Out of the Blue: Deluxe Edition [Extra tracks, Limited Edition]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

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"Critical reappraissal is due".

Couldn't agree more, like ABBA, it's time to look past the supposed "cheesiness" factor and appreciate this great band for what they were.

They weren't just Beatle rip off merchants, they weren't just trying to fuse Rock and Classical music, they weren't a "Progressive Rock" band.

I grew up with E.L.O. and they first came to my attention when I heard a performance of a song called "Evil Woman" on Top Of The Pops and heard a short section of string playing in the middle that was so bizarre, that it blew my young musical mind..I decided to keep track of this band.

The next thing I knew was that everyone seemed to be raving about an album called "A New World Record", which produced a number of very catchy, big selling singles.

I bought the album and almost wore it out, wondering how they could get such a polished, big sound, especially the drums.

While many were raving about Queen's innovations, I was captivated by what Jeff Lynne was doing, instrumentally, harmonically and vocally.

For me, "Out Of The Blue", shows the man and his band at the peak of their powers, though I disagree with many who claim that it was all down hill from that point on.

There are marvellous moments in all of the subsequent albums, though I think only "Time", comes near to the overall consistancy.

People complain that the songs on "Out Of The Blue", and indeed all other ELO albums all "sound the same", nothing could be further from the truth.

Yep, Lynne has a few favourite chord progressions and his backing vocals can follow predictable paths, but there are so many original diversions, in so many of the individual songs that I'm not too concerned about that..

I'll highlight just three:

1. The section in the middle of "Turn To Stone"..
2. The section towards the end of Summer And Lightning,where Lynne echoes the chord progression of Spector's "You've Lost That Loving Feeling", and builds to the climax in much the same way.
3. The "static" area, over a repeated bass riff, in "Birmingham Blues", where he sings "across the world I've seen, people and places, could be the same", and the almost frozen nature of this section is a musical reflection of the lyrics.

There is some very clever musical thinking going on here.

However, on top of all the song writing skills, it's the production skills of Jeff Lynne which still stand up today.

I think it's this contribution which marks this man out as a genius.

Like Spector and Steinman, it's easy to know when a work has the "Lynne" mark on it, and the later works of Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and George Harrison, all of whom went back to him time and again, shows how much they respected his skills.

And, it's kind of poetic, for me that the people who he's always accused of "ripping off" came to him in order to get them to bring John Lennon "back to life"..

And, his skills are in full view on "Out Of The Blue", the huge amount of work that went into this album, is hard to fathom.

All in all, I believe this album to be one of the all time greats, not just of that era, but along with "Rumours" and "Hotel California", of all time.

Before you decide to buy this reissue you should consider whether you actually need it, and if it offers anything that makes a re-purchase worthwhile. In comparison to the reissued 'A New World Record' this release offers very little new material, the three 'new' tracks offer little of any consequence (a demo version of 'Wild West Hero', a short instrumental track 'The Quick and the Daft' and an entirely forgettable 'Lattitude 88 North') adding little to understanding the development of the album. This perhaps explains why most of the effort has gone in to the presentation and packaging which house the disc, including an 'model spaceship' (which most collectors and completists will leave untouched) and liner notes written by Lynne.

This is frustrating as 'Out of the Blue' warranted so much more. It would have been wonderful to have heard the early versions of the songs contained in the album, to have heard just how the orchestral music and other elements were brought together in such a magnificent way, all prior to the advent of editing suites and computer software available now. One suspects that Lynne considers the album complete, not requiring an exposure of the 'inner workings' of the material. After 30 years Lynne has very reason to be proud of the record, but if such material was not made available for this release one wonders if it ever will be.

This release has apparently been remastered, and here I would sound a note of caution. A direct comparison with the earlier issue 'Out of the Blue' does appear to reveal a slight 'thinning' of the sound on the new issue, particularly noticeable with the bass underpining many of the songs. To these (subjectively of course) ears the new issue appears to have been robbed of the warmth and solidity that can be heard on the original vinyl and earlier cd issue.

So - do you buy? If you are a completist then of course this question is redundant, but if you have the previous issue on cd I would strongly suggest that there is no pressing reason for you to buy another copy. And if you do not already own this record (on any format) then consider it as being an essential purchase - and consider looking around for the earlier cd issue which will now be available at a ridiculously cheap price.

The four stars have been awarded for the music - but for the actual treatment of the music (not the packaging) and the decisions taking regarding bonus material I would award two stars. In this respect this release represents a wasted opportunity.

There has been so much written about this album that it needs little plugging from me as its reputation will live on forever. However I thought it would be useful to showcase what are for me the five greatest tracks on an album where every track is a sheer delight.

1) Turn to Stone - the albums opener has an unusual fade-in intro and is driven by a distinctive keyboard riff played by Jeff Lynne rather than Richard Tandy the regular keyboards man with ELO. The song chugs along and then we get a brief middle section where Jeff sings the words extremely fast. The first single from the album and its relatively lowly chart placing did not reflect the class of the song.

2) Across the Border - another fade in, this time with a steam train which sounds exactly the same as that used on Abbas 'Nina Pretty Ballerina' (check it out if you don't believe me). Now this song should have been a single so great is its melody and hook. Radio 2 regularly play it even today - not bad for an album track although it did appear as the b-side of ELOs best single from the Xanadu soundtrack in 1981 (Don't walk away).

3) Believe me now/Steppin' out - Played to death on Nicky Hornes 'Mummies chart' when the album came out this track still sounds damn fine today. A cacophony of sound follows a classical style intro as the short 'Believe me now' segues into 'Steppin' out'. The latter is a superior ballad with some fine vocalising from Jeff. Keen eared listeners might spot that at around 4" 3' the riff sounds just like Genesis's 'Afterglow'.

4) Big Wheels - The second track on the 'Concerto for a rainy day' is in my opinion Jeff Lynnes masterpiece on this album. `Big Wheels' is quite simply wonderful. It has many highs and boasts a magic moment when the second verse starts and Bev Bevans drums strike up. The verse then leads to a crescendo of a chorus with the string section and choir much to the fore as the chorus climaxes and then the string break into the third verse is masterful. The track lasts over five minutes and no time is filler. This is a gem.

5) The Whale - I lost count of how many times people said to me "Oh I like all of 'Out of the Blue' but I'm not too keen on 'The Whale'" when 'Out of the Blue' was released. It seems everyone hated the track. Why ? It's different, it's probably ahead of its time. It's a little Vangelis in places but it features for me the definitive ELO sound and give the fact that 'Out of the Blue' was a double album is a welcome change from the sequence of vocal tracks.

So what of the reissue ? Well we've waited long enough but I have to say that I'm glad I waited to replace my ancient vinyl copy. The packaging is superb, the sleeve notes extensive, the space ship there is you want to build it (I'm leaving mine in situ) and of course there are three bonus tracks (see later). My two grips are 1) No lyrics and 2) The cd itself fits tightly into a cardboard housing which is liable to scratch it (like Pink Floyds 'Pulse').

Bonus tracks - well there isn't much room for extras since 'Out of the Blue' was a double album anyway. 'Wild West Hero' (demo) is very brief and features about 23 seconds of the chorus with slightly different lyrics. 'The quick and the draft' is just under two minutes of fairly frantic instrumental. 'Latitude 88 North' recently finished by Jeff Lynne is the best of the three being a full-length song and has the hallmark of being made at the same time as the rest of the album.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to hear, all great tracks. Top marks
There is no material here to fill up spaces, it's all top drawer stuff. From the moment Turn To Stone fades up, you are transported into a world of wonderous melody, perfect... Read more

Published on 31 Jan 2008 by Nostromo

5.0 out of 5 stars An all time classic.
I was only 10 years old when this first came out and even then it made a marked impression on me with it's wondrous depth and catchyness. Read more

Published on 24 Sep 2007 by Mr. M. L. Hawes

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most beautiful albums ever created.
My Dad bought this back in '77. It was the first time in my life I got excited about music and wanted so much to become a musician myself. (Later in life I did! Read more

Published on 23 July 2007 by Mr. Antony Mcminn

5.0 out of 5 stars you can't beat a bit of ELO........
Thirty years ago, as a kid with an unhealthy Beach Boys obsession, I heard 'Mr Blue Sky' on the radio and decided 'modern music' wasn't quite so bad after all. Read more

Published on 21 July 2007 by Dickie Minton

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Genius
I love this album, its so iconic of the seventies, and to have it re released, with sleeve notes, a cut out space ship and a digitally re mastered recording is a joy to behold... Read more

Published on 30 Jun 2007 by Kevin Long

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nailed-on Stone Cold Classic
Remember the summer of 1977? Anarchy in the UK, the Silver Jubilee and this, rather incongruously sitting amongst the gobbing and puking. Read more

Published on 22 May 2007 by ds

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Bonus Tracks
As already mentioned in other reviews only three bonus tracks are included, but one of these is an absolute gem! Read more

Published on 21 Mar 2007 by David Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Album From The Best ELO Era
I have owned this album for the best part of 25 years, and have never tired of it. I think it was recorded at the height of this bands' powers and has only a couple of dodgy... Read more

Published on 20 Mar 2007 by Andy

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Music, Magistral interpretations
The Name of The Band is not E.L.O. is Electric Light Orchestra a group of progressive rock music. But the bad critics compare the music of Electric Light Orchestra like Pop and... Read more

Published on 16 Mar 2007 by Jose Ruben Orantes Garcia

1.0 out of 5 stars Great album but the warning signs are there .. ..
It has to be said that this is a hugely enjoyable album, but at the same time it's clear to see that Jeff Lynne was in the process of getting dragged into the late 70s... Read more

Published on 13 Mar 2007 by D. Summerfield

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