The Best Electric Light Orchestra Album - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Guillermo

Prog Reviewer

Joined: November 28 2004
Location: Mexico
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Posted: October 05 2015 at 20:05

"ELO2".

Avatar: Photo of Solar Eclipse, Mexico City, July 1991. A great experience to see. Maybe once in a lifetime.

Steve Wyzard View Drop Down

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Posted: November 14 2017 at 13:01

1. Out of the Blue: I consider "Concerto for a Rainy Day" to be a legitimate side-long prog composition.

2. A New World Record

3. Discovery

As you can see, if it has the "jukebox" band logo on it, I like it! The other albums all have their worthwhile moments, but never really thrilled me as much. The above 3 are keepers for life!

grantman

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Posted: November 15 2017 at 06:33

a new world record

Boojieboy

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Posted: November 15 2017 at 16:19

"Best" is awfully subjective. "Most prog." might go to On the Third Day. Personal favorites have changed over the years. Maybe Eldorado currently.

siLLy puPPy View Drop Down

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PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

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Posted: November 15 2017 at 17:01

Personally i think TIME is Jeff Lynne's magnum opus but NEW WORLD RECORD is their best dancy pop rock album. Their coolest experimental album is the debut NO ANSWER. The last two albums by THE MOVE were essentially Lynne projects and proto-ELO albums and both are really great pop rock with a few prog trouches as well :)

https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy

stegor

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Posted: November 15 2017 at 20:50

I've always liked On the Third Day best, despite the dumb album cover. It was before they started overusing that silly falsetto backing vocal style. It's a bit rough around the edges too. I think by the time they got to Out of the Blue they were too slick for their own good.

Cosmiclawnmower View Drop Down

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Posted: November 18 2017 at 15:23

siLLy puPPy wrote:

Personally i think TIME is Jeff Lynne's magnum opus but NEW WORLD RECORD is their best dancy pop rock album. Their coolest experimental album is the debut NO ANSWER. The last two albums by THE MOVE were essentially Lynne projects and proto-ELO albums and both are really great pop rock with a few prog trouches as well :)

The debut lp was just called ELO (or ELO1) in the UK but ive got a US press which states 'The Move enterpises ltd presents the services of the electric light orchestra- No Answer'! Bit more of a title than the UK version LOL

Both Face the Music and Out of the Blue are my favourite 'Jet label' era lps, the latter much loved by my dear wife (and apparently, the 'Super Furry Animals'!)

Braka

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Posted: November 20 2017 at 16:20

I loved 'World Record' at the time, but I was 12. I got bored with their stuff after that album. I have no idea what I,d think of it now. There seemed to be a consensus among critics at the time that 'Face the Music' was the better album. I only remember the single.

I recall that John Lennon said ELO were what The Beatles would have sounded like if they'd stayed together. I assumed it was a compliment.

MortSahlFan View Drop Down

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Posted: March 01 2018 at 16:48

ELO is one of my favorite bands... (I need to find similar stuff, I love violins and pianos)... Btw, they are touring this summer. Tickets are expensive.

I'm a song-person, and here are some of my favorites.. If you want an instrumental, try "Fire on High"

21st Century Man
Mission (A World Record)
Shangri-La
10538 Overture

Squonk19

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Posted: March 01 2018 at 16:57

My wife loves 'Out of the Blue' and saw them on the spaceship tour in Birmingham, where she was at college in the early 80s remains one of her great musical moments. I have to say that the 'Best of' albums generally do it for me - but really pleased I took her to Birmingham a year ago for a birthday treat to see Jeff Lynne and the guys on the comeback tour. They were very enjoyable and didn't realise how much they were in my musical DNA until I was singing 'please turn be o-ver!' at full volume at the end of Mr Blue Sky!

“Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.”

The Dark Elf View Drop Down

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Posted: March 01 2018 at 18:19

moshkito wrote:

GentleGiant wrote:

On The Third Day
Eldorado

Yeah ...

2nd album

3rd album

4th album

... I fell out on the album after Eldorado, which is great.

This. Afterwards, it was very much a hit or miss thing.

...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...

Tom Ozric

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Posted: March 01 2018 at 23:15

I enjoy the first 4 (the more, typically ‘Progressive’ albums) but love Time as well. There’s something special with the album Time for me. Getting nostalgic - Time and Dark Side Of The Moon used to be cassette deck staples when I went on family camps during the late-70’s early ‘80’s. Great times, awesome tunes.

Edited by Tom Ozric - March 01 2018 at 23:16

MortSahlFan View Drop Down

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Posted: March 02 2018 at 04:36

Tom Ozric wrote:

I enjoy the first 4 (the more, typically ‘Progressive’ albums) but love Time as well. There’s something special with the album Time for me. Getting nostalgic - Time and Dark Side Of The Moon used to be cassette deck staples when I went on family camps during the late-70’s early ‘80’s. Great times, awesome tunes.

"Time" is still my favorite song of all-time.. I got into music in middle school; the guy next to me gave me recorded tapes of The Doors, and then I found "The Wall" LP (and a record player) at a garage sale on my road, and later paid $13 in the mid-90s, which was about 98% of my GNP :)