I’ve always been a big fan of ELO. One of the first albums I ever bought was “A New World Record” (which I still have, BTW). Over the years prior to E-Bay, it’s been extremely difficult to find ELO memorabilia. In the last 6 months, however, I’ve managed to rack up a few goodies.
I think this band has been highly under-rated. True, Jeff Lynne COULD get carried away with production values, but the songs, IMHO, have stood the test of “Time”. I’ve also have been trying to get music by the Move (the direct predecessor to ELO) and Idle Race (Jeff was in this group prior to joing the Move).
Bev Bevan’s feeble attempt to keep the group alive (ELO part II) SUCKED. Sorry, Bev, without Jeff, there is no ELO.
It would be like the Stones w/o Mick or Keith, the Beatles w/o John or Paul, etc.
It is well known that both John Lennon and George Harrison were big fans of ELO (although George didn’t like them at first). George later went on to say that, if the Beatles had stayed together, they would have sounded like ELO. High praise indeed!
Trumpy! I’m in love with you, my MST3K watching ELO listening friend! So far the only ELO fans on the board I know of are myself and Padeye. (Who has still yet to send me that tape of No Answer!!)
Sorry about that VV but I haven’t put my hands on a CD of No Answer yet. I don’t have a functional turntable or I’d make one from my vinyl copy.
Trumpy, I can’t say that ELO pt. II was as good as the real deal but I never got to see them perform live. I enjoyed the show I saw in Tucson a few years back.
Can’t say that I was ever really a fan, but years ago I did pick up, on a friend’s recommendation, the import-only live album The Night the Light Went on in Long Beach, recorded in 1974 before they started cranking out over-produced hits, showing a side of them more characteristic of the Move and Roy Wood’s later project, Wizzard. Sounding as raw and energetic as they later did polished and precise, the band ripped through a variety of covers (“Day Tripper”, “The Orange Blossom Special”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “In The Hall of the Mountain King”, and “Roll Over Beethoven”) and some Move and ELO original material.
If you’ve only heard the post 74-75 hits, you owe it to yourself to try to find this one (I think it has been released on CD).
I’m 27, my girlfriend is 21 and she doesn’t see the attraction. She still laughs her ass off at the time we were driving and ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ came on the radio. I turned up the radio, rolled up the windows so I could hear it better and sang along.
Don’t bring me DOOWWooown . . . groos *
Sorry, I’m not sure how to spell that last word. Then the station had the decency (seeing how it was two for Tuesday on that station) to play ‘Turn to Stone’ right behind it. I know I probably looked really stupid singing along all by myself at 65 mph, the GF got a good laugh out of it, but I don’t hear ELO on the radio nearly enough, even on those classic rock stations.
“Time” is one of my favorite albums of all time. I listened to it as a teenager and as an adult as well. I like science fiction and I like music, so the combination, along with Jeff Lynne’s marvelous creativity, was magical to me (and still is).
I don’t hate the later albums but I’m a fan of older ELO, right up through Out of the Blue which not coincidentally came out when I was a junior in high school. The first album I had was the quasi greatest hits Olé ELO which had cuts off the first five albums. I kept buying the albums but they went downhill for me when they got rid of Mik Kaminski on violin and the ever changing succession of cellists.
I work at a label that signed ELO Pt. II to a contract and pu out a live disc of them!
Neener, neener, neener!
Yer pal,
Satan
I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR:
One month, two weeks, 15 hours, 35 minutes and 38 seconds.
1785 cigarettes not smoked, saving $223.25.
Life saved: 6 days, 4 hours, 45 minutes.
But this is starting to sound like a support group. BTW, you can see tons of ELO paraphenalia on eBay.
I am looking for Move music myself. I have what sounds like a garage tape on CD (a Luxemborg label, I kid you not) of the Move’s early-mid work. It is called “When the 60’s meet the 80’s” Does anyone else have anything similar?
Jeez. I didn’t know that it was at all unusual to be an ELO fan. I only have the Greatest Hits, but it’s a good thing that it’s a CD or I would have worn it out by now. My only quibble is that “Don’t Bring Me Down” isn’t on it! I guess that song is not really representative of the rest of their stuff, but I like it, goshdarnit!
BratMan–I always thought it was Don’t bring me down…Bruce! but I really dunno.
BTW- what kind of Brat Man are you? Are you a fan of Subaru Brats? Bratwurst? Da Brat?
I always thought it was Bruce too, until I saw the lyrics printed on the album sleeve. Since I don’t have the sleeve in front of me right now, I’m not sure how it’s spelled, but I do remember it was with a ‘g’
Wow. You’re reading a lot into a name I just pulled out of my ass. Brat, rhymes with bat, like you would call an obnoxious kid. What shade of green are you? Yellow-green? Jade? Sea? Hunter?
I always thought it was Bruce too, until I saw the lyrics printed on the album sleeve. Since I don’t have the sleeve in front of me right now, I’m not sure how it’s spelled, but I do remember it was with a ‘g’
[QUOTE]
**
“Don’t bring me down…Goose !”
Now i understand why George Harrison likes them, man.
p.s. The only thing i ever liked was “War of the Worlds” (I think that was Jeff Lynne…and only because of Richard Burton’s voice). But disco’s GREAT !!
… but what’s a few misheard lyrics between freinds. I don’t have the liner notes from my vinyl copy of Discovery in front ot me but it’s “groos” or “groose” not “goose” or “gross.” I’ll be damned if I can make sense of it but then again I can’t make sense of the songs I do like such as Kuiama or Do Ya.
Ok, I HAVE the vinyl liner notes in front of me and it’s apparently: “grroosss” Exact quote.
I know that is completely unhelpful but I do recall reading in a “ELO FAQ” thing on some website that it’s supposed to be some sort of German greeting or term of endearment. Don’t know if I buy that or not. ::shrug::