Eldorado [Original recording remastered]

ELO began as one of those underground concept bands which were called "progressive" before the term became one of abuse. The idea was to continue the experiment in fusing rock and classical instruments which The Beatles had started with "A Day In The Life" and "I Am The Walrus". ELO's first album in 1972 was all sawing cellos and mock-mediaeval arrangements, everything The Beatles should have become if they'd stuck with their spirit of experimentation. The second album "ELO 2" added Moog synthesizer and saw Jeff Lynne (now sole leader after Roy Wood stepped back) attempting manfully to wrestle with the heavyweights of prog rock. Sadly, the album's lengthy pieces and overly complex arrangements didn't really work. Then came "On The Third Day" (1973), a magnificent fusion of heavy metal and cellos which was one of the most dazzlingly brutal and exhilarating albums of its year, complete with some distinctly un-ELO swear words and evidence of a band which had matured suddenly into the heaviest, nastiest orchestra on the planet.

In complete contrast, "Eldorado" (1974) was sublime. The harsh edge had disappeared entirely, to be replaced by a lush orchestral accompaniment the band was now able to afford after the success of the single "Showdown". With, finally, the whole classical world at his disposal, Lynne swamped the album in everything he'd always dreamed of using: vast orchestra, choir, arrangements that were just as busy as those of "ELO 2" but allied to short, catchy tunes, an album which flowed from its first second to its last in one delirious swirl of sound, rising to peak after peak. At times the arrangements are completely overblown, but that's part of the joy of the album. "Boy Blue" with its swooning strings, battering drums and (unfortunately almost inaudible) bouncy bass line is not only the album's highlight, but arguably ELO's finest conceptual statement. It's completely ludicrous, but utterly breathtaking. There are better tunes ("Can't Get It Out Of My Head" and the aching heartbreak of the title track) but no other piece which more succinctly sums up the possibilities of the classical-rock fusion ELO had devised. One listen to this, and you'll never bother with Gryphon or Amazing Blondel again.

Elsewhere, the band rocks out with "Illusions In G Major", which has some hilarious lyrics about a dream band playing a combination of "the Rolling Stones and Leonard Cohen" and "Mister Kingdom" culminates in a jaw-dropping crescendo which elaborates on "Mr Radio" from the first album to create the album's most cinematic moment. But the soaring, wistful seagull noises of the title track will haunt you forever and ensure "Eldorado" is an album you will constantly return to in the pure joy of its noise. Essentially, it reminds you that the possibilities of pop are endless.

Now to scare you off. It's a concept album about a Walter Mitty figure working in a bank in the city who dreams of being a Robin Hood style hero. The album is a series of alternating dreams and nightmares, suffused with a longing for escape and a nostalgia for freedom which is matched beautifully by the 1930s Hollywood choirs and orchestral backgrounds and, most fittingly of all, by the cover which shows a still from "The Wizard Of Oz", another dream of escape. In the still, Dorothy's ruby slippers are fending off the wicked witch's attempts to grab them. It's the perfect summary of the album, and a wonderful analogy for this part of ELO's career in general. Banish the later pop, ignore the sneering detractors, wear your ELO fandom as proudly as I do, and revel in this most glorious of all albums.

The album is all about a strange medieval type dream world called Eldorado. And each song is about what the dreamer encounters!

There isn't a weak track throughout the album; great ones including the title track Eldorado, Can't get it out of my head, and Illusions in G major. There is also a fantastic bonus track at the end which is an instrumental medley of some of the songs.
If you enjoy five star music which can be listened to again and again without getting boring, Eldorado should be a definite buy.....so buy it!