TIME

First of all let me say I am NOT an big ELO fan, and i don't really like their 'classic' 70's output that much - even though the melodies were more then often very good, the string arrangement was something that for most cases put me off. Having said that, I must also add, I do acknowledge their originality and the fact that they were a very unique band - but it simply didn't suit my tastes.

But, the 80's came and... the band decided to change their image a little and replaced the strings with the synths. Not completely, the strings are there, but somewhere in the background now. Well.. this is where i can understand why old fans bash this album... why they got rid of something that was their trademark and made them so unique? So.. from this point of view, it surely is a disadvantage, and a slip in quality. But, as I stated in the beggining, I never really cared for the strings that much, so for me, it works a plus. Finally I can focus on the melodies! :) And they are still strong! In fact ... they are stronger than ever! I can even call this album a MASTERPIECE of the early 80's synth-pop.

Ok now this is where i should stop and say "oops.. we're on a prog site, where synth pop is probably the most hated music genre, and early 80's are the most hated music period, not only because it started the 'plastic' era of music but also ended progressive periods of some of the most famous bands like Genesis, Yes and Rush".. but instead of doing this i say.. SO WHAT? I am here to review music and point out what is good or bad. I always tried to be objective and not bash an album only because it doesn't seem to fit in someone's vision of how real good (read: prog) music should sound, or how a certain band should sound, based on one's earlier experiences with this band. Therefore i just must say: this albums offer us some very catchy/melodic synth-pop, and a very interesting futuristic concept. There is a couple of weaker spots (the two book-end ditties are just throwaways, as is "Yours Truly", and "From the End of the World") but other songs are all good, some are even classic. Actually if i had to make a "the best of" compilation of the best ELO songs, i would say that among 15-20 best songs of theirs i would put at least 6-7 songs from this album. "Twilight", "Ticket to the Moon", "The Way Life's Meant to Be", "Rain is Falling", "The Lights Go Down", "Here is the News", "Hold on Tight" - good song after good song.

Ok, 5 stars on a prog site to a synth-pop album (even if it's a masterpiece of this genre) would be pushing it... But 4 stars.. why not? It's a great record, that's one thing, and it is still, after all, a concept album! Hey! Just like "Thick as a Brick" or "The Wall'! ;) So let this sole fact make it an "excellent addition to any prog music collection" ;)