ELO & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN: XANADU (OST)

This is a product of its time and will always remain a cult favourite of many who adored the Xanadu film. I saw the film and quickly erased it from my memory as a strategic move. It had some good songs and they are captured here. I bought the vinyl album back in the 70s when everyone seemed to own this and the radio was saturated with the content ad nauseum.

ELO's I'm Alive is a relentless blaster that opened the film on a very powerful note with rainbow streams coming from Olivia Newton John's skating figure. She was hot back then, vocally and physically, and the real drawcard to seeing the film at the time. Of course she voices some songs such as the killer radio staple Xanadu and sexy sultry Magic, one of her best in her lengthy career. Indeed she is given the best songs so do not expect this to have any prog at all.

ELO appear on All Over The World and Don't Walk Away and it is nice to hear their melodic harmonies as always but to get to them you will have to put up with a sappy ballad Suddenly, where ONJ duets with Cliff Richard, and there is even a duet with the songstress and Gene Kelly, a show tune number mind you with a tap dancing interlude. This is not my cup of tea and the vinyl album now gathers dust at the back of a huge pile, never to be disturbed again.