What does it sound like?:
This album counts as release number 14 for the ELO, and the second for this Jeff Lynne badged incarnation. I always though Jeff Lynne was the ELO and this album – where Jeff plays most of the instruments and does all the vocals – suggests this is truer now than ever before.
Truth be told, it took a few plays to warm to the album. But such is Lynne’s skill as a writer and performer that bit by bit it grew on me. The trademark rich multi-layered sound is very much in evidence right from the start with the title track, a toe tapper with a simplicity that gets better with each spin, and track 2 “Help Yourself” continues in a similar vein.
That said it’s a somewhat restrained start and I found myself enjoying the album more as it went on. Third track “All My Love” is a shuffle that’s more infectious than monkeypox and you’d think hard to top until you hear the following track “Down Came The Rain”. Ballad “Losing You” follows, carried mostly by Lynne’s vocal which possibly isn’t quite enough.
“One More Time” provides a change of gear with the upbeat rock n roll of “One More Time” which features a fine solo from ELO original Richard Tandy. The upbeat theme carries on into the catchy “Sc-Fi Woman” where Lynne turns in a fine guitar solo. The album closes “Songbird” which for me was the only track that would leave me reaching for the fast forward button.
What does it all *mean*?
It’s no mean feat. It takes a bakers dozen to do on stage what Jeff mostly does here on his own
Goes well with…
A trip down memory lane.
Release Date:
November 1st
Might suit people who like…
A spot of baroque and roll.
Great review. I wonder if he is saying this is the follow up to Out of the Blue that never was. I also wonder if there’s another model of the spaceship to make.
He’s a professional somgwriter and he’s very good at it. However, his song titles have gone a bit dull since the great days of Mr Blue Sky (inspired by a Michael Fish talk about climate change!) and The Diary of Horace Wimp.
“Help Yourself”, “One More Time”, “Losing You” don’t leap into my ears and scream ” Listen to Me!”
but I bet they’re really good songs. The opposite effect is Morrissey who will have a fantastic title but the song itself is often tune-free.
I thought Mr Blue Sky was inspired by Jeff having writers block while holidaying near Lake Geneva.
He tells a story about struggling for inspiration during a thunderstorm.
Apparently, he was gazing across the water as the rain stopped and the Sun came out driving the clouds away…hence the title song and side three’s suite.
Great review. I’ve had this on in the car and gym the past couple of days and am enjoying – I think it’s a far better album than the last one (Alone In The Universe).
One thing though is that whilst it has all the trademark ELO hooks and melodies, the rhythm section at best described as “plodding” – is this a result of Jeff Lynne playing all the instruments himself – i.e. he’s not a good enough drummer / bass player to add any flourish that someone like Bev Bevan would and it seems the rhythm section is just there to keep time (I’m not at all musical so this probably makes no sense).
No Bev Bevan, no ELO. Same goes for Kelly Groucott. At least Tandy is there. But basically Lynne is making solo albums and branding them as ELO to get more sales.