ELO II

Artist: Electric Light Orchestra
Label: EMI Int'l
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 724354332920
EAN: 0724354332920
ASIN: B0006M0CEQ

Release Date: 2005-01-20

ELO II

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Tracks:

In Old England Town (Boogie No.2)
Momma...
Roll Over Beethoven
From The Sun TO The World (Boogie No.1)
Kuiama
Showdown
In Old England Town (Instrumental)
Baby I Apologise
Auntie (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 1)
Auntie (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 2)
Mambo (Dreaming Of 4000 Take 1)
Everyone's Born To Die
Roll Over Beethoven (Take 1)

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Album Description

ELO was the Electric Light Orchestra's first worldwide hit album, reaching no. 35 in the UK and no. 51 in the USA and similar chart positions throughout the world during 1973. This remastered edition contains 5 previously unreleased tracks - Auntie' (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 1 & 2), 'Mambo' (Dreaming of 4000 Take 1), 'Everyone's Born To Die' & Roll Over Beethoven' (Take 1 Session Master 8 September 1972), and 3 bonus tracks 'Showdown', 'In Old England' (Instrumental) & 'Baby I Apologize' (Session Outtake 1 June 1973). EMI. 2004.

Album Details

Elo Two was the Electric Light Orchestra's First Worldwide Hit Album, Reaching No. 35 in the UK and No. 51 in the USA and Similar Chart Positions Throughout the World During 1973. For Such a Complex Album, it was Recorded Surprisingly Quickly, in One Or Two Takes with Almost No Overdubs. This Edition features Five Previously Unreleased Tracks and Three Bonus Tracks.

Customer Reviews:

Great album, crappy package job by Sony........2006-10-25

One of my favorite ELO albums, I have it on vinyl, 8-track, cassette, CD and now this remastered CD. What's next? Anyway, the sound is great, put on the headphones and enjoy, but... friggin Sony has to put this unremoveable sticker on the cd case that ripped to shreds! Retards! Fools! I had to replace the front of the jewel case with an old one I had laying around. Hey Sony!!!! This is one of the reasons people download music illegally!!! And on top of that the little thing in the middle that holds the cd in the case was missing teeth that were rattling around in the cd case. Grrrrrr...
Anyway, great album, thanks Jeff.

Terrible sound quality!.......2006-04-06

This CD is heavily noise reduced and badly EQ'd and it sounds horrible. There is absolutely no air or life to it. Peter Mew and Abbey Road strike again! Anyone who thinks that disc sounds good is nuts!

Electric Light Orchestra's underrated sophomore effort.......2006-02-02

Electric Light Orchestra II (1973.) The second Electric Light Orchestra studio album.

INTRODUCTION:
The Electric Light Orchestra evolved from the Move, an earlier progressive/classical fusion rock band Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, and Bev Bevan had played in. Their first album, released in 1971, was all but forgotten with the exception of the minor hit in the band's native England, 10358 Overture. Sadly though, the rest of the album was all but forgotten by most. Having Roy Wood, who had been so instrumental in making the songs on there so great in the first place, left the band to form Wizzard, his own band. He also took some of the band's musicians with him to pursue his own interests, resulting in band formation changes. Jeff Lynne was now the one and only frontman of the group. How would the follow-up album measure up? Keep reading, and you shall see!

OVERVIEW:
Electric Light Orchestra II was released in March of 1973. The album was produced by Jeff Lynne and featured the following songs: In Old England Town (Boogie Number Two), Mama, Roll Over Beethoven, From The Sun To The Moon (Boogie Number One) and Kuiama. This was the first album not to feature Roy Wood as a member of the band (although he plays uncredited on a few tracks.)

REVIEW:
A lot of people call Electric Light Orchestra II an identity crisis point for the band. Quite honestly, it's not that hard to see why. Jeff Lynne was suddenly left alone as the group's only frontman - he no longer had Roy Wood to collaborate with, and on this album he was looking for his voice as a leader. That said, this is somewhat of an experimental album. There are only five tracks here, but they're among the band's lengthiest songs - not to mention some of their finest. Let's look at the tracklist.

-SIDE A-

-In Old England Town (Boogie Number Two): This song starts the album off on a very high note, definitely standing as one of the strongest pieces of music from this era of E.L.O. The Baroque-flavored melodies that kick the song off, and the overall tone of the song are strongly reminiscent of the sound the band featured on their first album. And since I loved the first album, it goes without saying that I hold this track in pretty high regard. The song definitely should have been a bigger hit!

-Mama: This song takes the music in a slower, more melodic direction than the opening track did. The overall melodic and haunting tone of this piece brings to mind the orchestral experimentation the Beatles used in their final years before disbanding. But, Lynne's vocals make it distinctly E.L.O. A solid piece.

-Roll Over Beethoven: E.L.O. covers the old Chuck Berry favorite. But the group didn't just cover the song and leave it at that - blatant copying is bland, and the group shows why here. To kick things off, for the first minute the band actually performs the first portions of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony's First Movement! Now THAT'S creativity. From there on out, the band combines the classic fast-paced rockabilly feel of the original song with the occasional classical music elements. The end result is a classic, and it's not hard to see why so many people like this song, and why it ended up being their first American hit. THIS is the way to do covers!

-SIDE B-

-From The Sun To The Moon (Boogie Number One): The second boogie is another awesome one. Starting this song off is an amazing instrumental portion that combines moog synthesizers with the orchestral instrumentation everyone expects from E.L.O. After the minute-long intro, Lynne starts serving up some damn fine vocals, and the song continually evolves and changes all the way through, with plenty of instrumental diversity. But the main draw of this song would have to be the vocals. My favorite E.L.O. songs are the ones that are continually transforming all the way through, catching me off guard - and this song epitomizes that beautifully.

-Kuiama: This is the album's longest track, and quite honestly, the group could not have ended things on a higher note. Essentially, the final song lets every member of the band show off their musical prowess, demonstrating their finesse at their respective musical roles in the band. It's a perfect demonstration of how to finish off an album effectively.

OVERALL:
Overall, Electric Light Orchestra's sophomore album is damn good stuff. As a part of Jeff Lynne's early experimentation trying to find his own sound as frontman, the band would NEVER sound this way again. Buy this album, and you'll capture the band in a little-known but still excellent era casual fans may never know. Don't make this your first E.L.O. purchase, though - start with one of the later releases that has more of the pop hits. But if you're a tried and true fan already, BUY THIS ALBUM. Give it some time, and it will grow on you. Just don't make the mistake I made initially and judge it on your first impressions. This release is an aquired taste, but if you get into it, you'll be in the same boat as me, claiming it's an underrated masterpiece of an album. Final verdict? Electric Light Orchestra fans MUST own this album. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS!

EDITION NOTES:
The American edition of this album sucks. It's a bare bones issue with crappy production quality. But this problem has been corrected, in the form of a new foreign issue of the album! The new version has better sound quality, as well as lots of bonus material - so much, in fact, that it's a two-disc package. If you're a big fan, hunt the import version down. It's worth finding.

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