The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are a British rock group from Birmingham, England. They were formed to accommodate Roy Wood's and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones. After Wood's departure following the band's debut record, Lynne wrote and arranged all of the group's original compositions and produced every album. In 2012, Lynne reformed the band under the moniker Jeff Lynne's ELO.
Despite early singles' success in the United Kingdom, the band was initially more successful in the United States, where they were billed as "The English guys with the big fiddles". From 1972 to 1986, ELO accumulated twenty Top 20 songs on the UK Singles Chart, and fifteen Top 20 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100. The band also holds the record for having the most Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits, 20, of any group in US chart history without having a number one single.
ELO collected 19 CRIA, 21 RIAA and 38 BPI awards, and sold over 50 million records worldwide during the group's original 13-year period of active recording and touring.
The Electric Light Orchestra is the debut studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in December 1971. In the US, the album was released in early 1972 as No Answer, after a misunderstood telephone message made by a United Artists Records executive asking about the album name. The caller, having failed to reach the ELO contact, wrote down "no answer" in his notes, and this was misconstrued to be the name of the album.
The album is focused on the core trio of Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne, and Bev Bevan who were the remaining members of rock group The Move. The Move were still releasing singles in the UK at the same time as this project was undertaken, but interest was soon to be abandoned in Wood's former band. The sound is unique on this recording in comparison to the more slickly produced ELO albums of the subsequent Lynne years, incorporating many wind instruments and replacing guitar parts with heavy, "sawing" cello riffs, giving this recording an experimental "Baroque-and-roll" feel; indeed, "The Battle of Marston Moor" is the most baroque-influenced track on the album. On this track, Roy Wood, in addition to playing virtually all the instruments, had to provide the percussion as well because Bev Bevan, normally the group's percussionist and drummer, refused to play on the track because of his low opinion of it. However, the overall musical connection to The Beatles (it had been stated by the bandmembers that ELO was formed to "pick up where The Beatles left off...") is quite apparent in this album.
On the Third Day is the third studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the first to be recorded without input from Roy Wood.
On the Third Day was released in 1973 and failed to enter the UK charts at the time, although it did reach the US charts at number 52. Side two of the album was recorded during or shortly after the sessions for ELO's LP ELO 2, but unlike its predecessor it contains shorter tracks. By contrast, the four songs on side one of the album were linked into a continuous suite. Violinist Mik Kaminski made his debut on side one of this album replacing Wilf Gibson, although Gibson plays on side two (plus the bonus tracks). Also, cellist Colin Walker left the line up around the same time, leaving Mike Edwards as lone cellist.
"Showdown" was originally intended to be released on single only and, since it was on a different label (Harvest) than the UK LP, did not appear on the original UK LP. It was, however, included on the US LP. Although he didn't actually record on the album, Hugh McDowell did appear on this front cover of the US LP seen at right, which was an unusual photograph taken by famed photographer Richard Avedon that had ELO displaying their belly-buttons. In 2006, New Zealand rap group Frontline sampled a piece of "Dreaming of 4000" for their latest release "Hold 'em".
You got me good, you did the right thing
And nothing matters everything's understood
You did the right thing
Are you gonna be my judge and jury at night
'Cause I'm busy baby with the electric light
I'm not afraid of it why are you, why are you
C'mon tell me the truth
I was just a little bit lonely and that's not a crime
I was crying for the very last time I
was caught blind staring into your electric light
But I'm never going back again
I'm never going to go back again
At a drink booth for a straight pack in the room
You could see me down here again
That is not a very pretty sight
I can see pretty face but you're raped every night
It's all plain as day in the electric light
But I'm never going back again