ELO in RRHOF: now what?

I agree with this in theory... I mean who wouldn't want a more thorough in-depth interview by someone like Jeff of all the minutiae in his long career?

But like Paul McCartney, he wants to control the story and limit access to himself. It's easier to sell the familiar or to repeat the same stories than it is to open up something less 'researched.' I think in Jeff's case he clearly isn't into the big celebrity thing and being in the limelight even in interviews. He almost always talks up the Wilburys or the Beatles because I'll bet it's easier for him to talk up someone else. Surely there are plenty of characters from ELO's past who fans know and love and wish were better represented. But it's also true that even at their height of success in the 70s, they were a pretty faceless band. The biggest 'face' was Jeff and that was hidden by 20 pounds of hair and aviators! Still it was nice to hear his brief statement when Mike Edwards died. I know many would love to hear more but that's what things like your book will do.

 

Chris had been transferring his father's personal tape archive, including various remix attempts made over the years of his second solo album, which had been fully completed back in 1983 yet never issued because his label wanted to focus on reissuing its predecessor in the hopes it would break the US market, recovering the cost of the recording sessions for both projects (these were paid by advances negotiated by Kelly's then-manager, Peter Kuys, in the period before Jeff Lynne settled out of court for contested royalties from 1974-1983). I'd actually been planning to donate a share of the proceeds from my upcoming book to help fund a professional restoration and possible release of this material, so this latest news is all the more devastating...

 

And he seemed to be a very nice guy and quite complimentary of Jeff Lynne's recent work.

 

From my perspective, Bev Bevan was more of the PR guy in the band, so you often saw his face as much, if not more, than Jeff's.

 

I've never done a count, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Bev did more promotional work for ELO than any of the other member, though Kelly was definitely the closest to a frontman after Jeff in a live capacity. Whether you agree with their decision to continue or even the musical quality of Part II's output, you surely can't deny that Kelly just had "it" compared to Jeff, who spent much of the 1990s doing very little to keep their previous group's name in the public consciousness. Indeed, I'm curious to know if ELO would be in such a position today were it not for Bev negotiating the rights to establish a spin-off in the late '80s, since he was able to take Part II to places the original ELO never played, including the highly lucrative South American and Russian markets, where some of their least expected tracks became surprise local hits (for example, Ticket To The Moon was added to setlists behind the Iron Curtain when it got back to the band just how much fans there loved this song).

 

I remember that in the band's heyday (and I'm speaking of ELO's promotional work in the U.S.), it was generally Bev who did the lionshare of the PR and Jeff who was in the studio working on his ideas. As we all know, Jeff wasn't the most public of ELO members, and he preferred to be in the studio anyway (not playing live or doing PR). If anything, Jeff would have considered tours and PR as being the real downside to being a successful rock musician. Bev and Kelly had much more outgoing personalities, which translated well on stage and when doing PR. While the music is key, without touring and PR you won't go far...

 

Any word whether Bev or Roy will appear with Jeff and Richard (assuming Richard shows up) at the RRHOF?

 

Happy to see them getting in!

 

Please let us all know when you book is available. And I would be happy to supply some pictures to you if you would like them.

 

I liked that picture so I tweaked it a bit.

 

I'll leave the band politics to others, I'm just glad ELO is getting in. IMO, you can't discuss 1970s rock without them, which is kind of my rough standard for HOF worthiness.

Plus, I always liked the singles. From 1973 - 1980, ELO singles were like a cool breeze on a hot summer day, always welcome.

 

Nice Tweak Comet01

 

They are part of the equation. Obviously.

How many acts are so influential or otherwise important to rock that they should be included even though they have really poor sales numbers? There are some, but certainly ELO wouldn't be among those names.

 

While 50 million is the number associated with ELO's sales figures, a more exact figure is not known due to a variety of reasons, including sloppy bookkeeping during the Jet/Arden years and no subsequent audits of ELO sales records. One can go to the RIAA site to check out the official USA gold and platinum disks for album and singles sales. I'm of the opinion that 50 million is on the high side of the real number, given that ELO's sales peaked with OTTB and declined with each successive release. I've heard that Zoom sold 60,000 - 100,000 copies, though more recently AITU and the greatest hits package sold well due to Jeff's touring.

 

Any word or public announcements as to ELO members playing next month?

 

Statement by Bev today says he won't be attending. (although he suggests Roy will be.. this could just be an assumption on his part though)

From his facebook:

'
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend ELO’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame due to the fact that I am on tour in the UK with another great friend of Jeff, Richard and Roy..the legend that is ‘Jasper Carrott’.

These dates have been sold out for sometime and when the news broke about our induction it was too late to change them.

It would have been fantastic to meet up with Roy, Jeff and Richard again.

I would also like to mention a few other names that I think should be recognised as part of what made ELO so magical - in particular Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell, Melvyn Gale and the late Kelly Groucutt.

It truly is a great honour to be a part of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame especially when I see the names of the inductees over the years…many are my heroes, some I have had the honour to meet and others the privilege to share a stage with.

I have been incredibly fortunate to have had a life in the music business from my first band ‘Rocking Ronnie & The Renegades’ to ‘Black Sabbath and all the bits inbetween including The Move, Denny Laine & The Diplomats, Carl Wayne & The Vikings, Quill, The Electric Light Orchestra, the Brum Rocks concerts, Stand Up & Rock and more… surrounded by great talented musicians. It has been a blast and I still get a buzz every time I walk out on stage.

However, I would like to add that without the support of the record buying and concert going public my great career could never have happened. So a huge thank you goes out to everyone who has ever purchased a record that I played on or been to any of the concerts.

Hope to see you soon at a gig somewhere.

Cheers !

Bev Bevan/

 

A very classy response by Bev. Those of us who are old enough to remember the classic lineup from roughly 1975-80 know that it was only appropriate that Mik, Hugh, Melvyn, and Kelly be mentioned. And Bev stepped up to the plate appropriately. And furthermore, Bev rightfully thanks the record buying and concert going public for our role in supporting ELO, whether buying their records or attending their concerts. Bev's head is screwed on straight with all the comments above. Bravo, Bev!

 

Such a shame. It would've been great if they (Jeff & Bev) could've got together and reconciled. Even better if they could've played together for the first time in decades. Oh well, looks like that'll never happen now.

That sucks!



PS. I just hope Jeff has the good grace to mention the rest of the band in his acceptance speech!

 

I'm not suggesting that any of the other members are anything less than consummate gentlemen (in public, at least), but that statement is exactly what I'd have expected from Bev, who is more than happy to acknowledge Kelly and Mik, despite leaving his former colleagues in ELO Part II under a degree of acrimony. By contrast, I won't be holding my breath for a mention from either Jeff or Roy, though I'm sure Richard will be recognised for his continued loyalty - he's unlikely to say much himself, and even if he was, I doubt he'd try playing the diplomat by giving a shout to certain musicians who won't be present for various reasons. Being so negative about such an important event in ELO's history is something that leaves me conflicted, yet the real problem is how these once close musicians haven't been able to reconcile their differences already, never mind for a single occasion many fans were starting to fear may never happen. With the exception of Kelly's lawsuit, was there a falling out bigger than that between Jeff and Roy back in the day? They've clearly managed to settle their grievances, so why can't the same be said for the others? At this rate, it would be interesting to see who turns up if ever The Move was inducted as well, especially now that Bev and Trevor have finally gone their separate ways... They're in a worse state than ELO!

I've said this on countless occasions before, but if Dave Morgan isn't thanked at some point during ELO's acceptance speech then it's more of a crime than Kelly's almost inevitable snubbing. Everyone in the group was reluctant to welcome someone they considered a good friend and fellow Brum Beat legend into the fold at a turbulent period, and he only didn't officially take over Kelly's vacant position because Jeff was desperately looking for a way out. In an alternate timeline, Dave continued in his role as part of ELO rather than just being a footnote through collaborations with Richard or being one of the few outsiders to prominently guest on Jeff's solo album, Armchair Theatre. I'd have been more than happy for Dave to join Jeff in a new ELO configuration, only it's believed Richard fell out with him just as they were about to reunite for additional promotional work to mark the Earthrise reissue in 2011 beyond shooting a promotional video and participating in an all-star jam that was filmed then shelved due to the friendships of its two main contributors souring. The seeming inability for these supposed professionals to temporarily bury their personal hatchets is going to become the final chapter I'd prefer not to write, only the facts outweigh my own dream outcome for a ceremony I'm hoping will manage to rise above such disharmony.

 

Do you think that Jeff, Richard and Roy will be attending the induction? That's what Bev's statement seems to suggest, although I'm not going to get too excited yet (regarding Roy's attendance) as it may just be an assumption by Bev.

I don't see The Move ever being inducted on their own.

 

My understanding always was that the biggest controversies in ELO were: 1) Roy's departure; and 2) Kelly's lawsuit. So what else was there that is truly being kept confidential?
What a shame that this group couldn't bury the hatchet for one night.

 

I'm certain we'll see Roy sharing the stage with Jeff and Richard, but that might not have been the case had Bev turned up... On the subject of this ceremony, does anyone have a prediction for what they'll play? My guess is that Jeff will lead some configuration of the group (likely including whoever inducts ELO) through Mr. Blue Sky before getting Roy to take the spotlight for a well-timed Roll Over Beethoven, which they'd be foolish not to dedicate to Chuck Berry!

 

Jeff said on his Twitter account that he can't make the ceremony as it clashes with a £50 flyer at Shard End buffs.

Despite Bev's assurances that the gigs have been sold out for some time, I do think it's such a shame that Jeff appears to be incapable of letting things rest. It's an awful long time ago that things turned sour. I thought I'd read in an earlier interview that Bev really hoped to be there. Or am I misreading this completely?

 

What's the scoop here? I'm starting to get the feeling that all that hostility The Move projected in the 60s just hasn't gone away and has just turned inward...

 

The main reason why Jeff was so quick to settle out of court back in late 1983 is because Kelly threatened to go public (through a British tabloid newspaper article that was actually ready for print) with claims I'm sure would have compared to the lawsuit between Mike Love and Brian Wilson for unpaid Beach Boys songwriting royalties. I can't reveal the specifics at present, but it's not just due to Jeff being such a perfectionist that so many ELO demos still exist yet seem destined to forever remain tightly locked away. Kelly maintained that along with Richard and Louis, he contributed a significant amount to several major hits, though Jeff wasn't prepared to split credit.

First of all, Don Arden managed to convince Jeff that he alone was the golden goose in ELO, and Jet was even referred to as Jeff Records by many - not even Ozzy Osbourne brought the label as much commercial success! Not long after this, Jeff became increasingly less open to the musical input of his colleagues, and once Craig Fruin entered the scene, his relationship with the ego-stroking Ardens finally came to an end once he learned they'd been swindling him out of millions to save their own rapidly-sinking company, despite the fact ELO remained a major player on the charts. Indeed, the perceived failure of at least the first two ELO albums of the 1980s is more a result of outside factors than their fanbase shrinking too much.

While the details were likely buried with Don Arden, it was suggested by a former senior Jet accountant that the label's head was building himself quite the proverbial egg by wrongly declaring the sales of Time and Secret Messages to less of a degree, knowing his business was on the verge of total collapse. A strike within one of the European subsidiaries working for distributor CBS led to a variety of availability problems during the Balance Of Power era, which left many struggling to find a copy of Getting To The Point when this was released as ELO's last single. Furthermore, it's known that Balance Of Power was "wrongly" pressed on the Jet imprint, just as initial United Artists variations of Out Of The Blue were quickly recalled and wrongly dismissed as defective stock as a way of ensuring more profits could flow the way of the Ardens by them selling these perfectly satisfactory discs to retailers without these sales being recorded, making it difficult to conclude exactly how many units ELO have shifted over the years.

Considering all these elements, is it any surprise that Jeff became disillusioned with the business side of being a musician and started freezing his once close friends out of being equals in the studio? By the end, his only real connection with the rest of ELO was touring, and it's well known that he was growing weary of this particular necessary promotional obligation around the time Roy left...