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From the Vault...
04/26/1998
#574 |
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info
Electric Light Orchestra
"Electric Light Orchestra II"
© Jet/Epic Records
Year of Release: 1973
Rating:
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track listing
In Old England Town
(Boogie #2)
Mama
Roll Over Beethoven
From The Sun To The World
(Boogie #1)
Kuiama
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Electric Light Orchestra
"Electric Light Orchestra II"
Electric Light Orchestra, led by Jeff Lynne,
is most popular for their pop-sounding records, like
Turn To Stone, Evil Woman, and Can't Get It
Out Of My Head. But if you observe their album tracks,
you will notice that they have experimented with orchestral
and classical music. Their second album, ELO II, has
that experience, more ways than one.
On that topic, one thing I have always emjoyed about ELO,
is how they used instrumentation in various songs.
One song in particular, is Fire On High, from their
1975 release, Face The Music.
This song was heavily used for introductions to various
radio and television programs. Like this song, the opening
track from ELO II, In Old England Town (Boogie #2), is anything
BUT a boogie. The beginning of this song is heavily instrumental,
and could be easily used for a mystery/horror flick.
This piece has you sitting back and visualizing something from
such a movie.
Mama also has instrumentation of an orchestra-type
fashion, which has been heard in the band's most popular songs.
Using cellos, violins and strings, this song is a typical
ELO song, a slow-paced tune in the standard pop vein.
Probably considered the only well-remembered song from this
album is their cover version of Chuck Berry's Roll Over
Beethoven. What makes this version so great, is that
ELO mixes rock and roll with classical music. Since
Beethoven was a popular classical music composer, the beginning
of this song sounds like basic classical music, as ELO
begins playing Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Then, they rip
into the familiar opening guitar riff Chuck Berry used in
his song. Throughout the song, it's rock and roll, as they use
the familiar riffs from Beethoven's 5th Symphony. This is a
great way of experimenting with two different sources of music.
From The Sun To The World (Boogie #1) starts out
with synthesizer keyboards that are just too sweet. When the
vocals kicks in during the first minute, this song features orchestration with strings
and keyboards heard in any popular ELO song. But during the third
minute, it's all classical music. Then, in its fourth minute,
it takes another turn: It's piano-and-orchestra boogie.
The vocals return in the fifth minute, as heard earlier,
and ends throughout with the 'boogie' music.
The album ends with Kuiama, another typical pop-rock
ELO song. Like The Beatles, this song has similarities to
the fab four's later albums, like Sgt. Pepper's,
Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road. The ending
of this song is somewhat psychedelic, yet it has that ending
effect as in The Beatles' A Day In The Life.
Each song on this album are long. The shortest song is
clocked in at 6:54 and the longest at 11:19. Still, this album
clearly defines how a band can experiment with two different
sources of music, both classical and rock. This album is not
to be ignored. Most fans of music recognize Electric Light
Orchestra for their AM radio pop rock favorites in the Seventies
and early Eighties. But you'd be surprised in listening to their
many album tracks, as they use orchestration in their music.
Here you'll see why the word ORCHESTRA is used in their
name. In fact, some of their music could be compared to the
instrumentation of such groups as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and
King Crimson. But ELO's music is much more styled in the pop category as
compared to ELP's and KC's music.
ELO II is an experimentation, and an excellent one.
Where one may just focus on a band's popular songs heard on the
radio, many may want to hear the other songs that didn't make it
regularly on the airwaves. In experimenting with that, you
maybe just surprised as I was in what you hear. A second look
at a band that may just be famous for their easy-going pop tunes,
has more than enough talent to explore the boundaries of popular music.
ELO just does that, as they feature orchestration with both rock
and classical music. Classical music is another source of music
that most rock fans seem to ignore. After hearing ELO II,
not only would some of these rock fans take another look at
ELO's music in another sense, they just might do the same for
Classical Music as well.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Jet/Epic Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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