FACE THE MUSIC

On Eldorado, ELO manage to hit the perfect balance between their pop-leaning side and their progressive aspects - but the equilibrium was so delicate that it's no surprise it didn't last long. Face the Music sees the band moving in a much more commercial direction, with songs such as Evil Woman being well-crafted pop pieces which were hits at the time but which, personally, I can't get excited about - they seem plastic and insincere to my ears. The more progressive and classically-influenced pieces on the album seem lacklustre and unenthusiastic, as though ELO were simply going through the motions of providing something for their prog audience but didn't have their hearts in it. On the whole, Face the Music is a transitional album which won't impress those who liked their earlier, more progressive material and has too much filler to be good value to fans of their pop period.