Out Of The Blue

If the cheesiest tunes of The Beatles had a sweaty menage a trois with the teethy bearded Bee Gees and the Svedish ABBA, this corny stuff would be the result.

Nice! I had no ideia mr. blue sky's going to be in it.

ELO!

Interesting album, wasn’t great, wasn’t bad. Interesting early synth operatic pop.

Too long and over indulgent. I have also enjoyed ELO but this could have been a solid 40 min album. 3/5

pleasantly something

70 minutes is much too much of this glittery, schizophrenic music.

Classic 70s!

Only listened to a few songs. Cool but not my thing.

Mr blue sky carries this

The opener is fantastic and obviously Mr Blue Sky is a gem. Other than that, there are great moments throughout the album and some lovely recurring melodies and themes, but nothing strong enough to justify the mega runtime

It was ok too long but I could definitely see its appeal at the time it was released.

It’s alright, kinda felt too long. I’ll prolly come back to this again tho, it seems like something I'd prolly enjoy after another listen or two. Songs that stood out to me, mr blue sky, sweet talkin woman, night in the city, Wild West Hero.

C'est très joli, très innovant, foisonnant, débordant d'orchestrations diverses. Mais. Toutes les chansons font bien 1 à 2 minutes de trop, l'album sur plus d'une heure, ressenti beaucoup plus. En fond musical une fois de temps en temps... C'est très joli mais légèrement écoeurant au bout d'un moment

3.5

Absolutely wild. Symphonic space rock that has all the highs and lows of a broadway musical. If Queen, David Bowie, and Mozart walked into a retro-futuristic milk bar on the moon.

Även om den där falsettkören som upprepar sista ordet i varje mening (SEARCHIN') kommer lite för ofta, och är lätt att störa sig på, ett jävla bra album. Generellt mönster är att verserna är lite för poppiga och tråkiga, men sedan golvas man av en fet, melodiös, melankolisk refräng. Då låtarna byter karaktär rätt ofta har även många dåliga låtar något bra i sig, t.ex. 'Across the Border', en rätt tråkig låt som i några korta ögonblick blixtrar till när precis rätt ackordföljd når trumhinnan. 'Jungle' är rätt kul, CHOOKA CHOOKA HOO LA LEY. Albumet är också för långt. Inget fel på dubbelalbum i sig, men låtföljden från 'Night in the City' till 'Standin' in the Rain' är inte så mycket att ha (förutom 'Jungle'). 'Sweet Talkin' Woman' bättre än 'Mr. Blue Sky', som också är bra, men överskattad?? Bästa låt: Turn to Stone.

There is a phenomenon about character actors where you have seen a given actor so often that you start to recognize them by face and maybe even develop an affection for them, but you don't know their name; someone once called this phenomenon "Hey, it's THAT guy!" For me several of the songs in here have been the auditory equivalent - "Hey, it's THAT song!"

Nice sound but not the kind of thing I'll revisit much and it's a bit long.

I enjoy ELO but can we just get rid of double albums entirely?

Heel typische muziek. Maar erg gevarieerd is het toch niet.

Reminds me of Lemon Demon Upbeat Alternative Basic pop album+distortion Not my cup of tea

dont dig the sound tooo much but pretty chill

I just really don't exactly know what to do with ELO. I've listened to this album a couple of times again (I already knew it from my parents' record player) Jeff Lynne is clearly insanely talented and a great songwriter, but the orchestration an overload of sound takes away from the talent. I liked LP2 of this double LP a lot better than LP 1 though.

Simpatica 'Turn to stone'. In generale sono tutte molto allegre però si perde un po' in tutta la sua lunghezza

eh

Lush orchestration. Interesting songs. I’m not familiar with the band but they sound like they influenced or were influenced by artists I’m familiar with like The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Queen, and Radiohead. Will give this another spin in the future for sure. Amazing high quality singing and playing.

Great album, Nice melodies as expected with ELO. Couple of awesome tracks. Nice and easy listening

Not sure I could pick this out of a late 70s libe up

Nice album, A bit too much Electric for me but I love the vocals and how eccentric they were for the day.

3.25. Vibey w/ nice synths but a bit to 80s even if it was 70s.

Deze heb ik op lo

ELO bleek zo slecht nog niet, melodieus en vermakelijk, maar helaas toch ook weer niet echt een blijvertje.

Alleraardigst! Zelfs Bijna vier sterren.

classsiiiccc rooooccccccccc….. elo elo elo. mr sunshiiiinnneeeee. rock rock rock.

Very of its time, but like, it's not hurting anyone! Can see it as background music in a movie/playing quietly on a summer day.

Good stuff individual, but quite repetitive overall, then each song is better than the whole album

They have a unique sound. But this album could use some trimming.

I'm in two minds about this one. This here is an important record from one of the favorite bands of Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, and given that I'm quite a big fan of him, this plays a part in my assessment. The influence ELO had on Lytle is pretty obvious--to a certain extent, Grandaddy could be considered as a lo-fi (and as far as I'm concerned, more charming and moving) version of that older band from the seventies. So, even with the tons of cheese involved, Jeff Lynne gets my sympathy here, just for having inspired one of my musical heroes... That being said, said tons of cheese are a little hard to swallow sometimes, especially on a double-album like this. Lynne has never hidden that Paul McCartney is his *own* huge influence, but it speaks volumes that Macca himself sounds like a hard-rocker compared to his "disciple" and his long succession of ditties and other novelty-like grand pieces. Sophisticated chord changes and rococo arrangements involving strings and synths can be fine in the right hands. But you also need *some* form of rock energy to make them palatable, and honestly, that sort of energy is pretty lackluster in most of those tracks. So I guess I can easily put myself in the shoes of 1977 punks, who hated Electric Light Orchestra for quite obvious reasons, and just like them, roll my eyes at all this... Interestingly, it seems that even *some* ELO fans are having second thoughts about this particular album and its commercial success. A lot of them actually prefer the normal-length *A New World Record*, out the year before, for instance. And checking out that other (*tighter* and most of all, far *better*) LP, I can concur. Too many of the tracks on *Out Of The Blue* sound secondary, flat or average compared to their counterparts on that previous record. Admittedly, *Out Of The Blue* has *one* undeniable redeeming feature: it's the presence of the all-time great "Mr. Blue Sky" in it (plus the extravagant and off-kilter "weather suite" that song is a part of, taking up the whole third side here). But to be honest, it's as if I wished that track and the suite were part of *A New World Record* to make the latter the fully essential release it deserves to be... PS: By the way, I've checked, and Grandaddy is conspicuously absent from Dimery's list. Now that's one of the most criminal mistakes this 1001 albums book has ever made (especially when you realize Lambchop's extremely bland *Nixon* has been included instead--to stay within the confines of that sort of sound and in the early-naughts era). Somebody needs to fix this a.s.a.p. Number of albums left to review: 735 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 131 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 65 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 70 (including this one)

Helt kiva, lite för mycket

Jeff Lynne writes consistently solid pop tunes. A lot of them. I was pleased with them. Strong 3/5

Tunnustan: en oo koskaan kuunnellut ELO:a. Mutta tota tota tää on ihan jees! Kivasti tossa taustalla toimii. 3/5

Felt quite Pink Floyd in parts. Certainly not what I was expecting.

I genuinely enjoyed this album. I found the songs fun and some of them even catchy. The arrangements were definitely cool and often unique. However, I can't get over how much this band seems to try to sound like other bands that obviously influence it. Of course, the first that comes to mind is the Beatles. Go ahead and listen to "Day in the Life" and then "Mr. Blue Sky". Both are great songs, but it's no question how much Mr. Blue Sky sounds like something that's trying to mimic Sgt. Pepper's. There's also some clear Queen influence and potentially more classic rock outfits like Boston, although that's probably a coincidence since their album came out just one year prior, likely when Out of the Blue was being written. Overall it reminds me of one of my favorite bands from the 2000s: Dr. Dog. They have some great, punchy, catchy tunes, but they sound like they are trying to be an alt-rock Beatles band of a new era. There's nothing original about the sound even if it is enjoyable. I felt the same way about ELO, and though it's likely I'll return to this album again, it's going to sit at a solid 3 for me to just being a sound I've heard all too often before.

easy listening cruising vibes, with one legendary song. like Random Access Memories, early Beatles, and a marketing team did a big collab. with a stronger 2nd half, this didn't really need to be a double album.

Un album jouissif, exagéré mais entraînant. Un vrai plaisir de ré-entendre certaines pièces, surtout Mr. Blue Sky.

This is my first dive into ELO except for the greatest hits. I guess there is such a thing as progressive soft rock? It's difficult to actively dislike this ear-pleasing double album and Jeff Lynne sure knows how to write a catchy tune. That being said, many of the tracks blur together and as cool as the retro-futuristic soundscapes are, they do become a bit repetitive and tiring during the 1+ hour runtime. 'Wild West Hero' is a great closing track though.

“Turn To Stone” is a great opener and “Across the Border” is a fun closing bit but im not terribly invested in side 1 as a whole. Right out of the gate “Night in the city” makes it feel like there’s more on the line on side 2. It’s more progressive (as progressive as soft rock ever gets) and more experimental on whole. Everything comes together on the excellent side 3, perfectly titled “Concerto For a Rainy Day” and “Mr. Blue Sky” is the culmination of everything Lynne tries to do with ELO. In the end everything becomes a bit repetitive with a runtime of more than an hour, but there’s nothing I actively dislike on this record as well. A shorter runtime and this might have gotten an extra star!

All light, no shade. Mr Blue Sky a genuine all timer, but too many songs have the same tempo, structure and instrumentation. An extra star cos I love Jeff Lynne.

Standard 70s classic rock. A few good songs and the rest just ok.

A whole album of "pretty good", which is impressive as a double album, but it too rarely peaked into great to make this something I'd return to often. Very pleasant, very fun, and happy to have the songs come up on shuffle. Just not an album that I'd take for the "album" experience.

I would say enjoyable, and not much else.

Queen??

I thought I loved this album but it turns out I loved 3 songs from this album: Mr Blue Sky, Sweet Talkin' Woman and Turn to Stone. The rest of album felt a bit unsure of itself - not knowing what it wanted to be and excessively schmaltzy.

Good kinda futurist fun times . Too long couldn't finish . It seem like each took you on an another journey.

I love their sound. Violins and guitars! Some great songs: Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin' Woman, Mr. Blue Sky. Others: Across the Border, Wild West Hero 3.5/5

Not really my vibe but if i was a producer great opportunities for sampling with songs like “Night in the City” & Starlight.

Had some good moments but I wouldn't listen to it again. Turn to stone and Mr blue sky are bona fide classics, some of the instrumental songs are nice as well. Overall though, not my kind of thing.

Melodieus, lekker 70s.

Aah*sigh*. I've given this album a number of chances and really do want to like it but I can't fully enjoy it. It's jist too much disco. There are nonetheless a couple of really strong tracks on here that I like to listen to. Mr blue sky and sweet is the night are two great tracks that runs into each other very nice. It opens strong with turn to stone and I do like stepping out and big wheels too.

honestly that one kinda is a banger, would be 3.5 Moving, not being productive at work, weird vibes!

Fun, pop rock, classic 70s English album. Wears it's influences on it sleeves. Easy listening. Instruments performed well, especially the piano.

great

Tracks 1, 3, and 13 slap hard, the rest is ok.

The second half was way better than the first half. It’s like ELO made a stasium rock album before anyone knew what the fuck stadium rock was.

Heard it before?: No, although I have heard ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ Enjoy it?: Definitely, it’s so uplifting and full of energy Favourite song: Track 3 - ‘Sweet Talkin’ Woman’

Too much, but mostly good

Queen Style. Pas mal. Pas révolutionnaire

The album was a little long and didn't need to be over an hour long. A couple of the songs were recognizable. Mr. Blue Sky was the that I was most familiar with. The music for the most part isn't bad and definitely matching the sound lf other pop 70s music. It is probably a little better than a 3 but not really a 4.

Not super memorable

I like some of this, but it all gets a bit samey and sounds much more dated than a lot of older stuff.

Distinctly average. Never saw the great fuss over this band and album.

In the early 70’s ELO was one of my favourite bands, and I must say they were the gateway to Classical music for me. Their first few albums were truly innovative - ELO, ELO 2, Eldorado, and especially Face The Music with Evil Woman, Strange Magic and my all time fav ELO song - Fire On High. Unfortunately they peaked with that album and became spectacularly popular and began putting out dreck like Out Of The Blue. This album is only saved by Mr Blue Sky.

Super good songs here, a lot of it sounds similar, but that's a small complaint for a really good sound. 3.5/5

Was a pretty easy album to listen to. I wasn’t blown away by it.

Some good tracks on here but dragged on a bit.

1 killer, lots of filler

Exactly as I'd expect. Strings, keyboards, pop vocals. Solid double.

One new song, interesting vibe but not particularly enthralling

Mr Blue Sky is one of my all time favourite songs, and although the rest of the album doesn't land quite as strongly as that one tune, it's a great listen that they clearly put their all into.

pretty dense textured sound. side 3 is incredible. overall it runs a little long but there's some pretty good stuff here.

First band I fell in love with. This is also the first album I bought. Its cheesy and a bit over produced. It also has great tune and a bagful of singles including Mr Blue Sky which seems to never age. Its got the usual strings and Lynne's falsetto layered backing vocals. Tempted to give it a 4. Nah.

A little soft rock bland in places, but it certainly has its moments

Never listened this album before. Enjoyed when young ELO Discovery Album (last train to London).

That Jeff Lynne sure does love to fill up the sonic space, doesn’t he?

I gave this 3 stars just because of Mr Blue Sky and Sweet talkin' woman. All the rest is acceptable filler.

ELO's 7th studio album and a double one at that. I guess I've always been neutral about ELO. I appreciated some of their pop songs but never bought a full album. But, I do have the killer purple 45" vinyl of "Sweet Talkin Woman," which is on this album. Also, if there was a deathmatch for spaceship album covers, this would definitely knockout Boston's self-titled debut album. And, for some reason, I have a strange desire to play the electronic Simon game looking at the cover???? As far as music? Very much highly produced. I can't think of a good band comparison using the mixing and blending of orchestra and rock that ELO/Jeff Lynne does (The Beatles? Queen? sort of but not to this level). I suppose this can annoy some people and a whole album of this kind of music annoyed me at times. It doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate the achievement. The popular songs "Turn to Stone", "Sweet Talkin' Woman," "Mr. Blue Sky," and "Wild West West" still sound very good. I also found the whole third side, "Concerto for a Rainy Day," which is four songs inspired by a rainstorm interesting if not necssary. But, then again, this whole album is kind of over-the-top and was a huge success so.... This was a good album listen for the hits but can be a struggle at times especially if you are not a fan of the "ELO" type of music. And since I'm ELO-neutral, I kind of fell in the middle.

I thought I would love this album but outside of four or five songs I thought it was pretty mediocre.

These songs maybe be well produced, and Jeff Lynne may occasionally be a genius, but this is still wuss rock. 3 stars

Mr. Blue Sky the most known song of the album. Was alright, didn't care for most of it. 6/10.

It was a very expansive record, ELO takes us on a journey through space and time with the mix of orchestral sounds and experimental electronica. Perhaps it might take a few more listens to really get a feel for it, but it didn't grab me as much as the iconic album cover. Best: Starlight Worst: Mr. Blue Sky

Mr Bluesky is awesome, the rest of it is just ok

Turn to stone Mr blue sky Sweet is the night Album sympa! pas leur meilleur, belle couverture, Groupe unique

3.6 + Many of the regrettable 1970s music tropes are represented on this record: long prog-rocky intros, liberal use of disco string fills, falsetto Bee-Gees-style vocal harmonies, synthesized boogie-woogie blues... Sometimes the excess works, sometimes it doesn't. Much of the success of each song depends on the quality of the underlying song itself. If you strip all of the "studio magic" and unbare each song - just an instrument and single voice - what do you get? I'd guess that songs like "Mr. Blue Sky" and "Big Wheels" still sound amazing, and songs like "It's Over" and "Sweet Talkin' Woman" would show themselves to be the turds they are. This album is long and relentless. It gives me a headache to listen to start-to-finish. Still, I like it for a few brilliant songs. And I admire their dogged determination in trying to make me feel happy - all that effort sounds tiresome to my ears but I can't hate them for trying.

It's quite bloated but it's not terrible.

Semi interesting, but can't say I'm ever going to double back to this one...

Lots of good songs but dang! It’s long!

Not their best

loving the vibes

Just like smelling gma’s cookies. Childhood memories.

Only a couple of songs that still hold. I was not a big fan of this record when it came out.

Notes: Not a big fan. It's not a bad album, but I've never said to myself "this is just to much falsetto" this many times.

Other than 'Mr Blue Sky' I'm really unfamiliar with ELO but this was a bop. Just energetic and fun throughout, a good time if not mind blowing.

Best Song: Night in the City. Wonderfully layered and uplifted vocals. Almost ruined by the brief cowbell interlude. Worst Song: Jungle. Much too droning and repetitive of a rhythm, especially balanced against the rest of the album. Overall: Very theatrical feel. Fits nice in the background, but there are too many slow moments and extended transitions to enjoy a really focused listen.

Favourite Tracks: Turn to Stone, Jungle, Sweet is the Night, Mr Blue Sky, Wild West Hero I think I would have enjoyed this more listening to an odd song here or there over a few weeks. None strike me as particularly bad, but apart from a few standouts a lot of the album blends together into an amorphous blob of spacey guitars.

I kinda listened. 3 stars because it's ELO. 3 stars because I didn't feel like finishing.

walk to pub

Flows so well. Lots of great horns. Fun album

I love ELO’s hits a lot. Like if they come on the radio or a playlist I never skip. However listening to all of Out Of The Blue in one sitting was a bit of a chore because a lot of the songs sound the same! It’s a great sound and I love the orchestration, but I don’t know that as an album this is an all time great. I will never tire of Mr. Blue Sky.

This was pretty confusing! Like I loved some of it, and some of it was, as James said, well naff. Some irritating. Some amazing. Some epic. What a mix.

Ensikuuntelulla tämä iski kovaa. Todella melodista ja positiivista musiikkia, jossa suuri osa kappaleista oli melkoisen tarttuvia. Varsinkin hittibiisi Mr. Blue Sky toimi. Valitettavasti seuraavilla kuuntelukerroilla homma vähän lässähti. Ehkä levy ei toiminut aivan samalla tavalla hiihto- tai salimusiikkina kuin työnteon taustalla. Ensivaikutelman perusteella nelonen, pidemmällä kuuntelulla kolmonen.

I listened to this one not too long ago, although I didn't like it as much as other people do. It's a decent pop/rock record overall.

I see these album as one of the standard ones my parents like, it’s not bad but lacks something that just makes it sound dull to me, not sure what it is exactly On paper a mix of the Beatles and prog rock sounds great . Can see why it’s on the list and I didn’t mind it, but wouldn’t be an album I’d Iv rave about. Maybe it does just sound very dated now.

Very 70s. A lot of over production. It’s ok, but no desire to hear it again.

Feel like a disco astronaut on psychedelics imagining life in the year 2030

Play Mr Blue Sky without playing Mr Blue Sky

Fun album but definitely too long.

I knew the one song by ELO, so there was a start. Jeff Lynne one said that he wanted ELO to be like where the Beatles would have gone next. I don't know if I follow that conclusion. I mean, if they continued on the path of Abbey Road, sure. But the Beatles were more than that. They also did "Let It Be," as we have seen from the recent documentary. They were willing to try different things. Anyway, the album itself is pretty good. I liked the concept album approach, although some of the songs did start to sound a little same-y. (Also there's this effect they used in "The Whale" that I first heard on Zappa's album "Sheik Yerbouti" so I associate it only with him, it's rather jarring to hear it somewhere else). I dug it for what it was, but it seemed a little out there? I think it's something I need to listen to again, because it feels like something I just did not "get."

Odd. What is it? Prog rock for the impatient?

Very enjoyable!

Some brilliant songs in there, and I love the orchestral elements of the performance (where did those disappear to over time)? But... ELO is still a band best experienced through "best of" collection albums, on account of the overabundance of fluff between the really good stuff.

Impressive production values, sort of a Phil Spector wall-of-sound approach updated with synthesizers. Hard to argue with the quality, but for me it lacks passion and "realness" if that makes sense. I prefer music that is a bit more organic sounding. 3 stars.

This is obviously a great album with loads of great songs. I find it hard to connect with it though, maybe all the layers and layers of harmony just put a bit of distance between me and the songs. Objectively four stars, personally three.

3.75

Maybe after a few more listens I'd find some memorable songs.

Album znany, ale nigdy wczesniej nie przesluchany, bo znany jedynie z klasycznego songa mr blue sky, ktory nie tylko w radio sie przewija, ale robi tez robote w ostach filmowych, wiec out of the blue jest 7 studyjnym krazkiem brytyjskiej bandy ELO, ktora tworzylo w okresie tworzenia tego materialu siedmiu czlonkow, podobno byl to zloty okres bandy, dlatego ten line-up zwie sie klasycznym, najbardziej charakterystyczne w brzmieniu elektrikowej swiatlowej orkiestry jest wykorzystanie smyczkow, w tym wypadku dwoch wiolonczeli pana Gala i McDowella, do tego dochodza skrzypce pana Kaminskiego, a reszta to klasyka rokowych band, wiec wokal i gitarka Jeff Lynne, Kelly Groucutt na basie i wokalach, dziwne duo tworza z Lynnem, bo to takie chorkowanie jak w jakims disko funku dopowiadaajace kwestie, czy powtarzajace za glownym wokalem, no ale harmonicznosci nie mozna im odmowic, Bev Bevan na drumach i kolejny wazny aspekt brzmienia ELO, czyli klawisze i syntezatorowanie Richarda Tandiego, bo gatunkwo ciezko przypisac temu naklejke typowego rokowego materialu, bo takie dziwy brzmieniowe sie pojawiaja, ze czlowiek sie zastanawia czy to disko, rokowanie, a moze jakas synfonia futurystycznosci rodem z przeszlosci, bo jak na album z 77 przystalo uzycie syntezatorow leci ostro po kablach, ale smyczki rownowaza brzmienie dlatego to taki retro future, juz od samej okladki widac, ze muzyka bedzie kosmiczna, chociaz jakos nie czuc tego w liryce, a bardziej w brzmieniu instrumentalnym, bo kontent liryczny, to bardzo pozytywne songi, wiec o relacjach szczesliwych miedzy ludzmi bedzie, o ladnej pogodzie, o tym jak ladnie w nocy, czy o dzikim zachodzie, czesto pojawia sie tez motyw niebieskiego, co pewnie ma zwiazek z tytulem, czy to niebo niebieskie, woda, uczucia, pomimo tego ze nie ma takiej monotonii jesli chodzi o tematy, to jednak wiekszosc kawalkow jest strasznie mialka, wiec pan Lynne nie bedzie w topce zarowno moich teksciarzy jak i wokalistow, ta mialkosc moze wynikac z tego, ze plyta ma godzine i dziesiec minut, wiec taki odsluch potrafi wymeczyc, zwlaszcza jesli nie ma tutaj zadnych zaskakujacych zwrotow akcji, bo upbeatowy material z pozytywnymi kontentami chyba tylko w jednym miejscu, na big wheels zmienia troche tempo i opowiada o struglowaniu z zyciem tak dla odmiany, tej odmiany mi brakowalo, bo 16 trakow tak pozytywnych, ze w pewnych momentach ociekasz cukrem tego futurystyczno retrowego lukru, wiec dobrze sie tego slucha dla samych instrumentalnych kompozycji, ktore w niektorych momentach przypominaja numery poznego okresu queenowego, czy kawalki yesa z fragile z podkrecona sruba futurystyczna, wiec banda zyje do swojej nazwy, czy jak to sie mowi po polskiemu i brzmi naprawde orkiestrowo swietliscie, na plejce mialem juz oczywiscie mistera blue sky i otwierajacy turn to stone, ale dodam jeszcze numer ktorego jeszcze wczesniej nie mialem okazji uslyszec i naprawde sie wyroznil na tle calej plyty, a to bedzie juz wspomniany big wheels

Enjoyable but feels sedated

// Favs: Sweet Talkin’ Woman / Believe Me Now / Mr. Blue Sky 🥰 Score: Decent 3

I like the Beatles too.

A bit ‘of its time’, but still pretty catchy in places

mr bluuuee sky

En general me ha gustado, pero las canciones que mas me han gustado ya las conocia, salvo una que me ha gustado bastante y no conocía, pero no se cual es :)

Only the length holds this back from a 4 - some brilliant songs and some filler that can grate

3 1/2

Not bad if you’re in the mood. Beatles-esque but too peppy and string heavy. Mr Blue Sky was the best track

“Mr. Blue Sky” is an instant mood booster! The moment it comes on I can’t help but be in a better mood. I wish the rest of the album was more in line with the driving upbeat vibe of it. Unfortunately the rest of the album kind of drags to me and it’s way too long. Still, very creative and well done.

This was an instant no on first listen! I was appalled at how much I disliked it. Gave it another bash and I’m going to tell you, this is a pretty good album! Poppy, synth tunes! Done well! I wouldn’t be first in line at the shop, or for tickets but this was a genuine surprise on second listening! Does it count as mood music? Haha! Not shit, not great either but I can totally see how people love it!

3.5 It was ok, but I felt like there were too many songs on the album

1. I enjoy opening track, Turn to Stone, but do not like the way it fades at the end 2. Really like beginning instrumentals of It's Over, I like the way it changes at the end. 3. Sweet Talkin' Woman was forgettable. 4. Across the Border is enjoyable, I like the cymbals and I think violins? 5. Night in the City intro threw me at first but I like the way it goes into the guitar and drums. Vocals are nice. The bv are really nice, harmonies are lovely. The "I'll getcha (is she gonna getcha?)" is very good. My highlight so far. 6. Starlight by Taylor Swift is better but I like the vocals. Originally was just listening through laptop, but on speaker it sounds much much better (duh). 7. Interesting opening to Jungle, did not particularly enjoy but when the instruments kicked in I enjoyed more. It feels kind of childlike? Not sure why just the feel of the song. Not a big fan of it but I like the beat. Animal noises take away from the song - they don't fit (in my opinion). I liked the way it faded. 8. I like Believe Me Now's intro, the instruments sound great. Drums sound great. Not the biggest fan of the electronic sound here, could have done without. Wish it was a full song or a longer instrumental. 9. Steppin' Out opens nicely, the whine of whatever that is is nice. Vocals sound honest and are nice to listen to. Build up was enjoyable, subtle harmonies give depth. Lyrics are good. Drums sound great. Electric sounding vocals are nice here. Choir effect sounds good here. Outro is very strong. 10. Standin' in the Rain's initial intro is boring. Instrumental kick in adds to it but the voice is unnecessary. Drums are a highlight as well as keyboard. Choir is great, chords sound good. Build up was slightly disappointing. Forgettable altogether. Sounds too similar to a previous song. Vocals sound good though, lyrics are good too. Getting into the groove of it now, the descending chords are good, increase in tempo is nice. Night in the City is still the best so far 11. Big Wheels teases Mr Blue Sky, which is interesting. Very subdued opening, nice to hear. Drums are good, choir is not needed here. Later choir effect is good but adds nothing in the early part. Strongest vocals here so far. Strange outro, neutral feeling. 12. Summer and Lightning is fairly forgettable up until the chorus. Nice drum beat. Verses are boring, second chorus is underwhelming in comparison to the first due to lack of change in later verses. Unexpected change in instrumental, claps? are different and nice. Strange choir change. Third chorus is more enjoyable than second but still lacklustre next to first. Didn't like the fade at first but went into next song nicely. 13. Mr Blue Sky is a classic for a reason!! I enjoy this song thoroughly, drums are nice, pants in bv are different and fun. Changes in music keep it invigorating to listen to. Guitar is lovely. Cow bells are fun as well as the lyrics. Haven't enjoyed the electronic voice on most tracks on this album but Mr Blue Sky makes it work, as I knew previously. Ending is always great to listen to - so refreshing and different, drums are a highlight every time. Gorgeous piano at the end with choir. Great song period. 14. Sweet is the Night has big shoes to follow and the intro is promising. Very different sound to MBS, a good thing, the drums sound great, vocals are great as well as bv. Easily overtakes Big Wheel for best vocals. Drums are LOVELY here, really really like them. Guitar sounds fab too. Enough adlibbing to make it different each time so it doesn't sound too repetitive. Was not expecting the end to sound the way it did but I liked it. 15. The Whale has a weird opening but definitely reminiscent of a whale :D, bass is nice. Drums bringing in the rest of instruments was good, slightly too synthy for my taste? Trying to hard to sound futuristic I think. Reminds me of Pokémon which adds nostalgia. Guitar at 3:40 was nice, unexpected on my part. Nice break and instrumental in the album. Fade was lovely. 16. Very different sound heard in Birmingham Blues next to The Whale. Seems different so far to rest of album (violins remind you that you are still listening to the same one). Vocal style is completely different. Drums are lovely. Again very different sound in my opinion, even in bv. Reminds me of earlier rock, then that slight electronic feeling comes in again. The guitar solo reminds me of Thin Lizzy, who came later. Neutral on this song, unsure of the overall feeling. Fade is nice on this song. 17. Final song, Wild West Hero, is building up to be a big song, which would be a great album closer. Vocals are good here, strong piano, drum intro is great. Violins have been consistent in this album nice to hear. Was not expecting that change, guitar brought it in very well. Definitely reminding me of the Wild West, piano was great in the change. Lyrics are enjoyable, good storytelling. The cut of instruments is great, kind of wish it lasted longer. Great ending vocals. Outro is lovely, a great way to end the album. FINAL THOUGHTS: 3 out of 5 stars, enjoyed.

Aside from Mr blue sky I hadn't heard any of the tracks here before. There were some really good ones and some forgettable ones. This was very much a collection of songs rather than a cohesive album.

Very dope Crazy chords some of it to 80's shmaltz for me but rating subject to change as i hear more

6/10 It was pretty good, I’m always gonna rate orchestral pieces good, I just feel it adds life to a song. Favs: Turn to Stone, Mr. Blue Sly

Some good songs but I got a little lost in the middle and felt like some songs merged together - all in all though a fun listen!

Ok, not particularly memorable

'60s pop meets '70s prog. The album John Lennon's Imagine wishes it was.

Good but way too long

Chika-chika boom boom, Chanclas in the room room, here with thoughts for you, on “out of the blue”. I feel the appeal, a couple bangers right from the get go, this happy go lucky journey through space is peppered with memorable tracks. But the journeys a bit long ain’t it? 17 tracks might just be too many for an album in my opinion. However it’s length and energy does make it a excellent album for getting some good cleaning done. Beware dancing might occur. True feeling: 3.7/5 stars Saved tracks: 6/17 Stand out tune: turn to stone

Thanks you, Guardians of the Galaxy.

why are there so many rock albums aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 6/10 it's decent

Si escuchas atento hasta el final se oye Creep.

3

Favs - Turn to Stone & Mr. Blue Sky

The concerto was good. The rest I could take or leave. The musicians are/were extremely talented, I just wasn't enthralled by the result.

Proggy

Surely there is a brilliance in this but the EZ listening vibe is a little too strong for my taste.

Too long.

Me gusta la música de ELO, Hacen un manejo impecable de las cuerdas y los efectos contrastando con el rock

Pretty good soft rock/pop album from the 70s. The album has lots of similar sounding tracks.

It's ELO nuff said. Great songs.

@@@½. Some nice tunes.

pretty great, I have solid memories with the album but as a standalone I think it's super impressive and enjoyable

Ihan vekkuleita ralleja

3 ⭐️ nice vibes.

Mr. Blue Sky: Super, Rest: So lala

Some wacky ones, some memorable songs

Somehow ends up sounding a bit slight, despite the absurd maximalism. Which is a shame because that maximalism is the shiny thing that makes ELO ELO. I'm far from disenchanted, just need to wait for my mood to change or consume in smaller bites.

eh. it was ok

kinda cool old-schooley proggish rock, a couple of mates of mine are big fans so i've heard a bit before. not gonna make regular rotation but it was pleasant enough.

Big fab and stupid

So it turns out I just might not like ELO all that much. There are some good moments throughout this album and Mr. Blue Sky is still a great song, but it honestly felt a bit overdone by the time I got to it. Overall, listening to over an hour of maximalist prog classic rock is exhausting.

Not really sure about these guys. They are kind of like a cheesier version of Pink Floyd. There are some great elements, but then a lot is over the top. It's also very long. 2/5

Beatles vibe, good but feels too old for me

I was ready for this to be over. I know this album is (at least a few songs of it) are considered to be wildly popular but to me i felt like i was held hostage for an hour by generally, the same sound. Every dong just kind of devolved into the same harmony? It all blended together to me into one long commute.

Electric Light Orchestra. Now with MORE Orchestra.

4/10 - late 70s album could have been from any time in the 60s, meh

Like eating an entire birthday cake for breakfast.

muy largo, la música no está mal pero tampoco me parece genial

Je m’attendais à une dinguerie et j’ai été bien déçu

pas fou hormis la pub sfr ;)

Corporate rock sucks but it’s still better than Mariah Carey’s bullshit.

It was ok but not my thing

This was a bit of a struggle for me. I don't even like Mr Blue Sky. Can't quite put my finger on it - I find over produced, too much surface, too perky , too much going on , too many harmonies.

Never been a ELO fan. Lots of synth and a meh voice

A couple of good songs...but 2.5 stars.

Really really really long… I understand why it’s memorable but it’s just a bland album, no song captures you the whole time. Other than that, production is amazing and the “orchestra”. But I just didn’t enjoy it as much, it feels like Jeff just really wanted to get an album out

"Teenage nostalgia, although objectively I would never play this album. As background music, it reminds me of my formative years, but it shouldn't see the light of day today"

meh, was expecting something better, every song the same

I didn’t like it

Horrible

Sur le papier, tout était réuni pour que ça me plaise (violons, choeurs modulations), mais les morceaux que je peux compter dans cette catégorie se comptent sur les doigts d'une main (pas pleine).

Not my scene. Bombastic yacht rock. Over the top pop synths. I get why some of them are classics but I’ll pass.

It reminded me a bit of Queen. Some songs are bangers but are a little dated.

I just can't stand ELO. Not sure why so much. Something about it is corny.

Still struggle to warm up to ELO, long and inessential to me

Stick to the greatest hits. This double album is mostly a tedious waste of time. The band is great live (it’s the prettiest concert I’ve ever attended, thanks to the lights—go figure) because, well, they stick to the greatest hits.

I thought I liked ELO from the songs I knew (Telephone Line, Livin’ Thing, Mr. Blue Sky, etc). But through listening to this album all I could keep thinking was “so bombastic, yet so ploddy”. And the lyrics from a song of a totally unrelated band: Dry Cleaning… “Do everything and feel nothing”. Also I think there’s a point to be made that the most common low effort small talk is about the weather, and there’s a disc side suite dedicated to just that on this. Pretty good production though.

Yeah, some great tunes but overall a but underwhelming

473/1089 - If the Beatles said they'd sound like ELO if they kept making music then I'm glad they broke up. All of the pop and none of the weirdness.

Lush to a fault. The production is undeniably rich, but it borders on overcrowded—layers pile up until the songs feel a bit suffocated.

Overly long and a lot of the same sound effects throughout the album. If album cut in half think would have been a more enjoyable experience, as some nice songs but a lot of filler and songs that merge into one.

My dad had this album when I was a kid. I remember holding it and thinking the colors were cool and the space shuttle pulling into the giant SIMON game was neat. It was “old people music” to me then and it’s “old people music” to me now. The melodies are contagious and the lyrics are often thoughtful, but unless you were born before maybe 1970 - it’s probably not that interesting. It’s quintessential 70s radio pop - complete with too much production and it’s overly layered with orchestral strings and vocals. Dancing with my mom in the living room to Mr Blue Sky is a happy memory.

Something doesn't sit right with me. Mr. Blue Sky is a classic I guess. Too fucking long. The mixing throughout sounds off, vocals seem drowned out by the most stereotypical 70's pop quasi prog rock imaginable.

honestly I feel bad I just wasn’t able to get into it

I'm not a fan of the vocoder, it is clearly a sound but not for me.

Whimsical drama music

приелась манера исполнения очень быстро. Звучит одинаково и инструментально и вокально. Достаточно послушать mr blue sky и остальной альбом имаджинировать на основе этого. Оркестр только потому что у них есть струнные инструменты в треках мде. Переслушивать не стану 2.7

un po’ troppo rumoroso e confusionario

I do not like the overproduction. I don't like the doowop/Macca/BWilson roller skater ripoffs. "The Whale" is a pretty dope instrumental though.

Like abba but I didn’t want to dance

I’m struggling to write a coherent review on why I didn’t like this album. I gave up so I’m just going to share my unedited listening notes. It sounds like they’re trying too hard to make what they think should be good music. It sounds like some weird 70s vision of what they thought futuristic music might sound like. It doesn’t sound sincere or connected - like they’re using a musical formula to write the songs and they’re just going through the motions. All the songs sound the same. Sounds like Temu Queen. Too fucking long.

The musical equivalent of a guy trying too hard to be cool.

Don't care much for this sort of rock/pop, sounds like Queen

not really my vibe. esto le gustaría a mi cuñado and i dont like that

Not my bag - I just am not that interested in this prog-post disco noodly stuff.

The meanest piece of music criticism I’ve ever heard was someone describing the Travelling Wilburys as “four geniuses and Tom Petty”. If you’re going to single anybody out, it’s gotta be Jeff Lynne.

Heard the most popular songs from it before and they're probably the best ones on the album. The rest just feels so, idk, bombastic and bloated? It goes on for ages. It's not a bad album, I'm just not vibing with it all that much 2/5

Really didn’t vibe with this. Far too OTT in all the wrong areas. Those chorused harmonies à la Queen are not something I enjoy at all and was used far too willingly here. Didn’t really get anything about what it was trying to say here and found even though it was lobbing everything including the kitchen sink in, easy to pass me by. Mr blue sky seems rather out of place on the album (except the outro which makes a little more sense in context).

Well this is a random album suggestion. Giving the Beatles/ queen. I was swaying to « its over » so I guess it’s a good song. Big wheels made me want to sing « proud Mary » instead. The whale is weird af for the first 1:40. I like the Birmingham blues. Album overall good work album cause I can zone out and not listen to it (yes it’s a backhanded compliment)

Vem orkar lyssna på ett helt album från en sån här artist? Det är på bee gees nivå av larvighet, men man kan lyssna på några stycken

siento que quiero bailar escuchando este álbum, no importa si era a solas o en el medio de la calle

Me gusta su estilo característico pero es demasiado monótono y largo para disfrutarlo

I understand that the band is supposed to be great, however it didn’t impress me that much. Sometimes it sounds like an old-youtube mashups of The Beatles, Queen, and Pink Floyd. The album is so long and at some point it feels like one bland, long song playing (and I’m not hating on prog rock here). Apart from mr blue sky enjoyed some songs, like Turn to Stone or The Whale. I can see it being a good album, it just didn’t grow on me yet, gonna give another chance at some point but for now it is 2.5/5.

Haven't been familiar with ELO except for 2-3 popular songs. The combination of orchestral and 70s rock is unique but it gets really repetitive really fast. They sound as if they were bittter they couldn't score Flash (the movie) and made a career out of it. I know they were a thing long before Flash. It's not all lost, but the ones i liked i couldn't pick out. Sorry ELOers, not for me.

Not my thing. Objectively would say it was somewhere between average to good.

Like a discount version of queen where Freddie mercury has been replaced by a swarm of bees. Exhaustingly cheerful.

Good music for Tupperware parties. If you know what that is then you have a sense of how timeless this record is.

Yeah, fine, interesting ideas, nothing grabbed me though.

So cringe. So camp. So Nah.

I listened Friday and now I can't remember it.

Some decent rock and roll, mostly run of the mill. But some songs have nice use of instruments besides the standard guitar/bass/drums. There's some strings, harmonica, etc. It's Over, Across The Border, Believe Me Now, Big Wheels, and Sweet Is The Night all have that. Sweet Talkin' Woman and Birmingham Blues were a lot of fun. Steppin' Out was really great. Best song: Steppin' Out

I dreaded this because I’ve been having a Heavy Emotional Time the days leading up to this one. “Turn to Stone” was a great song, has the 10cc thing of sounding quite stupid but with some great melodies under the stupidity. A lot of the rest was just stupid, but in kind of an awesome way. I learned from wikipedia that there is an ELO historian called Barry Delve. A lot of it was shite Beach Boys or shite George Harrison, a lot of the surface zaniness without any depth. I did enjoy a lot of the dumb noises though, reminded me at times of that incredible bizarre Corey Feldman album. The strings are awful as is the vocal delay everywhere. Lynne seems like a megalomaniac but him writing this whole thing in two weeks is sort of inspiring in a “who cares about anything” kind of way. I was really dreading the advent of Mr Blue Sky but for some reason spotify skipped it - I wasn’t so bothered about fidelity to the project.

Yes, Mr Blue Sky is fun and uplifting song, but take that out of the equation and it's just a prog record with pop hooks.

Symphonic-Sachen haben es meist schwer bei mir.

Way too lite. ★★

Found a copy of this on vinyl in the attic when we moved in. Never listened to it, didn't miss much.

Believe Me Now

did YOU know rock can ORCHESTRA? did you KNOW orchestra can ROCK?? they try so hard to be grand and flush but they just dont have the songwriting or arranging chops for it. actively grating for a lot of the 70 minute runtime. generous 2

Fave track: Summer and Lightning Least Fave: Mr. Bluesky

Just wasn’t for me.

A successful double album of string ladden ELO pop.

If your favorite thing *ever* is a well crafted pop song, you'll probably love this. On Out Of The Blue, ELO occupy the same space as something like Boston or Steely Dan, where you have a band that has gotten their studio wizardry down to a science in a really incredible way. But they just keep using that studio wizardry to make the most clean-cut, sunny, and at times, almost generic sounding pop music possible. There are some moments where they play with cool effects, but even these aren't especially interesting, considering that the experimentation here is relatively tame, all things considered. Keep in mind that I didn't dislike my time listening to this per se, its just a lit of relatively similar sounding pop songs which are all well crafted, but which ultimately have little that really excites me or draws me in. Even Mr. Blue Sky, (and fun song, for sure) is never one I've ever really fallen in love with. Compound this with the fact that this is like an hour and 10 minutes long, and things start getting a little trying. I personally think that the runtime overstays it's welcome by quite a bit and that this would have been better as a tighter experience. I can only take so much pop that's *this* big and sunshine-y. While I don't hate this, I didn't really enjoy my time all that much.

The first few tracks seemingly posed the question "what if The Beatles were bland and milquetoast"? Things improved slightly, but not to the point of ever feeling like there was a track that I enjoyed the entire way through. In fact, there were quite a few songs that I strongly disliked and found it quite tedious to make it through all of them. I had hoped that things would improve closer to the end, as Mr. Blue Sky had a disproportionately large number of streams compared to the other tracks. Yet it was just as insipid as the rest.

Mr. Blue Sky is a banger but surprisingly long. I think in general the album went on a bit long and felt a bit dated.

Another one I feel like I should like more than I do. Something irritates me about the vocals. Lots of Beatles similarities but not clicking with me. Even the songs I know from just being alive when it came out aren't as good on a closer listen.

First? 2,5/5 Again? 1/5

I usually listen to these albums a couple of times, but it was tough with this one being a double album and it being a Saturday so it only got one. Looking at the plays on Spotify there was a track near the end with far more than any other, so I thought that might bring things together and explain the album's inclusion on the list. But alas, no.

Não me fascinou, não consegui acabar de ouvir

Asså jag vet inte vad jag ska säga om detta album, I was not feeling it alltså.. Det är dock ett ljud som är så unikt och igenkännbart att det är just ELO. Mr Blue Sky är ju en classic men resten av låtarna satt inget avtryckt för mig, kändes ganska meh. Kan uppskatta produktionen men bortsett från det så meh. 4.5/10

Meh

There is something about ELO that just rubs me up the wrong way. I think it is the combination of playfulness and overwroughtness. I don't mind playfulness, and I can sometimes tolerate music that is overwrought if I can feel the passion behind it. But the two things together? No. No. No There are snippets that were alright. 'Believe Me Now' almost felt sincere for eighty seconds. And I can enjoy the sillness of 'Mr Blue Sky' for its duration. But a double album of this stuff is way too much for me

album is too long and the best song was the only song I'd already heard 2 stars

ClSsico

Another one that I am sure people love but it's not for me

the sound feels like a mix of other popular bands yet still not original enough, with the songs being pretty much the same. i tried to like it but i just couldn't plus mr. blue sky makes my ears bleed

Ripetitivo

Decent album but not a fan of ELO

This album really annoys me. I feel like I should like it but it's such 'fake happiness.' I just get the sense that they're trying to be all elated and happy but they're actually miserable as sin. Additionally just irritates me with the stupid synth voice. We get it, you discovered a way to make yourself sound like a robot. STOP IT! . Reminds me of a kid who has found the DJ button on a keyboard.

Kills me to give ELO a 2 but I think this is the most uninteresting of their albums

Pristine engineering, but sounds very like an homage to the Beatles to me. 10 years too early, or 10 years too late?

Honestly, not entirely for me. Some songs are incredibly nostalgic, and I'd say musically important, but I think I get too lost in the repetition of a lot of the songs, and the length of the album itself. Did love Starlight and Believe Me Now

3 It sux

This album I have heard before, and of course it contains the famous Mr Blue Sky. I guess ELO picked up the baton dropped by the collapse of the Beatles, but leavened with mid-70s disco & prog rock (which, after all, is the continuation by other means of Abbey Road). Feelgood music for singalongs and driving. It'd be churlish to dislike, but overall it's a bit too much even for me - and I like pompous white rock music - a bit sickly sweet.

Liked the classics but the fillers were a bit samey.

Oh good, more 70's space rock

It’s a great feel good album. A double album is never easy to keep someone engaged, most actually drag for me personally. This however, has all the engagement I needed need to listen to the 100 minutes of ELO. (just) I like how this still has still kept its rock n roll sounds even though there’s a clear push for something a bit more commercial. Many artists lose their character, and especially by the time of their seventh album. I love the little breakdowns ELO do, one that specifically caught my attention was the breakdown in ‘Sweet Talkin’ Woman’, it’s so small and subtle but it’s 100% my favourite part of the track. It’s at about 3:15. I love the big dramatic segments in most of the songs, either the fast paced keyboards & piano, or the sound of Jim Keltners fast paced drumming to build tension in an outstanding display of music technical ability, especially them unmistakable high hat drum patterns. All the strings also play on point. Plenty of sing a long tracks. It’s a decent record, the hits are killer and the filler is alright music at the end of the day. I enjoyed the prog elements. It is however a little bit middle of the road for me, nothing that’s going to make me message my friends saying “check this out”, with the exception of ‘Mr Blue Sky’ which everyone has heard a million times before. Favourite tracks: ‘Turn to Stone’, ‘Sweet Talkin’ Woman’, ‘Night in the City’, ‘Mr Blue Sky’, ‘The Whale’.

I enjoy the sound, it's unique! But the only songs that I really enjoyed / that stood out to me were Turn to Stone and Sweet Talkin' Woman.

Album starts strong but slowly fades. Mr. Blue Sky was the lone highlight of the back half for me. If you cut the run time in half by pick the best 8 songs it would probably be a high 3 star low 4. Favs- Turn to Stone, Mr Blue Sky Worst- Jungle, Standin’ in the Rain

Layered synthy sunshiney haze, reminds me of Freddie Mercury and also floating in the sky

meh

When people say dad rock this is what I think of. And I'm 41.

Un album cu un sunet foarte bun pentru perioada lui,totusi mult prea lung ,dar aparitia instrumentelor clasice este un boost.

Reviewing from a rammed aircoach in Baltic -2 Dublin which has probably influenced the score abit here but outside of a few stand out tracks “Birmingham Blues, Jungle and Sweet is the night” I found this is pretty tedious, over long and vocally poor. A light 2

Ugh

Okay alt rock but I really thought it was going to be electronic.

I’m not sure what has ever possessed an artist to record and release a double album. It really is just a bit much. Knowing that Mr. Blue Sky was on this record, I felt like I was anticipating it constantly, especially with recurring motifs which popped up early in the record. Usually I enjoy things like this; musical clues scattered throughout a record to encourage front-to-back listening, but by the time Mr. Blue Sky came around, I was sick to the back teeth of the noises, the dense instrumentation, and (in my opinion) the poorly-placed (in the mix) vocals, not to mention to generally poor backing vocals which manage to find their own way of treading all over everything after every second word. I wanted to enjoy this, but I will probably not listen again.

This is a strong 3 stars for me bust since this was a double album (which I loathe) it was docked a star.

pop rock where every song sounds like it was deliberately crafted to appeal to the largest possible demographic. that makes it hard to really love or hate it. i do like Turn to Stone though and Mr. Blue Sky is definitely a song that deserved to be their most popular one. (2.5)

Was it for me? No. Was it was too long? Yes. But Was it fun? At first and at some points. It was hard not to enjoy it at times and you could hear the Beatles influences at times. But at other times so much waffle and over the topnoss

Only a %age of 70's music stuck for me, and nothing involving ELO was a member. Only guitar stranglers need apply. 50 yrs later I gave this a listen, gave it a chance to grab me, but alas I'm afraid I must pass. This is not a diss on the players, they're good, but overall the material is a bit over produced, eh?

Shocked at how familiar this record was. Never listened intentionally, but I knew several songs. Mediocre, and went in too long, but still!

meh idk man some of these songs are like good and catchy but i just don't like the beetles and they aren't queen enough to make a lasting impression on me personally. Mr blue skyes reminds me of despicable me i am so sorry.

Camp and cheesy. Far, far too long but a few catchy tunes. Favourite track: Birmingham Blues Probably not one to revisit. 2.5/5

Feels like a worse version of many bands that already exist. Not absolutely terrible, but I did not finish.

The Beatles are great because Paul McCartney is the gas and John Lennon is the brakes, whereas Jeff Lynne doesn't have anyone to keep the cheerfulness in check 🤪

Sounds like Queen but.. worse. Couldn't make it to the halfway point on this album.

Oh dear if you’d asked me before this i’d have said this was a really good if not great album, however outside of sweet talkin woman and mr blue sky it’s just a bit overblown and samey for me. I should caveat this by declaring i was not in the best mood when listening to it, but this did nothing to change that. Big wheels feels at times like a first draft of Mr Blue Sky, which would be bad enough if MBS was two tracks later.

I appreciate the craft that went into this, I'm astonished that Jeff Lynne wrote the whole thing in three weeks, but I couldn't wait for it to be over. I feel like a lot of early punk bands cite ELO as a perverse inspiration, the embodiment of bloated '70s rock that had to be destroyed. They weren't wrong. But this is all harmless if occasionally cringe ("Jungle"). And hey, I respect Lynne's iconoclasm for releasing this when disco ruled the world.

Middle of the road.

If I was on psychedlics and I had a lot of time, I'd be into this

MR blue sky song is so good but the rest of this is easy elevator listening

I appreciate the craft that went into this, I'm astonished that Jeff Lynne wrote the whole thing in three weeks, but I couldn't wait for it to be over. I feel like a lot of early punk bands cite ELO as a perverse inspiration, the embodiment of bloated '70s rock that had to be destroyed. They weren't wrong. But this is all harmless if occasionally cringe ("Jungle"). And hey, I respect Lynne's iconoclasm for releasing this when disco ruled the world.

Såhär kan också symfonirock låta. För per definition är det ju faktiskt just vad det är, även om det inte alls låter som Yes. Jag har alltid varit svag för ELO. Kanske för att det var nåt min pappa spelade väldigt mycket när jag va liten. Men garanterat också för att det finns en osviklig popaspekt hos dom (annars hade inte min far spelat det, han var gravt popskadad). Hur symfoniskt det än är, hur överdådig produktionen än framstår så är det alltid regelrätt pop någonstans. Jämförelsen med ABBA är inte långt borta tycker jag och då väljer jag ELO alla dar i veckan. Singlarna är ofta utmärkta pophits. Man får lyfta på hatten till Jeff Lynne för det. Naturligtvis blir ett dubbelalbum alldeles alldeles för mycket att tugga i sig och det finns rejäla dikeskörningar här. Dessutom är avsaknaden de där starka singlarna påtaglig. Det är väl bara inledande "Turn to stone" som uppfyller de popkriterierna. ,"Mr. Blue sky" var en stor hit men saknar det där riktigt popigt gôttiga. Som album betraktat är det inget vidare faktiskt. Det finns roligare ELO-album att hitta. Som efterföljande discoinfluerade "Discovery" t.ex. 9 låtar lång inklusive den underbara "Last train to London". Det är ett utmärkt album, haffa det om ni hittar det i nån 30kronorsback istället för det här.

Svårt att sätta ord på vad det är, men nått är det doningen får det att stämma. Möjligtvis symfonirocken, det svulstiga kompet, musikalvibbarna. Det klickar helt enkelt inte. Några få undantag finns som t ex Starlight som är en helt okej poplåt med soulig touch. Men nån dutt här och där gör inget album.

I expected more prog and better depth.

There's some great sounds and orchestrations in there but maybe not some great _tunes_ you know? It's very listenable and pleasant but won't be going back to it just yet.

kinda generic classic rock

Boring but not bad

Too easy listening for me

1970's symphonic rock at its core.

just went on too long