[.ca] The Essential Electric Light Orchestra (Rm)

The best single disc greatest ... not the best period:
I have always loved ELO since I was a kid and am familiar with all of the assorted boxes/2 discs/single disc greatest that are out there. Let's determine a couple of things quickly. -This is most by far now the best single disc collection by the band you could have; this makes the 1979 greatest extinct. -The remastering is fabulous; all of these songs sound better here than on any prior collection. -Of course, there will be many missing songs for the fanatics that they will deem "essential". The only thing I would suggest is to get the 2 disc "Strange Magic" collection which contains nearly everything. However, this is now my favorite of all the collections. This one is more hit heavy than any of the others ... tracks 1 through 10 are amazing with the way they were sequenced here. Some may dispute what I wrote here, but this essential ELO is worth having by any fan of this outstanding band. For an hours worth of pure pleasure play this straight through. Nothing but strange magic, I'll tell ya ... :)

Fine for ELO newbies:
There are some problems with this package, especially the editing of "Roll Over Beethoven" from eight minutes to four minutes, and excluding some of ELO's best songs. But every ELO "Greatest Hits" collection misses the mark in some way, and this is no exception. I am sick of ELO being bashed as the poor man's Beatles, as sappy, as "disco-flavored violin trash," and as infantile muzak. All of these criticisms are from people who haven't bothered to listen to ELO from beginning to last and who are too obtuse to realize that Jeff Lynne is a musical genius (and no, I don't use that word lightly). Yes, his lyrics are banal, but with this type of music, who on earth cares? The lyrics to "Ob La Di, Ob La Da" are trite too, but with such catchy music, one can overlook the banality of the words. There are many stellar songs curiously omited, including ELO's most underrated (and, I think, best) song, "Nightrider." And how about "Four Little Diamonds??" The omissions alone bring the rating down to four stars I bought my first ELO single when I was 10 years old and I never looked back. If you've read this far, you're a fan like me and you will devour this set. Long live this sappy, trite, banal band... I still love 'em forever!

Well, I like it...:
I think this CD is great...it has everything on it I was looking for ("Evil Woman," "Telephone Line"), plus a few surprises. I'm young (20), and I love classic rock, particularly from the 70s, so I listen to classic rock radio stations. I credit both those and my father for turning me on to ELO. For me, ELO doesn't have one distinctive style, like some of my other favorite bands. I can identify a Steely Dan or Queen song within the first few notes; ELO's sound is varied. Some of the songs on here surprised me: I didn't know it was ELO that recorded them, but I liked them! I like this CD because it allows me to hear some of the songs they don't play on the radio very often, such as "Turn to Stone" and "Mr. Blue Sky." In addition, this CD makes me want to purchase the numerous other ELO compilations; it has whetted my appetite for more.

Um, no.:
The title says it's the "essential" E.L.O., but there really isn't much to distinguish this from the mutitude of other E.L.O. compilations out there. And the version of "Roll Over Beethoven" that's on here is the edit (not good). I think we can all agree that Sony needs to stop with the half-witted compilations and finish reissuing E.L.O.'s albums (i.e. _Face the Music_, _A New World Record_, _Out of the Blue_). And if they really wanted to make themselves useful, they could reissue _Ole ELO_ as well, with the full-length versions, and maybe a few more early tunes tacked on.

ELO's confection of symphonic pop:
The Electric Light Orchestra is perhaps one of the most underrated bands of the 70's, only because they didn't fit into the typical foot-on-the-amp classic-rock sound, shooting for symphonic grandiosity but overlooked for the guitar-god posturing of their contemporaries. ELO basically combines candy-coated guitar-rock/pop incorporating elements of a classical music orchestra with a kistchy futuristic-type glossing. Central to their sound is the silky-sweet vocals of Jeff Lynne who has wonderful scope, shifting from warm croons to Beach Boys-type harmonies/melodies. Their 'Greatest Hits' seems to be reflective of the bands overall approach, a breeding ground to experiment with sound and structure (everything from flutes, world percussion, and quirky samples) without straying too far away from the orchestral strings, melodies and the pop pick-me-up's. The ambition and intent is there, the material is strong and diverse, capturing the musical essence of something that is obviously way ahead of it's time. A starry-eyed jam of spaceship occupants, The Archies, a rock guitarist, and an accompanying orchestra...all wearing polyester bell-bottoms in a flying-saucer waiting to take-off.

• Evil Woman
• Do Ya
• Can't Get It Out of My Head
• Mr. Blue Sky
• Strange Magic
• Livin' Thing
• Turn to Stone
• Sweet Talkin' Woman
• Telephone Line
• Shine a Little Love
• Hold on Tight
• Calling America
• Rock & Roll Is King
• Don't Bring Me Down
• Roll Over Beethoven