[.ca] New World Record

My favorite ELO album:
This classic album yielded four American hits of which three (Living thing, Rockaria, Telephone line) were also UK top ten hits. The fourth, Do ya, did not chart in the UK and may or may not have been released as a UK single. Tightrope and So fine sound like they could have been singles but weren't. ELO originally evolved from the British rock group, The Move, famous for such classic songs as Flowers in the rain and Blackberry way, but several line-up changes and a different musical direction gave them a completely different sound. At the time ELO recorded this album, the members were Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan, Hugh McDowell, Mik Kaminski, Melvin Gale, Richard Tandy and Kelly Groucutt. This album, with its complex orchestral arrangements and any number of other instruments as well, is far removed from the fairly simple sixties music that The Move built their reputation on. Sometimes the album sounds as if it owes almost as much to classical music as it does to rock - this impression is reinforced by Rockaria, in which a couple spend an evening at the opera house and end up being entertained by an opera singer doing rock'n'roll music. Perhaps ELO were trying to do their bit to break down the barriers between different musical genres. This is the first ELO album I ever bought and remains my favorite.

ELO's Answer To REVOLVER:
A NEW WORLD RECORD is the Electric Light Orchestra's answer to the Beatles' REVOLVER, just as FACE THE MUSIC is ELO's version of the Fab Four's RUBBER SOUL and ELDORADO is ELO's SGT. PEPPER. The songs are a diverse bunch without being too weird for mass consumption, and the mix of hard rock, uptempo pop, and pure balladry is the equal of FACE THE MUSIC. This album doesn't have a big "concept piece" on the level of FACE THE MUSIC's "Fire On High", but it is just as consistent as the earlier record. If you get ELDORADO, FACE THE MUSIC, A NEW WORLD RECORD, OUT OF THE BLUE, and the double-disc anthology STRANGE MAGIC, you will have all of the essential Electric Light Orchestra albums

Jeff Lynne's best:
This was the album that introduced me to ELO, first heard in a high school art class. Despite it's obvious influences, I'd never heard anything like it before, and it wasn't long before I was spreading the word. I've owned it on 8-track, cassette, album and cd, but I think that will have to do it for me. Jeff Lynne's retirement account doesn't need any more of my money. Although several of the songs, Telephone Line in particular, are getting somewhat long in the tooth, it's still a great listen start to finish.

Classic ELO!!!:
This great album is chock full of great ELO tunes!!! Livin' Thing,Telephone Line, Do Ya?,So Fine,Tightrope, and Rockaria! are all here on this classic album!!! Awesome!!! Two thumbs up!!! Five stars!!! A+

• Tightrope
• Telephone Line
• Rockaria!
• Mission (A World Record)
• So Fine
• Livin' Thing
• Above the Clouds
• Do Ya
• Shangri-La