Out Of The Blue

this band obviously influenced ‘of montreal’

großer name, aber hat mich nicht umgehauen...c

Too repetitive for my taste, I really was just kinda exhausted and I wanted it to be over. The highs are really high, but I can’t justify listening past this. Favorites: Turn to Stone, Mr. Blue Sky

Classic soft rock. I recognized a lot more than I expected, but not in a good way.

Inoffensive at best. A couple of listenable tracks, but mostly just similar sounding songs that are either about needing to chase/find a girl, or being depressed/upset (usually about a girl). Far too long for what it is.

So polished, so long, so boring.

Just because a person has access to every synthesizer ever made up to the point to when this album was made doesn’t mean that they have to use them all. This album was just a big complicated mess.

The Beatles in space right? That isn’t a compliment to The Beatles or space. I feel like this album should be good but it just isn’t. Same song for about an hour.

Nice

I'll get to it later but I have this at a 2.9 off a few listens. Don't wanna fall behind on the albums. My guess is people rated this at 3.5.

I like classic rock from the 70s but this is too disco for me because of the orchestration and background vocals.

Me tardé 2 semanas en terminar el álbum :/ 2/5

If this kind of theatrical and Symphonic Rock is for you then I couldn't be happier, but for myself it was just a bit too much for me to enjoy here. While I can respect the effort to make such interesting Progressive Pop that feels so mystical with the blend of electronics, I can't say I found this album to be very compelling or even up my alley in terms of taste. The only real standout here is Mr. Blue Sky as that song alone is both one I've had plenty of time to digest but also understands how to make a Progressive song much more Pop-y than normal. Everything else here feels like a watered down version of the Alan Parsons Project albums I have previously covered. The songwriting here is also just decent and doesn't help the case of this album just dragging itself out way too much. This album obviously has its' own set of fans and I am okay with not being one of them. I am glad I gave it a shot though and tried my best to see eye to eye with what ELO had to offer, but Out of the Blue was just not my cup of tea. Nuff said.

While Mr. Blue Sky is a banger, the rest is a trifle meh. I remember being so disapointed that the group that did that awesome song came back with Wild West Hero, which is a dirge. Not a plus or minus, but a lot of the songs do start very quietly...

Far too long. Perfect for your 1970s vacation home on the beach, seducing a lady on the shag carpet with a jug of pink wine.

This is a sound it would take me a long time to get into. There are moments that I start to get it, like "Mr Blue Skies," but so much feels corny to me.

I’m proud of myself for getting as far as I did in this album without giving up. I think I would like this if married to a great movie or TV show.

I've never made it through an entire ELO album. I hear "Mr. Blue Sky" and think I would be able to find my way in, but something about his voice or the sheen or just the lack of any depth at all grates on me quickly.

Not bad

Okay, geht aber auch in Richtung Rock und ist nicht ganz mein Geschmack.

Some classic songs on here but equally some that I find unbearable. I know it’s well reviewed but I can’t get into it.

Pretty, lifeless. Pretty lifeless. Overlong and lacking urgency, Out Of The Blue is a vocoder tapestry without a pulse. And yet it's a template for indie music in the aughts — or at least I hear echoes of it in bands like The Arcade Fire and others.

Meh, never been a huge ELO fan. Couple of stand out tracks though

Some great melodies, obviously very Beatles-y. But too peppy and clean production for my taste.

All the songs sound the same.

2- Stars (4/15)

I really like Mr Blue Sky so I was excited to listen to this but I honestly found it extremely underwhelming and somehow a bit boring? Shame.

Electric Shite Orchestra

Music that is remarkably sanitised and uniform. You can walk into a room and after a second you can recognise its ELO from any of the tracks in this album or any other.

This was a weird one - every song comes out swinging with a unique and different and cool opening. I’m intrigued and primed to like what’s coming. But then as soon and the vocals kick in it devolves into like, idk, The Beach Boys? Super bland and boring falsetto vocals. And then even the instrumentation which was cool a minute ago is now super boring and basic. Idk this baffles me and I didn’t like it.

ABBA for dudes

This has a very 70s sound. It also strangely sounded a bit like The Beatles or Queen, two bands I like a lot, but yet I didn’t really like this very much.

Oh dear, I find this irritating.

I liked Wild West Hero. Nothing else really stood out to me though. And this was too long.

Wanted to like this more but just didn't hit as much as I thought when I first heard the synth.

Overblown

It's well executed but it's soft cheesy dad rock ang I got sick of it after the first few songs.

Not really my jam.

Tämä levy oli mielestäni tosi mitäänsanomaton ja tylsä.

It’s orchestral, alright. And it’s heavily informed by soft rock, synths, the vocoder, and prog, and even by The Beatles’ whimsical senses of harmony and melody and The Bee Gees’ take on disco. A quintessentially 70s mix to be sure. Then there’s the cinematic sci-fi of “Believe Me Now,” which sounds like a precursor to the band Air. But the whole thing sounds a little overstuffed, like a soundtrack of bloated show tunes, and the vibes just don’t hit for me. Neither do the lyrics, which seem to celebrate good weather (“Mr Blue Sky”) or other mushy subject matter. Also, were ELO and Boston in direct competition over the right to commandeer flying saucers that resemble jukeboxes for their bands’ respective brands or something? Just asking.

I don't think ELO has ever really been for me. This is largely inoffensive, but it's not super interesting either.

ELO is doing too much. This album has so much going on in each song - instrumentation, effects, vocals - it is exhausting after about 10 minutes. Mr. Blue Sky is a great song, and one of my favorites, but if I had to listen to an hour of this before I heard it, I never would have made it. Self-produced albums are so easy to spot.

Not a style I enjoy. Not objectively bad though

"Steppin' out" just blatantly ripped off part of the melody from John Lennon's "Imagine" at the end. The bass from Steve Miller's "The Joker" is replicated with only slight variation in "Summer and Lightning." There were many, many other moments on this album that felt distinctly familiar, and I'm sure if I cared to listen to the album again, I would identify other connections. (I wrote this and then finished listening, hearing a direct quote of "Rhapsody in Blue" on one of the last tracks.) Musical borrowing is fine and can be really interesting when done well, but hearing it over and over on this album made me wonder if ELO can actually come up with any good ideas on their own.

An album that offers some interesting ideas, has some memorable songs but suffers a lot from its long duration. And why would it suffer if it has variety? Keyword: 'some'. The majority of the songs felt almost the same, all following the structures of a typical opera/pop rock. It was kind of a chore to get to the end of the album

It's as if there's too much going on with this. They're all undoubtedly talented musicians, sure, but it's overdone, making it sound obnoxious and pretentious. The production is also too smooth, and some of the songs sound kinda the same too. Maybe my IQ isn't large enough to comprehend it I can see myself enjoying a couple of the songs, especially the slower stuff e.g. Starlight, but I can't do a full album, especially when it's over an hour long

Post Beatles / Faux Rock 'n' Roll / Watered Down Orchestral nonsense! The second star is for the last 60 seconds of the title track. Almost everything else is horrible. Overrated.

Mr. Blue Sky couldn’t save this from 2-star territory. I feel like this album tries to make you feel everything but I came out feeling like nothing. “Turn To Stone” was decent though.

Sounds like a natural continuation of the Beatles. A little more expansive, not quite progressive. Ultimately unremarkable to me fifty years on. 2/5 it's fine enough.

Very much "what if the beatles, but with no John". I don't really care for the music hall style tunes and arrangements. It's produced incredibly well and must have been mindblowing to listen to on headphones as a kid, but it all just felt strangely empty. Mr Blue Sky is a lovely tune, as are several others, but it just left me a bit cold.

Very 70,”’s

This is longer than it needs to be. Have tried going through an ELO journey before, and whilst I enjoy some of their psych music, the majority of it for me is just dull

2-3

Oldies, gives me stranger things vibes. 2.7

mehhh. Not my jam. Too orchestral for me.

Just not much going on here. Other than Mr. Blue Sky it's not that memorable. And this was a double album.

Some of it was good. A lot of it was ok. Some of it was meh. Minus a star for being entirely too long.

Again, super dated and not good anymore. Sorry.

Wanted to like it.

Kinda fun rock opera type album. No need to listen again, and the hits cannot be avoided on classic rock radio

Boooooring zzzzzzzz. I tried listening to this on my walk and I fell asleep! This is sleep walking music!

This is tough listen for me. Jeff Lynn is talented…. love him as a Wilbury! ELO falls into that REO Speed Wagon/ STYX era of music that that just doesn’t catch my ear. Thier sound is high and pitchy.That music is always FF for me. This album is a pass.

i didn't finish listening to it, and I'm not mad about that.

‘Hardly out of the blue when it’s your seventh album’…the harsh words of Len Houmous when he was annoyed that ELO did a tea run and forgot his order! 1.8

Essentially a 50-minute prologue and a 15-minute epilogue for "Mr Blue Sky."

There are undeniably pretty melodies and arrangements on Out Of The Blue. Where I struggle with it is the songs themselves. Many of them sound like a mix of disco and those out of place old-timey songs that The Beatles would drop on every album. If I was an English baby boomer I might understand the pastiche and appreciate it but it misses me. Overproduction and an overstuffed album length makes this a two-star record.

This list is entirely too eurocentric

Just not my cup of tea. I think if you halved the album and just picked out the good bits you could have something special, but it's just too long with too much filler.

It’s fine. Not amazing. Pretty bland. A lot of cowbells.

More "Beatlesque" pop. Listenable, if only because as a musician, artist, and music producer I respect intentional and competent production and arrangement. Definitely drags after a couple songs though.

This is gonna be so fun. One track in and it sounds the exact same as Mr blue sky and I have trauma behind listening to that a million too many times in the car. Also very repetitive, they thought up five whole lyrics for this song. Ok they sound totally fine actually, just an insane amount of falsetto. And for a listener from 2025 it feels very predictable and typical although that probably wasn’t true for the late 70’s. The songs mesh together and it’s crazy long but if you just gave me four of these songs randomly I might have rated this a three instead.

Another generic band from 70s

It's like a less campy Queen, but each song is packed full of sound effects and production tricks it feels like a movie or stage production. I guess Electric Light Orchestra is an apt name.

(listened once, doing a walk and some work at home) So that sounded a lot like The Beatles. I don't know how to feel about that. I've heard Mr. Blue Sky before and thought it was a beatle song I didn't know of, whereafter I was corrected. More synths and experimental instrumentals tho, like Pink Floyd. I didn't really like it to begin with, but the further I came into the album the more I enjoyed the songs. I think I could learn to like this band. Favorite tracks: Sweet Talkin' Woman (such a nice intro to that song) Starlight Steppin' Out Standin' in the Rain Mr. Blue Sky Sweet is the night The musicians and production quality is clearly very good. It also gave me musical-vibes. Like the songs could fit so well into a musical. But maybe that is just my love for Across The Universe-musical. Anyways, I'll give it two stars for now. And I will probably come back to see if I enjoy it more the second time around.

2,5?

Sounds a bit stuck in disco late 70’s rock for me and not age well.

This is a mix of Supertramp and post Beatles Paul McCartney . What’s that mean? I don’t know. And the Bee Gee’s. I’m not feeling this. Being a late 70’s baby, I’d say this is parent music . Not my bag baby. But if you like mostly The Bee Gees and Supertramp, try this, it’s ok

Sounds like a cheap knockoff of Queen with synthesizers, this album only feels famous because of the only unique song on this album - Mr Blue Sky. Otherwise forgettable record and far far too long. It would have gotten a 3 due to song quality, but slapping this one with a minus 1 for wasting my precious time with boring ass deep cuts that wasted my time fuck you

This album is quite experimental. Which is usually down my alley. But this record doesn't resonate well with me. At times, you this happy beach boys vibe with string sections and then vocal distortions. Mr. Blue Sky sounds like a Queen rip-off... Or at the very least, a Freddy Mercury rip-off. This record tries to be epic but the songs don't hit that level. They're not bad songs.. But there isn't anything bringing me back to this record. Maybe Mr. Blue Sky. I'd give it a 4 for standing out as a record. But the replay ability is a strong 1. I'm stuck with giving this record a 2. I appreciate the things they are doing. Perhaps this is a pioneering album for the effects and style they've used in pop music that one still hears in today's pop music... But overly, it's just an ok. ELO-K.

Easy to listen to but didn't blow me away 2.5

Like rock'n'roll era Elton John had a baby with the Beatles and Queen. Omg Mr Blue Sky has 437M listens on YouTube music alone. Is this track played in nursing homes and shopping malls? And this album is so over-indulgently long. I can't even. Hold yourself back. Two stars.

que álbum loooooooongooooooo da porraaaaaaaaaaaaa

This felt like you put all the big 70s bands in a blender and this album was the result. It was interesting to feel like I was listening to the Electro-Beach Boys-Queen-Beatles album but I can't say I liked it.

Prog disco, dated but Mr Blue Sky is a great song

Milquetoast is the word that kept jumping up in my mind while listening to this album. It doesn't help that it is over an hour long, I feel like all that couldve been said musically was said in the first 20 minutes. Mr. Blue Sky is a nice song, though, but that is the only one that really stood out to me.

It’s better than I had expected. Maybe because it’s dad rock, and I’m a dad? I remember when I was a kid, I definitely did not like this type of music, so I had low expectations going into this. I get kind of a 70’s The Beatles vibe if they has never disbanded However, this is just waaay to long. I do get tired of it at some point

Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

Over produced American sounding pap. Hits good. But rest boring.

There's some good stuff in here, and plenty of fluff and stuff I'm just not into, but they get points for creativity. I think I'd this album were cut in half it would be a lot stronger.

Just too perfect. Mr. Blue Sky is a classic, but I just couldnt care about the rest of it

I didn’t know much about ELO other than a vague feeling that they were supposed to suck. Against those expectations, I thought it was pretty ok.

Solid mediocrity.

sounds a bit like Queen

Звучат прямо как Queen, ну либо Queen звучат как они :) Достаточно много миролюбивой философии, Stepping Out действительно выделяется для меня хотя судя по оценкам всем нравится Jungle. Космические миротворцы

Sounds like Queen

nem tudom, nem rossz zene.... de igy baszott unalmas. beatles typeshit alvos zene ez nekem sajnos... nem nekem talaltak ki track 15 vegre egy track ami rendben van

More like EL No

Turn to Stone Sweet Talkin' Woman Mr. Blue Sky

Not for me, bit camp

This was an extremely frustrating album to listen to. The songwriting at times is so infectious as to be unbelievable, only for the song to transition wildly into something incoherent, and then again to a third thing. I don’t pick up on the through line here. Stand out track is Mr. Blue Sky, obviously.

That vocoder drabble cost this at least one of my stars - just grating. I think this album when it came out drove me away from prog rock and on to punk and new wave when I first hear this back in 1978 and I don’t regret that one bit!!!

2.5

Boring and not original

Double meh

I confess that my heart dropped when I saw that this was a double album. I did listen all the way through, but after 20 minutes, my ears just couldn't differentiate between the well-produced, string-sweetened, mid-tempo, melodic yet forgettable rock songs. It's all over-produced songs with middling melodies and Beatle-esque harmonies, and all the songs sound exactly the fucking same. All the songs are between 60 and 90 seconds too long, and there are too many of them. They should have cut the 'suite' at the very least. Rolling Stone reviewed it as a "totally uninteresting and horrifyingly sterile package" and "all method and no madness: perfectly hollow and bland rock Muzak." Apparently, Axl Rose is a big fan, which explains Use Your Illusion. I couldn't possibly comment.

This was okay, I usually like them but all the songs sounded the same.

Out of the Blue is prog trying to dress itself up as something different, but unsuccessfully. It goes on for too long and it's only Sweet Talking Woman and Mr Blue Sky that stand out; the rest is a mix of okay arrangements with annoying synthesised twists to them, a singer who lives in a higher register that serves to annoy, and yeah, not good enough to warrant more than a 2.

Underrated band of the genre, monster album

Trop réalisé, trop produit. Trop long. Ça sonne parfois comme un spectacle de comédie musicale hommage aux Beatles/Bowie/Bee Gees.

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.

Alright. Other than Mr. Blue sky nothing stood out to me and it will mostly be forgotten

This double album is very long probably didn’t need to be more than a single album. Just because you write a load of songs doesn’t mean they all have to go on the album. The songs either sound like The Beatles or The Bee Gees. 2 stars only for all the drunken times I’ve sung Mr Blue Sky

E L what

All these songs somehow sound like 70s TV theme songs

Boring dad rock, some interesting song but overall too long and lame.

pink floyd but without the drugs

Only know Mr. Blue sky. Don’t have too high expectations for this one. Guitar solo in mr blue sky needs is fun. Need that energy on the rest of the album. Just feels like cookie cutter drab 70s music thats only crazy when you’re cooked on acid. Not a fan. 2 stars

I really didn't like this one. Maybe if I had listened to the whole thing I'd think differently. ajr of the 1970s never really liked mr blue sky and the whole album was like that

You can sum up a lot of my reaction to this album with my reaction to the quote from Rhapsody in Blue which shows up in Birmingham Blues. It's arresting, it's surprising, it's... not actually saying anything. It sounds like it's supposed to be smart but it's just showing off. Without a doubt, there's good songwriting on the album and production which was undoubtedly novel in 1977. But the fact is, every time I hear ELO, I wish I were listening to Abbey Road or The White Album. Or if I'm going to listen to soft rock, someone who does it without pretension, like the Carpenters. 2.5, rounding down.

ah musica

Just not my bag, mr blue sky obviously slaps but then the rest all just sound the same to me :-/

Had high hopes but apart from the singles the songs were weak and meandering and a bit boring

Dreadful. Albums like this make me question if it's worth doing 1001 albums. I've never been drawn to ELO because I figured I knew what they sounded like (sort of 70s Disco Beatles wannabes) and now I've listened to a whole double album and just had my forebodings confirmed. Some of it is bearable in small doses and semi-ironically. But listening to a whole double album of this MOR bullshit made me want to become a goth or something. No wonder young people were desperate for punk music to come along and save them from this crap.

I have always avoided this album, just incase I liked it and became condemned to listening to BBC Radio 2 for the rest of my life

I do not know if this is considered "yacht rock," because I'm not entirely sure what "yacht rock" actually is. But whatever this is, it *should* be considered yacht rock. Or the precursor to. It's really annoying and I don't like it at all. I'm only on the second song, so I don't yet want to doom it to a 1 star review, but I just looked and it has 17 songs and lasts for 1 hour and 11 minutes and I'm telling you now that is TOO MANY SONGS.

Too long for me, but I imagine that's a benefit for those that like this music. I didn't hate it, but this is not my jam. I guess this week's theme is stuff I just can't get into. 2.2

Liked ELO when I was a nipper in the 70's, not so much now though.

I don't know why but their tracks should like songs from other artists but the minute their vocals start, it's a whole other song. It kinda throws me out. Maybe others have covered the songs over the years but this just sounds so familar.

I feel llke must have heard this album a lot when I was a kid because my older brother had a copy and I heard all his listening choices by proxy. So, I was expecting at least a fun nostalgia hit but to be honest I only remembered the three big singles and the rest was a cheesy bland mush.

Det var helt ok. Några bangers, speciellt blue sky

Loved it more when it came out, but has not aged as well

The band that The Beatles could have been. Cheesy and overblown.

I came close to not listening to this. It looks SO bloated. I find it interesting how Jeff Lynne created a new genre - let's call it Pomp Bearded Brummie Rock - and then exported it to the hierarchy of classic rock. Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and all the way up to The Beatles. This was a fun listen for the first five tracks or so that I could be arsed with. It then became bubble gum rock and utterly ridiculous.

Out of the Blue is undeniably ambitious, filled with lush arrangements, soaring strings, and intricate production, which are trademarks of Lynne's style. However, many of the songs start off strong but then veer off into extended instrumental tangents that can feel self-indulgent and drag on. Tracks like Mr. Blue Sky and Turn to Stone have their moments, but they sometimes get lost in overly elaborate sections that disrupt the flow. While the album is packed with creative ideas and musical complexity, it can come across as overwhelming and meandering, especially for those who prefer Lynne’s more focused and concise work with other projects. Despite its acclaim, Out of the Blue might leave you wishing for more of the straightforward, tightly produced sound that Lynne has perfected elsewhere. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 2 STAND OUT TRACK - Summer and Lightning

ELO hat für mich einen grossen Hit welcher erst später erschien, diese Platte ist guter Pop aber bleibt halt auch Pop.

Uh. Some ok tunes. Some bad ones. Nothing great.

The Jungle is good. Summer and Lightning absolutely bangs. This album felt like the longest thing I’ve ever listened to in my life.

Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🥏🌈🚀 Mix: 🤩🥴😐 Musik: 🥳🤔😮‍💨 Wertung: 🥏🥏(🥏)/5

I just don't love the progressive power pop genre. I can see how this could be appealing for others, but it doesn't do it for me.

It's music that you play in the background and then forget about it.

bood

i rate it so far :) nvm, ass

The singles still sound pretty sparkly, but the album felt long. They do what they do very well, but it goes on and on. . There was a claim that this was the first album to use a Vocoder - Kraftwerk's Autobahn beat them to that, in 1974

Seventies glam-rock? Reminds me of Abba. Not really my jam.

Fuck det er kedeligt

Sehr typisch - aber auch ganz schön flach. Würde sogar sagen: Echt langweilig. Für mich erstaunlich wie elektronisch die Musik 1977 schon war!

Beatles with effects. Not in the mood for this right now. Or any time, probably.

The Shitty Beatles

Electric Light Borechestra

Underwhelmed to be honest

Not completely horrible, but not very good either.

I don’t love this genre

I keep it short: overly self-indulgent pompous overproduced bore. Two points for daring. I hate it. Sorry.

Wow, this was not for me at all. I was really expecting better! It's hard to put my finger on what exactly I hated about this, maybe it's too commercial sounding, a bit souless? The best song on the album is undoubtedly Mr. Blue Sky, but it has become ubiquitous through its use in every advert imaginable - most recently the ads for the Irish National Lottery that make me want to throw the radio out the window. It's very well performed, but either there's just not enough humanity in there, or what is there is too clean cut. If I contrast it with the two Todd Rundgren albums I got earlier in this challenge (and loved), I think the difference is that Todd seems to take himself less seriously, and wasn't afraid to experiment. Whereas ELO seem to be taking the ultimate safe bet in trying to plot out a course based on the Beatles' abandoned trajectory.

Huh. There's something kinda cloyingly over the top to this music, and I'm someone who tends to like music that's kinda over the top. Not sure why, but it's not really working for me. Bit long at 17 tracks, too. It all started sounding really samey pretty early on. This isn't for me.

Omg some of these music types aren’t half self inducement. I was losing the will to live by the end of this

Fine background music. 2/5

Ja, ein paar Lieder waren hörenswert, aber für mich nicht das beste Album von ELO.

Love mr blue sky - but album ad a whole is uninspiring

Very 70s not bad I guess just not for me

It’s was groovy 🤪🤪

An ok album

ELO had a very distinct sound with their use of strings, harmonies and background vocals. This distinction set them apart from other groups with an easily recognizable sound but it was also their bane as all their songs start sounding the same. I think it's a rut Jeff Lynne never grew out of. ELO is one of those bands I have little interest in outside of their greatest hits. There's a few good songs here but they are far outweighed by a LOT of forgettable bloat.

A few great songs, a bunch of mediocre ones.

I like that Mister Blue Sky song a lot, but generally ELO sounds to me like they were inspired by the wrong parts of the Beatles and Beach Boys. Also, it occurred to me as I was wading through this that there is something Meat Loaf-ish about this (and that is not a good thing).

I can take or leave ELO, Jeff Lynne wishing to be the fifth Beatle? Whatever. This is mostly moderate stuff and even it's highest high in "Mr. Blue Sky" has been watered down in recent years to the point that I almost hate to hear it.

What? I think I accidentally clicked on "1001 albums that'll make you wish you were dead". -Take this tepid claptrap and leave, please. This fills me with rage, so I guess in that sense it is doing a good job, as art should evoke a strong reaction. My strong reaction is to stuff bananas in my ears. It's so messy and such a waste of bananas. I know........... I could just turn it off, but where would be the bananas in that?

It's not bad but man it's a long album with not a lot of variation. Not my favorite.

Rockig. Poppig. Bisl seicht.

Out of the Blue certainly is grand. Everything about it is big. But nothing really stands out. The strings start to blend it all together after a while. It’s way too long. At times it is a half decent Abbey Road impression. It’s not a bad album. Half stars would be nice here. 5.7/10

I was looking forward to this as I knew nothing about ELO. However this was a disappointment, very uninspiring and little to distinguish between each track. Not overly offensive but not exciting either.

#4/1001 Overall: Wow. I wonder what bands this guy likes. It's not a bad album per se but it's SOOOOOOO boring and on top of that it's incredibly long, maybe it's because I don't like the Beatles very much. This is basically the Beatles with a mix of Queen-esqe vocal layering and maybe some Pink Floyd influence? The only interesting thing about this is the classical music influence, which I did like, although I wish there was more of it. Also, I do have to add a thank you to this album for Mr. Blue Sky because that song is in every movie ever. Favorites: Sweet Talkin' Woman Mr. Blue Sky Latitude 88 North

The first couple of minutes are fun, then reality hits. Overproduced boring crap that goes on for what seems like forever.

Weird

Mr Blue Sky is great. Otherwise I was bored.

Overall not really a fan. Having said that, I can appreciate what this music did for music evolution overall and going more electric. Also, I recognize the song Mr. Blue Sky which I enjoyed! (I recognize it from Girl Talk who remix songs.)

Classic rock, prog, pop, violins/celli/strings, slow/mid/fast, male, polyphonic, ballads, strange, annoying and boring WDR2-music, musically not bad, but either too much drama and ambition or lame, with small positive excuses

It’s the Wish version of The Beatles. The influences are so clear that you almost feel embarrassed for him - mostly a shit tonne of Macca and some 50s doo wop. You can imagine him listening to the playback and thinking to himself, ‘I’ve crammed it with harmonies, double tracked the shit out of the vocals and layered on the strings but it still doesn’t sound like Sgt Pepper?!!’ His voice is very ordinary and you suspect he’s covering it up as best he can. To be fair, he does a reasonable job, which is probably why he became a go to producer for vocally challenged artists like George. I was getting increasingly annoyed, but then on comes Mr Blue Sky and all is forgiven for a couple of minutes. before normal service is resumed. I don’t think he’s totally without talent as a producer, Full Moon Fever is a great album, but Mr Blue Sky aside, he’s a very average writer and even he can’t polish these turds.

ELNo thanks.

This felt very plastic, pushed, and corporate. It's good-time jams for the whole family and it's the 70s so sunscreen wasn't invented oooh, look at me out in the sun.

Rating: 3.5/10 I do not like this.

Not my jam. Disco/program rock isn't for me

I wasn’t looking forward to this and it went as expected. Big sound, prog rock and all a bit the same.

2.5 I have a lot of the same feelings about this one that I had about the Chicago album prior. Once again, massively overrated classic rock band with an album that’s waaaaay too long. As for these guys specifically, despite having friends and family that enjoy the group, I’ve always found ELO to be corny and uninspiring. In particular, I can’t stand Mr. Blue Sky, a song that I feel epitomizes those attributes - and wouldn’t you know it, that song is on this album. That all being said, I don’t hate the group - they have some songs I find decent - but I’m just generally unaffected by them, and that really didn’t change with my listening here. I did find the first few songs to be somewhat enjoyable and nearly considered giving a 3 because of them, but man, as you keep listening, you feel the length of this album. By the time Mr. Blue Sky rolled around, I was long over the whole thing and eagerly waiting for it to end. Fortunately, the following track Sweet is the Night breathed a little bit more life back into the album and was a back half favorite, but honestly, I think I really only liked the track because it felt like he was doing a Bob Dylan kind of thing with the vocals. Double albums are always a gamble and very rarely stick the landing in my opinion, and this one is no different. I commend the group on having a unique and hit-making sound to them, but it’s just not my thing - it’s more the kind of thing I would pick up at a record store used for like a buck and then would leave sitting in the back of my collection, unplayed.

meh...

Boring and irritating

I was given this album as a birthday present when it first came out. At that time I never listened to the entire album, only the hits. After now listening to all four sides I can tell I didn’t miss much.

Not my cup of tea.

Mr. Blue Sky ist das beste Lied dieses Albums. Die anderen Songs sind nicht so mein Geschmack.

Not for me, probably to do with the genre.

This album didn't land for me, though Mr. Blue Sky was an obvious highlight. High 2.

Seems like lesser Beatles and just overproduced. I didn't listen all that closely to be honest. I'm guessing all the synth work was cutting edge at the time but at this point each song seems to have more style than substance.

While not every song is as absolutely sensational as "Mr Blue Sky", there's definitely more here worth your time than just the biggest hit

Well that was more boring than I was expecting.

1. turn to ztone - 1.5 2. itz over - 1 3. zuueet talking uuoman - 1 4. acrozz the border - 1 5. night in the city - 1 6. ztarlight - 1 7. jungle - 0 8. ztepping out - 1.5 9. ztanding in the rain - 1 10. big uuheelz - 1 11. zummer and lightning - 1 12. mr blue zky - 1.5 13. zuueet iz the night - 14. the uuhale - 1.5 15. birmingham bluez - 1 16. uuild uuezt hero - 17. the quick and the draft - 0 18. latitude 88 - 0

There is a reason that Blue Sky is a hit and nothing else is remembered. This record is 99% fluff. Just directionless navel gazing with the occasional cool moment here or there. The one exception is the hit. I don't mean to say that all songs should be verse/chorus/verse. Rather, the songs here lack hooks, catchy moments, some semblance of order... It's just all a blur. Except Blue Sky, which also prolly shifted the 10 million units.

Not for me, sorry.

Some good bits but it’s all a bit odd

Lähes jokanen biisi oli sama biisi, en jaksanu kuunnella loppuun. Turn to Stone oli hyvä mut varmaa siks ku sillon jaksoin viel vähä kuunnellaki :D

Mr. Blue Sky - and a lot of 70s synth pop. Not my favorite

Not my music genre but did enjoy listening to Mr. Blue Sky.

Meh, sounds like Queen, sometimes the Beatles

"Mr. Blue Sky" is fun and interesting. I can't really say the same for anything that came before it on "Out of the Blue." It all just sounded like a bad Queen knock-off, without the rock variety or Freddie Mercury electricity that made Queen special.

Didn’t enjoy this. One song was tolerable. I have a bad feeing about the next album lol

It's...ok? Most of the songs sound the same. While it's very technically well done, it just doesn't do it for me. I like Mr. Blue Sky though.

I like the instrumentals the most, and Mr. Blue Sky of course, but to be honest this album isn't diverse enough to justify being a double LP: so many songs are just massive ass production pinning simple mod-tempo songs. And any double LP better be worth my fucking time. Strong 2 to a light 3

I appreciate the intention. Fusing orchestral elements with rock and pop is an admirable goal. The writing is impressive, and the progressive element adds some sophistication to what would otherwise be run-of-the-mill 70's pop-rock. But the result is a watered down, disco-tinged Queen. I'm not a big fan of Queen as it is, so the quirky little brother doesn't really fare any better. The tracks that don't sound like Queen lite end up sounding like The Beatles were locked in the band room of a high school. Oddly placed horns over boogie woogie blues rock throwbacks. No thanks.

This is like a cross between Queen and ABBA, and inferior to both.

+ sweet talking woman mr blue sky

I’ve been caught up on the albums, but way behind the reviews. Uh…. There’s just too much going on! It’s a little too frenetic and try-everything for me to really want to settle into it. It’s also really smoothly put together. I admire the ambition of this guy. Truly some huge arrangements. But for whatever reason it doesn’t connect with me emotionally. And I can’t seem to figure out why. Mr. Blue Sky is awesome and proves that the mission statement here was worthwhile and worth trying out. But something about it is hard to listen to for a while. Like seeing a movie with extremely fast cuts… impressive, but after a while you feel dizzy. 2/5

As a violin player, the arrangement is done pretty well. But it seems to flashy at times.

Kinda dad-rock-y. Inoffensive, had some ok moments but really not for me.

One of my favorite eras of music- 70s disco pop rock n roll types. This album has all the hallmarks of that era and a lot of the songs have a similar signature to ABBA's songs, except for Mr. Blue Sky. That one song seems like a song that belongs to a later era than the rest of the album, which is possibly why it is such a huge hit.

c'eeeEERMmon boris . get brexit dahn. curry wif the misses. misses wif the curry. cu rry wif the brexit wif the mises and the pint. not raycist ,just dohnt laike uhm. turn off that blohday u2 shayte. . whiney irish fooking wanker bono. go and put sum proper facking bri'ish music on liak t' phil collins ohr ee-ehl-oooh . luv carling ✅ ate' Jermany ❌😱🤯😳 ‼️⚠️⚠️🚫🚫 luv naigel farige ✅🍺👍 luv gregs ✅😵👺🥴😹🥵 luv . ... . .. . ✨ e l o ✨

I appreciate the creativity but I just can’t get into this at all.

Not my style

Siinä missä Queen vituttaa vakavuudellaan ja Toto limaisuudellaan, tämä kuulostaa aidosti parilta epäsuositulta äijältä hykertelemässä omassa miesluolassaan. Sori mutta Sweet Talkin' Woman ja jotkin muutkin melodiat tehoavat. Eikä puhuta tästä enää koskaan.

Huh Abba's pimply nephew.

Reviewers referencing Pink Floyd haven’t a clue. This is 1977. It is the link from AOR to 80s pop

Christ this got old quick. Nice heights but long and drawn out lows. When on long car journeys with an aging hippy father, perhaps skip this one completely and get a compilation

I"m a classic rock guy, but this is pretty one note. Pretty hard to not argue it's just one long song.

Too soft. Sounds like something you would hear in a movie, and I don't mean it as a good thing

The Whale was alright, rest was really boring but not bad

Three good-cos-they’re-nostalgic songs and a load of MOR filler.

The music is okay, enjoyable even. It reminds me of the sort of hits Queen regularly belted out in the late 70s and early 80s. But damn if the album doesn't go on and on! Its sheer size may put me off future listens, and it even affects my ability to pick a few standouts in what was, to be fair, a consistent listen. Closer to a 3 than a 2, but I'm rounding down so 2/5

Not for me. A very long album with 'Mr. Blue Sky' on it. While not actively terrible, syrupy and overblown.

ELNo

Some gems, but way to long and self indulgent.

I can imagine this sounding futuristic and innovative in the late 70s, but I tired of the vocoder. Mr Blue Skies is a great song and I like how it moves between parts, but I found this quite a tiring listen

Like a lite version of Meat Loaf. A Tofu Loaf if you will.

Nope

If you like “Mr. Blue Sky,” you’re in luck because there’s a lot more of… that. For everyone else? Weak songwriting dressed up in layers of production and choruses.

Nunca me ha logrado enganchar este grupo, un par de canciones buenas.

Não percebi o conceito e me pareceu um pop bem produzido.

I really hated a lot of this, it's saved from a 1 by Mr Blue Sky.

Out Of the Blue is an album that has its moments, but is ultimately a forgettable experience without much payoff. There were a few good songs on this project, such as Steppin' Out, and of course, Mr. Blue Sky. but it was mostly boring, pretentious, wanna-be-psychedelic music. This album sounds like a band trying to sound like Pink Floyd but trying not to make it obvious that they are. Overall, it was an OK experience but not something I would revisit.

Ik vind dit werkelijk niet te hachelen. Gezapige samenzang over elektronisch geneuzel. Een bord Brinta wat al twee dagen staat aan te koeken.

Mr. Blue Sky is the big hit on here. The album has some interesting effects, but it feels long and drags a bit.

Pink Floyd / supertramp achtig, maar matig

Good but not my jam

Vem gjorde detta

Hmh tää on taas tätä tyyliä ettei ihan nappaa. Niputan löyhästi Queenin kanssa samaan. Niin jotenkin iloisen pirteää, että jää tunnemaailmaltaan ohueksi.

This is hella cheesey, not sure I'm going to make it through the whole album but the vibe is here for now! ELO is one of those groups where if it's up your alley then you're going to just love every song. If it's not up your alley, you pretty much get it after five or six tracks. This isn't quite up my alley but I can appreciate the tight instrumental performances, the vocal harmonies, and the inventiveness.

Ce band a son son à lui, mais ça devient redondant sur autant de chanson. C’est pas pire cheezy aussi.

I like his voice and some of the top lines are good but it’s sub-McCartney-Beatles / wings with all edges removed, plodding rhythms and highly questionable production decisions. Only on Mr Blue Sky and Sweet Is The Night do the melodies make up for the music, but even then it’s best not to think too much about the backing tracks. I did enjoy the instrumental The Whale though.

The Whale is a great tune. The rest of it: ‘don’t come back on ELO and carry on playing’

I know it's of it's time, but, it hasn't turned into a vintage for me.

Meh. Seems overproduced and fueled by cocaine. At first it was ok, but by the end I just wanted it to be over.

I had heard mr. blue sky before and i was interested to see what else could be done with this kind of sound. I was disappointed to find that, despite a rather long runtime, the whole album exists within a very similar vibe that doesn't really go anywhere. I would have loved to hear this concept be explored a bit more thoroughly. Beyond that none of the songs really spoke to me. Not that it's musically bad, it's just a bit too safe i guess?

Pretty impressive elevator music - but elevator music all the same. I wanted to like this album because - honestly - it's full of really well-written, interesting songs. It's just that they seemed to have recorded them in a way that makes them sound as uninteresting as possible. I feel like if you took these songs and had Queen or Chicago or even REO Speedwagon record them, they'd all be hit songs. Alas, they removed all the guitars, horns, and keys that make those bands cool.

I didn’t like these guys in the late 70s and nothing has changed.

I disagree with The Rolling Stone critic who said "totally uninteresting and horrifyingly sterile package. All method and no madness: perfectly hollow and bland rock Muzak." It wasn't quite that bad.

Not for me

Forgettable

Nothing special

Sounds like dad rock alright. Little progressive but a little boring

Prog is boring.

Meh

nah

It's an album with one great song and a couple good songs. It's okay.

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 🌟

La première pièce commence et on pourrait croire un groupe indie des années 2010's. On perd le feeling au fur et à mesure que la pièce avance et que les autres couches d'instrumentations embarquent. Après on revient vite dans un album rock orchestral un peu progressif des années 70. L'intérêt s'en va peu à peu. C'est dense, c'est bien fait, mais ça ne me rejoint pas. Il y a Believe Me Now où je retrouve des éléments intéressants comme l'utilisation du Vocoder (qu'on retrouve sur d'autres pièces par la suite) et les effets sur la voix qui n'est pas chantée. Cette pièce aurait pu être plus développée. Le Concerto For A Rainy Day (pièces 10 à 13) est probablement l'élément de cet album qui en fait un album à écouter. La pièce Mr. Blue Sky (probablement la plus connue et la plus intéressante) est la conclusion de ce concerto. Donc je l'ai écouté, mais je n'y reviendrai pas (à part pour Mr. Blue Sky. Vive l'ère du streaming pour ça). Pièce préférée: Mr. Blue Sky

Listened to a few. It was okay.

I didn't hate it but I just find the whole thing a bit naff. Mr Blue Sky is a banger but the rest is naff naff naff.

Tämän levyn kuuntelu oli pitkä prosessi: levyn kesto oli pitkä ja kuuntelu jakaantui useampaan sessioon. Varsinkin toinen kuuntelukierros oli aika tervanjuontia, niin en voi sanoa vilpittömästi tykänneeni. Sinänsä ihan monisävyistä ja taidokasta kamaa, mutta kun genre ei nappaa, niin ei voi mitään.

Mids

I'm not really a fan of prog rock. This is like prog pop. I'm not really a fan of that either as it goes.

1st half of this album I hated. It seemed like they combined the worst parts of disco and rock, blended them together and got an annoying mix which did not work. Repetitive and annoying lyrics to go with it. 2nd half I really dug was like a completely new album, great music great sound. Great production over all in this album but I'd probably only listen to the 2nd half 1st half 1/5 2nd half 4/5 So 2.5/5 really but imma gonna give it a 2

Bland

Nothing wrong with it, but just not very interesting

2.75

Such a great representation of so much about 70s pop-rock. I remember their hits playing on the radio in the 70s, then later as "classic rock" stations emerged. A lot of the songs are catchy, but the album grew quickly repetitive-sounding for me with my present-day ears. Mind-time-travelling back to when this album was released, I imagine it stood out. Really cool cover art on this album. (Dang, I really miss album cover art.)

This album climbs up and collects a higher critter than the last. Still doesn’t do a lot for me

Mr. Blue Sky is still a lot of fun but most of the rest of this album just didn't resonate much with me. I was surprised as I was expecting to be way more into it than it turned out to be.

Some classic tracks but the orchestration gets my goat after a while.

Was enjoying it but it was too long and by the end I couldn't wait for it to finish.

Electric Shite Orchestra

Not my favorite. Sounds like a compilation of the cheesiest classic rock radio station songs.

Meh not bad not good. Just a bland soft electronic album. Not for me.

Mr Blue Sky great tune, but this is so much not my type of music 😂 so, 2/5

fuck me they loved a high pitched vocal in the 70s. dirge album, but i looked up the words for jungle. nice story, 100 animals hanging around in a clearing in the jungle singing a song about how the earth is a spaceship circling the sun and joy to everyone on it. Weed was so much better in the 70s.

about as 70s a sound as you can imagine and massively thorough

Not very interesting. Very typical of 70s rock. Elements of Bee Gees which I greatly dislike. Some parts obviously inspired by the Beach Boys, but not executed interestingly enough for me. Starlight, Standin' in the Rain, Mr. Blue Sky, and Sweet is the Night are the standout tracks but did not really enjoy the album. It's a double album too and is quite bloated. 2/5

Was never a big ELO fan -- rock muzak

Kind of thing SHACK's mum likes as she watches him swish his hair.

Prog nonces

Würde ich lieber mögen, wenn es nicht so schlimm gemocht werden wollte. Ein peanutbutter/jelly Sandwich ohne Brot, das in einem Milkshake planscht. Puh, so würden sich die Beatles angehört haben, wären sie zusammengeblieben. Sticky 1.6

Tiene una canción que conocía, de la película de guardianes de la galaxia. El disco no me ha acabado de enganchar...

:-/

not my jam, very beatles.

Alright, sounds late Beatles a bit probably won’t listen again

disco progrock is the best progrock?

Estamos desconectados.

no es pa tanto.

beatles vibes, listenable

OMG it just goes on and on. I think I hate 70s rock.

Fine, but very middle of the road

Not bad, somewhat cheesy,maybe I wasn't in the mood for it. Seemed a bit generic

did not click with me, too much disco/flare.

Liked the album in the beginning, but I got bored of the sound.