Out Of The Blue

Pretty good

ELO feels like my parents caught me listening to too much Beatlesesque symphonic pop and made me smoke an entire carton of it in front of them

Fantastic album. So full of hits and excellent songs.

Not bad

Another biased review. I bought this in 1979 aged 14.it was my first Elo record and one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I played it endlessly for months and every time I listened to it I heard something new. After that I was hooked and have been ever since. This is in my 3rd favourite album of all time and probably my most listened to. Only OK Computer and In Absentia beat it. I can't understand why this is the only Jeff Lynne album on this list as there should be at least another three or four. Anyway this is getting 5 stars. Anyone who gives it less hasn't a clue about good music.

Is it long? Yes. It is also, however, a bloody blast what an iconic group with one of the most feel good songs probably ever made? It’s getting a 5.

Fun album. Songs from my dad's days, but I'm also a dad now so it's right up my alley.

Album #291 Electric Light Orchestra: Out of the Blue It’s fairly common for ELO to be relegated to being a Beatles tribute act, and though those comparisons are easy to make and not entirely unfounded (I feel like Jeff Lynes voice somehow sounds like a different Beatle depending on the song), just chalking their influences up to the Fab Four would be doing them a disservice. Out of the Blue is essentially and hour long love-letter to pop music; Lynne and co cover every style from Beatles merseybeat, to Kinks baroque pop, the Beach Boys' sunshine pop, and even dabble in some Bowie-esque glam pop. For my money, the most underrated period of music is the late 70s progressive pop music; after half a decade of prog rock supremacy, a few of the bands who were big but not able to break into the top league of prog bands decided to change their style and become more radio-friendly. The result was a sound which was layered and grand, yet accessible and catchy. Out of the Blue could be considered the genesis of this music, Breakfast in America the peak, and Boston the last-hurrah before that sound got consumed by AOR; interestingly starting and ending with UFO album covers. I can absolutely see why people wouldn’t like Out of the Blue, especially if they were fans of the more prog rock-sounding ELO; I mean, it is extremely theatrical and unabashedly self-indulgent, but if you are able to immerse yourself, it becomes one of the smoothest and most transformative listens you could find. For my money, there isn’t a single bad track here, which is quite miraculous for an album this long. Every song is so masterfully produced that it still sounds fresh 50 years later; listening to this album, I literally get transported to another planet, a very vivid, bright, and colourful planet with like singing frogs and shit. I was already quite a huge fan of this album, and have probably heard it in it’s entirely like 6 or 7 times; and yet somehow returning to it for this list it has only risen in my estimation, to the point where I now hold it in similar stature to Supertramp’s best work, which for me is the highest praise I can give. Out of the Blue is the definition of a magnum opus; everything that ELO and pop in general were working towards climaxes here. Jeff Lynne put his heart and soul into this album, and it truly feels like pure artistic expression. God, I love music. Best Songs: Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Big Wheels, Summer and Lightning, Mr. Blue Sky, Turn to Stone Worst Song: None Score out of 10: 10

hell yeah!!!!! was good company on the 405 today :)

Good happy rock with nice synths and harmonies!

Queen but more electronic

Feel good album somewhere between disco, rock and electronic i would say but who am I to know

This album started off relatively strong, but petered out quickly.

A couple fun songs but listening to an entire ELO album is a bit much

I can't

Rating: 4.8/5 Short Review: Huge, ridiculously polished, and somehow still charming. Strings, synths, stacked harmonies, rock, disco, melancholy. ELO throws basically everything at this album and most of it works. A little bloated, but when you're making songs this good, I'll allow the excess. Favorite Track: Turn to Stone

There are some great tracks here, shit I will happily sing along to. But an hour and 15 minutes of ELO is too much, too much for me.

I would have bet the house that this was the product of some heavy drug usage, but apparently Jeff was a pretty stable guy. Based, but in a Cringe way

Chipper! I can't tell if they're british or just happy in 1977

I kinda thought it was gonna be more like Mr Blue Sky but a lot of it was more forgettable than I thought it’d be I’m pretty sure that 88 north song has the same chord progression as “creep” by Radiohead

Yay

Mr. Blue Sly bumped this up one star.

Sweet talking woman is great. So bittersweet.

Banging album. I love me some ELO. Fave track: Mr Blue Sky

I was convinced It's A Livin Thing was on here. It isn't. Is this album a bit long? Yeah, maybe. Is Mr Blue Sky still a good song. Yeah, I think so. 3.5/5

First Jethro Tull, now ELO, this list is making me less cool but I don't mind. This album is nuts but I enjoyed the absurdity of it all. I also finally figured out who the final Wilbury is and that alone gives this an extra point. It had plagued me for 3 decades.

Love ELO. Joyous and reveling in synthesizer sound. Strings give depth without being over serious.

Turn to stone - 5 It's over - 4 Sweet talkin' woman - 3 Across the border - 3 Night in the city - 3 Starlight - 3 Jungle - 3 Believe me now - 3 Steppin' out - 4 Standin' in the rain - 3 Big wheels - 3 Summer and lightning - 3 Mr. blue sky - 5 Sweet is the night - 3 The whale - 3 Birmingham blues - 4 Wild west hero - 3

For about 10 years I’ve been intermittently posting on social media that Mr Blue Sky is the most overrated song ever. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just alright. Well…. I spent an hour waiting to hear it to give me some respite from the interminable formula of sounding like the worst bits of the Beatles the rest of the album favours. There’s nothing wrong with it as a whole, it’s just very very similar throughout and it’s 80 minutes long. It’s a lot of processed backing vocals to take in

2.5, this cheesy 70s AM rock just isn’t my sound. It’s so blah and soulless. But, ELO are still the best of that bunch at least, and there’s a few good tracks here.

Pink Floyd / Queen / Beatles mash up.

It had a few good songs. It was very 70’s space. I liked it

Sounds like Queen

this was fun to listen to and i really enjoyed the vibes. maybe some of it felt like it was doing too much but i enjoyed it

I went from this is okay, but too long and soft. Then by the end ELO had won me over. Really nice sounding album.

Es como un viaje galactico se sonidos, me gustoo

Dit is echt leuke muziek. Beetje guilty pleasure, beetje Supertramp, beetje Queen, en wat al nog. Heerlijk! ****

Classic Masterpiece. Absolutely should be on this list.

I’m not a huge fan of rock music from the ‘70s… (I wish I was!), so I had preconceived notions going into this. But I’m enjoying “Turn to Stone.” I hear influences from disco (which I do like!) unless I’m just making that up. “It’s Over” was chilling and anxiety inducing, not in a bad way. Yeah, this is pretty good. Nice ‘70s sound with distinct beats and tones that match the lyrics of each song.

when this album popped up, i got excited because i've always loved Mr. Blue Sky and i've been meaning to listen to the full album for a while to see if there's any songs on this that could maybe match in quality to that pop masterpiece! and unfortunately, as it turns out, listening to this full album made Mr. Blue Sky sound worse to me somehow. damn. besides Turn to Stone i guess, the rest of this album is just filled with dated 70s overblown pop-rock. to my ears. i especially started to get bored around the 2nd half of the album, where Mr. Blue Sky served as a reprieve from all of the other super boring tunes. i also think that this album is wayyy too long and has some filler. mannn im disappointed. i guess i'm not much of an ELO fan...

Amazing sound, very distinctive. You hear an ELO track, you know from who it is by the second chord. Obviously Mr. Blue Sky is iconic, but there are some more gems in here. One thing I really liked was the talkbox/vocoder thing he does in some songs. 4/5.

Sounds kinda the same and only 1 hut

Nice but kind of repetitive

A huge part of my childhood, especially Mr. Blue Sky which remains a favourite to this day, this really should be a 5-star album but I think it suffers like every double-album with just a bit too much bloat. It’s a shame as I genuinely reckon Jeff Lynne is an under-recognised songwriter and producer.

I enjoyed the instrumentation on this album, which is very bright and layered, along with certain sound effects such as the rain. Vocals great and good melodies throughout. Slightly bloated since it is a double album. I was not a fan of the song Jungle, and while the final two songs were not bad, they were unnecessary to the album and took away from the cohesion and sound/narrative of the album overall.

Another band that wasnon my list to listen to that O finally crossed off! I just knew Mr Blue Sky and, honestly, I think itbis one hell of an interesting song, and the album follow it, although not necessarily cohesive. But the instrumental is stunning and it is a long but enjoyable journey with a fun atmosphere. It put a smile on my face and curiosity tonlisten more from this band. 4/5

Jeff Lynne and Co. knew how to craft immaculate pop rock hooks, with plenty of unique instrumental flourishes, with the vocoder especially. I sort of get the criticism from the purists that it sounds a little sterile, but I think that might be because Lynne was approaching lab grade pop perfection

so looooong but what i've heard thus far is a solid 3

Es copado pero como que toda esa onda espacial no me termina de comprar. Lo volvería a escuchar? No

when everything is extra, nothing is

love Mr. Blue Sky, but not digging any of the rest of the songs

There's a few really good songs, but it's way over-produced for my taste. I agree with one review I read that called it "sterile."

3.5

no notes

Awesome, incredible, happy Elena :)

The perfect album to kick off another FDOC (even though I have no classes)

Det er noe kjedelig ved ELO. Det er blankpolert, konstruert med pinsett og målebånd, og egentlig for soft til å kalles rock. Mulig det er lettere å forstå seg på bandet om man tenker på dem primært som progressive pop heller enn symphonic rock? Fra før har jeg hørt mye på to låter (Living Thing etter Boogie Nights og Mr. Blue Sky sikkert pga. Guardians of the Galaxy), men har aldri vært interessert i å oppsøke et helt album. Og da jeg så at dette var et dobbeltalbum fikk jeg nesten hakeslepp. Hvorfor? Det var faktisk ikke så tungt å komme seg igjennom, men det høres nesten alltid ut som om Mr. Blue Sky er i ferd med å komme på banen. Det er i stor grad en one trick pony. Til tross for at det burde vært et enkeltalbum, og til tross for at jeg ikke har sagt så mye pent om ELO, så kommer det seg akkurat gjennom nåløyet. Det er tidvis gøy musikk -- åpningssporet kan best beskrives som en mix av ABBA og Queen -- og de gjør på en måte greia si bra. Burde jeg være mer kynisk mot å lage radiovennlig prog? Kanskje. Men inntil videre så får de bestått på popmusikkeksamen.

Jeg trodde jeg var mer fan av ELO, mest pga den EMINENTE "Evil Woman", men det er jeg altså ikke. Joda, det er noen fete låter, men veldig ofte er det bare glattpolert, sjelløst softrock, mens i andre tilfeller er det Queen med alle kanter pusset bort. Aldri likt "Mr. Blue Sky" heller, men "Jungle" er låt.

Really like this as a whole. A little noisy at times. Faves were Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin, jungle.

Thanks guardians of the Galaxy for introduce me Mr. Blue sky

Very cyborg Instrumental Not my cup of tea since it feels so technical

I don't really know ELO other than Mr. Big Sky (which conveniently is on this record) but I've always enjoyed the song. I gotta be honest... it doesn't really click with me. It feels like very generic 70's pop rock. Maybe this is what set that template up, but while enjoyable, nothing is really standing out to me as something to keep coming back to or as genre-defining.

Came in expecting this to be awful; it wasn’t, so that’s a start. That said, the most direct Beatles rip-offs really grate (‘Jungle’? Ouch), and while there are a couple of genre-busting, polyphonic bangers, plus Mr Blue Sky, it’ll only be those I come back to.

Hlustaði á þessa mjög oft um daginn og var óviss hvort hún væri fjarki eða fimma. Henti í lokahlustun í dag og lagalistinn var eins og samansafn gamalla vina. Afskaplega melódískt, skemmtilegt og næs. Fyllum húsið.

I really love ELO. Some amazing songs on here, towards the end there’s a few that are just ok. But that’s what makes double albums tricky I suppose!

Not bad

One of the all-time most distinct sounds from a band. There was like one annoying synth section on "Standin' in the Rain" (I think) but every other song was somewhere on the spectrum from fun to entrancing. Yippee ELO!!! Highlights: "Turn to Stone", "Jungle", "Steppin' Out", "Mr. Blue Sky"

off bat, the cover is completely ugly. looks like Ai which is weird because it's from the seventies. Maybe my brother would like this. I don't really like string instruments that much. And all of it is kind of bland and forgettable and yeah it's kind of jaunty but it's nothing special to me. In fact, I think the only reason I like Mr Blue Sky is because it's been played to death around me. It's all decent. Ok i changed my mind i think some of it is very cool like i'm in outer space. Still dont think this is my favorite music but it's enjoyable. I liked Sweet Talkin' woman, Jungle, Steppin Out, The Whale... some of it is very similar to like video game music or something which makes it feel kind of nostalgic and safe but at the same time exciting!

muito clara a influência dos beatles, talvez por isso me pareceu familiar desde o começo. gostei bastante, gostei das letras. mas parece ter 1h20, um pouco repetitivo.

Owned for many years... really love! Great album! Dominated a bit by 'that' track, which I would happily never hear again....but there is so much more than that! Turn to Stone is a great opener, To the border, Stepping Out, Big Wheels... pretty much every track is a belter. Even Mr Blue Sky, I'm prepared to admit is not bad!!

ELO is a favorite.

Banger after banger after BANGER. Favorite tracks: Turn to Stone ; It's Over ; Sweet Talkin' Woman ; Across the Border ; Standin' in the Rain ; Birmingham Blues.

Super long, but the songwriting is impeccable. 4.5/5.0

fun album but not good enough to justify the runtime

4.35 solid B+

1. Kan vildt godt lide den synth der er i sangen

Turn to Stone Night in the City Mr Blue Sky Wild West Hero Latitude 88 North

Turn to Stone Sweet Talkin Woman Starlight Jungle Mr. Blue Sky The Whale

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

turn to stone - highkey giving beetles mixed with queen icl idk what they're saying but wtv we ball fast tempo is fun prolly won't listen to this again violin is nice the little fast rap thing after the bridge isn't my favorite some instrumentals feel overpowering like theres too much going on we get it you turn to stone overall 3/10 It's over - nice instrumentals always love an orchestra sounds like a choir love the orchestra they're amazing orchestra + guitar = peak glad its not as loud and overpowering as turn to stone love the (relative) simplicity wish more was happening vocally still wouldn't listen to this again, too many men this song is like a minute too long im bored hurry tf up longest 15s of my life overall 5/10 Sweet talkin' woman - yay violin these little falsetto ad libs are so strange why do they sound like that anything in parentheses is throwing me off why is it so strangely high pitched love the instrumentals 3 songs in and im already sick and tired of this album just saying words atp why does it slow down at the end of EVERY song be original overall 5/10 basic alt pop song Across the Border - why is there a train flute is giving western but also bollywood nvm theres a fiddle thats western asf yay synth ok yay this is fun this sounds like knock off queen but its fine queen w/ synths ig fun song not bad still too long yay less repetition of the same damn thing i hear that pizzicato i hear violins but no other orchestral strings ts pmo this was fun still wouldn't listen again overall 5/10 Night in the City - ooh unique instrumentals strange ahh synths yay violin ELECTRIC GUITAR??? please these lyrics are out of sync (spotify sucks) yay finally something other than one lyric over and over again is that a hospital monitor?? im deeply confused by these instrumentals finally some lower strings i hear a cello i think either that or violin on the g string this orchestral line sounds like smth i've played either way still like a minute too long overall 8/10 starlight - ok synths ig nice change of pace nvm these vocals are weirding me out sounds vaguely pervy this album is too damn long i like this one its pretty good nothing stand out about it but that probably for the best once again prolly never listening to this again overall 7/10 jungle - interesting synths giving aliens giving the x files WHAT are those sounds why are we legit in a jungle hello yay strings are still here only thing keeping me listening storytelling again yippee love the instrumentals i like this one still wouldn't play it but i would listen if someone else did interesting ending overall 9/10 believe me now - holy peak no voices yay instrumentals love violins yayayyyayay best song on the album 9.6/10 steppin' out - i cant do this why is this album so long lyrics are out of sync again i don't like these instrumentals strings come to save the day once again yay guitar i deeply dislike the vocals on this im about to fall asleep skipping the rest of this i can't do this anymore nothing new being said for last 2 minutes ending is nice tho seems like it should be an end of album song idk 5/10 only for the strings standin in the rain - maybe its my attention span but why are these songs SO DAMN LONG what in the ever loving fuck is that voice its not my attention span im just bored yay strings again what is that ghostly sound it sounds like a tesla im so bored this ones kinda better ig best part of this is my friend texting me abt her ex in the middle of it if i can take coherent notes its a mid album there are no extremes here hello haunted mansion one of the better ones overall 7/10 big wheels - yay transition i just counted why are there 17 freaking songs ok yay love a ballad generic ass ballad tho son im crine (from boredom) just talking to talk ig skipping around entire song sounds the same at least there were still strings 4/10 not awful will never listen again summer and lighting - yay transition again love the sounds i can't do this anymore this is probably helping my critical thinking skills but it feels like my brain is turning to mush every single song is 1-2 minutes too long id be less pissed if they were shorter i can listen to long songs just not if they sound the exact same maybe i'm just being a hater idk there is too much happening yet not enough help what are these instrumentals i mean ig bro yay violin im not gonna remember a single thing from this album let alone this song i have such a bad headache now overall 5/10 mr blue sky - who doesn't know this song anyway ts pmo we had to play this in orchestra i don't like this song i had the most boring bassline known to man nasally ass vocals shut up now breathy asf stop this its actually not that bad i just have beef with playing it but also no reason for this to be over 4 minutes long 6/10 would've been higher if not for orchestra sweet is the night - yay instrumentals are good vocals throwing me off as usual storytelling but saying nothing sound a mess or stan sombr me asf: i would rather listen to experimental bjork and kate bush at least it has substance 5/10 definition of mid The whale - interesting start purely instrumental holy peak cool synths what is that wailing in the background tho why is this so long how the fuck are there still 2 songs after this im so tired ok yay strings and drums finally only half of this is actually listenable why is this so long there is no need skipping around once again because i am bored out of my skull 7/10 birmingham blues - good lord i can't listen to this album anymore ok yay i like this opening instrumental i just know the vocals will pmo they haven't yet but i feel it so deeply in my bones actually this isn't that bad i feel like im gonna eat my words kinda giving elvis (idk ive listened to like 2 of his songs) it could be worse WHY is everything so damn long skipping the guitar solo idgaf this could be cut down by a full minute and a half and nothing would change overall 9/10 just too damn long wild west hero - what is this honky tonk ass beat ok piano ig ok this isn't too bad storytelling yay ELECTRIC GUITAR + honky tonk piano?? i mean ig bro i hear strings hooray vocals kinda eat down here pretty good could be shorter 9/10 overall notes: i understand that this was probably (i was -33 when this came out so i don't actually know) experimental and groundbreaking when it came out but now it just sounds like knock off queen mixed with the beetles every song sounds unoriginal now and is too damn long not every song on this album needed to be here strange strange instrumentals instrumentals were all over the place only constant were strings eating down (im biased i play violin and string bass) i'm never listening to this again final score 6.39/10 ~ 3.19/5

Does indeed feel like an electric orchestra. Happy and energetic music. Might be just the vibe for a walk on a happy and warm summer evening. (like 3.7/5)

Partially known. ELO is a good time.

So many classics!

Bloated with filler tracks but also some great songs

Look, there's a reason why punk developed; it's the answer to ELO and their peers who were playing frankly boring music. I enjoy "Don't Bring Me Down," but I did not have the patience for Out of the Blue. And the "Orchestra" part of ELO always just seemed unnecessary. Jeff Lynne is a Wilbury so I'll never hate him, but this isn't his finest work.

Not my jam, I can probably listen to one ELO song in a row, but not really a whole album….

Great Songs: Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin' Woman, Starlight, Jungle, Big Wheels, Mr. Blue Sky, Sweet Is the Night Good Songs: It's Over, Across The Border, Night in the City, Believe Me Now, Steppin' Out, Standin' In The Rain, Summer and Lightning, The Whale, Birmingham Blues, Wild West Hero Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

I know ELO for only one song, "Mr Blue Sky", which gained new popularity thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2. I've been wanting to discover their music since then. Sides 1 and 2 are pretty great. They're fun, joyful, often beautiful and eclectic. But the album really reaches its heights with side 3 and the Concerto for a Rainy Day, which is kind of its own concept album within the album. Side 4 then hits you with the hypnotic sci-fi sounding "Whale". Great shit throughout.

Rest of the album is enjoyable but Mr Blue Sky is the clear number 1 cut on this album, what else do you want me to say

It’s ok. It’s the music the play on classics radio every hour on the hour. Nothing exciting

No me terminó de convencer el álbum. Tiene buenos momentos y se nota el gran trabajo de producción e instrumentación, pero en general no conecté demasiado con las canciones. Hay algunos temas que me gustaron más que otros, pero no hubo ninguno que realmente me destacara. Probablemente no sea un disco que vuelva a escuchar por mi cuenta.

Ok

Better than expected. I did not like the dreamy futuristic sounds.

Slightly worse Beach Boys.

peak

Pretty groovy

Not touching me much.

Ganz ok. Gibt mir so Retro Future Vibes. Ich schwanke zwischen 2,5 und 3 Sternen

excelente, de los mejores descubrimientos hasta el momento, preciosa tapa

Queen, but straight. Beatles and beach boys influence is pronounced. A lot of fun. Will listen again.

Haven’t listen to ELO much at all. Enjoyed this more than I expected to

That funky breakdown in Sweet Talking Woman was so good and cruelly short.

This is so boring. It doesn’t suck. But it is so bland.

better than the beatles but still shit

De cara já mostra uma inspiração em Beatles, me deixou interessado. Pior que eu curti, Mr Blue é muito Beatles, adicionei na playlist. Gostei, me impressionou, não chegou a me impactar tanto quanto uma outra banda parecida com Beatles que apareceu aqui, mas curti bastante.

Love me some ELO. Some of their best here but also a few that don't quite get to their other heights.

not my type

I first discovered ELO by accident, I bought a greatest hits cassette confusing them with OMD. I was enraptured. I've been listening to them for 40 years now - mostly that greatest hits record, but apart from the first album which I found too avante garde, I never dived into their discography. Silly me. This is great. It's tough to mix a rock band. It's insanely hard to mix and orchestra and a rock band in the same song, yet the mix is perfect. You can tell that the songes were written around the orchestral parts - they weren't bolted on as an afterthought, and that make all the difference. A little filler, but not a lot. Poppy, life affirming, innovative. Moar!

outstanding. wish telephone line was here

The good thing I’ll say for Jeff Lynne is he’s clearly very good at arranging all these instruments into the form of a song, and then mixing and producing everything to be audible so you know how many instruments and sounds he’s shoved in. However, I don’t think this works as an album for two big reasons - one, Jeff is too enamoured with too many inspirations and doesn’t actually seem to know how to translate them into anything tangibly his own and it just feels like endlessly stacking things into mush, and two, Jeff does not understand pop music on a fundamental basis to the level to be making good progressive pop. Almost all of the energy and those stacking ideas just go straight into the melodies, meaning the lyrics feel basic and the rhythm is practically the same cookie cut in every song, and they become so unreasonably similar despite everything else going on in the melody. It reads very much as one man (who sings and plays guitar) putting everything forward to the overall detriment. Ultimately, it’s like making a 17 course meal and every meal is basically a very plain and not good ham sandwich, but each course has a different stack of sauces and toppings jammed in - I’m sure some people are like “wow, so many different ideas” but I can’t help but go “wow, 17 mid ham sandwiches, what a waste of my time.”

it's okay I guess. it's kinda long.

This was enjoyable, but obviously a bit dated. Some really good songs, but also some stuff that's a bit silly.

Ah, what a treat this morning and a perfect album to start my holiday! ELO basically synthesized symphonic rock sound and made it sound so easy. This is super enjoyable, great, fun album, it is a bit long though, drags a bit so at most 4 stars. Clearly highly influences by The Beatles, and they, themselves have stated if they haven't separated they would sound like ELO, so this is not too surprising at all, great stuff all in all.

Fun album, bit repetitive but nice songs

Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? ✅ Would buy on Vinyl? ✅

Mr Blue sky is a classic

More bangers than downers but a little long

Feel-good bop after bop!

It's good

Quite cinematic

I was only really familiar with "Mr. Blue Sky" before listening to this. didn't realize their whole thing really was harmonies, string arrangements, and synths over and over. the span from "Steppin' Out" thru "Mr. Blue Sky" was the only chunk that I found a bit more interesting. the rest was almost like a contest of how punchy they could hit the down beat while avoiding all swing or syncopation whatsoever. this has gotta be in the top 3 whitest albums we've heard yet.

I’ve always heard ELO as a punchline, and I’ve never really listened before. Turns out the joke’s on me. I really enjoyed it. I was gonna give it a 4, but if I’m taking a point away from Stevie for being too long, I got to here too.

I'd heard ELO plenty before this album, but listening to this double album today made me realize how much they made well crafted pop-rock songs. The album has a few recognizable hits from it, but really, it works great as a whole, too, with no real slouch points through the long runtime. The music throughout is good, but never reaches excellent though, so I can't rate this a 5, but it is quite enjoyable.

A sensation

5/5 Album. Even if it is not your style of music (no album is everyone's), someone with a broad and general appreciation for music will find this a worthwhile listening experience at least once. "My Blue Sky" is the most joyful song ever recorded. But listening to it in isolation doesn't showcase the full genius of this album. You don't have to listen to it on vinyl, but you do need to *understand* it in the context of a vinyl LP. The entire Side 3 is a suite - 'Concerto for a Rainy Day - that goes from "Standin' in the Rain" (which is missing from Spotify!), to "Big Wheels", to "Summer and Lightning", and only finally concludes with "Mr. Blue Sky". This concerto exploring the emotions of intimidating weather giving way to Mr Blue Sky conveys the full weight of that emotion that you don't experience if you only listen to the one song. I'd argue also gets lost when there is no clear break to delineate this concerto as separate from the rest of the album. Oh yeah... and this clearly was a major influence on Daft Punk creating 'Random Access Memories' which is the greatest album of all time.

Love this one, will be a replay

I think this o e is very good even after 50 years. My favorite is definitely Mr Blue Sky

Good upbeat rock album. Nice late 70's disco elements. Not a huge fan of the background vocals.

Didn't hate it.

might be one of the greatest albums ever

Easy 5 stars

I love ELO. It's a testament that a band with orchestral leanings could be so popular. Out Of The Blue has some good moments, but overall the +s and the -s equal out to a 3. Fun fact - in an interview with George Harrison, before he died, he was asked where he thought the Beatles would have went musically if they stayed together. He said he thought they produce more music in line with ELO. Interesting....

Good start with Turn to Stone Like it 5/10

Pareciera ser ELO en la cúspide de su carrera Como se percibe lo mucho que disfrutaban hacer música y experimentar con muchos tipos de sonidos, por ahí casi tiran una ranchera y todo Es imposible no sentirse animado al escuchar este álbum La increíble Mr Blue Sky viene dentro de este envase y ya con eso sube por lo menos un punto Así como hay piezas super animadas ya llegué a un punto donde tenemos baladas enérgicas también Definitivamente la palabra Orchestra le va muy bien en el nombre Es un viaje musical exquisito, es de aplaudir lo que lograron crear, un álbum muy sólido probablemente su obra maestra en cuanto carrera

I wasn't sure I was going to have the patience for this. I was worried it would be an album full of Bohemian Rhapsodies. And it was, in a way, but I loved it more than I thought I would. First half was a banger. By the second half it was getting a bit grating. Mr. Bluesky was on HEAVY rotation throughout my childhood.

Nice! This album is so, so fun. And what a genre mix this is! There's boogie/rock, classical, disco and even electronic elements, and on top we get sweet Beatles-like melodies. Sounds like a "great in theory, total mess in practise" thing, but no, ELO actually make it work. Now, the downside is, not all songs hit the same. The B- and D-sides are weaker than their front counterparts. And speaking of B and D... I get that you had lots of ideas, guys, but 70 minutes of this eclectic whirlwind is too long. All in all, I enjoyed it and will be back for more. 3.5/5 - very good

It’s a bit overlong, but a ton of fun! Would’ve been a 5-star album if it was just the best 45 minutes or so

Begon top, duurde toen te lang.

Classic album. I like it. - Max "Yeah, but I don't remember it all" - Thais

Never loved them that much

Great song writing here but it’s too long an album to truly enjoy in one sitting which is a shame.

1977 vocoder, Beatles influenced, strings Turn to stone Sweet talkin' woman Mr. blue sky

Love ELO

Love elo. Fantastic album

Maybe this album popped up at the wrong day for me but I did not like it. I felt it was too overladen with an array of sounds. It uncomfortably forced a good mood that I could not adapt to. It was just annoying all in all.

Bonny is the highlight

Felt like I was in an electric light orchestra, I don’t really care for electric light orchestras

No doubt this band has talent and wrote some great music. This album lacks their memorable hits but definitely a testimony to how talented they were

The arrangements are complicated and fantastical. Its a pretty long album but its definitely never boring. The 70's were just a better era for rock. Supertramp mixed with Queen and the Beatles, maybe a but over produced to some but nothing wrong with show tunes.

Fantastic record.

Mr Blue Sky, Steppin’ Out and a few others are highlights. The problem is the length of the album. Songs that work okay on their own as filler, but at this length they destroy the album experience. The last few songs are the weakest A lot of nice early opera rock, and influences from Pink Floyd and the Beach Boys still make this a unique, special mix.

One of my dad's favourite albums. I confess it is a bit long, but it has a good bit of groovy and some real standout tracks. If it was about 5 tracks shorter it would be great. Honest feelings: 3.75/5

This definitely sounds like Queen and The Beatles (more Paul than John). It's a more pop oriented Queen. It's also more superficial than anything it sounds like. Not that that is bad, it's nice to just listen and not think deep thoughts.

This is a very fun album. Almost every song is instantly catchy, and there are a lot of good melodies. The sound is a little kitschy, but fun. There is a lot of variety in the songs, even though the sound is similar throughout, which is cool.

I'll allow it. Jeff Lynne ruined Tom Petty though...

Solid album - what you would expect from ELO. Easy listening with very nice string arrangements, some great songs and of course the legendary Mr. Blue Sky. I will be reading up on Jeff Lynne thanks to this album. 3.5/5

Very nice , maybe too long

So good, but too long. Very theatrical (positive).

Uh oh, cheesy 70 music, no like.

A classic

I would rank the spaceship albums like this: 1. Boston (10/10) 2. Out Of The Blue (10/10) 3. Mothership Connection (10/10) Honorable mention to Escape by Journey which should absolutely be in the book.

Just like Jeff having a series of conversations with aliens while traveling through outer space in their massive rainbow colored perpetually twinkling UFO mothership. He doo wops and skiffles and boogie woogies and they respond with boop beep operatic synth army equations. And ultimately their quanta entangle and they become the singularity that is ELO.

ELO do quality pop, exquisitely recorded, perhaps slightly overproduced but always bursting with melody, harmony, wonderfully informed arrangements and a knack of somehow not taking themselves too seriously. ‘Out of the Blue’ is their magnum opus and they made every effort to deliver in every way possible. They push themselves to the limits of their abilities and in the main it is a resounding success. I guess it is probably a bit too long. They do introduce some unexpected twists here and there, but the level of variety would need to have been pushed further to have justified the length completely. It’s a minor gripe though and it’s an easy (strong) 4 from me. Had it been the follow-up and more concise ’Discovery’ included in the 1001, I would have been rolling out a full 5 and that would only have been partly due to it being the first album I bought with my own money.

Eh

Out of the Beatles

Very boring. Really very boring.

Man, they ought to give a Nobel Prize to whoever can make the first double album that actually warrants being a double album. I’ve yet to hear one. Dylan came close with Blonde on Blonde but I don’t think it’s quite there. This one started off so promising. Jeff Lynne’s got an ear for harmony like few who’ve come since the Beatles and isn’t afraid to let the disco influence shine. By the middle of the infectious “Sweet Talkin’ Women” I thought he might pull it off. But, coincidentally, around the time when a single album would just about be wrapping up, it starts to drag. And drag. Even “Mr. Blue Sky”, which you can’t help but nod your head to, can’t save the second half from its repetitive, Supertramp-throwaway 70s indulgence. It’s just a style that doesn’t lend itself well to filler tracks. Good try.

I didn’t grow up listening to ELO like I did Beatles and Queen. Bits of this record sound Beatlesque, with the (sometimes out of tune) strings and the crazy tempo changes, while others, like the harmonizing and even some guitar parts, are reminiscent of Queen. But of course, they are their own. Love “Turn to Stone” and of course “Mr Blue Sky,” an uptempo, fun little song. The album sags in places, which is to be expected from a double album, but overall it’s really good

Should’ve ended with The Whale but otherwise no complaints. Never felt revolutionary or anything but perfectly solid

It suffered overall from being too long, a few of those songs could have been cut. A few of them sounded like The Beatles had stayed together into the 70s and had gotten better at their instruments. Nice production, I liked the vocoder, pretty cool. Almost Daft Punky at times with the vocoder. Cool vocoder. Jeff Lynne is more famous to me for never being in the same room as Mick Foley/Mankind than for being a musician, but it was ok. Probably the 4th best Wilbury, but I'm not going to say who is lower on the ranking. Anyho... Wow, what an album. Cool vocoder though.

Mehhhh

Beatles/queen vibes.

A bit too "pompous" at times, but it's catchy, and Mr. Blue Sky is a banger

simply a good time

First listen

I hate this album. Seriously. Mr. Blue Sky almost brought it to 2 stars, but then it just sucked. Over and over and over. With awful interruptions to halfway decent songs with The Voice of God in my left ear. More cowbell, cool, but never again with this album.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album, I knew a couple songs from the album and going into it I was expecting this album to feel as long as a double lp is. However the time breezed by and I was really surprised I was listening to it for so long. The reason it’s not a 5 however is I feel that the production choices while making a beautiful sounding record also date it more than other 70s albums similar to me how pet sounds while very pretty is also very dated sounding IMO. Now a dated 70s album is definitely not as bad as a dated 80s album imo but it does make me wonder what could’ve been if they eased back on the lush production choices.

This feels like it should be a space opera…and I would watch the heck outta that

Really interesting listen. Bit long but continues to build on itself so the back half felt a lot more rewarding. Overall very solid 4

Great but way too long. But I liked it more than other double records.

I've seen a million second hand copies of this record, but have never heard it. Within 15 seconds it sounds like 10CC - which came first? As we progress it feels highly influenced by John Lennon and the Smile project by the Beach Boys. No Heroes & Villains, no Out Of The Blue. Quite a few good songs, but instantly forgettable, plus lyrically so-so. Mr Blue Sky is still a belter, and Jungle seems to have been a very direct influence on the Rocket From The Crypt b-side Tarzan. Overall, this feels like the purest essence of BBC Radio 2 for a 40 year spell.

Dig. I always thought of these guys as too pop-y back in the day. Now that my horizons have broadened, I’m in. Good times. Also set a new record for the kids asking “Is this the Beatles?” from the backseat. New record for when the answer was no anyway. 3 & 1/2!

Not too offensive

Joyous, upbeat, beatlesque record that ran wild with outer space themes. A great record to play on a road trip with older family members to remind them of how amazing music was back in the 70's compared to today. Personally, there are 3 great songs worth coming back to. The end of the record falls a little flat and drags on a bit too much. The album could have ended on the instrumental track rather than include two more songs. All in all, a great reminder of the staying power of melodies (Mr. Blue Sky is still 10/10).

hey you with the pretty face, welcome to the human race!!!!!!!!!!!!!

טוב להכיר עוד שירים טובים של הלהקה הזו חוץ ממר שמיים כחולים

Really really liked this one, and hadn't heard it or much of ELO before. Really like their sound; it's like a combination of the Beatles/Yes/Bowie/Elton John/Boston and a bunch of other great artists blended together. Going between a 4 and 5 stars on this one, and very likely could wind up a 5 star after more listens, much I'll definitely be doing for this one.

It's a shame most of "Out of the Blue" is overshadowed by "Mr Blue Sky". I'm not saying "Mr Blue Sky" is bad; in fact, it's one of my favourites from the album. Every track on "Out of the Blue" is at least good, without duds. I think the best one is the opening track "Turn to Stone". What a lovely album to end the week. 4 stars for "Out of the Blue".

No, you don't need to listen to this before you die. A nice listen but nothing to love, apart from Mr Blue Sky and similar sounding but slightly worse songs.

Didn’t listen to a whole lot. Got the vibe and it’s not for me. Some good songs but meh overall!

Знаю про ELO, але раніше не чув. Виглядає цікаво.

Great

Enjoyed the most of this, should have been a 40min album

Pretty good album. I feel like their attempt at an overarching album story is pretty lackluster with weather being the main focus midway.

This caught me off guard. A 70s prog influenced band that sounded like they are having fun. The squelch of the synth on the opening track was a delight. The flip to mariachi on across the border was bonkers. You've got to be especially pompous and po faced to listen to this and not enjoy yourself.

This was a fun listen. It's a bitv0f a long listen and the songs all strat sounding very similar.

primer álbum!! Ya había visto este álbum sin más nunca lo había escuchado no le tenía mucha fe, no se si me llego a encantar del todo.

boring

This album is magical! Sounds like Mozart took psychedelics with the Beatles

Amazing double melodic Original

Overall, high energy fun, but a bit too synth heavy for me. It’s more small doses of ELO for me to appreciate them. “Starlight” and “Jungle” worked for me. Possibly because “Jungle” is silly whimsy.

Solid listen with a lot of fun ideas, along with some breakaway singles. Would revisit and dig in further.

Classic sound and solid tunes. Beach boys harmonies meet dramatic instrumentation.

Very smooth. Didn't hate anything, but it all kind of blends together. Great background music while doing other stuff.

great orchestral music a generational pull

I like Evil Woman! I was surprised to see a song on this album I recognized. Funky.

Closing in on the pinnacle, or is the rot setting in? By this album, ELO is well on its way to becoming just a vehicle for the expression of Jeff Lynne’s artistic vision rather than a true band. There is some beautiful pop music here, but the album is certainly self-indulgent and overlong. Would have been a very solid single album. I can’t believe this was chosen in place of “A New World Record” for this exercise.

Another album that I have always been aware of, but never really given the chance, as it isnt my type of music. After listening fully... I was right. It is not for me. Dull. Before listening, I was ready to give it a 3. I cant see going back and listening though. Solid 2.

overall a fun album. I had never listened to an entire ELO album before. Lots of good songs, as usual a couple of clunkers but still a good outing. I already listened to this one again. Giving it 4 stars

loved this. one of my favorites so far

too prog for the town of blues, too blues for prog city, i feel that trying to reconcile these two currents makes part of the essence of both a bit diluted an extensive collection of hits; towards the second half it starts to get moodier and more orchestral, and I think that's when it works best

Listening to this feels like listening to an 80s classic rock band that have been forced to play eccentric, over-dramatic pop rock. There’s a great deal on this album that is well-written, interesting & dynamic, without mentioning the undoubtedly memorable hits. Overall though the production, tone & delivery of the tracks feel over the top for me, as if I’m listening to a theatre play soundtrack.

ELO definitely belongs on this list, but for my money it would be the previous record (New World Record) a tighter collection of phenomenal orchestral pop. Blue is comparatively bloated and less satisfying, though with lots of quality if this style of music is in your wheelhouse. I owned the single of “Turn To Stone” as a preteen, and it still provokes a little chill.

as someone who only knew mr blue sky prior this was good stuff

La verdad no me provoco más

I had a decent time with this. Nothing super outstanding to me but it was enjoyable. Definitely overstayed its welcome though. Could've been 20 or 30 minutes shorter.

어우 듣기 좋아. Mr. Blue sky라는 매우 익숙한 곡 포함.

If you’re going to be over an hour long, being this frenetic, poppy and genre surfing is the least you can do. And thank gods, Jeff Lynne came through with gusto…

Groupe connu par quelques uns de ces tubes (Last train to london, Don't bring me down), peu appréciés. Ce n'est pas ce double album beaucoup trop long (-1) qui va me faire changer d'avis : très disco, et vraiment sans intérêt pour moi, même si c'est bien exécuté. =>1/5

Great singles.

I like 'em, But find that I can only take so much, and this album pushes the limit. Had to stop, and come back to finish. But I do like their style, just not all at once.

Interesante álbum nunca lo había escuchado, pero reconocí que era un álbum histórico

Not too bad an album. Lots of good songs. Some to chill out with a glass of brandy

第一次听，很难想象这是上世纪70年代的作品，旋律放在现在也不算过时，很轻快的感觉，既经典又流行。

Another one of my favorites. Its ‘70s pop at its most indulgent and resplendent. It does drag on the last side. It kind of feels like it doesn’t quite know what to do after Mr. Blue Sky and just throws a few left over songs out before ending. Still, when this album is good it’s great. It reaches a high that this symphonic style of pop hadn’t reached since the Beach Boys a decade before. Catchy, slick and polished. Still think A New World Record is better.

A consequences of what happens when you take acid while listening to a playlist of Pink Floyd/David Bowie/The Beatles & Queen. I was apprehensive when I saw how long this album was, especially in this genre but I was pleasantly surprised how it managed to keep my attention throughout. I knew several songs on here without knowing they were by ELO. Really enjoyable from start to finish. 4*

Pleasantly surprised it wasn't just Mr Blue Sky. Some great songs in here. Too long though

Hey it’s that one song!

I really liked it- pure 70s eccentricity and fun.

Yeah, this is good stuff. Some really interesting sounds on here and it's very busy sounding. Always something happening. I can only imagine what it was like getting this on release day in the late 70s and sticking it all on in one go. Still sounds great. A touch too long but other than than, pretty good.

Jag vill ju gilla detta för det är uppenbarligen fruktansvärt bra låtskriveri och produktion. Samtidigt känns det som resultatet av att man frågat AI om att skapa ett ”70-talsalbum”. På ett sätt är väl det bara ett bevis på dess genialitet. 6/10 (med vissa riktiga höjdpunkter)

high highs and some forgettable tracks, but overall so fun

starts off happy and dancey!!pretty upbeat and the sad songs are more uplifting then depressing 8/10 lot of the songs sound the same

Excellent album, reminds me a lot of Queen.

Jeg kunne ret godt lide den her. Glam-rock-ish Supertramp-stil.

Exceptional, way too Classic

Solide

Written and recorded quickly as Punk rock was at its height, this (miraculously) double album shifted a whopping 10 million units, assisted by four key hit singles. The Punk bands were far less keen to spend time in the studio as Jeff Lynne and this album is an absolute treasure trove of musicality. John Lennon referred to them as 'Sons of Beatles' - this album outstrips anything a solo Beatle produced in the 70s and has more in common with the Bee Gees and ABBA to my ears than Lynne's renowned influencers. 'Steppin' out' became a later live favourite and 'standing in the rain' opened his second comeback tour. A magnificently crafted album, and much more than 'the one with Mr Blue Sky on it'!

Fun and tastefully done, I loved some of the songs, but probably won't be playing them on repeat in the future.

meh

I was very excited to get this one. Obviously I’ve heard Mr. Blue Sky as much as the average guy, but I had no idea what to expect from the rest of the album. Needless to say, I was floored. Definitely will be enjoying again and again after today

bangers, i loved listening to this album, i had only heard two of the songs previously

Nice album.

Sometimes the most boring comparisons are the most apt. This sounds like the Beatles survived well into the seventies and were able to take inspiration from genres that blew up during the decade. You can influence from prog, disco and futuristic electronic music. While it may have been cutting edge at the time, I'd argue that the electronic elements have aged the worst. What doesn't age is good songwriting and Jeff Lynne's Beatles obsession has also given him McCartney's golden touch to create memorable pop hooks. This thing is very catchy and left me grinning from ear to ear with how happy it all sounds. Being a double album, you expect some bloat and while there is definitely some, I was never left wishing that this was a single album. I don't think many younger people listen to ELO when compared to the Beatles and other classic bands and that's a shame.

Context is key and I must declare this was a staple of my childhood, dad being a big fan. It’s a ludicrous record in so many ways - I remember poring over the wild list of instruments they used to make it. Corny and overblown, another one that is too long for its own good, but damn good fun all the same.

mehhh I didn’t like it that much

This is the second time for this with my multiple projects. The first time I really, really couldn’t get into it. Accused the band of doing way, way too much coke. This time, I was digging it much more. Maybe it’s all the 60’s trash I’ve had to wade through. But I was far more in the groove this time around. But they still exhausted me by the end. I definitely was ready for it to be over before it was. 4 Boolean: True. Glad I get to listen more than once

ELO... mister Blue Sky. Great album overall.

A handful of bangers here.

Прикольный альбом, поначалу показалось что это унылая старая музыка, но все же что-то в нем есть помимо попсового хита Мистер Голубое Небо. Много психоделии, много синтезаторов и вообще много всего, тут и оркестровые аранжировки, и необычные звуки, и вообще все такое помпезное и возвышенное, хотя в основе всего олдовый психодел-рок

A bright album with a distinct sound

(5/5) Everything that ELO made always strikes me as joyous and triumphant. It's probably a trick of the arrangements where there's always some amount of orchestral accompaniment, but it just makes me smile. "Mr. Blue Sky" NEVER fails to make me smile no matter how many millions of times I've heard it. Even the slower, deep tracks on this album feel light and brilliant. That sort of unfiltered joy keeps this in the low '5s for me no matter what. It *IS* kinda long, and it is very 'one trick pony' in it's variety, but it's damned amazing how often that keeps working for me..

Have this one on vinyl and have spun it a dozen times. I totally understand that it can be as long winded as any double album, and not every track on it is a five star banger, but the range and variety of this one just keep me coming back, and the highlights more than make up for the lows. It's my favorite of what ELO has to offer, and easily meets my threshhold for a 5/5.

138. Out Of The Blue - Electric Light Orchestra (1977) 7.10.26 Variety: 4 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 5 = 4.8 rounded up to a 5 "And then I think there might/ Just be a better life/ Away from all we know/ That's where I wanna go" I love ELO. There, so it's going to be no surprise going in that I'm going to have a lot of good things to say about Jeff Lynne and his project. A lot of these songs were childhood staples that, unlike a lot of the "cheesier" 70s stuff, stayed very high up there for me. Even in my angry young man phases - grunge, punk post-punk, etc... I could never quite find it in me to write this stuff off. It was just THAT good. The stuff I value most highly in the best pop music - melody, the ability to craft excellent and numerous hooks, the dedication to providing a genuinely pleasant listening experience - Lynne does all of this and more. To quote Yngwie Malmsteen - "How can less be more? That’s impossible. More is more." ELO lived and died by this philosophy, but the excesses were always tempered by great craft and taste. It's arguable that Lynne colored outside of these lines occasionally ( Xanadu) but it was almost always done with a subtle wink. His stuff is not filled with the kind of sophomoric humor that 10cc or the like loaded up with, but instead a kind of casual unseriousness in the effect, despite being VERY try hard in the attempt. This is going to be a treat, and I'm curious how much ( if any) my opinion has changed on some of the deeper cuts as the big ones are all still in pretty regular rotation. THE TRACKS Side one "Turn to Stone" - That fade in is pretty iconic in my mind, and we're immediately swimming in a wall of sound with Lynne's perfectly pitched delivery as our only company. But what company it is. The echoey synths and bass drive us forward through a neon streaked night, and we cruise along at a speedy clip, never worrying despite the melancholy lyrical content about anxious codependency. The music is so joyous and lifting that the words barely matter. It's the kind of manic vibe that I love about so much of this music, turned up even more. The strings and the call and response self-backing chorus are features that we're going to get a lot more of, and I can see how this would make a very fine target indeed for all the punks and would-be "serious" musicians and critics of the time, but it only drives home in retrospect how the image conscious and desperate to be cool only look sad now. In an age where our pop stars sit at a default 11/10 on the outrageousness scale, ELO seem pretty damn ahead of the curve. "It's Over" - An underrated track to be sure, even though I think it got released as a single. The push and pull in this one between the sweetly sad contemplative verses and the accepting choruses where Lynne pulls off the neat trick of literally consoling himself at the same time as wallowing in his misery, with the melodramatic orchestral ending the icing on the cake. With B material this good, it's going to be hard to find a lot to criticize. Playing devil's advocate though, I guess the melodrama and overblown operatic nature of the thing might seem cringeworthy to some. And I might agree if there wasn't so much self-awareness already baked in to the whole affair. Our narrator here is cartoonish without being a cartoon, which I think is a fine distinction, and one which gives us a peak into that little bit of a wink Lynne gives in a lot of his stuff. He's serious while he's in it, but looking at it from a more omniscient pov, it's structured so that the listener can readily admit how silly an overreaction this guy is having, while recognizing this potential for internal melodrama is something we're all probably all if not guilty of, then certainly capable of. "Doesn't it sometimes feel like the world is ending when we suffer a loss?" the song asks. And this can simultaneously silly and true. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" - What a lovey opening, all violins and cellos. The robotic vocoder line doesn't spoil the mood one bit. Once upon a time this was my favorite track on the album, and still remains a high point in the catalogue for me, and is so deeply buried in my brain that I'm sure it'll be stuck again in there for at least a few days after listening. Confusion and desperation play equal parts in this tale of a man seeking to hook up again with a lost chance encounter, all floating around in between several all-time great melodies, a proto-disco beat, a chorus and doo-wop ( there's that wink again) backing vocals... This is a smorgasbord of hooks, and when the music drops out for just the beat, the vocals, and the guitar accent at around 3:13 for a few seconds - absolute perfection. "Across the Border" - Side one closes with yet another very solid deep cut. The sounds of a train pulling into ( or away from?) the station leads into a southwest-tinged tale of a man who just HAS to get down South to see his love. The melodrama is turned up even more here in the tense intro, and plays out again in the apprehensive bit before the second verse, with it's arch violin and vibrating synths. All of this over top of a boogie-woogie guitar line. And the plucked violins over top of the crunchy guitar is a great bit of juxtaposition. The blast of mariachi trumpets give less of a triumphant feel than one of a man running after and maybe never quite catching that train and we're left hanging with no resolution. And yet it still works. Side two "Night in the City" - Side two opens with echoes of Gerswin's "An American in Paris" with the bustling city noises a bit more literal ( though Gershwin did use real taxi horns apparently). We get what is almost an inversion of the previous track, this time with the object of the narrator's affection trying and failing to escape to some possibly less oppressive and chaotic place. Over all this is fine, but it lacks the cohesion ( if not the precision) of the best tracks on here, and leans a bit too much into the gimmick of the urban atmosphere. Also, try as I might the melodies in this one just are not sticking to my gray matter like I want. Of note are the very brief, Who-ish drum breakdowns throughout. "Starlight" - Things slow way down for a meditation on long distance relationships, and Lynne breaks out his crooning higher register, along with a decidedly more soulful ( as much as he can manage) beat. The descending little synth line and the theremin sounding bit add a lot to the whole cosmic theme, and we're left with a lovely, catchy little throwaway track that punches well above its weight. "Jungle" - More gimmicky sound affects lead us into this one, but right away we get into a bit of fun, catchy instrumention, that uses a lot of idiosyncratic percussion to achieve the effect. This one had me worried for a second or two, as I could not remember what direction he was headed in, but it ends up being a pretty PG nonsense chorus about finding some animals chanting in a jungle glade. His very English, orchestral pop take on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" I guess? Innessential, but catchy nonetheless and maintains the festive atmosphere throughout. "Believe Me Now" - Operatic melodrama from the start here in a mostly instrumental track that seems to want to establish some sort of galactic-level bit of anguish. As interludes go, it's fine. "Steppin' Out" - A very pretty number that combines a bit of mourning about leaving the place you love for the unknown manages to still lean optimistic. As solid example of that bittersweet, anthemic mode that few can do as well as Lynne. The swelling, uplifting notes at the end sticks the landing and then some. Side three ( Concerto for a Rainy Day) "Standin' in the Rain" - Some heavy atmosphere with a music box playing as the rain comes pouring down and we get a suite of movements that take us through a tense and apprehensive interior monologue of another Lynnian sad sack, one among many who always seem to be under the thumb of some oppressive personified weather event. This feels very much like an interlude despite the 4:20 runtime, and we end on a bit of "Mr. Blue Sky" echoing backwards in time. "Big Wheels" - The storm is over and we're square in the calm after the chaos, but the rainy days are still fresh in mind as we're directed into a very pretty, but sorrowful look at love lost. The swelling bridge brings the rain back again though, with an almost onomatopoeic swirling, turning string section when those big wheels start turning. "Summer and Lightning" - When will this rain let up, guys. It almost feels like some sort of Pathetic Fallacy themed journey that's maybe leading towards some sort of musical catharsis. Hmmm... Well, until we get there let's enjoy this downtempo, but lively number where the rain and heat remind him of the better times rather than force him down into a deeper hole. Maybe those clouds are ready to part? "Mr. Blue Sky" - Yes, I think so. This one I think has grown ( especially in recent decades) to outshine everything else on this album, and has even replaced "Sweet Talkin' Woman" as my personal favorite. The "Penny Lane" in fluence is all over this, and not to its detriment as it breaks away and splits off into many different avenues, and even possibly some Bee Gees harmonic influences. The culmination of the last three songs, it works equally well on its own as it does the capper to this mini concept EP, buried within an already great album. The coda starting at 3:47 is burned into my brain, and serves as maybe the most epic endings to a song I can think of, maybe outside of a few Queen tracks. The bittersweet orchestration that it lands on is such a pretty piece that it rivals both "The End" and "A Day in the Life" in the ability to portray emotion with just instrumentation. An all time classic that belongs in the canon of great pop songs. Side four "Sweet Is the Night" - We return you now, to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress. Another pretty take on city life, this time with bit of comfort someone who feels beaten down, chewed up and spit out buy the urban rat race. The Sweetly swelling strings here are maybe as saccharine as they get on this album, but it's tempered by another wise bombastic pop rock base. Good stuff. "The Whale" - Purely an instrumental, this one doesn't bother mucking around in the metaphorical as right off the bat we get some actual whale song incorporated along with dreamy, wet synths and some faintly heard glossolalia to generate a soothing underwater vibe. Fine stuff, but more of a pit stop on way to the home stretch than anything else. It does make me want to listen to the entirety of Ween's The Mollusk though. "Birmingham Blues" - And we come to our final stop before we light out into the sunset. As, uhh... bluesy as Mr. Lynne can manage I guess, but that's almost the point here I think, with a VERY baroque and light take on the idea. The chorus and instrumental break are they draw here, as unlike the blues as even the tenuous nod in the rest of the song implies. We get a funny little story of a homesick guy who immediately upon returning to his old town is ready to set out again, maybe to warmer, much drier climes... "Wild West Hero" - This is one that has grown on me over the years, like some sort of insidious fungus that I noticed much too late had worked its way into my brain. Corny, unserious, and overdone were all ways I would have described this at various points in the past. But despite all that going on, I simply cannot deny how incongruously emotionally affecting it still is. Lynne pulls the same trick he did in "Sweet Talkin' Woman" where the music drops out momentarily, and the vocals carry the load, making it twist up all the more into the wistful mental state of the narrator. And that swelling outro almost just pushes through and bursts any little sense of decorum and groundedness that could possibly remain before stalling out and gently floating all the way back down as the vocals and strings fall with us to back to the reality of the cold, hard ground. The lyrics might specifically be about some goofy, movie-born fantasy, but the feeling is applicable to whatever hopeful flight of fancy the listener might also share, and so becomes a universal wish to get away from one's humdrum existence. An awesome, and thematically appropriate note to end on for an album that's been full of what ifs and escapism. HIGHLIGHTS - "Turn to Stone" - "It's Over" - "Sweet Talkin' Woman" - "Across the Border" - "Starlight" - "Jungle" - "Steppin' Out" - "Big Wheels" - "Summer and Lightning" - "Sweet Is the Night" - "Wild West Hero" MIDLIGHTS - "Night in the City" - "Believe Me Now" - "Standin' in the Rain" - "The Whale" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS I once read ( I forget by who) a piece that claimed Lynne with ELO ( especially early on with Roy Wood, and the earlier more traditionally arranged and less synthy stuff) were the true heir to the Beatles legacy in the 70s, even more so than Lennon and McCartney themselves. A very bold claim, but I can see the bones of the argument making a kind of sense when you consider just how influenced the ELO project was by those guys. The lush orchestral pop rock sound was largely innovated by the Beatles and when they went their separate ways, was mostly tossed aside for more raw ( in John's case) and more cozy ( in Paul's case) takes on the whole ultra-melodic singer songwriter mode. ELO took stuff like "I Am the Walrus", "A Day in the Life" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" and expounded upon that orchestral, magpie approach, taking it to it's most logical endpoint. Embracing technology and trends as they unfolded before him, he incorporated the Beatles more theatrical tendencies into his core sound, while mostly avoiding becoming a pastiche or rip-off artist, or even a very good soundalike, the best of who - with greater (Badfinger) or lesser (Emmitt Rhodes) success - would still ultimately fail to pick up the baton. With that in mind, it's no wonder the whole ELO discography ( alas only represented on the list by this lone entry) absolutely drips with top tier melodies, and unique, interesting instrumental and vocal hooks. With this album in particular, Lynne's purpose seems to be to draw the listener in and let them soak in the bubble bath he's prepared, refilling it with piping hot water every time things start to cool down just a little too much. There's some fat on here to be sure, as there is with I think every double album I've ever listened to ( Beatles included), but when the fat has as much flavor as it does here, you still might chew on it for a bit before surreptitiously spitting it into your napkin. Glad I got to give this a full re-listen, and have to say I would have been hard pressed to think of a better selection than this ( A New World Record would have been a fine choice as well though). PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Wouldn't change a lick FURTHER LISTENING - A New World Record by ELO - Mustard by Roy Wood - 3:47 EST by Klaatu - I Robot by The Alan Parsons Project - The Original Soundtrack by 10cc - Breakfast in America by Supertramp - Armchair Theater by Jeff Lynne

Going into this one blind, have never heard of Electric Lights Orchestra. Is this disco? This sounds like disco. It sounds like the side 1970s music I'm not particularly fond of. And boy is it long. This one may take a while to get through. Okay, so never took to it over the whole long album. A few spots were fulled with some symphonic rock that I almost enjoyed. The vocoder voice stuff would come in and ruin whatever good will had built up. Didn’t work for me.

it was really upbeat most of it

Il m’a fait un peu penser à des chansons des Beatles quelques fois, j’aime beaucoup, les chansons sont entraînantes, originales.

Decent, enjoyable, melodic synth pop. Couple of really good tunes on it, but it can get a bit “samey”. Still, I enjoyed it!

*I had high expectations for this because I had heard of it, knew Mr. Blue Sky, but never dived deeper. *After fighting through its bloated 70 minute run time, I hear some Beatles inspiration and realize that I would have been on the side of the punk movement fighting against this maximalist music of the times. *Might be the most overrated album I've heard so far in this project

Es demasiado bueno desde la primera canción 10/10

me gusta de fondo, me da vibes de clasicos de la 100

Absolutely amazing album filled with beautiful music. Underrated album overall. ELO is one of the best to do it.

They definitely do not make them like this anymore! I’m an absolute mark for beach boys and Beatles style vocal harmonies so I knew I’d like this given I was already very familiar with Mr Blue Sky from college acappella. I just love the earnestness and ambition of so many of these songs, even when sometimes the cup gets overfilled and spills over into something so saccharine even I can’t rock with it. This is handcrafted music designed to put smiles on people’s faces and inspire family living room dance parties and that is a beautiful thing.

I had low expectations of this, based on ELO’s chart-toppers ("Evil Woman"). First half, I felt confirmed that it was too light for my taste, I didn’t like the strings (like disco pop). But then, a couple of songs in succession grew on me - I liked the rich arrangements, syrupy harmony vocals, sweet synthesisers as well as the string section. So I felt more positive about the album by the time it finished. There’s a couple of songs I’m happy to put into playlists. I rate this album on its fit with my personal taste - as I have no sense it merits particular respect for historic significance. So I’ll say it’s Okay, 6/10.

This feels like the type of music Punk was rebelling against, rather than Prog rock. It's all fine and there are a lot of familiar songs on here, but ELO often feels kind of soulless. It's Pop, but the type of Pop music that seems to take itself too seriously. Either be a Pop album or a 4 side long piece with a side long rainy day concerto, both doesn't relaly work. Everything here is fine and I can't say I really disliked any moment, but I'm never really moved by any particular ELO song.

Not bad. But a little hard to listen to

Genuinely one of the greatest of all time. Nothing else to say.

I won’t be revisiting, but this was a pretty enjoyable album. For the vibes, it gets a 4

There's actually a lot to like about this album. It seems quite fun. I have a bit of a core memory assigned to Mr Blue Sky, so that always going to be a hit with me

Lettbeint, corny og fengende. Stueren sci-fi pop. Skjønner godt hvorfor de ble hyret inn til å lage musikken til Xanadu. Snill firer.

Flotte høydepunkt! Men lengden her pressa litt på tålmodigheta

Det her var både kult og bra. Skal høres mer på.

Liker det bedre og bedre for hver gang jeg hører på det. Plata er for lang, selvfølgelig, men høydepunktene sikrer en firer.

Not always in the mood for what ELO have to offer, but I did enjoy this one. They sort of feel like one of one. Their sound and recording technique is very specific and unique I feel like they deserve some credit for pulling it off so well despite using some pretty cheesy techniques that usually don't age very well. Biggest critique of this album would be how little diversity between tracks there is on here.

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.

Best ELO album by miles - It's so full of life, colour and light

3.5

This album changed my fucking life Late 6th grade like around may I don't know why or how but I heard the song Mr. Blue Sky and I loved it, I listened to it on repeat, that was the 1st song that changed my life, went from shit music taste to the expansion to rock and pop rock that would come, after finding a couple more of the extremely popular pop rock songs I listened to the whole album (this being the first full album I heard) I liked the whole thing, from the instrumentation of Across the Border, to the chaos of the jungle, to the build up in Big Wheels, to grand ending of wild west hero. This is easily my most relistened to album of my whole life, ELO was the first band I got into, shortly after I heard Time and Discovery and Face the Music, eventually I got into other bands like the Beatles or Pink Floyd, grand works so phenomenal that it almost brushes everything off. From the great early 70s prog era to the mid to late 70s prog pop era to the 80s synth era and even the random bullshit Jeff Lynne did afterwards, ELO proved its place to me, a place that I will never forget. Music makes up much of me as a person now, and if it weren't for Out of the Blue I truly don't know where'd I end up. This list needs more ELO representation

This one reminds me, of an afternoon in fall, an oldie but definitely an album worth listening to.

nice

Some good tunes but nothing to make me rush back

Uma mistura de Queen com Supertramp. Disco longo, duplo. Divertido, embora os vocais agudos cansem com o tempo, como acontece com Supertramp, Bee Gees etc.

I always wondered why Mr blue sky was the only song I knew on this record. Maybe because it's so bloated and over indulgent

Заставка американских ситкомов. Очень сложно переносить балладный жанр и рок-оркестр. Попытаюсь быть обоснованным. Хор в этом альбома является центральным элементом так как цепляет все внимание на себя. Сама музыка показалась чересчур перегруженной и переполненной ее точно можно было сделать чище и проще, что придало бы целостности звучания композиций и выдержанность. Этот максимализм иногда пропадает например в sweet talking woman, которая кстати является одной из самых прослушиваемых песен группы. Есть непонятные композиции вроде believe me now очень короткая прямая с жутким роботизированным голосом, что может и является для того времени чем-то уникальным или популярным с точки зрения звука, но не отменяет того, что сейчас это звучит мягко говоря странно. Хороший пример эксперимента на альбома это песня the whale, например меня она поразила -музыка без слов которая явно показывает и рассказывает о ките, ты это реально слышишь и чувствуешь. Очень свежо даже спустя почти полвека. Какого однозначного четкого вердикта ставить не хочу, это сильно не моя музыка, например хотя зная этот альбом я представил себя пьяным в вагоне поезда и смотря на закат я бы хотел чтобы пару песен из этого альбома заиграли. Оценка 4/10.

They do have orchestra in their name so I guess that should excuse some of the excess. I can’t help but hear Queen in many of these as well. Still, while enjoyable it is a bit long. Was it a little ELO joke that “It’s Over” was only the second track?

There are few good songs on here. I feel this LP is over rated lacking in the musicality vein of previous efforts. It's too long for one thing. Some songs should of been left off and just release a single LP.

not to say every song from the 70's is guardians of the galaxy coded, but i am envisioning a montage with Rocket and Groot from the first song played 'turn to stone' Top songs: - turn to stone - across the boarder ...update, just found out Mr Blue Sky IS in guardians of the galaxy lol love the album though, great vibe

Its like if the Beatles wanted to go to space.

#017. Familiar with the singles Turn to Stone, It’s over and ofcourse Mr.Blue Sky but never listened to this album in full. It’s well crafted for sure. But the vocoder usage is getting a bit too much and resembles the auto-tune abuse of current days. Very beatlesque which lots of strings. It’s not something to add to my rotation or to put on my vinyl wish list. So I keep it with ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall: 8/10 I love ELO. This isn't even their best album and it's chock full of really great stuff. It's sort of proggy but it doesn't get crazy so its a bit more accessible to general audiences. Fav Song: Starlight

A poor version of what they are

Oh yeah these are the mr. blue sky guys. I don't know if I've ever heard it in full. Ended on Wild West Hero interesting. I enjoyed this. I liked the instrumental work on a lot of it.

Really nice, catchy pop music with a little bit of creative weirdness. I was actually surprised by how many of the songs hold up to Mr Blue Sky. Good as an album also - a consistent sound with enough variety to keep me interested.

Just beautiful pop songs. Mr Blue Sky alone earns a 5, but the whole album is just sublime. Which is incredible given it’s also a lot of tracks. Almost a greatest hits at times…. Instantly transported back to my childhood by many of these songs as this album was everywhere in the late 70s. Love it - Jeff Lynne’s masterpiece

Enjoyed it - bit of its time - some great tunes

A tad too long but a fun listen.

Sci-Fi-Pop at its best

Being mostly familiar with ELO through their more pop-oriented singles ("Don't Bring Me Down" is a childhood "classic", in the sense that I heard it a lot due to my mother but I could never stand it), this is a bit of a shock to my system. "Turn To Stone" opens this thing up like a spacey Queen song, for God's sake. That being said there is a samey-ness that sets in halfway through the first disc, a repetition of the fact that these guys are trying to sound like the Beatles (and they succeed occasionally), but it's all starts to merge together after a while. And honestly this album gets weird at times and not in a great way, whatever that cacophony at the start of "Night in the City" took me out completely. "Mr. Blue Sky" is of course undeniable, though, as is the entire "Concerto" suite. That alone probably nets this album the 4 star rating.

I had fun with this one.

Fine