One record at a time: 93. Electric Light Orchestra - Face The Music

I am not sure why I have two copies of "Face The Music" but judging by the surface noise on these records I was probably trying to find one in decent condition. Both records are repressings from the late seventies and neither sound especially good. This lack of audio fidelity is a shame as the music on the album is rather good.

I came to this album quite late as I never really saw the CD on the shelves in the nineties and when I eventually did, the dark underwhelming cover didn't appeal. In fact, this is probably the most disappointing and incongruous sleeve in the ELO back catalogue.

"Fire On High" is a fantastic instrumental that opens with spooky special effects before giving way to a grandiose orchestral section and some amazing acoustic guitar riffs. The sonic fidelity on this recording is another step on from "Eldorado" and Jeff clearly continues to advance his production skills. Second track "Waterfall" is a great song that, like quite a few songs on this album, is driven by a strong piano refrain. The amazing "Evil Woman" is one of the tracks on my original "Greatest Hits" CD that sold me on ELO and I can't help but sing along. It's a seventies answer to "Shout out to my ex" (well sort of). Some great analogue synth work features on the verse of "Nightrider" before the driving chorus arrives. Even Kelly gets to sing some lead vocals here.

Side two opens with "Poker" which initially sounds like a homage to Marc Bolan before the mad synthesizers start and a strangely punk vocal kicks in. This song is a real oddity and I am not sure if it is genius or just appropriating emerging styles. Another hit single comes next, "Strange Magic". There's always been something about the dreamy introduction of this song that captivates me. As Jeff begins to sing you could almost be floating away. "Down Home Town" is a disappointment that sounds like Bob Dylan singing country and western. Maybe Jeff was trying ingratiate himself to the American audience which seemed to appreciate his efforts more than those of his native land. The album closes with "One Summer Dream" which is a mesmerising song that warrants every second of its six minute length. A much neglected and underappreciated gem. 3/5

One record at a time: 92. Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado

I have two copies of ELO's fourth album, a standard black vinyl of uncertain vintage and the yellow coloured vinyl from 1978. 

I acquired the coloured version through some good fortune. One day, as I was trawling through eBay, I stumbled across a listing that made no mention of the vinyl being coloured, but the third or four picture was clearly of a yellow record. I can only assume everyone ignored this listing assuming it was a black record and my initial bid (that I fully expected to be bettered) succeeded. It almost makes up for all the times I have been ripped off on eBay.

Anyway, Eldorado is where things really begin to take off for me. For the first time ELO use a choir section and a thirty piece orchestra to create a 'symphony'. Following the orchestral overture we are treated to one of the jewels in the ELO back catalogue, "Can't Get It Out Of My Head". This song is a mid tempo ballad that is perfectly crafted with excellent melodies and a stunning arrangement. I was always confused by the lyrics, "I don't know and dance a lot, they don't envy me" until the internet came along and told me the lyrics were, "Ivanhoe and Lancelot, they don't envy me".

"Boy Blue" sounds like Herb Alpert mixed with Slade and, whilst it isn't a bad song it doesn't quite catch fire for me. Next track "Laredo Tornado" employs the Clavinet which has to be the funkiest instrument known to man. The chorus of the song is a soaring falsetto backed by a stirring orchestra. It's not the catchiest song, but it is an impressive production that is very entertaining. "Poor Boy" sounds like prototype Travelling Wilburys and has some great touches that point to Jeff's increasing prowess as a producer. I can't really listen to "Mister Kingdom" as it sounds like a straight rehash of "Across the Universe" . The Beatles were good at being The Beatles; nobody else needs to do it. 

"Nobody's Child" is the tale of a young man's struggle to resist the advances of a 'painted lady'. This blues influenced backing track is augmented by some fantastic orchestral flourishes courtesy of arranger Louis Clark and I have a real soft spot for this song. "Illusions in G Major" is strongly reminiscent of rockabilly and is fun as it doesn't outstay its welcome. The title track is last with its thundering Roy Orbison style vocal and strong orchestral arrangement. A good album that strikes you as having achieved the ambitions Jeff set out when creating the band. 3/5

One record at a time: 91. Electric Light Orchestra - On The Third Day

For their third album ELO not only drop the definitive article, but they also jettison the chugging cello that plagued their first two releases. Hurrah! My copy of this album is a repressing which uses the weird US album sleeve rather than the original UK version. I say weird as the whole band seem to be exposing their belly buttons.

The songs on this record aren't quite the bouncy pop that was to come in later years, but the sound of the band has progressed significantly. You could almost call this the first ELO album. No sooner had I typed this sentence than I read a quote from Jeff in 1974 that said, "Just pretend it's the first one we ever made." 

Opening track "Ocean Breakup" is a short instrumental that could fool you into thinking this ELO album was merely a continuation of the self indulgent cello driven prog-rock of old. However, "King of the Universe" rings the changes as not only is it a good song, but the fidelity of the recording is superior to anything that has gone before. In the background there are a number of noises that sound like they were derived from messing about with the tape and I'm not entirely convinced they are intentional. 

One of my personal favourites on this record is "Bluebird Is Dead" which is a melancholic song that also succeeds as a catchy pop song. Following a brief introduction by the string section, "Oh no not Susan" progresses into a tale of a woman whose wealth does not satisfy. As we segue into "New World Rising" there's some great synth work by Richard Tandy but the strings still sound a little thin. As this is a UK pressing this track marks the end of side one but the US were treated to the fantastic single "Showdown".

Instrumental "Daybreaker" opens side two but it is a little self indulgent and continues to hark back to prog-rock sensibilities which plague ELO's early work. The cobwebs are blown away with the catchy rock/pop crossover "Ma-ma-ma Belle" which is an obvious choice for a single. "Dreaming of 4000" is a bit ponderous and lacks the hooks and motifs that distinguish Jeff's best work. A rather lacklustre version of Greig's "In The Hall of the Mountain King" is somehow stung out to six and a half minutes  and was probably more successful live than it was in recorded form. As the debut of the new ELO this is a promising debut. I'm just glad those cellos have gone. 3/5

One record at a time: 90. The Electric Light Orchestra - ELO II

The first track on this album would suggest things hadn't moved on in the two years since The Electric Light Orchestra's debut. "In Old England Town" is just a more polished version of the concept encountered in the first album replete with irritating chugging cello. Not an auspicious start.

However, the images contained within the gatefold shows us seven (half naked) men instead of the three featured on the first effort. This time around the strings are played by accomplished musicians and Moog synthesizer provides a depth of sound we haven't heard before. It is with second track "Momma" that we begin to hear the true sound of the second incarnation of ELO on ELO II (not ELO Part II, that's something different). This is a good song and is full of promise but in reality it is probably the high water mark for the album. 

Things hit another snag with a seven minute version of "Roll Over Beethoven". I've never been a big fan of Rock and Roll (which is a polite way of saying I don't like it) and I can't find anything in a repeating 12 bar blues pattern to warrant this play length. "From the Sun to the World" is another track that seems left over from the first album but it features some distinctive ELO chord changes and some pleasant Moog horn sounds that rescue it. The eleven minute "Kuiama" is a seventies pop song crossed with meandering prog rock. It's full of ideas and has some nice passages, but again, it doesn't warrant its run time. With only 5 tracks on the album, it's no wonder the band found time to churn out another in the same year. 2/5

One record at a time: 89. The Electric Light Orchestra - The Electric Light Orchestra

In 1988 I bought my first CD player; a Sony CDP-M35. Despite saving hard for this machine, it still put me in debt to my mother for about 10 years, but it broke down after only three. On the plus side, the player came with a flyer that entitled the buyer to four free CDs from a selection of about a hundred titles. One of the CDs I chose was Electric Light Orchestra "Greatest Hits" because I thought the name sounded futuristic and a family friend suggested they were "kind of electronic". Thus, I became indoctrinated with the melodies of Jeff Lynne and have been a fan ever since. 

A few years ago I decided to acquire as many ELO albums as I could on vinyl. My copy of their fist, eponymously entitled album, seems to be still in the cellophane. There is a price sticker for £2.99 from Virgin Records and a barcode is printed on the reverse, so I'm guessing this is a pressing from the early eighties. 

The album opens with the song that started it all "10538 Overture". To modern ears the recording of this track sounds raw and muddy. I'm guessing the relatively poor sound of the acoustic instruments is due to the limited technology available at the time. The distorted cello chugs away as Jeff asks us, "Did you catch his face, was it 10538?" This is a still a good song, its just not a good recording.

If released today, "Look at me now" would be called a 'reinterpretation' of "Eleanor Rigby" and attributed to ELO vs. The Beatles feat.  Roy 'Wizzard' Wood. "Nelly takes her bow" gives us some clues as to what ELO will turn into but Roy Wood's bizarre middle section derails Jeff's composition. "Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)" is an instrumental piece in which Roy seem to have had great fun overdubbing numerous cello parts but he forgot to include a tune. 

A much better Roy Wood instrumental "1st Movement" opens side two with its driving beat and intricate melody. The next track "Mr Radio" gives us the clearest indication of Jeff's talent and is of sufficient quality to withstand Roy's constant scraping at the cello. "Manhattan Rumble" is yet another instrumental but there is a great deal of charm in Jeff's piano sections and that means this is probably the pick of the bunch.

The sound of badly played staccato cello is beginning to become quite wearing by the time we reach "Queen of the Hours" which has a melody reminiscent of "Days" by The Kinks. The album closes with "Whisper in the Night" which is probably one of the most accomplished productions on the record - but those bloody cellos! Save me from the cellos! 2/5

One record at a time: 88. Electribe 101 - Electribal Soul

In 1992 Electribe 101 recorded a follow up to their debut album "Electribal Memories". However, their efforts were branded "crap" by their record company who promptly terminated their contract and triggered the disintegration of the group. Of course I had no idea any of this was happening and I was too busy listening to Altern-8, Dream Frequency, Felix, The Prodigy et al to worry about a band that had seemingly disappeared without a trace anyway. 

I only became aware of the existence of a second album when singer Billie Ray Martin made one of the tracks, "A Sigh Won't Do" available via her webpage in 2014. Unfortunately this track didn't make much impression on me and, as it was only available at a low bit rate, I didn't listen to it much.

Having re-discovered a DAT containing the album Billie decided to finally do something with it and had it properly mastered. In the absence of protests from the surviving members of the group (their consent would be unfathomable) the album was finally released on download, CD and the vinyl we have here in 2022. Only thirty years late but who's counting?

On first hearing this album I found it very impressive, but in truth there are only three tracks here that haven't been released by Billie during her solo career. Even the unlikely cover version of Throbbing Gristle's "Persuasion" saw a solo single release in 1993. 

As "Moving Downtown" progresses you might hear a vague similarity to "Running Around Town" but "Deadline for my memories" is almost identical to the later solo version. The Electribe 101 version of "Space Oasis" is much better than the later solo interpretation due to its prominent Korg M1 piano and TR-909 drums instead of distorted pedal steel (??).

There is a clear progression here from the first album and the sound of the band has matured into something more soulful and melodic (hence the title). Having said that, the best track that wasn't regurgitated during Billie's solo career is "Insatiable Love" which sounds like it could have been lifted straight from the band's debut.

The vinyl version of the album omits another song Billie resurrected, "You and I (Keep Holding On)" along with an alternate version of "Deadline For My Memories" and an instrumental titled "Conquering Tomorrow". 

This album is the equal of its predecessor but I had no idea nearly all of it had already seen the light of day in some form or another. Turns out I didn't have to wait thirty years to hear a new Electribe 101 album, it was under my nose all along. 3/5

What, rot? What rot!

Not a new "One record at at time" post but a another random bank holiday ramble full of rot.

When CDs were becoming 'mainstream' in the late eighties I felt very smug with my Sony CDP-M35 player and I took every opportunity to remind my teenage friends that I was part of the digital music revolution (I'd saved up very hard for my CD player you understand).

During this period, one ill informed cynic informed me that I wouldn't be so smug in twenty years time when all of my CDs had become subject to "oxidisation" and I was left with a pile of dust. How I laughed at her folly! How I scorned the fact that every time she played her cassettes or records she took a little bit of life out of them. CDs were indestructible and she was wrong. Well sort of.

I posted ten years ago (gulp) about the issue of bronzing or 'CD rot' and I wondered how much damage would be done to my collection. Well, as it turns out there has never been too much damage and last week I discovered what is only the second casualty in a collection of over 2500. Well, in truth I have two copies of this CD and they have both bronzed, so that makes three. But still, it remains at a tolerable level.

All three of my bronzed discs were pressed at PDO in the UK, so there was obviously something wrong at this plant in 1991. I have recently thrown out a blu-ray of a-ha "Ending on a high note" as it was subject to the manufacturing issues that affected a French production plant. This disc became unreadable as the resin used to bind the layers of the disc oxidised. I wonder if the same thing is happening here. I'm going to keep an eye on PDO manufactured discs from now on that's for sure.