Jeff Lynne /ELO Live Hyde Park 2014 Complete Show Streaming BBC Radio 2

Jeff sounds really good, but he can't hit the higher notes anymore. Listen to, for example, Steppin' Out. He either strains for the higher notes, or else sings to avoid them completely.

He still sounds really good, but it's not the '70s anymore. Which, given the toils of time, is to be expected.

 

OK, the key word should have been "almost", but I think his voice is in remarkably good shape. Most of my favorite singer from the era do sound totally different now, but when he sings, you still hear Jeff Lynne singing.

 

To quote Jeff himself on the subject, he's written about 75% of the material needed for a new solo album, though his latest work is also described as sounding very different to anything released under the ELO name. I suspect that we'll see the leftovers from that Long Wave promo CDR officially surface in a second volume of covers around the same time, along with a possible follow-up to Mr. Blue Sky or another archival release... the long-promised expansion of the first batch of remasters from 2001 (including Time, Discovery, Eldorado and hopefully the complete Secret Messages) would be most welcome, though such a release would render the Classic Albums Collection box obsolete.

P.S. I'm stunned at how well Jeff's voice has been preserved, and I'm guessing the problems last night were due to nerves or technical gremlins (since a lot of his mistakes appear to be the result of him being unable to see the teleprompter because of a certain light I heard complaints about). On the other hand, he did lower the key of All Over The World, which is something I don't recall him ever doing prior to this show. Whatever the cause, he still sounds far better than many of his contemporaries!

 

I would be happy not to have the leftovers of Long Wave (which didn't do much for me, even though I thought his moldy oldies covers on Armchair Theater were OK), and I'd be happy to skip another "spot the difference" "best of". Anything Jeff wants to release that consists of mostly originals I'm happy to get...I liked Armchair Theater a lot more than Zoom...

 

I'd be interested to hear Jeff taking a late career move into previously uncharted territory or styles he's not really known for regularly pursuing, such as on (vintage Armchair Theatre b-side) Sirens or the Secret Messages outtake, Mandalay.

 

ELO was my second concert attended back for the Out Of The Blue(spaceship) tour. One of the best shows I ever saw. I saw them for Time, but with synthesizers replacing most of the classical instruments, it just wasn't the same......

 

Does anyone know if the rumour of a rushed download only live album of last night's show is true? I've heard that the BBC wanted to arrange something quickly with Jeff while the momentum was still there, but due to his many vocal mistakes he'd supposedly rather not let this performance see the light of day without considerable editing or overdubbing. Also, there are claims that Jeff's already been in talks with his manager about a small UK tour, which is a far better idea than during the Zoom period when he thought playing larger venues in the US would make sense for a "band" just coming out of retirement following a 15 year break outside its home market, where ELO always remained popular - especially in the mid to late '90s, when I recall some "best of" package always being in the charts...

On that point, has anyone taken a look at today's UK album chart? Although it's not the most recent, best mastered or most content definitive set, All Over The World has suddenly leapt into the public's minds with a huge boost in sales. I've no idea whether this was a direct result of promotion leading up to Jeff's stage return or people buying late yesterday after being stunned at his comeback, but either way it must be great for the powers that be in convincing him a tour here is very much a good idea. Then again, maybe all this attention will push Jeff into completing his long-promised new solo album or at least approving some kind of archival release. Then again, I doubt something like a fully restored Secret Messages would interest as many as a tour focusing on the hits with a few deep cuts thrown in.

 

The problem with the Zoom tour was that it was predicated upon a resurgence in interest in ELO's work, and they thought that would dovetail with the new release. But Zoom was a total turkey. peaking at a pathetic #94 on the Billboard top 100. 2001 was probably never going to be the best year for a new ELO album, but I consider the album itself to be something of a dog--I like or better every ELO album from No Answer to Balance of Power, and I like Armchair Theater, but I do not like Zoom. It's...boring...

 

Zoom was a great album. I think they promoted the wrong single out of the gate though. It should have been "Moment in Paradise" and targeted at AC stations.

 

Jeff really should have followed his previous track record and chosen more of a rocker like Hold On Tight or Rock 'N' Roll Is King as the lead single instead of going with the comparatively plodding Alright, but then Zoom isn't exactly filled with uptempo songs... apart from maybe All She Wanted or maybe Easy Money, which naturally would have required a radio-friendly edit. I seem to recall Ordinary Dream getting quite a lot of airplay on BBC Radio 2 especially back in late 2001, yet Jeff never took advantage of this by releasing that particular selection as an official album sampler. As one of the best examples proving Jeff could still deliver something closer to the classic ELO style, he missed out by not pushing this over Moment In Paradise, though even that was hardly promoted from what I can remember!

 

Would love to have a copy of this show. Listened this afternoon. Really takes you back.

 

Gaaaaa... You gotta love live TV. The handful of performers I know of who have used teleprompters for live concerts do it mainly to combat stage fright; they know the song, but having the security blanket of the words there helps them avoid any momentary panic if one line goes away.

C'mon, he's almost 67. Compared to any of his peers, I think he sings just fine -- and as others have pointed out, he still sounds like Jeff Lynne. I thought he was amazing, and the response of the crowd was really encouraging, too.

 

He should have played other Wilburys tunes, like Margarita or Heading for The Light

 

I bet he tours one more time.

 

Hmmm... You posted the exact same account in the other ELO thread but you have'nt responded to the replies questioning your story. Once again, for the record, in 2001 the Zoom era ELO line up only played 3 dates all of which were studio television specials not outdoor affairs. The Zoom tour was cancelled due to poor sales and none of the dates were performed. Therefore it's simply not possible for you to have seen Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy et al play an outdoor festival as ELO in 2001.

 

If it's anything like this set...I'M IN. He's not forcing the highs, and the whole thing sounds damn good. Just wonder how far I'd have to travel......

 

The guy has done three (now four) ELO concerts in the last 28 years. I think his fans would prefer to hear largely ELO/Lynne material. A Wilburys song thrown in for good measure is fine.

But I am laughing a bit at some of the comments that he played a “predictable setlist.” There’s no such thing when you play three shows between 1986 and 2014. When an artist somewhat regularly tours, then the setlist can be measured that way (in other words, McCartney can drop “Hey Jude” and “Live and Let Die” as far as I’m concerned). But when The Cars have done more gigs in the last 25 years than your band has, then there’s still plenty of room to hear the “hits” and whatnot.

Not to mention the fact that even measured alongside the ELO tours that did take place in the 70’s and 80’s, he has rarely or never done at least a few of those numbers in concert before, such as “All Over the World”, “Steppin’ Out”, and “Rock and Roll Is King.” The latter was heard on the short 1986 tour I believe, and he did it at the “Zoom Tour Live” tapings even though it still hasn’t been heard. When he did the 2001 DVD taping (one of the most amazing shows I’ve ever seen in person by the way), he even pulled out a few interesting bits like “One Summer Dream.”

As has been mentioned, there are VERY FEW singers, especially pop/rock singers, who started in the late 60’s/early 70’s whose voice is as intact as Lynne’s. Considering he’s barreling towards 70 years old, his voice isn’t just “good” for his age, it’s effing amazing that it’s so intact.

 

My only guess is that a remembrance of the 2001 TV taping is somehow getting conflated with seeing “The Orchestra” (the post-Bevan version of “ELO Part II”) around the same time. I’m not sure how an ELO fan would mistake one for the other, as nobody in the band particularly looks like Lynne or Tandy, nor sounds like Lynne. I suppose in the 90’s they had that Phil Bates guy that vaguely looked like Lynne (big hair and beard), but I dunno.

 

I don't think I've ever run into someone who loves "Armchair Theatre" but hates "Zoom." They are quite similar in my mind, both filled with amazing pop/rock melodic hooks, great layered vocals, all the hallmark Lynne stuff. "Zoom" has some issues in the mixing/mastering area (classic super compressed Lynne sound, mastering didn't help). So "Armchair" does sound more crisp and fresh, but musically they are VERY similar in my mind. I think "Zoom" is one of his best works, easily surpassing the phoned-in "Balance of Power" and the wonky early stuff (the first two albums especially) that have moments of brilliance.

 

I think, even setting aside the vocal fluffs (they could fix these with quick punch-ins, or even fly in vocals from the soundcheck if recording were made and Lynne didn’t mess up the lyrics there), Lynne would have to be pretty heavily involved in a release of this show. While the “live” mix sounded okay for a live event, it was far from perfect (vocals especially were sometimes mixed too low, both lead and backing), and Lynne would probably have to apply his “sound” to it. The drums would have to be thickened up and made more dry, as would the vocals.

But a live album would be lovely. I was thinking the new backing band was somewhat of a “pick up” band, but whomever they are, they clearly put a lot of rehearsal in and you can tell they are into being faithful to the original songs/recordings, and put in a lot of the little flourishes and little nuanced bits. I’m not super into having extra backup singers that don’t do anything else, but they filled in the vocal sound nicely.

I would imagine if Lynne ends up touring, we won’t see the full-blown orchestra at many, if any, shows. But it could still be amazing. I obviously hope Lynne sets up shop back home in the US and tours there as well, selfishly.

 

Finally was able to watch the complete performance today [YouTube], and I loved every second of it. The performance was exceptional considering how little Lynne has done this recently in front of a live audience. Really impressed with the musicians, including the orchestra. Brilliant show; and the lyric flubs to me give the performance a bit of character. I'd hate a virtual line by line reading of the songs just like the records. So nice to see Richard Tandy getting some due credit. Would've been nice to see Bev, but if this is what present-day ELO is, that is just fine by me. [Note to Management: Book small amphitheaters in the event JL decides to take this on the road. Had tickets to see the Zoom tour in 2001 in the Continental Airlines Arena (now known as the Izod Center in NJ) but as most ELO fans know the tour was cancelled due to sales. That type of venue was way too large for ELO back then and now.]

 

I recorded the Radio 2 transmission and to be honest the mistakes don't jump out at you. It was different watching it on TV when you could see he was clearly unhappy during the early songs and wanted the teleprompter issue fixed. Maybe its listening to too many of those recent Springsteen concert downloads but the sound is fine.

At around 82 minutes in length, they could trim a few minutes from the gaps between the songs and theres an, almost, perfect souvenir single CD release there.

 

Wasn't Richard on the Zoom TV concert special in 2001?

 

Yes he was. Or was that a rhetorical question?

 

The capacity for the concert was 50,000 and it sold out in about 90 minutes. It was for the charity Children in need.

On Melstapler's seeing Jeff and Elo in 2001. Don't know what you saw. Probably the orchestra or elo part 2.

Jeff Lynne played 3 concerts. None of which were anything like you described. He played the first one for Vh1 storytellers which was filmed before a small invited audience so the tickets for that were free. I was front row right between Jeff and Rosie at this one. I rather drunkenly tried to get Jeff to play an Idle Race song that night.

The other two concerts were filmed over two nights at cbs studios in Hollywood. Again these were for a small invited audience only. The tickets were handed out free to people picked from the showdown mailing list. I feel pretty certain I am 100 % correct on this because I was the person handing out the tickets.

That is all Jeff's gigs from 2001 covered he hadn't played a full gig since 1986 before the storytellers show and until this Sunday he had only a tiny handful of guest appearances such as the concert for George and that recent Beatles tribute etc
Regards
Andrew