Out Of The Blue

stage 1: this album is how long? stage 2: okay jeff, we get it. you like the beatles stage 3: this album is HOW long?? stage 4a: the edibles hit stage 4b: the whale stage 5: the lights are off and the sun went down an hour ago stage 666: a c c e p t

Extra AF. Good album with a ton of interesting sounds and ideas. But man, it feels like Pink Floyd got bedazzled and thrown onstage at broadway. Overall enjoyable though, so don't get me wrong. True feelings: 3.6/5

This album feels like driving 65 in a 65 speed limit zone. There is some really fun instrumental stuff in Across the Border. Jungle has got a totally different feel and I dig it, but only kind of. This music just feels like corporate and soulless and sterile to me I guess. There’s no heart here.

Side three of the release is subtitled Concerto for a Rainy Day, a four-track musical suite based on the weather and how it affects mood change, ending with the eventual sunshine and happiness of "Mr. Blue Sky". This was inspired by Lynne's experience while trying to write songs for the album against a torrential downpour of rain outside his Swiss Chalet. "Standin' in the Rain" opens the suite with a haunting keyboard over a recording of real rain, recorded by Jeff Lynne just outside his rented studio. Also heard at the 0:33 mark of the song, which marks the beginning of The Concerto, is thunder crackling in an unusual manner voicing the words "Concerto for a Rainy Day" by the band's keyboardist, Richard Tandy. At around the 1:07 mark, the staccato strings play a morse code spelling out "ELO". The band used the song to open their 1978 World Tour Out of the Blue concerts. "Big Wheels" forms the second part of the suite and continues with the theme of the weather and reflection. Apart from its inclusion on the Out of the Blue album, the song has never appeared on any of the band's compilations or as a B-side until 2000, when Lynne included it on the group's retrospective Flashback album. "Summer and Lightning" is the third song in the suite. The raining weather theme is continued throughout the track though the mood and lyrics are more optimistic. "Mr. Blue Sky", an uplifting, lively song celebrating sunshine, is the finale of "Concerto for a Rainy Day" suite. Again, the Vocoder is used at the end of the track where, at the 4:54 mark, one can hear "Please turn me over" as it fades out. It is the only piece from the Concerto to be excerpted as a single.

I’m sure there were a lot of innovative sonic qualities in this album for ‘77, and in a way I like the orchestra integration, but overall this album just really doesn’t do it for me. Not sure what it is, but it kind of all starts to blend together after a while and not many songs really stuck out for me. Not bad by any means, just nothing overly special. And I know that’s a crime considering Mr. Blue Sky is on this album but 🤷🏼‍♂️

electric light orchestra. I hardly know her.

More like end my life orchestra.

Ahh 1977. I was more into punk than this shite. Spikey hair, ripped jeans and sucking off wheelies in alleyways was my game. ELO can fuck right off.

I love ELO and this album is not an exception! Good rock with various styles, ranging from classic to prog, and some really good instrumental songs.

This will be…interesting. Ha. First off, this album is LONG, over an hour—20 minutes longer give or take than everything else I’ve been fed from this list so far. ELO clearly have a deep and abiding love for pop songcraft but I can’t stand their sound. God so much fucking falsetto. I don’t know anything about ELO but I’m willing to bet this band is mostly the vision of one person—going to check now. I was right! Jeff Lynne. Good for him. Bad for me. It’s taking everything in me to finish this album and I’m three songs in. I bet if I listened to this four times in a row or if I grew up listening to it I would love it. But that is not the case. Every time there’s a verse I like the arrangement gets more complicated and overwrought—Big Wheels being a good example of this. I do think a lot of it is just the big slick production that’s putting me off, it makes it hard to “hear” the songs with so much instrumentation and just Jesus it’s so fucking smooth and even. I also can’t stand the strings. Also listening the Mr Blue Sky for the millionth time (but for the first time on headphones!) makes me never want to listen to music again. God fuck this album. Objectively it’s very well done and blah blah blah but fuck. Fuck this album. Maybe it’s me but I want to kill myself more and more the longer I listen. Seriously. Stone cold garbage. Those stupid strings. Stupid stupid stupid strings. It’s like they got some Ok songs and made a sandwich but then put a big thick layer of mayonnaise on it and so all you taste is mayonnaise. And mayonnaise is fine but. You know. IT HAS ITS PLACE and that place is not in my ears. I seriously might not listen to music for the rest of the day after listening to this album. It’s too long, too coked-out, too ornate, too fucking obnoxious. If it was 2/3 the length my opinion would probably be different. It’s like watching someone masturbate and they just won’t stop. Think they’re done? Nope! Too bad. Jeff Lynne just keeps on wankin’. And wankin’. And wankin’. Anyways. Self-indulgent twaddle. 1/5 for overstaying its welcome.

The first album I ever bought was ELO. This one remains a favourite of mine, despite the decades they spent languishing in the mire of critical scorn. I'm glad they've undergone a minor re-evaluation, because Jeff Lynne owned the purest pop ears since Paul McCartney. The songs here feel liked they're beamed in from a softer, sunnier dimension; and it's a small marvel at just how meticulous some of the arrangements are. Lynne has the sensibility of a jeweller where creating pop is concerned - one of my favourite albums, of any genre, ever

There might be some good songs here but sheeesh they're hard to find under the bright, overwrought production. Like Brian Wilson on steroids, the studio effects just keep coming with little relief in sight. Somewhere under all the orchestral flourishes and choral singers and unnecessary sound effect is some good old fashioned rock songs....I guess. I wish someone had said to him; "Jeff, why don't you take a break?" 2.5 🌟

Perhaps the most enthusiastic ensemble you will hear—a genuine triumph.

Love me some ELO. I remember listening to this album as a kid (thanks to my older siblings who were ELO fans). Those opening notes of Turn to Stone bring back memories and it's still a great song. ELO is one of those bands where I enjoy everything I hear but have never dug deeply into their catalog. Jeff Lynne is awesome and I appreciate him more every time I hear anything he's involved in. Mr. Blue Sky has been played a million times in my house since my kids got into Guardians of the Galaxy, but it never gets old. Stuff like Sweet Talkin' Woman is very 70s, but still great. Favorite non-hits - Jungle (fun track), Believe Me Now, Sweet is the Night. Basically, there isn't a weak moment on the album, which is even more impressive since it's a double album. Great stuff, easy 5.

God I love ELO

Anyone who doesn’t put a 5 deserves death

Catchy, memorable, inventive. One of my all time favourites!

Somehow this is bland mashup of McCartney, Queen, and Pink Floyd. Massively overproduced and twice as long as it needed to be. A couple memorable songs but mostly I just wanted it to end.

Used to spin this on vinyl often over a decade ago. It was a pleasure revisiting an album I haven’t thought about in quite some time. So many delicious melodies. Jeff Lynne bringing fun symphonic pop to the masses. This is prog rock stripped of a lot of the pretensions.

This was the first album I bought and I still love it today. It's 110% full-on from the word go with orchestral rock-n-roll pop-driven tunes and not a quiet introspective moment in 4 sides. Jeff Lynne is a genius for arrangements and tunes and it flows along with a multitude of classical and electronic tricks. I can understand how some people can't stand the whole vibe but it's so hooked into my memories I can't but love it.

Fantastical

Classic double album that seems shorter than its 70 minutes. The suite on Side 3 is perfect.

If you look up the word 'Fun' in the dictionary, you'll be shown a picture of this album cover.

MR. BLUE SKY!!!!!

album so well composed i want it injected in my veins

This album is pure magic. Puts me in a great mood every time.

This is what the Beatles would sound like if they replaced John Lennon with Freddie Mercury (or what Queen would sound like if they replaced Mercury with Lennon)

Jeff Lynne perfected pop

я в нереальном восторге,то самое состояние находишь вещь которая будто всегда была частью тебя я знала только несколько хитов ELO,и невероятно рада что предоставилась возможность послушать этот альбом,теперь он один из моих любимых вообще,обязательно послушаю другие

Great album

Excellent album

“Hey Paul! It’s your cousin Leroy McCartney. You know that new sound you were looking for?!” “Jungle” was a highlight for me

La pochette était intrigante et je n’avais entendu parlé ni du disque, ni du groupe. Ça part fort avec « Turn to Stone », un bon disco entraînant. Rapidement, on fait des parallèles avec Queen , autant dans les harmonies vocales, que dans la voix du chanteur, que dans les orchestrations. Puis on arrive à la 3e chanson « Sweet Tallin’ Woman », avec des arrangements intéressants de cordes et des passages plus électroniques à la Daft Punk. Ensuite, des orchestrations de cuivres et de cordes pincées surprennent dans « Across the Border », et on croit entendre des cloches à vache parmi les guitares électriques et les samplings de sirènes dans « Night in the City ». Et on continue d’être étonné par la difficile à classer « Jungle », à la fois beatlesque, belafontesque et électro-futuriste, avec même un petit intermède de chorale gospel. Les influences des Beatles et de Queen reviennent tout du long, mais avec une sauce éclectique et originale. Disque ambitieux, dense, mais franchement réussi. Très belle découverte pour ceux et celles qui aiment les orchestrations touffues et lourdes.

One of the easiest 5s I could ever give. The singles are so incredible and memorable and catchy it's unreal. As a record, it has a real love and reverence for all genres, leading to its massive planetary scope. Jeff Lynne is absolutely one of the greatest underrated songwriters of the last 100 years. I understand it's nowhere near as cool as the punk that surrounded it in the 70s, but if John Lennon said this is the band the Beatles would become, then I have nothing else to say. 19/08/24

The Disco Beatles. Sorry, I just call ‘em like I see ‘em…

Love ELO! They have such great energy, and they create music that's big and interesting and super fun. Love all the different instrumentation they use and the variety of sounds they create. I've always been a big fan of their hits...Sweet Talkin' Woman is my fave on here, and Mr. Blue Sky was my special song for my late sweet kitty cat. Favorite 'new to me' songs are Summer and Lightning (so freaking good!) and Across the Border, but this is full of other terrific tunes too. A double album delight, and not a song to skip in sight. I had a fabulous time listening, easy 5!

A relentlessly positive album - even where the actual lyrical content may reflect a less than happy subject, it still has the sound of a good day. I’ve never been upset to hear ELO - they have such groovy harmonies layered through every track that it really does sound like some bizarre future orchestra playing a composition. This feels like music made by people who really love making music.

I bought this when it came out, I was 11 and practically wore out the grooves on my blue vinyl copy! Absolute pearl of an album, Jeff Lynne was a pop song writing God! Epic!

I’m gonna tell it straight. I don’t care that this album is over an hour long. I don’t care if the final few tracks were objectively weaker than the rest of the album. I don’t care if some of the songs sound weird. This is the shit. They’re something about this album that just pulverized my g-spot. Nearly every song put me in a high. It isn’t just Mr. Blue Sky. It’s either peak 70’s pop with a touch of disco in the likes of Turn to Stone and Sweet Talkin’ Woman (every time the phrase “slow down” is sung, it sends me places) or slow impactful tunes like Big Wheels and Starlight. It did lose a little steam at the end, but fuck it. Making a hour album not feel like a chore is a fucking achievement is its own right. Thanks in part to the production bringing out the O in ELO and the more unique elements such as the backing vocals and the Electronic elements, this is a double album that could have gone for hours and I would have still loved it. Favorite track: Mr. Blue Sky Favorite track that is not Mr. Blue Sky: Sweet Talkin’ Woman Other hits: Turn to Stone, It’s Over, Night in the City, Starlight, Big Wheels, Sweet is the Night

Of course I knew some ELO songs earlier but listening to the whole album is a whole another experience. Every single song made me say 'wow, this one is great!' so in the end there's none that stands out, because all of them are so extra.

I am myself surprised how it grew on me during the first listening. I love how homogenous and still internally varied this album is. Instruments are magnificent, vocals are great. That is one of the album that makes me still listening 1001.

Y'know what I just love ? Y'know, what I really fancy myself a bit of sometimes? Overproduction. Now that's typically a bad word in talking about music, but for my own money... Oh, goodness, there's just nothing like it. When you take what coulda been normal, average songs and just pump them up with so much until they become larger than life, and then some. That's why I like OUT OF THE BLUE as much as I do. Front-to-back, every song sounds like a grand adventure. Even the shorter or more lowkey ones, it doesn't sound like there could be anything bigger. Like, it hardly matters to me if these songs are "soulless" or if there's way too much cribbed from The Beatles or whatever. The mere fact that for a while there I would put on the third side of the record, "Concerto For A Rainy Day," every time I woke up to find it was raining outside should tell you how much I don't mind either of those things. Besides, it's not like I have a problem with bands wearing their influences on their sleeve; as long as they can still sound unique in spite of that, it's all good. And, well, even acknowledging the fact that Jeff Lynne would go on to produce two Beatles songs 20-some years later, I don't think I'd mistake ELO for another band, y'know? It doesn't even matter to me that this album is as long as it is. It's one of those 60+ minute albums where I feel like it truly justifies its runtime. The songs, to me, are really just that consistently solid and carry the pace so well that it hardly even feels like it's that long. Accepting the "Concerto" as a different, mini-album in the middle of this album helps, too. Honestly, if there's anything I'm down on, it's the fact that I was kinda, like... Extra-tired today when I heard this? Which gets to me, 'coz this is an album I wanted to pay the fullest of attention to. And I feel like I paid enough, don't get me wrong, but... Ehh, I just had this feeling of "tired" behind my eyes ever since I woke up two hours later than I wanted to, I'unno. But that's besides the point, and hardly impacts my enjoyment of this album. For me, it's a full 5. Jus', goodness me, so many great songs and moments. Like, that rapid-fire breakdown in "Turn To Stone"? Goodness me. All the way to the grand closer of "Wild West Hero". Which is actually how I closed my 2023, by the way, after the album had also opened that year. (Huge shout-outs as well to the "PLEASE TURN ME OVER" at the end of "Mr. Blue Sky". I've always loved that. Really, the whole outro of that song... Goodness.) Now, I'll be 100 and admit that it's not actually an album I've put on too often. Like, outside of the "Concerto," I think I've only played this album in full four times (contrat with the **53 times** I've played the "Concerto"). If there's any commitment I wanna make after this review, though, it's to listen to this album way more. It really, truly deserves it. It's a masterwork of 70's overproduced pop — which, yeah, is absolutely not for everyone. But if no one else, it's for me. Jus'... Goodness. I don't even know what else to say. Go listen to "Mr. Blue Sky" — I mean, chances are you already have, but go listen to it again. You hear how happy it is? That's me when I play this album. Nothing but clear, blue skies and sunshine as far as the eye can see.

I don't even need to relisten to this to know that I'm giving it 5.5 if that were possible, but I will anyway because ELO is one of my top 5 bands of all time and deserve even more praise than they have already. But getting back on topic, this album just has so many essential tracks in their discography that it's almost absurd, alongside deeper cuts that could have been hits if they were released. Turn To Stone. Sweet Talkin' Woman. Night In The City. And don't even get me started on how absolutely magnificent the Concerto For A Rainy Day is. It starts strong, keeps up with the usual excellent orchestral work, and just becomes basically perfect when the one ELO song everyone's heard comes on. Mr. Blue Sky is just perfection, front to back. And again, this is a 5.5 star album, maybe even a 6 if I'm in the right mood for it.

That’s obviously a 5. This is my first time listening to this album in full – obviously, I know Mr. Blue Sky, but that’s about it, really. My experience with ELO as a whole is super minimal – maybe an occasional thing heard on the radio, but the big thing, other than Mr. Blue Sky, is reading once that John Lennon reportedly said the Beatles, had they stayed together, would’ve likely sounded like ELO. That sentiment rings pretty damn true here: this feels like a Beatles album, in a very good way. Perhaps there’s a bit more bombast and synth, but in terms of the overall compositions, vocal styles, and just the underlining intangibles… yeah, this feels like where they all could’ve gone. Admittedly, I’m not quite sure how to describe my overall thoughts here – I think this is just fantastic across the board, from top to bottom, but I wonder how much of it is simply a factor getting really into the zone with this general style. This clicked extremely well with me; just about everything I like in this album can be traced back to every style present in the genre around this time. There’s some jukebox U.S. rock influence ala Boston or Kansas, there’s obviously the Beatles, there’s occasionally a dip into some Zeppelin/Stones style stuff, the piano feels sort of Elton John-esque at times, and the synth/vocoder work blends in part of what was making disco, pop, and R&B work incredibly well at the time. I do wish there were a few more chances to have me, as the listener, breathe a bit within the songs themselves, as some of these go at a breakneck speed without much of a pause, but I kinda love the rollercoaster feel. It’s an album that feels tailor-made to me, which makes it all the more baffling that I’ve never really interacted with it until now. It also makes it sort of baffling that, once the experience of the album wore off, it almost felt like the cracks started to pop up, oddly enough. Again, this is a great album, it’s easily deserving of a 5, and I loved everything here, but… I couldn’t help but get a lingering sense that maybe, just maybe, the album’s bombast overstays its welcome and creates just a bit of a homogeneity that stops some of the tracks at an individual level from feeling as memorable. That is to say, I kind of found it hard to remember why I was super into stuff like Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Across the Border, Night in the City, etc – those feel incredible in the moment, and they work cohesively and brilliantly within the album, but until I went back to listen to them again, I couldn’t really place why I had liked them after I was done listening to the album. Perhaps it’s just a “first time listening” thing. Ultimately, though, this is just too damn good to let little cracks or perceived imperfections get in the way of what this is, at its core: 70 minutes of blistering rock, that maybe sometimes goes a little too fast for its own good, but it more than makes up for it with the orchestral instrumentation, the huge variety of influences, and a very distinct style that clicks extremely well with my tastes. Someone else can write about the nitty gritty of the compositions and really break down why this has all those intangibles that just work, but for my ears, good music is good music, and this is fantastic music. It’s an absolute highlight of the 1970s, and a crime that I haven’t heard it until now. Very, very easy 5.

one of the best

Love me some ELO! And Mr. Blue Sky is one of the happiest songs ever written. :)

Nobody sounds like ELO! All of these songs are so infused with life and charm. The hits are HITS and the rest of the stuff is all good fun. Shoutout to Wild West Hero. Unsung classic

A really fun ride, filled with unexpected chords progressions and sumptuous orchestrations. Loved it!

When the day is done and there's nowhere to run And the people of the city have all lost and won In your city dress you stand and stare And you smoke another cigarette and comb your hair And the light that shines Paints a trace of sadness On the street I wait But I can't seem to get to you. Well, you start to sway check your Cartier Cause it's getting late you can't afford to wait So you move along where it's going on And the people of the night are playing 'til the dawn And the sun that shines Paints a trace of sadness In your eyes that cry Wishing and hoping Oh Sweet, sweet is the night Now you are near Dark dark were the days They disappear Sweet sweet is the night Now you are near Yeah, this album is pretty fucking great. 5/5

Holy shit was this album great. I don't know if there was a bad song on it. I've only heard the ELO hits before and wow I need to keep deep diving. I'm blown away. The Whale was probably my least favorite track, but it wasn't bad at all Favorite songs: Mr. Blue Sky (obv), Across the Border, Sweet is the Night, Wild West Hero, Night in the City

Sooo many good tracks on this album.

brilliant.

Just a masterpiece.

Gonna listen more. Every song felt like an anthem. I love Jeff lynne

Loved every minute of it.

Great sound and songs.

Mr. Blue Sky es una de mis canciones favoritas desde hace unos años y sin embargo, nunca la había escuchado en el contexto de su disco original, y me encantó ahora oírla como parte de una cosa conceptual que está justo en medio del Rock y la sobreproducción del Disco que empezaba en esa época. Muy buenos solos de guitarra, sintetizadores, motivos que se repiten pero utilizados sutilmente, creo que el disco tiene de todo. Perfecta la coincidencia que, después de Blue de Joni Mitchel siguiera Out of the Blue.

Mr Blue Skyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

If I was a teen when this was released I have no doubt that I’d have been obsessed with it. The songs are poppy and sound BIG…almost too big because after a while they all sound the same The production still sounds epic. I once read a quote from John Lennon stating that had the Beatles not broken up, they would have ended up sounding just like ELO. I can hear that. Lots to love here even if some of these songs are over played on classic rock radio.

Just enjoyable and very post-Beatles-pre-Queen-ish? Would be more appropriate if this is released in1967 rather than 1977, but sure it does give that 70s prog pop; symphonic rock vibe. Very smooth to the ear, it's the kind of music I can listen to all day but not every day (gets dull if you listen too much). It's an overall enjoyable journey listening to this album. The little keys are very cute, I love them. An outstanding music album, deserve a decent 4/5.

unsurprisingly enjoyed!! perhaps a bit too long but I would listen again - jungle, across the border and obvs mr blue sky as highlights 8 out of 10

would give 3.5 if I could, it’s a pleasant listen that overstays it’s welcome just a little bit so i’ll be nice and round up. can definitely tell they like the beatles but who doesn’t ? also shoutout to jeff lynne for being part of the legendary prince “while my guitar gently weeps” rock HOF performance

This is incredibly cheesy but you'd have to either be a miserable bastard or a desperate try hard to not enjoy it.

Amazing space/rock opera. 4/5

Alright, chipper but a bit too Beatles’-sounding

Rocking prog rock classic. Tasty jams that everybody loves.

cool rock and synthy fun. I've never heard of ELO before but I enjoyed this quite a bit. Sweet Talkin' Woman got me hooked. also unrelated to the music, I absolutely love the cover art, weird 70's sci fi does it for me. great energy throughout, it gets a little too bombastic here and there but man was this fun.

So many songs, but so many highlights. I really enjoyed this one. It was a strange mix of prog and pop that works incredibly well. Great arrangements. Key tracks: Turn to Stone It's Over Sweet Talkin' Woman Mr. Blue Sky

Great prog pop. As usual, a double album could probably be an even better single album but there is something about it being too long that is appropriate to the genre. Several tracks such as "Stepping Out" would be at home on an alternate universe Let It Be album - down to the overblown arrangement.

Much as a philosopher proposed for Jonathan Richman on this here website, Jeff Lynne looked at The Beatles and said "I can do that"; from time-to-time, he would succeed. You might think I am an ELO's Greatest Hits kinda guy, and you would be correct (apart from Discovery, which I love for nostalgic reasons). This one is too much and too long (often both at once), but when it gets it right it hits hard. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Mr Blue Sky" are always a pleasure, and kudos also for inventing Daft Punk. I'm too old for double albums that are not particularly varied throughout, but I probably would have loved this if I discovered it 35 years ago. I'll be kind

perfectly fine, for the most part, with some high highs and lovingly gooey hyper-intricate synthetic production. easy to space out to. (delightful jump-scare when the loop from the william maranci "Subterranean Homesick Blues" mashup showed up as the second half of "Summer and Lightning")

Like I wouldn't be mad if someone played this in an elevator.

This was a double disappointment as when the name and cover turned up, as my perma-daze simultaneously translated this into Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds soundtrack - which may be terrible, but I haven’t heard since I loved it as a pre-teen - and OMD, of whom I’ve heard enough to know I want to hear much more when I can be bothered to. Listened to this at work, started it with my first coffee of the day, finished it three more coffees later with a blazing caffeine hangover. Work wasn’t hard, sun’s been shining, I have had relatively fine sleep, so I can only blame this record, which confounds me by being both lovable and tedious. I understand the Beatles’ debt, but they are a frictionless version, too cuddly, slightly pantomime, and don’t have enough choruses with bite. Here’s a tip: I gave up a second playthrough to listen to Miles Davis’s “A Tribute to Jack Johnson”, which shreds. Maybe listen to that instead.

Not bad per se, but hasn't aged well and annoys me

I knew some of the singles and j remember my parents having some ELO albums when I was a kid (those futuristic space jukebox albums covers really stuck in my mind). This was an incredible listen. I’m more familiar with Jeff Lynne’s work with the Traveling Wilburys, but I’ve really been won over by the whole ELO sound. It sounds like music from the future without being hammy. I can feel the influence this band has had over so many modern musicians, and I can’t imagine how wild this would have sounded when it released. I listened to it 3 times yesterday, an easy 5 star for me.

i haven't been able to find a good source for John Lennon saying that Electric Light Orchestra were the "sons of the Beatles", but if they were in any way Beatlesque, they clearly didn't come from any member's loins but Paul's. of course, this discounts their admiration for the Beach Boys, the Kinks, a little glam rock, and a jumble of soul references put through a symphonic filter and let loose with all the colors of the rainbow. basically, they took all the influences they could carry, glued it together, and put it on the wall. however, unlike a lot of collages, it doesn't feel piecemeal or abstract; rather, it feels like Jeff Lynne made something wholly new from chopped up reference. it's only when you get closer when you start to notice all the little bits the songs are made of -- and Lynne knows it. in "Across the Border", he's clearly biting from Heroes and Villains, but then puts a little twist in it with the second half, denying the audience the ability to call it a rip wholesale and lets us in on the joke. "Mr. Blue Sky" offers a very McCartney-like radio announcer to bring us into the song before hitting us with the piano break from A Day in the Life to start us off. and on "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Starlight", you can just make out half the Motown roster through the violins and vocoders. still, there's something brazenly original to how ELO does things. the melodies hold so much more sentimentality to me, maybe a bit corny, but also sweet and lush. maybe the back up singers are just that powerful of an instrument, a cue for your heart to put value into the interplay of the chorus and the leading man. there's a few failed experiments like "Jungle" and "Birmingham Blues", but there's more experiments that went completely right like, well, the entirety of "Concerto for a Rainy Day". that C-side feels less like any sort of musical thing and more like a substance, golden and ambrosia-like in consistency. there's something about this damn band, man. phenomenal stuff. ELO rocks.

Really liked it, made me feel nostalgic, enthusiastic, happy.

this is the type of album i needed to hear today. “turn to stone” was such a fun song. the instrumentals on this album are majestic. especially on “across the border”. every song is just SO CUTE!! “birmingham blues” def sampled rhapsody in blue (good thing). can you tell i liked the instrumentals? yeah probably a 5/5. really great.

What an epic experience. Loved it.

One of the first questions when I see a double album is would this be better if they trimmed it down to make one amazing record? In this case, I don’t think so. I don’t think you could lose a single song from the concerto for a rainy day and that’s a whole side right there. I do think we suffer a little from streaming this rather than having the physical album to help define how each side of this album fits together. The first side kicks off with like 5 bangers in a row. Turn to stone tells you everything you need to know about what you’re in for - orchestral strings mixed with rock n roll, an electric light orchestra if you will. I love the horns in across the border and the almost doo-wop sweet talking woman before it. Side two is a little more varied in sound, but still unmistakably ELO. A little disco here, little soft rock here, whatever Jungle is too. I think this side adds great variety and is where I’m going to continue to find some of my favorite deep cuts from this record. Now if we had the physical vinyl of this we’d have a short break while changing the record before we hit what might be there MO - the concerto for a rainy day. I need this on vinyl because I could wake up and just listen to these next 4 tracks and they make a great little unit within the overall record. Out this batch I have to say Mr. Blue Sky is still my favorite, and is one of the best songs from the 70s overall imo, but Summer and Lightning was new to me and is a close second. By side 4 we’ve listened to a lot of ELO but they aren’t out of ideas yet, sweet is the night is so soothing, even with its melancholic, yet hopeful lyrics. We do get what might be the only cuts from the album I’d make here with the whale and Birmingham blues but even then I don’t mind these. Wild West hero is kinda funny, wants to be a little cowboy on the prairie roaming around - I like it. Yes I felt the need to go through each side because I get the ELO fatigue that can happen on this record but it’s such a landmark of the 70s rocksphere that I think it deserves it. I haven’t even mentioned the vocoder yet, but yeah it’s there and it’s great. And look at that giant spaceship on the cover - was that just a 70s thing? I’m into it. There’s only a couple of other double albums that I think match this - London Calling being one of them, can’t wait for that one and Songs in the Key of Life as well. Anyway my review is now the length of this ELO album. 5/5

Love. Their best. Happy joyful memories come back.

No skips

Love ELO they just make you feel good

Good albumliked the groove

A+ on the inclusion of those mariachi players on Across the Border. The Whale feels like they were trying to channel some Pink Floyd from the Dark Side of the Moon era.

Back to back 1977, and back to back 10 outta 10 albums (this and Muddy Waters Hard Again). From Blues legend to Blue sky. Class.

Could not Stream it.

Might sound like it's from the 60s, but I love this. Each side has something to offer.

Easiest 5 stars for me. I have this album. It has no weak songs, in my opinion. Most of the songs are catchy as hell. I love the orchestration. The backing vocals are so charming! It even has my favourite ELO song: Wild West Hero

Fantastic!

Album #400!!!! I see why they named themselves Electric Light Orchestra because this album sounds like a score. Carefully crafted and everything was placed meticulously in the perfect place. This is what I imagine being in a good mood while on a walk during a sunny day sounds like. Which perhaps is the reason why they named this project Out of the Blue. Classic album with classic records, I love when this project gives me back to back classics!

I feel like they should have put "It's Over" first so that it could all just be over before it begins and the album can get on with it. But srsly... great album! Creative songwriting, great instrumentation, great melodies and vocals (love the harmonies). I listened to this 4 times and I like it more with every listen!

very fun! almost all of it I would listen to again

Marvellous.

This album is a work of art! All the songs are true epics, everything sounds incredibly grand! I enjoy listening to this album every time I vaguely forget how mind-blowing music can be! 5 stars of course.

Iconic album

Okay, I genuinely don’t understand why people are hating this one. Sure, it’s extra as hell and it’s a little long, but it’s SO FUN. I’m surprised ELO doesn’t have a rock opera. It feels like they’re begging for it. And I would listen to the shit out of it.

I love this album and ELO! Favorite songs are Sweet Talking Woman and Mr Blue Skym

ELO isn’t prog rock. It’s Prog Pop.

I'll call this a 4.5 rounded up. It's a bit long and I imagine several songs come across as repetitive, seeing as, dynamic as they are, ELO has a bit of a signature, consistent sound. However, the album is still jam packed with hits.