idea to create a rock band with a significant use of classical strings and brass instruments originated in the early 1970s with Roy Wood (member of The Move).
The talented musician and singer Jeff Lynn (The Idle Race) became seriously interested in this idea of Roy.
The Electric Light Orchestra is based on The Move. And she began to carefully rehearse new material. The first recorded song of the new band was "10538 Overture". In total, 9 compositions were prepared for the debut.
It is interesting that overseas the disc was released under the name No Answer. The error occurred as a result of a telephone conversation between a United Artists Records label employee and the group manager's secretary. When trying to contact the boss on a local phone, the girl said into the phone: "Does not answer!".
And they thought that this was the name of the record, and did not specify. These nuances did not affect the commercial component of the composition. The album was commercially unsuccessful.
Not the most impressive start involved making edits, which Lynn advocated but which Wood staunchly resisted. And soon tension and estrangement arose between them.
It became clear that one of the two of them had to leave the team. Roy Wood's nerves failed. Already during the recording of the second disc, he left, taking the violinist and bugler. And Roy created the Wizzard group with them.
There were rumors in the press about the breakup of the group, but Lynn did not allow this.
The updated "orchestra", in addition to Lynn, included: drummer Biv Bevan, organist Richard Tandy, bassist Mike de Albuquerque. As well as cellists Mike Edwards and Colin Walker, violinist Wilfred Gibson. In this composition, the group appeared before the audience at the Reading Festival in 1972.
In early 1973, the second album, ELO 2, was released. And it contained one of the best and most effective compositions of the entire career of Roll Over Beethoven. This is an art-rock cover version of the famous Chuck Berry number.
Musically, the sound became less "raw" than in the debut album, the arrangements were more harmonious.
And how did it go?
During the recording of the next album, On the Third Day, Gibson and Walker left for solo "swimming". As a violinist, Lynn invited Mick Kaminsky, and instead of Edwards, who later dropped out, he took McDowell, who returned from the Wizzard group.
The team at the end of 1973 recorded new material. The US release also includes the single Showdown. This opus took 12th position in the English chart.
The music on the album has become even more acceptable to the average music lover. And Jeff Lynn has repeatedly called this work his favorite.
The fourth album of Eldorado (1974) was created in a conceptual way. She went gold in the States. The single Can't Get It Out of My Head hit the Billboard top 100 and peaked at number 9.
Face the Music (1975) included such hits as Evil Woman and Strange Magic. After the studio work, the group successfully toured the United States, easily gathering large halls and stadiums of fans. At home, they did not enjoy such frantic love.
The return of the lost popularity of ELO
It wasn't until the release of A New World Record the following year that things improved. The disc topped the UK Top 10 with hits from Livin' Thing, Telephone Line, Rockaria!. In America, the LP went platinum.
The Out of the Blue album also featured many melodic and catchy songs. Listeners really liked the provocative introduction in the form of Turn to Stone. As well as Sweet Talkin' Woman and Mr. blue sky. After fruitful studio work, the Electric Light Orchestra left for a world tour that lasted 9 months.
In addition to multi-ton equipment, an expensive model of a large spacecraft and a huge laser screen were transported as bulky decorations. In the United States, the group's performances were called the "Big Night", which could surpass any progressive group in terms of the grandeur of the performance.
The multi-platinum disc Discovery was released in 1979. In it, the group succumbed to fashion trends and did not do without a significant amount of disco motifs.
Dance rhythms in the band's music
Thanks to the dance rhythms, the group received huge dividends in the form of full houses at concerts and significant record sales. The Discovery album had many hits - Last Train to London, Confusion, The Diary of Horace Wimp.
On the cover in the image of Aladdin was a 19-year-old guy named Brad Garrett. Subsequently, he became an actor and producer.
In 1980, Lynn worked on the soundtrack for the film Xanadu. The band recorded the instrumental part of the album, and the songs were performed by Olivia Newton-John. The film was unsuccessful at the box office, but the record was very popular.
The next concept album, Time, was a reflection on time travel, and the arrangements were dominated by synth sounds.
Thanks to this, the group gained new fans without losing the old ones. Although many regretted that art rock in the music of their favorite band disappeared. But still, Twilight, Here is the News, and Ticket to the Moon listened with pleasure.
Strange Times Electric Light Orchestra
The album Secret Messages continued the strategy chosen during the recording of the previous record. The album was released in 1983 and was the first to be released on CD. There was no tour to support him.
In 1986, Balance of Power was released, which was recorded by a trio consisting of: Lynn, Tandy, Bevan. The album was not very successful. Only the hit Calling America stayed on the charts for a while. After that, the dissolution was officially announced.
Beav Bevan later re-formed ELO Part II with three former band members. He toured extensively and performed compositions by Jeff Lynne. This became the subject of litigation between the band and the author.
As a result, the Beavan ensemble was renamed The Orchestra, and all rights belonged to Jeff.
Return Electric Light Orchestra
The next studio album Zoom was released in 2001. It was also created by Richard Tandy, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.
In November 2015, Alone in the Universe was released. Two years later, Jeff and his friends went on the Alone in the Universe tour. And in the same 2017, the legendary band was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
