electric light orchestra
| Electric Light Orchestra |
Jukebox Logo as seen on numerous albums.
|
| Background information |
| Origin |
Birmingham, England |
| Genre(s) |
Rock
Progressive rock
Arena rock
Pop Music |
| Years active |
1970 - 1986,
2000 - 2001 |
| Label(s) |
Harvest Records, Jet Records, United Artists, Epic Records, |
Associated
acts |
The Move
Idle Race
Wizzard
Violinski. |
| Website |
The official website |
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), from Birmingham, England, were a successful rock music group of the 1970s and 1980s.
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Contents
- 1 History
- 1.1 Birth of a Supergroup
- 1.2 The 80's Decline
- 1.3 Reforming Electric Light Orchestra
- 2 Trivia
- 2.1 Electric Light Orchestra band members
- 2.2 Guest Musicians
- 3 Discography
- 3.1 Live albums
- 3.2 Reissues
- 3.3 Compilation albums
- 3.4 Singles and highest chart positions
- 3.5 Videos
- 4 Electric Light Orchestra Part II
- 4.1 Band members
- 4.2 Discography
- 4.3 Live Albums
- 4.4 Singles and highest chart positions
- 4.5 Videos
- 5 Influences
- 6 Similar Artists
- 7 Contemporaries
- 8 External links
- 8.1 Promo Videos from YouTube
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History
Birth of a Supergroup
Formed in 1970 by Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan (the remaining members of the sixties rock group The Move) used cellos, violin, horn's and woodwind to give their music a classical sound. This was an idea Roy Wood initially had while with The Move, to take rock music in a new direction, although no doubt inspired by The Beatles with their late sixties piece "I am the Walrus", which used orchestral accompaniment. In 1970 when Carl Wayne left the The Move, Jeff Lynne,front man with fellow Brum band Idle Race, responded to Wood's second invitation to join the line-up, with the lure of starting the new project. To help finance the fledgling project, two more Move albums were released during the recording of their eponymous first album in 1971 which produced the UK hit 10538 Overture. In the USA, this album was released with the mistaken title of No Answer, due to a mix-up with an uncompleted telephone call to the American label and subsequent secretarial message. [1]
Bev Bevan, Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne (1971)
However, tensions soon surfaced between Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne. With most of the media attention focused on The Move's Roy Wood, differences in musical direction, and a disastrous first live outing, it was no surprise when the band went through the first of its many line-up changes as Wood took Hugh McDowell and Bill Hunt with him to form Wizzard. Despite the music press's predictions that the band would fold without Wood, Jeff Lynne stepped up to lead the band, with Bevan remaining on drums, bassist Richard Tandy switching to moog synthesizer, Michael d'Albuquerque on bass, Mike Edwards, Colin Walker (Cello) and Wilfred Gibson replacing Steve Woolam on violin. They released Electric Light Orchestra II in 1973, from which came their first U.S. chart hit, a hugely elaborate cover of the Chuck Berry classic Roll Over Beethoven. After their second album, violinist Gibson was dismissed and replaced by Mik Kaminski. They also released On The Third Day in 1973, with Mike Edwards playing all the cello parts due to Colin Walker leaving the band. Later that same year saw the return of Hugh McDowell, who had jumped ship the year previous, to replace cellist Colin Walker. In 1974 Lynne hired a thirty piece-orchestra, choir and Louis Clark, then began work on the next LP "Eldorado, A Symphony", a concept album about dreams, scoring their first U.S. Top Ten hit with Can't Get It Out Of My Head in 1975.
After the release of "Eldorado, A Symphony", bassist and vocalist Kelly Groucutt and cellist Melvyn Gale joined, replacing Michael d'Albuquerque and Mike Edwards respectively. At this point the line-up would be at its most stable and enjoy worldwide stardom throughout the remainder of the decade. In 1975 Face The Music was released, from which the major singles were Evil Woman (whose instrumental string hook was sampled in 2006 by Pussycat Dolls to form the basis of their hit "Beep") and Strange Magic, marking a shift to a more "radio friendly" sound. From the same album, the instrumental Fire On High, with its mix of strings and blazing acoustic guitars, saw heavy exposure as background music on CBS Sports Spectacular montages, though most viewers had no idea of the song's origins, the song features a famous deliberate backward message, where a mysterious deep voice reverses to "The music is reversible, but time is not, turn back! Turn back! Turn back!"—ostensibly Jeff Lynne's shot at Backmasking hysteria after completely false satanic allegations against their song Eldorado by Fundamentalist Christians which led upto early 1980s American Congressional Hearings, afterwards E.L.O. then answered with Secret Messages in 1983.
The multi-platinum album A New World Record was released in 1976 with hits such as Livin' Thing (remade by The Beautiful South in 2004), a re-recording of The Move's Do Ya, Telephone Line and Rockaria!. The songs Livin' Thing and Telephone Line were prominently featured in the films Boogie Nights and Billy Madison, respectively.
That was followed by the the platinum-selling double-LP Out of the Blue in 1977, although the record's success was tempered somewhat by a lawsuit filed by Electric Light Orchestra against their former distributor, United Artists, whom the band claimed had flooded the market with defective copies of the album. The double set featured the singles Turn To Stone, Sweet Talkin' Woman, It's Over, Mr. Blue Sky and Wild West Hero. The band then set out on a world tour, with an enormous (and hugely expensive) space ship stage set in tow, complete with sound effects and a laser display, although during the famous Spaceship tour the band were criticized for allegedly playing backing tapes. By the end of 1978 they were the biggest live draw in the USA averaging fifty thousand people at their shows.
Melvyn Gale, Hugh McDowell, Mik Kaminski (1979)
In 1979, Lynne set out to capitalize on the growing popularity of disco with the album Discovery (or "Disco very" as he has been quoted). The album generated their biggest hit Don't Bring Me Down (the first ELO track not to feature strings), along with Shine A Little Love (sampled in 2005 by Lovefreekz for a dance hit called "Shine"), Last Train to London (sampled in 2003 by Atomic Kitten on their hit "Be With You"), Confusion and The Diary Of Horace Wimp. Although there would be no live tour associated with this album, the band did record the entire album in video form. Not long after this, the violinist Mik Kaminski and the two cellists Hugh McDowell and Melvyn Gale were considered surplus to requirements and dismissed. The Discovery videos would be the last time the original late 70's line-up would be seen together again. The Electric Light Orchestra finished 1979 as the biggest selling act in the UK.
The 80's Decline
Soon after in 1980 ELO were enlisted to provide half of the soundtrack for the musical film Xanadu, the other half provided by Olivia Newton-John, who starred in the movie along with Gene Kelly. The movie bombed, but the soundtrack did very well, with hit singles from both Newton-John (Magic, #1 in the US) and ELO (I'm Alive, UK #20/US #16, Gold Record; All Over The World, UK #11/US #13 and Don't Walk Away, UK #21) as well as the title track to the movie, performed by Newton-John with ELO, which reached #1 in the UK and #8 on the US Billboard Pop Singles chart. Bev Bevan's memoirs from his early days and throughout his career with The Move and ELO were also published this year, entitled "The Electric Light Orchestra Story".
In 1981, ELO's sound changed again, moving away from disco and into the 1980s, with the science-fiction concept album Time (singles: Hold On Tight and Twilight), in which synthesizers largely replaced classical strings. The band embarked on what would be their last world tour, to promote the new LP. However the live line-up would have no cello players for the first time ever; instead they recruited Louis Clark (who had previously conducted the strings on their classic 70's albums) and Dave Morgan to play the string sounds on synthesizers although Mik Kaminski did appear with his famous blue violin.
By 1983 it was becoming clear that band leader Lynne was becoming tired of the project that he had helped to create thirteen years before, when he announced that there would be no tour to promote the new album Secret Messages. This was coupled with the news that drummer Bevan was to play drums for Black Sabbath and of bassist Kelly Groucutt's departure from the band. Rumours that the group were splitting up were denied by Bev Bevan, however sales for the new album were relatively slow and most music critic reviews further added to the problems. Secret Messages was originally recorded as a double album; however, the record company had different ideas, citing that it would be too expensive (due in part to ELO's declining popularity). Some of the songs that did not survive the hatchet job cropped up as single B-sides and on later box sets; however, the tribute song Beatles Forever is still unavailable. It has been reported that Jeff Lynne is embarrassed by this song, hence its unavailability. Shortly after this album Kelly Groucutt sued Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan and ELO's management for alleged lost royalty fees. The matter was settled out of court.
With Bevan expressing a desire to join Black Sabbath permanently, Lynne and Tandy recording tracks for the Electric Dreams soundtrack under Jeff Lynne's name, and Groucutt having departed, it appeared that ELO were no more by 1984. But Bevan left Black Sabbath because of his objection to the band performing in apartheid South Africa, and Lynne needed to make one more ELO album to fulfill his contract, so Lynne, Bevan and Tandy returned to the studio in 1985 as a 3-piece (with Christian Schneider playing saxophone on some tracks) to record ELO's final album of the 20th century, Balance of Power, released early in 1986. Though the single Calling America placed in the Top-20 in the US (#28 UK), subsequent singles failed to chart. The album, jokingly called "Balance Of Payment" by Lynne, was totally absent of classical strings (except on the Secret Messages leftover track Endless Lies) and had minimalist album art, missing the customary ELO logo that had appeared on every album since 1976. Lynne re-formed the 7-piece Time tour band (with Martin Smith replacing Groucutt on bass) for a small number of live ELO performances in England and Germany, including the Heartbeat charity concert (organized by Bevan) on March 15 in ELO's home town of Birmingham and ELO's last performance (prior to re-forming) on July 13 in Stuttgart. A hint of Lynne's future was seen when George Harrison appeared onstage during the encore at Heartbeat, joining in the all-star jam of "Johnny B. Goode".
There was no announcement made of ELO's breakup during the next two years, when Harrison's Lynne-produced album Cloud Nine and the pair's follow-up (with Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty) Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 were released to critical acclaim and commercial success. Only when Bevan approached Lynne to make another ELO album in 1988 was it declared that ELO had ceased to exist. In 1990 Bevan's version of the band titled Electric Light Orchestra Part II (see link) released their first self titled album.
Reforming Electric Light Orchestra
Jeff Lynne's comeback with ELO started in 2000 when he started work on a retrospective box set Flashback remastering many tracks, included amongst them were unreleased material and a fresh recording of Xanadu. Also that year Lynne started to write new songs which would appear on the Zoom album in 2001. On completion of the album Lynne reformed the band with completely new members including his girlfriend Rosie Vela and announced that ELO would tour again . Former ELO member Richard Tandy rejoined the band a short time afterwards for two Television live appearances including a VH1 Storytellers and a PBS concert that was released shortly after the planned tour was aborted due to poor ticket sales. Zoom was made after Lynne had collaborated with The Traveling Wilburys and took on a more organic sound, with less emphasis on strings and electronic effects. Guest musicians included former Beatles Ringo Starr and George Harrison. ELO's back catalogue were re released from 2001 to 2006, included amongst the remastered album tracks were unreleased songs and outtakes including a new single Surrender which became a minor hit for the band some thirty years after it was first recorded.
Trivia
- Michael Stipe imitated Jeff Lynne at an REM concert at Madison Square Garden on the Monster Tour. He wore a frizzy wig and sang Evil Woman before the show with Luscious Jackson playing the music.
- In a June 2003 Maxim (magazine) interview, Shania Twain said that she loves ELO.
- TV comedy show My Name Is Earl also used Livin' Thing in 2005 for the episode "Quit Smoking", as well as Hold On Tight in the season one finale and Don't Bring Me Down at the beginning of season two's second episode.
- In July 2006, ELO had an entire two minute segment on VH1's I Love the '70s Volume II in I Love 1974 Volume II, the fifth episode of this series.
- In September 2006, Livin' Thing topped a Q magazine list of uncool tracks it is okay to love and Out of the Blue was 11th among albums.
- ELO's Roll Over Beethoven was featured in September 24, 2006's Family Guy episode.
Electric Light Orchestra band members
- Jeff Lynne - vocals, guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, drums, cello, backing vocals ,producer (1970–1986, 2000-2001)
- Roy Wood - vocals, guitars, bass guitar, cello, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, recorder, producer (1970–1972) - [Founded Wizzard]
- Bev Bevan - drums, backing vocals (1970–1986)
- Richard Tandy - keyboards, bass guitar, guitars (1972–1986, 2001)
- Michael d'Albuquerque - bass guitar, backing vocals (1972–1974)
- Kelly Groucutt - bass guitar, lead vocal, backing vocals (1974–1983)
- Steve Woolam - violin (1971), - [The most elusive member, Played on the debut LP only]
- Wilfred Gibson - violin (1972-1973)
- Mik Kaminski - violin (1973–1979, 1981-1982 time tour,1983,1986 Balance of Power tour)
- Hugh McDowell - cello (1972) - [Joined Wizzard then returned] (1973–1979)
- Mike Edwards - cello (1972–1975)
- Colin Walker - cello (1972–1973)
- Melvyn Gale - cello (1975–1979)
- Bill Hunt - French Horn, Hunting horn (1971–1972), - [Performed on debut LP before Joining Wizzard ]
Guest Musicians
- Andy Craig - cello (1972) , -[Live only]
- Trevor Smith - cello (1972), - [Live only]
- Carl Wayne - vocals (1972) ELO 2 The Lost Planet
- Marc Bolan - guitar (1973) On The Third Day
- Louis Clark - orchestral arrangements (1974—1979, 1983) keyboards (1981—1982, 1986)
- Dave Morgan - guitar, vocoder, backing vocals (1981– 1983, 1986)
- Jake Commander - acoustic guitar, backing vocals (1978) - (Out of the Blue Tour)
- Martin Smith - bass guitar (1986) Balance of Power Tour
- Christian Shnieder - saxophone (1986) Balance of Power (album)
- George Harrison - slide guitar, backing vocals (2001) Zoom (album)
- Ringo Starr - drums (2001) Zoom (album)
- Marc Mann - guitars, keyboards, backing vocals, cello arrangements (2001) Zoom (album) & Tour
- Suzie Katayama - cello (2001) Zoom (album)
- Roger Lebow - cello (2001) Zoom (album)
- Dave Boruff - saxophone (2001) Zoom (album)
- Rosie Vela - backing vocals (2001) Zoom (album) & Tour
- Laura Lynne - backing vocals (2001) Zoom (album)
- Gregg Bissonette - drums, backing vocals (2001) Zoom Tour
- Matt Bissonette - bass guitar, backing vocals (2001) Zoom Tour
- Peggy Baldwin - cello (2001) Zoom Tour
- Sarah O'Brien - cello (2001) Zoom Tour
- Kris Wilkinson - String Arrangements (2001) Zoom (album)
Discography
Studio albums
1. Electric Light Orchestra (UK)/No Answer (US) - 1971 (UK)/1972 (US),
Harvest Records (UK) / United Artists Records; #32 (UK), #196 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts
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2. ELO II - 1973,
Harvest Records (UK) / United Artists Records (US, as "Electric Light Orchestra II" with different cover); #35 (UK), #62 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts
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3. On The Third Day - 1973, Warner Brothers Records (UK) / United Artists Records (US, with different cover); #52 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts
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4. Eldorado, A Symphony - 1974,
Warner Brothers Records (UK) / United Artists Records (US); #16 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts, Gold Record
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5. Face the Music - 1975,
Jet Records (UK) / United Artists Records (US); #8 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts, Gold Record
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6. A New World Record - 1976, Jet Records (UK) / United Artists Records (US); #6 (UK), #5 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts, Platinum record
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7. Out of the Blue - 1977,
Jet Records; #4 (UK), #4 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts, Platinum record
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8. Discovery - 1979,
Jet Records; #1 (UK), #5 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts, Platinum record
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9. Xanadu - 1980,
Jet Records (UK) / MCA Records (US); #2 (UK), #4 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts, Platinum record
(Soundtrack with Olivia Newton-John)
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10. Time - 1981,
Jet Records; #1 (UK), #16 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts, Gold Record
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11. Secret Messages - 1983, Jet Records; #4 (UK), #36 (US) Billboard's Pop Album charts
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12. Balance of Power - 1986, Epic Records (UK) / CBS Associated Records (US); #9 (UK), #49 (US) The Billboard 200
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13. Zoom - 2001,
Epic Records; #34 (UK), #94 (US) The Billboard 200, #14 Billboard Top Internet Albums
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Live albums
- Live at the BBC (1972-1976) UK release
- The BBC Sessions (1972-1973) UK release
- The Night The Light Went On (In Long Beach) (May 12, 1974) import
- Live at Winterland '76 (1998)
- Live at Wembley '78 (1998)
Reissues
- Eldorado, A Symphony (expanded) (2001)
- Discovery (expanded) (2001)
- Time (expanded) (2001)
- Secret Messages (expanded) (2001)
- First Light: The Electric Light Orchestra (first album 2CD expanded) (2001)
- First Light: ELO 2 — The Lost Planet (2CD expanded) (2003)
- No Answer (expanded US version) (2006)
- ELO II (expanded US version) (2006)
- On The Third Day (expanded) (2006) Legacy Recordings
- Face the Music (expanded) (2006) Legacy Recordings
- A New World Record (expanded) (2006) Legacy Recordings
- Out Of The Blue (expanded) (2007)
- Balance Of Power (expanded) (2007)
Compilation albums
- Showdown (1974) UK release, first Harvest Records compilation.
- Olé ELO (1976) US#32 Billboard's Pop Album charts, Gold Record
- The Light Shines On (1977) UK release
- Three Light Years (1978) 3LP UK release
- The Light Shines On Vol 2 (1979) UK release
- ELO's Greatest Hits (1979) UK#7, US#30 Billboard's Pop Album charts, Platinum record
- Four Light Years (1980) 4LP UK release
- A Box of their Best (1980) 4LP US release
- The Best Of ELO (1981) 2LP UK release
- A Perfect World Of Music (1985) UK release
- First Movement (1986) UK release
- The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra (1989) 2LP UK release
- Afterglow (1990) 3CD including previously unreleased songs
- ELO Classics (1990) US release
- Early ELO: 1971-1973 (1991) UK release
- Burning Bright (1992) US release
- ELO's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1992) UK release
- Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra (1995) 2CD US release
- Light Years: The Very Best of the Electric Light Orchestra (1997) 2CD UK release
- Friends and Relatives (1999) 2CD
- Definitive Collection (1999) Dutch release
- World Ballads: Electric Lights Orchestra (1999) Storm Records 17 track Russian import (The spelling of Lights is not a typo).
- Flashback (2000) 3CD including previously unreleased and new songs
- The Ultimate Collection (2001) 2CD UK release, chart #18
- The Essential Electric Light Orchestra (2003) US release
- Early Years (2004) UK release
- All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (2005) UK#6, Gold Record, Billboard European Top 100 Albums
- Harvest Showdown (2005) UK release
- The Harvest Years 1970-1973 (2006) 3CD UK release including Electric Light Orchestra, ELO 2, singles a & b sides, rare session outtakes and the Quadraphonic mix of Electric Light Orchestra
Singles and highest chart positions
| Release Date |
Single |
UK |
US |
Album |
| 1972, July |
10538 Overture |
#9 |
- |
Electric Light Orchestra (UK)/No Answer (US) |
| 1973, January |
Roll Over Beethoven |
#6 |
#42 Billboard Pop Singles |
ELO II |
| 1973 |
Showdown |
#12 |
#53 Billboard Pop Singles |
On The Third Day
(Not on UK LP) |
| 1974, April |
Ma-Ma-Ma Belle |
#22 |
- |
On the Third Day |
| 1974, May |
Daybreaker |
not released |
#87 Billboard Pop Singles |
On the Third Day |
| 1974 |
Day Tripper (live) -Germany, Netherlands |
not released |
not released |
The Night The Light Went On (In Long Beach) |
| 1974, November |
Can't Get It Out Of My Head |
- |
#9 Billboard Pop Singles |
Eldorado, A Symphony |
| 1975 |
Boy Blue |
not released |
- |
Eldorado, A Symphony |
| 1975 |
Poor Boy (The Greenwood) -Netherlands |
not released |
not released |
Eldorado, A Symphony |
| 1976, January |
Evil Woman |
#10 |
#10 Billboard Pop Singles |
Face The Music |
| 1976 |
Nightrider |
- |
not released |
Face The Music |
| 1976, July |
Strange Magic |
#38 |
#14 Billboard Pop Singles |
Face The Music |
| 1976 |
Waterfall -France |
not released |
not released |
Face The Music |
| 1976 |
Showdown (reissue) |
not released |
#59 Billboard Pop Singles |
Olé ELO |
| 1976, November |
Livin' Thing |
#4 |
#13 Billboard Pop Singles |
A New World Record |
| 1977, February |
Rockaria! |
#9 |
not released |
A New World Record |
| 1977 |
Do Ya |
not released |
#24 Billboard Pop Singles |
A New World Record |
| 1977, May |
Telephone Line |
#8 |
#7 Billboard Pop Singles, Gold Record |
A New World Record |
| 1977, October |
Turn To Stone |
#18 |
#13 Billboard Pop Singles |
Out of the Blue |
| 1978, January |
Mr. Blue Sky |
#6 |
#35 Billboard Pop Singles |
Out of the Blue |
| 1978, June |
Wild West Hero |
#6 |
not released |
Out of the Blue |
| 1978, October |
Sweet Talkin' Woman |
#6 |
#17 Billboard Pop Singles |
Out of the Blue |
| 1978 |
It's Over |
not released |
#75 Billboard Pop Singles |
Out of the Blue |
| 1978, December |
ELO EP |
#34 |
not released |
Three Light Years |
| 1979, May |
Shine A Little Love |
#6 |
#8 Billboard Pop Singles |
Discovery |
| 1979, July |
The Diary Of Horace Wimp |
#8 |
not released |
Discovery |
| 1979, September |
Don't Bring Me Down |
#3 |
#4 Billboard Pop Singles, Gold Record |
Discovery |
| 1979 |
Confusion |
not released |
#37 Billboard Pop Singles |
Discovery |
| 1979 |
Last Train to London |
not released |
#39 Billboard Pop Singles |
Discovery |
| 1979, November |
Confusion / Last Train To London |
#8 |
not released |
Discovery |
| 1980, May |
I'm Alive |
#20 |
#16 Billboard Pop Singles, Gold Record |
Xanadu |
| 1980, June |
Xanadu -Feat. Olivia Newton-John |
#1 |
#8 Billboard Pop Singles, #2 Billboard Adult Contemporary |
Xanadu |
| 1980, August |
All Over The World |
#11 |
#13 Billboard Pop Singles |
Xanadu |
| 1980, November |
Don't Walk Away |
#21 |
not released |
Xanadu |
| 1981, August |
Hold On Tight |
#4 |
#10 Billboard Pop Singles, #2 Mainstream Rock Tracks |
Time |
| 1981, October |
Twilight |
#30 |
#38 Billboard Pop Singles |
Time |
| 1981 |
21st Century Man -France |
not released |
not released |
Time |
| 1981 |
Rain Is Falling |
not released |
#101 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles |
Time |
| 1982, January |
Here Is The News / Ticket To The Moon |
#24 |
not released |
Time |
| 1982 |
The Way Life's Meant To Be |
- |
not released |
Time |
| 1983, June |
Rock 'n' Roll Is King |
#13 |
#19 Billboard Pop Singles, #19 Mainstream Rock Tracks, #36 Billboard Adult Contemporary |
Secret Messages |
| 1983 |
Secret Messages |
#48 |
not released |
Secret Messages |
| 1983 |
Four Little Diamonds |
#84 |
#86 Billboard Pop Singles |
Secret Messages |
| 1983 |
Stranger |
not released |
#33 Billboard Adult Contemporary, #105 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles |
Secret Messages |
| 1986, March |
Calling America |
#28 |
#18 The Billboard Hot 100, #20 Billboard Adult Contemporary, #22 Mainstream Rock Tracks |
Balance of Power |
| 1986 |
So Serious |
#77 |
- |
Balance of Power |
| 1986 |
Getting To The Point |
#97 |
not released |
Balance of Power |
| 2001 |
Alright |
not released |
promo only |
Zoom |
| 2001 |
Moment In Paradise -Austria |
not released |
not released |
Zoom |
| 2006 September |
Surrender |
#81 |
Itunes[2] Download |
A New World Record (expanded) |
Today many of those songs are famous in Jive competitions, for example "Rockaria!" and "Rock 'n' Roll Is King".
Videos
- Live at Wembley (1978)
- Discovery (1979)
- Out of the Blue Tour: Live at Wembley/Discovery (1998)
- Zoom Tour Live (2001)
- Inside The Electric Light Orchestra 1970-1973 (2005)
- Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley (remastered) (DVD-2006)
Electric Light Orchestra Part II
In 1988, ELO drummer Bev Bevan approached Jeff Lynne, wanting to do another ELO album. After Lynne declined to participate, Bevan intended to continue the band without him. Lynne objected, and lawyers were soon involved. The legal agreement reached between Lynne and Bevan resulted in ELO disbanding and Bevan forming a new band, initially called Electric Light Orchestra Part Two. Bevan recruited longtime ELO string conductor and co-arranger Louis Clark into his new band, along with Eric Troyer (keyboards and vocals), Pete Haycock (guitar and vocals) and Neil Lockwood (guitar and vocals). ELO Part Two released a self-titled album in 1990 which featured former ELO violinist Mik Kaminski on one track. The album was intended to harken back to ELO's classic sound of the mid-to-late 1970s, but opinion is strongly divided as to whether or not it succeeded. The first tour featured the band performing live with The Moscow Symphony Orchestra, and was well-received in the UK. Approximately two-thirds of the songs performed were ELO hits. The concert in ELO's home town of Birmingham was captured on video and on the live album with the long-winded title Performing ELO's Greatest Hits Live Featuring The Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Kaminski, former ELO cellist Hugh McDowell, and former ELO bassist Kelly Groucutt were part of the live band, with Groucutt sharing lead and backing vocals with Troyer, Haycock and Lockwood. Kaminski and Groucutt were initially appearing as guest artists from another ELO offshoot band they had formed called OrKestra, but eventually they ended their own band and joined ELO Part Two full-time. McDowell's tenure with the band was short, as some personality conflicts emerged and he was let go. Plans to tour the USA with the MSO were cancelled, as costs became prohibitive.
The band continued to tour Germany and the UK in 1992 with Louis Clark playing keyboards to duplicate the strings of the absent orchestra. In 1993, Haycock and Lockwood left the band, and were replaced by guitarist/vocalist Phil Bates, who had been in the band Trickster which were the opening act for ELO's 1978 world tour. An ambitious world tour was undertaken by ELO Part Two in 1993, including dates in the USA and Eastern Europe.
Now a six-piece band with a slightly altered name, Electric Light Orchestra Part II recorded a second studio album, Moment Of Truth, which was released in 1994. The album was not a commercial success, but was generally considered superior to their first album. The band continued its rigorous tour schedule over the following years, sometimes augmenting the core band with a backing orchestra. On these occasions, they took only a small number of string players on the road and added local musicians to the orchestra at each venue to cut down costs. This was one of the features that distinguished ELO Part II from ELO, as the original band never played live with orchestral accompaniment. Another live album with orchestral backing was recorded in Sydney, Australia in 1995 and was released the following year in Germany as a double album One Night, and the year after that in the USA as a single album One Night - Live In Australia. The band sold the master tapes of this album, and it has since been remixed, remastered, and re-released under so many guises that the original CD may prove difficult to acquire.
Bates remained with the band until 1998 and was replaced by Parthenon Huxley (guitar, vocals). As the decade progressed, the percentage of original material in the band's set list tended to decrease, and their concerts often consisted of 90% ELO songs. Bevan started to get frustrated, especially with their inability to break through in the United States, where the band sometimes performed in bars or at festivals where they were not the centre of attention. In November 1999, Bevan played his last show with the band at the Sands Hotel in Atlantic City.
Unlike the original ELO, which were under the creative control of writer/producer Lynne, ELO Part II were often portrayed as more of a democracy, with various band members sharing songwriting and lead vocals. But Bevan was still the leader of the band, and he issued a press release in early 2000 indicating that ELO Part II were disbanded. The remaining members of the band, now including drummer Gordon Townsend, disputed this. But Bevan sold his 50% share of the ELO name and the rights to the ELO Part II name to Lynne, and Lynne, now the full owner of the ELO name, took legal action to prevent the band from continuing to call themselves ELO Part II. They initially tried to call themselves "ELO 2", but they eventually submitted and changed their name to The Orchestra.
In 2001, The Orchestra released an extremely limited number of their CD No Rewind which was produced and released without involvement from a major record label (but was later released in Argentina by Art Music in 2005). The album contains The Orchestra's best known non-ELO song, "Over London Skies", and a cover of "Twist and Shout" which begins in a slow, plaintive minor key with arpeggiated chords before building to the familiar, rocking major progression. The band continues to tour, albeit irregularly, in the United Kingdom, India, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and occasionally the United States.
The Orchestra have been touring in 2006 using the name "Electric Light Orchestra Part II Former Members". Lynne, owner of the names Electric Light Orchestra and Electric Light Orchestra Part II, has sued The Orchestra, claiming copyright infringement. The matter is presently in litigation.
Band members
- Bev Bevan - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1990—1999)
- Eric Troyer - keyboards, vocals, guitar (1990—1999, as "The Orchestra" 2000—)
- Louis Clark - keyboards, orchestra arranger and conductor (1990—1999, as "The Orchestra" 2000—)
- Pete Haycock - guitar, bass guitar, vocals (1990—1993)
- Neil Lockwood - guitar, vocals (1990—1993)
- Kelly Groucutt - bass guitar, vocals (1991—1999, as "The Orchestra" 2000—)
- Mik Kaminski - violin (1990—1999, as "The Orchestra" 2000—)
- Hugh McDowell - cello (1991—1992)
- Phil Bates - guitar, vocals (1993—1998)
- Parthenon Huxley - guitar, vocals (1998—1999, as "The Orchestra" 2000—)
- Gordon Townsend - drums (as "The Orchestra" 2000—)
Discography
- Electric Light Orchestra Part Two (1990) UK#34
- Moment of Truth (1994)
- No Rewind (as "The Orchestra") (2001)
Live Albums
- Performing ELO's Greatest Hits Live Featuring The Moscow Symphony Orchestra (1992)
- One Night (1996) 2CD
- One Night - Live In Australia (1997)
Singles and highest chart positions
| Release Date |
Single |
UK |
US |
Album |
| 1991, March |
Honest Men |
#60 |
- |
Electric Light Orchestra Part Two |
Videos
- Performing ELO's Greatest Hits Live Featuring The Moscow Symphony Orchestra (1992)
- Access All Areas (1997)
Influences
- Chuck Berry
- The Beatles
- Del Shannon
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Roy Orbison
- The Beach Boys
- Classical Music
Similar Artists
- Fleetwood Mac
- The Beatles
- Wizzard
- 10cc
- Paul McCartney
- Queen
- Ringo Starr
- Supertramp
- Ariaphonics
- The Cars
- The Moody Blues
- The Traveling Wilburys
Contemporaries
- A House
- Alan Parsons
- Cheap Trick
- Eddi Reader
- Ringo Starr
- Supertramp
- The Tubes
- Tom Petty
- Utopia
- Yes
External links
- www.elomusic.com
- Legacy Recordings - Electric Light Orchestra
- Legacy Recordings - ELO
- Face The Music - official ELO and related artists information site
- Showdown: ELO Mailing List
- Rockaria.com - fan site with full history and discographies of ELO and the Move
- "Discovery" - ELO & Jeff Lynne site
- ELO Fans.com - discussion for fans of the Electric Light Orchestra
- MusicMoz category for ELO
- Under London Skies - unofficial fanzine for The Orchestra, the band formerly known as ELO Part II
- Light Years Ahead - fan site with the rarest collection of 7" single sleeves on the web
- The Official Mail List for the ELO Appreciation Society
- Unofficial Mailing List for fans of The Electric Light Orchestra
- Serious Discussion Of ELO Unofficial Mailing List
Promo Videos from YouTube
- 10538 Overture
- Roll over Beethoven
- Showdown
- Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
- Can't Get It Out Of My Head
- Evil Woman
- Nightrider
- Strange Magic
- Tightrope
- Livin' Thing
- Rockaria!
- Do Ya
- Telephone Line
- Turn To Stone
- Mr. Blue Sky
- Wild West Hero (Anime)
- Wild West Hero
- Sweet Talkin' Woman
- It's Over
- Shine A Little Love
- The Diary of Horace Wimp
- Don't Bring Me Down
- Confusion
- Last Train To London
- I'm Alive
- All Over The World
- Don't Walk Away
- Hold on Tight
- Twilight
- Here Is The News
- Ticket To The Moon
- Rock n' Roll Is King
- Secret Messages
- Calling America
- So Serious
- Jeff Lynne Video - Promo from Electric Dreams
| Electric Light Orchestra |
Founding members: Jeff Lynne | Roy Wood | Bev Bevan
Other members in Electric Light Orchestra |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Electric Light Orchestra | ELO II | On the Third Day | Eldorado | Face the Music | A New World Record | Out of the Blue | Discovery | Xanadu | Time | Secret Messages | Balance of Power | Zoom |
| Live albums: The Night The Light Went On (In Long Beach) | Live at Winterland '76 |
| Compilation albums: Showdown | Olé ELO | The Light Shines On | The Light Shines On Vol 2 | ELO's Greatest Hits | A Box of their Best | Afterglow | ELO's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | Strange Magic | Flashback | The Essential Electric Light Orchestra | All Over the World |
Categories: Electric Light Orchestra | English musical groups | Supergroups | Music from Birmingham, England | Rock music groups | 1970s music groups |