# Questions About The Electric Light Orchestra
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 9, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193 "2004-07-09T00:15:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193/1 "2004-07-09T00:15:54Z")
I really like ELO…they had some of the best , innovative music of the 1970’s. I was just listening to an old CD of theirs…and I have some questions. “Rockola”-in the opening, what Verdi opera is the voice singing? And, in “MR BLUE SKY”-how is Jeff Lynde’s voice electronically modified?
I await you answers?
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193/2 "2004-07-09T00:44:10Z")
In “Rockaria”, that’s Mary Thomas singing, but I don’t know that it IS from an actual opera.
That’s a Vocoder being used to modify Jeff’s voice. In the 2001 Zoom concert, Richard Tandy does the part live (and the audience wents nuts!).
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### Author:  [@Israfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Israfel)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193/3 "2004-07-09T00:55:48Z")
> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> I really like ELO…they had some of the best , innovative music of the 1970’s. I was just listening to an old CD of theirs…and I have some questions. “Rockola”-in the opening, what Verdi opera is the voice singing?
It was perhaps influenced by Puccini’s “Un bel di” (Madame Butterfly), but as far as I know it’s not from a particular opera.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193/4 "2004-07-09T01:01:42Z")
> [@Israfel](#):
>
> It was perhaps influenced by Puccini’s “Un bel di” (Madame Butterfly), but as far as I know it’s not from a particular opera.
From [This site](http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/music/madamabutterfly.htm):
> [@](#):
>
> HIGHLIGHTS (Destacados)
> “Un bel di” (One Fine Day) - which has turned up in countless places, even being transformed into ELO’s Rockaria (1976) and a Malcolm McLaren epic (1984).
FTR, [this is a Rockola](http://www.memoriesoflove.com/music/rockola.jpg)
If the top part looks familiar, it should. It’s the influence for the [ELO logo](http://wunderknabe.bei.t-online.de/elo_logo.gif)
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### Author:  [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193/5 "2004-07-09T02:47:51Z")
And the Orchestra was playing all Chuck Berry’s greatest tunes
And the singers in the chorus all got off on singing blues.
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### Author:  [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193/6 "2004-07-09T04:28:46Z")
> [@](#):
>
> ELO … had some of the best , innovative music of the 1970s
“Best” is a matter of taste, but innovative?
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### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193/7 "2004-07-10T14:58:05Z")
In this song, the lead singer’s voice (Jeff Lynde?) is somehow electronically distorted…how was this done?
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### Author:  [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-electric-light-orchestra/254193/8 "2004-07-10T15:29:23Z")
> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> In this song, the lead singer’s voice (Jeff Lynde?) is somehow electronically distorted…how was this done?
Jeff _Lynne_ ran his voice (if it’s indeed him) through a Vocoder, which is basically a microphone connected to a synthesizer. You vocalize into the mic and play the keyboard, and your voice comes out synthesized.