The Truth About Electric Light Orchestra Band

Of all the genres of music, it’s rock that has really stood the test of time. Some of the greatest hits of all eras can be linked to this genre. Chart-busting singles that shatter all existing records, multi-platinum albums garnering 5 star ratings from critics, die-hard fans displaying a delirious anticipation for tour dates followed by a mad scramble for tickets for electrifying live concerts- rock musicians and artists certainly know what it takes to get catapulted into the big league.

If rock music sets your senses soaring and your pulses racing, then you’re almost certain to have an unfathomable collection of CD’s and DVD’s spanning different generations. Your friends are grudgingly appreciative of the panache with which you download not just songs, but loads of other music merchandise like lyrics, guitar and bass tabs, sheet music and discography of awe-inspiring, revered rock groups.

You better run for cover when your Dad finds out that you’re immersed in the biography of your favorite artist rather than your math lesson. I don’t blame you for being seized by an irresistible impulse to make a beeline for a recording studio when you’re sporting that T-shirt with eye-popping inscriptions.

If you belong to this bandwidth, it wouldn’t take you too long to figure out that hard rock, soft rock, punk rock and progressive rock, among many others are not anonymous abstractions, as the naysayers believe. So while groups like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones made heads swoon with their guitar based, hugely amplified hard rock, Irish sensation U2 earned the enviable tag of the most successful post punk rock band ever.

ELO: The Best Of Soft Rock

Followers of the ELO cult find it hard to describe that inscrutable affinity for this hugely popular group. I’m sure you can still hear the strings and brilliant acoustic guitars of ‘Fire On High’. So sit back, and let me take you on a soul-stirring, heartwarming trip down memory lane.

The Genesis

ELO was formed in the year 1970 in Birmingham with the remnants of the 60’s psych group called The Move, with the sole purpose of experimenting with a different genre of music. The brainchild of Roy Wood, it boasted of the musical genius of Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan lending his charisma. The influence of the Beatles was inescapable, just like all music lovers of that time. The focus was clear- to set forth into somewhat unchartered territory, popularized by the ‘I Am The Walrus’ number by the Beatles.

Like A Breath Of Fresh Air

Their rock music that boasted of a uniquely orchestrated sound with vocoders, dub echoes and a string assembly was like a breath of fresh air, and hence struck the right notes with listeners. Here was a sensational new music style that challenged the established boundaries of conventional chord structures and synthesized sounds.

ELO managed to infuse pop and classical elements along with very sophisticated iconography into their avant-garde music, and it worked magic. Soon the world began to reverberate with the sounds of instruments like cellos, horns, violins and woodwinds.

Rock suddenly found a new definition and direction and enjoyed a fresh lease of life. Any doubts about the popularity of this original classical sound were laid to rest when ELO debuted with their album titled ‘Electric Light Orchestra’. The track, ‘10538 Overtures’ became a runaway hit on the UK charts, and it heralded a new chapter in the annals of contemporary rock music.

The Rest Is History

Despite the sparkling success of their maiden venture, Roy Wood decided to make an exit, leaving Jeff Lynne at the helm. 1973 saw history repeat itself when their second album, ELO2, proved that their earlier achievement was no flash in the pan. It made news for the band’s first US chart hit, ‘Roll over Beethoven’, a glowing tribute to the Chuck Berry classic.

Album number three ‘On The Third Day’ in 1973, was followed by ‘Eldorado’ in 1974. The band began creating sensational tracks as a matter of scriptural routine, with ‘Can’t Get It Out Of My Head’ creating ripples at no. 10 on the US Billboard charts.

More classic radio rock tracks like ‘Strange Music’ and Evil Woman’ made waves in 1975, when their next album, ‘Face the Music’ hit music stores. The ‘Fire On High’ instrumental with its superb blend of strings and brilliant acoustic guitars scorched the charts.

The multi-platinum album, ‘A New World Record’ in 1976, lived up to its name, and blew all existing records to smithereens with scintillating tracks like ‘Telephone Line’ and ‘Rockaria’. Then came the 1977 double album, ‘Out of the Blue’, with smash hits like Mr Blue Sky and Turn To Stone that cemented their place as the most successful rock band ever. And generating mass hysteria was ELO’s nine months world tour that was the stuff fantasies were made of, thanks to their obscenely expensive space ship stage. Trust me; they played to the gallery, quite literally.

The Best Was Yet To Come

That the disco fever had a vice-like grip on the band was unequivocally established when ‘Discovery’ made an appearance in 1979. Accolades followed like always, and along with it came the band’s greatest hit, ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’. This track was one-of-its-kind, without ELO’s trademark strings. The year-end saw the group sign off as the most booming band in UK, orchestrating a kind of success unheard of in that era.

Close on the heels of their eighth offering, came the very successful motion picture soundtrack of ‘Xanadu’. This Olivia Newton-John starrer failed to set the cash registers ringing at the BO, but with the title track hitting bull’s eye in the UK singles charts in 1981, the band was laughing all the way to the bank.

The Downfall Was Imminent

In the 80’s, the band made modifications in their signature style of making music, with synthesizers replacing strings, manifest in their science fiction inspired album, ‘Time’. It was not a retrograde move, but it certainly sounded the death knell for their glorious innings at the top. When their next album in 1983, ‘Secret Messages’, won laurels for just one track, the writing on the wall was anything but ambiguous- Electric Light Orchestra was slowly but surely fading off the rock community’s radar.

Reduced to a three-piece band in 1986, ELO bid adieu to the world with their no strings attached final album, ‘Balance Of Power’.

The Resurrection

ELO drummer Bev Bevan did try to drum up some support with Electric Light Orchestra Part II, but failed to create any impact. Undeterred, the next album was released in 1994. It was christened ‘Moment Of Truth’, but the self-evident fact was that without Jeff Lynne and his musical brilliance, ELO’s resurrection remained just a figment of one’s imagination.

Reversal Of Fortunes

The optimism of fans soared like a party balloon when the venerable Jeff Lynne returned to the fold with new members in tow in the year 2000. Zoom in 2001 had muted electronic effects, but even the presence of stalwarts like George Harrison and Ringo Starr of the Beatles fame could not rescue this album from fading into oblivion.

The Glowing Tributes Continue Unabated

The bands most sparkling renditions were used in an array of commercials. Mr Blue Sky graced the Volkswagen Beetle convertible commercial as well as the television series, ‘LAX’. ‘Hold On Tight’ in the Ameriquest advertisement brought back fond memories of a group whose songs continue to tug at the heart strings. For those still hoping for their return, a deluge of re-mastered tracks offer some succor.

Electric Light Orchestra was like a supernova, illuminating the sky with their brilliance and then all of a sudden, fading away into darkness. The timeless memories of this iconic band will however live on in the hearts and minds of all their millions of die-hard fans.