Jeff Lynne Anthology

I love the comp. The only addition I would make - and it's a personal preference - is "Don't Bring Me Down"

 

Despite initially approving Rob's proposal, Jeff then changed his mind about reissuing Secret Messages in full to mark the original album's 30th anniversary because he'd recently signed with Frontiers and didn't want Sony Legacy products diverting attention from his own plans, which included the remasters of Armchair Theatre and Zoom, plus the audio from the Zoom Tour Live shows expanded with rehearsals and released as ELO Live.

As for other ideas Rob has come up with over the years, he assembled a compilation entitled Shine On: The Very Best Of ELO that was one of the CDR acetates made at Abbey Road back in 2001 - the running order for this was almost entirely recycled for All Over The World four years later, so it's not as if all of his projects end up never reaching shelves. However, there are countless others that didn't see the light of day for various reasons...

I've already mentioned the abandoned greatest hits video collection that was subsequently mined for a Sony-approved YouTube channel and the ELO singles box, but there were also plans to have Kelly Groucutt's solo album reissued with several bonus tracks. Although this was prepared, someone didn't want it promoted or sold on Face The Music (the official website for ELO and related artists), so it was left to be independently released.

I can think of one further project that would definitely be of interest to the most hardcore ELO fans, though I'm not able to say much* about this because it's tied up due to a variety of factors. To start with, Jeff hasn't ever considered the material good enough to be heard. Even if he could be somehow convinced, the rights are tied between what remains of Jet Records and a media giant that probably doesn't care for such an obscure title.

Of course, all this depends on whether the raw tapes still exist and can be located in the first place, not to mention they'd likely require a full restoration, plus there's never been confirmation of whether a finished master was produced. Returning back to Jeff again, he'd probably go on to reject this for shedding light on certain former members he's content to remain distanced from, just as he used a similar argument to block that hits DVD.

*You can rest assured that I'm doing everything in my power to extensively research this, short of requesting a comment from official sources that have already tried to dismiss the importance of specific topics I've been investigating. Even if it's destined to remain gathering dust in a vault, this is something fans have dreamed of and speculated about since the early 1980s. I'd give anything to see what else might be in the ELO archives!

 

Just for fun, and continuing on from my last ELO/Jeff Lynne compilation, here's another set of assorted rarities I once put together, with a few notes about where you can find each:

1. Surrender (started in July 1976 for the soundtrack of an unreleased film, completed 2006 and released on A New World Record remaster)
2. The Quick And The Daft (compiled from outtakes recorded 1977 and 1979, completed 2006/2007 then released on Out Of The Blue remaster)
3. Latitude 88 North (Out Of The Blue outtake, started 1977, completed 2007 and released on Out Of The Blue remaster)
4. Little Town Flirt (outtake from Discovery sessions... allegedly, started 1979, completed 2001 and released on Discovery remaster)
5. Grieg's Piano Concerto In A Minor (AKA "Ballbuster," started February 1982, completed 2000 and released on Flashback)
6. Tears In Your Life (started 1982 then reworked into After All, Sirens and Night Calls, completed 2000 then released on Flashback)
7. Helpless (Secret Messages outtake, started 1982, completed 2000 and released on Flashback)
8. Who's That? (outtake from earlier in same session as Hello My Old Friend, started 1982, completed 2000 and released on Flashback)
9. Love Changes All (new track based on previously unreleased Xanadu Overture, recorded 2000 and released on Flashback)
10. Xanadu [2000 Version] (released on Flashback)
11. Borderline [New Version] (started 1989, completed circa 2010 and released on Armchair Theatre remaster)
12. Save Me Now [Electric Version] (recorded 2012 and released on Songs After Sandy charity download album)
13. Forecast (outtake from unreleased follow-up to Armchair Theatre, recorded 1989 and/or 1995 then released on Armchair Theatre remaster)
14. Cold Feet (started 1993 or 1999 and completed circa 2010 then released on ELO Live)
15. One Day (outtake from unreleased follow-up to Zoom, recorded 2004 and released on Zoom remaster)
16. Point Of No Return (outtake from unreleased follow-up to Zoom, started 2005, completed circa 2010 and released on Mr. Blue Sky)
17. Out Of Luck (started 2008 or 2010, completed circa 2010 and released on ELO Live)
18. Lucky Motel (recorded circa 2000 and released on Japanese edition of Zoom remaster)
19. Stream Of Stars (recording date unknown, released on American Hustle soundtrack)

Again, I chose not to include some of the shorter officially released tracks such as the Indian Queen demo, the alternate bridge home demo of Wild West Hero or the demo for On The Run, plus I've decided Long Black Road should remain on Zoom as the original Japanese version's bonus track, as will Jody, which is exclusive to the Japanese edition of Long Wave (and the only other song to have been released in full from the sampler, Down The Lane And Far Away, containing enough material for a planned follow-up to Long Wave that was cancelled along with a sequel to the Mr. Blue Sky compilation, several of the leftovers from that album's own second volume appearing on its predecessor's iTunes Deluxe Edition - though not Steppin' Out or I'm Alive, both confirmed to exist by Jeff himself).

P.S. Contrary to my earlier post, two outtakes from the abandoned follow-up to Zoom have surfaced, though only One Day was completed in 2004, with Point Of No Return started in 2005 then finished later. Sorry for any confusion!

 

Thanks for that handy list! I really need to get the Flashback comp... When the 2013 remasters came out and "I'm Gone" had been left off Armchair Theatre, I had to get the 12" single off eBay and needle-drop it to finally replace my 1990 cassette-single. The original "Borderline" was a bonus. All those 1992-2010 studio tracks that have come out are great! Jeff needs to do what Karl Wallinger did and put out a creative, affordable vault-clearing set like Arkeology.

 

Why settle for a needle drop of I'm Gone when it was released on the original Every Little Thing CD single?

Jeff Lynne - Every Little Thing

 

I honestly don't know ... could be that when I was browsing eBay, the CD single was expensive and the 12" single wasn't ... could be that the CD wasn't available and I was in an impulsive mood. I can't remember. But the 12" single sounded great and 'dropped just fine. I should probably get that CD single though...

 

The one thing that really p'd me off with both the 'Armchair Theatre' and ''Zoom' remasters, was the fact that all the b-sides were left off. 'I'm Gone', 'Borderline (Original Version) and 'Long Black Road' are all IMHO vastly superior to some of the tracks left on both albums (Sirens I could live without).

Jeff seems to have a habit of leaving off b-sides when it comes to his releases, witness the fact we're still waiting for remastered versions of 'Drum Dreams' (From Xanadu OST and b-side of 'I'm Alive'), 'Buildings Have Eyes' (b-side of 'Secret Messages') & 'A Matter Of Fact' (b-side of 'So Serious').

Very frustrating for us ELO fans

 

I hear ya... some of those b-sides will be on my own comp. I don't think Drum Dreams made the final list. Not one of my favorites. Ron

PS If I may. Can we give a collected round of applause for our very own resident ELO/Jeff Lynne expert, Mr. ShardEnder. His knowledge and passion of all things ELO/Lynne is impressive and very much welcomed by us all on SHMF. Thank you sir!

 

Indeed. Clap, clap, clap, clap!

 

Jeff is one of those guys that seems really difficult (at least for me) to anthologize easily...especially if one wishes to capture a complete picture of his music. You've got the psychedelic baroque pop of Idle Race, the crash and bang of The Move, the variety of flavors across the breadth of the ELO catalog, and of course, his solo efforts....ballads, stomping rockabilly reworkings, grandeur-laden rock, etc etc. The closest I've ever come is a 4 disc set of my own about 5 or 6 years ago, which already makes it out of date...but a single disc? I just can't do it...

 

Of the examples you mentioned, Drum Dreams probably isn't Jeff's call, since he alone wouldn't be able to make an expanded edition of Xanadu happen. The absence of Buildings Have Eyes on the Secret Messages remaster was an interesting case, particularly as it was due to appear on the unreleased ELO singles box. I'm curious to find out what possible reasons Jeff had for equally ignoring Mandalay and Hello My Old Friend, especially the latter is quite popular with hardcore fans, myself included.

At least Rob Caiger was able to confirm that Jeff requested A Matter Of Fact not feature on the re-released Balance Of Power, suggesting it's primary creator has an issue with this song and therefore also its alternate lyric version, which is actually called I Know That You Know - similar to the relationship between In For The Kill and Caught In A Trap, both in a similar position of being very different while sharing much of the same musical backing. Furthermore, there were two variations of Heaven Only Knows, Secret Lives and Sorrow About To Fall made available from the same recording sessions, so it's not as if Jeff's against repetition.

The lack of all three original Armchair Theatre b-sides on that album's reissue was ridiculous, though I guess we did receive the first documented outtake from Jeff's scrapped follow-up, plus another on ELO Live... Who honestly thought it would be a good idea to put studio tracks on the end of this? (To answer my own question, Jeff has repeatedly said that his manager is the one responsible for pushing him to provide bonus material for each new title, so at least we can blame Craig Fruin for what is an often illogical and undeniably money-grabbing decision.)

P.S. Thank you so very much for all the kind words, everyone!

 

I would love to see what's in the ELO archive as well. Still like I said I think Jeff is quite happy just touring and then releasing another ELO studio album where he plays all the instruments which is a shame. Is his ego that big that even he can't understand that getting 'real' musicians to play would make the finished product so much better? I think in his mind he's a perfectionist and thinks that only he can make an ELO album and he needs total control and doesn't think real studio musicians would make the final product better. Too bad no one has the balls to tell him he's not a good drummer and at least get a pro to play the drums.

 

Is it too simplistic to believe that this may also be, at least partially, motivated by money...? Surely, he's not that petty?

 

Honestly, getting "real" musicians may well hinder a project, especially in Jeff's case. Only he knows what he wants and having to tell "hired guns" exactly what to play may not be helpful at all. That very issue hampered the guys in ELO for years. They wanted the freedom to do what they wanted and Jeff wanted his songs to represent what he wanted. As a solo artist, it's his call what he wants. No one else. Personally, I think Jeff is a fine drummer, much in the mode of Paul McCartney. Of course, there's a slew of "better" drummers out there, in fact, his touring drummer (forgetting his name at the moment) is really good, but again, having to tell a drummer exactly what he wants, on HIS songs, can be difficult. Most accomplished musicians bristle when told what to do. Human nature I guess. And that's the way it is with Jeff. Why should someone have to have "the balls" to tell Jeff what to do on his own stuff? I don't get that. Ron

 

Well we'll have to disagree as I think Jeff is a terrible drummer and his fills are even worse-sounds like a 6 year old kid who has taken one year of drum lessons. If Jeff can't communicate what he would like played on the drum parts to a real drummer that's his problem. There is a reason why the drums sound terrible on his CD of ELO remakes when compared to the original ELO tracks from the 70's and 80's and the reason is that Bev is a real drummer. Many artists use studio pro's to play drums if they don't want to use their current band for studio work. Heck Billy Joel has done this quite a few times with very good results. Look at Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds. Brian had to communicate what he wanted Hal Blaine to play and it worked out fine. This is very common with many artists so I don't understand the love for Jeff's drumming.

 

I honestly don't think what counts as value for money or giving the fans what they want in terms of archive releases (all the B sides, please) even occurs to or registers with Jeff. I just don't think he sees things from a fan's point of view or tries to understand it.

I don't mean any of that as a criticism, it's just how he is.

 

Like this little gem and the ultra rare and quite expensive Drole De Vie

 

In my opinion, Jeff's playing was more inventive when he first started recording the drum parts himself rather than relying entirely on Bev. For example, his thundering work throughout Grieg's Piano Concerto In A Minor certainly didn't point to the more "wooden" approach of later material (which the likes of Jim Keltner, Mette Mathiesen and even Ringo Starr couldn't infuse with much personality), while many of the Secret Messages tracks had surprisingly lifelike programmed rhythms, though it's hard to distinguish who did what, since Richard Tandy and an uncredited Dave Morgan spent a considerable amount of time sharing the Oberheim DMX handling duties as well.

 

I completely agree...the Mr. Blue Sky remakes, which by the way pale next to the originals, no matter what Jeff says, sound like an amateurish drummer is playing on them and Jeff is also impeding his newer material by insisting he play all of the instruments...he needs to make sure each song is slow enough for him to handle the drums and it's noticeable.

 

I wonder what Jeff thought when he found out that a compilation 'All Over The World - The Very Best Of ELO', first released in 2005 and mainly featuring the original versions, had got to no.1, 11 years after first being released.

it must have been a blow to his pride knowing that people prefered his original versions to those remakes.

Speaking of which, and I know I'm hijacking my own thread, but that compilation was rubbish - no 'Last Train To London', 'Roll Over Beethoven' nor '10538 Overture'.

'Very Best Of ELO' my ar*e! This is how a definitive single CD overview should look:

1. Shine A Little Love (Single Edit)
2. Mr. Blue Sky (Single Edit)
3. All Over The World
4. Livin' Thing
5. Turn To Stone
6. Rockaria
7. Last Train To London
8. Sweet Talkin' Woman
9. I'm Alive
10. Evil Woman
11. Confusion
12. Telephone Line
13. Wild West Hero
14. The Dairy Of Horace Wimp
15. Showdown
16. Calling America
17. Xanadu (Original Vers with ONJ)
18. Rock & Roll Is King (Single Edit)
19. Hold On Tight
20. Roll Over Beethoven (Single Edit)
21. Don't Bring Me Down

Much better, I think. It contains all the best singles (except 10538 Overture, which I couldn't fit on - it was a choice between that or Calling America, and although a lesser single, CA fit better) in their original versions!

 

A Jeff Lynne compilation without Every Little Thing? I wouldn't be able to accept that.

 

Heh, my new(ish) copy of Discovery arrived in the post this morning. Only need Eldorado and their first album and I'll have all the studio albums back.

My ex got rid of all my old stuff after we split. Lost Afterglow, Flashback, Live at BBC, Armchair Theatre + both cd singles, both ELO Pt.2 albums and Honest Men CD single, All Move remasters, OrKestra CD, Tandy & Morgans Earthrise CD (original 90s version) and tons of other CDs, books, DVDs etc.

Someone at our local charity shop must have wet himself with joy when he saw that booty!

I hate my ex

 

I like your list!

I'd maybe swap out "A Better Life (The Weatherman Knows)" with "Please No More Sad Songs" and maybe try to insert "The Lady Who Thought She Could Fly" in there somehow... probably couldn't make it work though.

I'd also consider swapping "California Man" for "Down on the Bay" or "Do Ya" from the Move. And it would be cool to get something from Looking On... maybe "Open Up Said the World at the Door" but the damn thing is 7 minutes long! So... I guess I'd rather have "Kuiama" as far as long tracks go... so good call.

I think "Showdown" is necessary for sure. And "Can't Get it Out of My Head" and "Mr. Blue Sky" seem important to put on there. But I think I'd favor some lesser known album tracks for the rest to avoid repetition with the numerous comps over the years. So...

8. Showdown - ELO
9. Can't Get You Out Of My Head - ELO
10. Nightrider - ELO
11. Mission (A World Record) - ELO
12. Mr. Blue Sky - ELO
13. Midnight Blue - ELO
14. The Fall - ELO
15. Twilight - ELO
16. Secret Messages - ELO

Then I like your choices of "Let it Run " and "Rattled" ... but I think I'd swap out "Lift Me Up" with "Now You're Gone" just because it's pretty unusual for him.

And then... I think the later part of his career needs some better representation imo. His relationship with George should be referenced to.

So this would be my edit of your list. I'm not sure if it fits on 1 CD though:

1. The Skeleton And The Roundabout - Idle Race
2. Days Of The Broken Arrows - Idle Race
3. Imposters Of Life's Magazine - Idle Race
4. Please No More Sad Songs - Idle Race
5. Down on the Bay - The Move
6. Do Ya - The Move
7. 10538 Overture - ELO
8. Kuiama - ELO
9. Showdown - ELO
10. Can't Get You Out Of My Head - ELO
11. Nightrider - ELO
12. Mission (A World Record) - ELO
13. Mr. Blue Sky - ELO
14. Midnight Blue - ELO
15. The Fall - ELO
16. Twilight - ELO
17. Secret Messages - ELO
18. Let It Run - Electric Dreams OST
19. Rattled - Traveling Wilburys
20. Now You're Gone - Jeff Lynne
21. Moment in Paradise - ELO
22. The Inner Light - Concert For George
23. She - Jeff Lynne
24. Alone in the Universe - ELO


I guess if I had to trim things I'd cut "The Fall," ""Days of Broken Arrows" and "Do Ya."

 

Ha, you think you got it bad? After awhile my ex stopped paying for the storage facility (out of state for me) that was ruled her responsibility. I had no reason to expect she wouldn't, since she had lots of stuff there too. Well! Many years go by and I finally find a place where I could store my stuff so I go to the facility with a rental van and lo and behold there's nothing there. It was all auctioned off months earlier. So what was in that facility? Well, some 3,000+ LPs, countless CDs and tapes (including dozens of live and studio tapes of my band). Not to mention vintage stereo equipment, 1930's radios and gear and furniture I made with my grandfather.

Of course SHE had taken all of her possessions out before the auction which I was never notified of. Thankfully, I kept my most treasured music (almost all of my Beatles and solo LP's CD's, 45s and tapes)... rare LPs, 45s and CDs when I originally moved out. Imagine the shock someone got when they bid for my stuff? Some 2,000+ albums from the 60's and 70's. Hundreds and hundreds of mint condition 45s. Almost every promo LP and CD I got when I was a retail store manager. Framed picture discs. Dozens of mint (and rare) posters. Most of my music-related books. Custom-made album bookcases that my grandfather and I built one summer. A couple of vintage amps (1968 Supro, early 60's Vega). And the most egregious of them all. Hundreds of pictures of our kids when they were young. Pictures I'll never get to see again. Why do people have to be so damn mean? I'm truly sorry for your loss too. Ron

 

Oh my God. Sorry for both of you.