Best ELO songs on Out Of The Blue
A number of bands that followed The Beatles and decided to occupy the similar milieus of melodic pop have been largely ignored by many denizens of the mainstream music press. Bands like Pilot, 10cc and Squeeze, while achieving a commendable level of commercial success, will probably never appear on the average rock journalist’s top ten bands of all time list. Another melodic pop collective that I think has been similarly unfairly overlooked is ELO, the band made famous in the ’70s and early ’80s by Birmingham-based songwriter and performer Jeff Lynne, who later became he would become an honorary member of Traveling Wilbury alongside George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and drummer Jim Keltner.
Going back to the ELO days, and it’s the 1978 LP, Out Of The Blue, which I would consider his best work; a double album of some musical breadth, though he found it a little wanting in terms of meaningful lyrics. It spanned four sides (in the days of vinyl records) and a prog-rock-esque graphic design, which probably served to give the album a fake, portmanteau charm. In truth, it’s a beautifully produced collection of pop singles, with some faux symphonic movements thrown in, like the third side’s ‘Concerto For A Rainy Day’ – Louis Clark’s classically romantic string arrangements underpin this and all other pop hooks. pleasing to the ear. .
It took some serious deliberation to make it to my list of the best ELO songs on the Out Of The Blue album, but I finally made it:
*Night In The City: Some guitar similarities in part to the Boston hit ‘More Than A Feeling’, a grandiose amalgamation of pop, rock and strident orchestral strings. Bassist Kelly Groucutt left his mark on ELO history with his inimitable backing vocals on this track and the rest of the album.
*Steppin’ Out: Another Beatles-flavored midtempo anthem, with a bit more lyrical depth than most other tracks, managing to portray a combination of world-weariness and hope.
*Mr Blue Sky: A glorious Beach Boys/McCartney pastiche with echoes of Penny Lane, further distinguished by its grandiose coda of en masse choruses and violins. Lynne showcased her guitar mastery with a sweetly executed solo and stretched her voice into the mid eights with an impressive falsetto.
*Sweet Is The Night – A great chorus and skillfully arranged verses punctuated by ELO’s signature choruses. Kelly Groucutt even got some lead vocal lines of her own! It was all pounded away by Bev Bevan on her Slingerland drum kit and expertly finished off by another flowery jingle of guitar from Lynne.