Jeff Lynne's ELO to release new live album 17.11.17

Instead, a lot of Jeff sounds like this clip (starts around 1:30):

 

I guess "birds of a feather" is accurate! Ron

Dave Edmunds - Again - Official Video

 

Originally I thought ELO had ceased by the end of October 1983, with the dismissal of Kelly Groucutt, poor sales of SM, no tour, and Bev with Black Sabbath. Then ELO was pushed farther out of mind when Jeff produced the Edmunds album Riff Raff and the song Video! came out in 1984. I was really surprised when Balance of Power came out in the Spring 1986.

 

I like the "new light through old windows" concept.
I wish that Jeff would pursue such an idea.

The Bungalow version of "Steppin' Out" was incredible.

 

Unlike virtually all of the remakes that surfaced on the Mr. Blue Sky album a few years back with perhaps the exception of 10538 Overture, it was Jeff's new version of Steppin' Out that supposedly deviated the most from its original recorded form, but he's only ever performed this new arrangement live (and even then, it didn't sound that different to my ears).

 

I'm always interested to read accounts from those of you who were fans through that quiet period following the release of Secret Messages, as it really does seem as if ELO's return with Balance Of Power wasn't something many could have expected after the remaining members all went their separate ways in late 1983, especially when you consider how acrimonious their temporary "split" appeared to be... Kelly was clearly onto something when he revealed plans to call his second solo album Lights Out!

 

That version is so good. I really wish Jeff had those Bungalow Palace tracks put on one of the live DVD's as an extra. It only runs about 25 minutes. A real shame since Jeff went through the trouble of recording both the audio and video. What's the point of doing that if it doesn't get released. ELO fans would have loved it as a bonus on the Hyde Park DVD.

 

Yes I wonder why he didn't include 'Steppin' Out' on that Mr. Blue Sky album.

 

The original plan was for Jeff to release two volumes of remade greatest hits, with the first of these - Mr. Blue Sky - concentrating more on ELO's output from the 1970s. Steppin' Out technically should have been part of the initial set, but my understanding is that it was being kept back for the follow-up we never got in the end. Other confirmed outtakes from this include I'm Alive and Don't Walk Away, while I wouldn't be surprised if All Over The World, Twilight, Rock 'N' Roll Is King or Secret Messages were also due to appear, since they've all been performed recently, perhaps in anticipation of the sequel coming out some day.

Jeff was once quoted as saying that manager Craig Fruin often pushes him for potential bonus content, so it's likely Rockaria! and Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, both exclusive to the iTunes deluxe edition of Mr. Blue Sky, were also meant for the second remakes disc, meaning he's now got to revisit other tracks in order to prevent a good portion of this from being recycled material. I'd be interested to hear more from Discovery and those last three pre-split ELO studio efforts to hear what Jeff might have been able to do with the highlights of these after years of refining his production techniques...

 

Well I guess with him on Sony now I don't think a second volume would come out. Still frustrated that the 'Bungalow Palace' video wasn't on the Hyde Park DVD as an extra and one that fans would love. It would have been very easy to have that on the DVD. I'm surprised his manager didn't push for that to be on the Hyde Park DVD.

 

Under the original agreement, Frontiers only released music that belonged to Jeff's own company, Big Trilby Records, which is how Let Them Eat Vinyl was also able to press variations of the same albums. If he really wanted the follow up to Mr. Blue Sky or the planned Long Wave sequel out there, I'm sure Jeff can still negotiate a deal with Sony that would likely include reissuing their respective initial volumes as well. However, it's clear that he's moved on from both of these projects - in the case of the remakes, it's probably because he'd no longer receive any significant financial benefit as a result of issuing these, even if he still officially insists they came to exist because he's never been entirely happy with certain tracks (mainly due to how rushed ELO's classic era work schedule was, mainly due to Jet demanding the record-tour cycle went unbroken through most of the 1970s, finally coming to an end with the lack of any live dates in support of Discovery).

 

To be sure, ELO's tour schedule was pretty heavy (and in larger venues) for four years, from 1975 through 1978. If you take a long run look at ELO's tours, in 1981 you get a smaller American tour, 1982 a European tour, and a half dozen dates in 1986. For the last 8 years of the original ELO's existence, Jeff can't claim that the tours were an onerous burden. But he had a point concerning that four year period.

 

Spot on, ShardEnder. Kelly saw the changing technology, Jeff's and Richard's love of it, and what this meant for ELO as a Livin Thing (as opposed to a studio creation).

 

Although ELO's touring schedule from 1979 to 1986 amounted to just a handful of dates over several months compared with their activity in previous years (when Don Arden had less distractions from pushing one of his most lucrative acts to remain so productive and profitable), even this reduced activity put a strain on Jeff's relationship with his second wife that ultimately contributed to their separation, and I can't begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for his two young daughters. Furthermore, the sessions for Secret Messages spanned a year, while Balance Of Power also kept Jeff away from home for a considerable period, not to mention he had to deal with losing his father. We're lucky that Jeff was able to get through '86 with a combination of humour and determination to make his growing friendship with George Harrison work - within just a few months, ELO was a thing of the past and Jeff Lynne was about to relaunch himself as the go-to producer for established artists looking to jumpstart their careers, including Del Shannon, Brian Wilson and his future colleagues in the Traveling Wilburys.

Kelly might have been planning to call his second album Lights Out, but this was also the supposed headline of his tell-all article about the financial disparity between ELO's co-shareholders and the band's other members, which he tried selling to a tabloid newspaper in late October 1983, or at least that was until Jeff offered him a final settlement to end a lawsuit that had escalated over the last year, massively harming ELO's already damaged public reputation at a time the group needed to continue producing hits. Kelly only went after Jet to begin with, and Jeff happily welcomed him back for two video shoots (in December 1982 and April 1983, respectively), but then officially dismissed the bassist once things took a more personal turn. After switching the focus to his legal employers rather than the label Jeff had been trying to distance himself from, Kelly had no chance of remaining with ELO for their last contractually required album, and he frequently said in his later years that he deeply regretted ever taking the advice of his personal manager, Peter Kuys, who was more concerned with recovering costs from a studio project that commercially failed with advances left outstanding, not to mention a completed follow-up that his record company had no interest in releasing. Himself in a difficult situation personally with a fourth child on the way, it's equally amazing that Kelly was able to somehow get through the mid '80s, yet it should be noted that Jeff really didn't want him being in a position where he could profit from his former association with ELO. Thankfully, common sense prevailed and Kelly was soon back to doing what he did best, say what you will about the ethics or quality of Part II and later The Orchestra...

 

You should write a book! I didn't know any of this stuff. Speaking of Part II, I was fortunate enough to see them back in the nineties at the Royal Albert Hall and they were fantastic.

 

I'm convinced there was an article in the Daily Express in 1983 re Kelly's lawsuit but I've had a quick look through their archives and cant find it

 

I really wish someone could find the UK press articles at the time of the lawsuit in 1983. There is some mention of that litigation in this piece after his passing:

Last laugh for ELO joker Kelly Groucutt

 

I don't have my research notes at hand right now, but I seem to recall the Daily Express article on the outcome of Kelly's lawsuit being published 22nd October 1983, with his case finally settled out of court the previous day (when Jeff offered him £300k that came attached with his instant dismissal from the group, preventing any further legal challenges). However, this doesn't appear to be on the paper's online archive, which is odd...

 

Quite a few people here suggested I do the same, and I've actually been hard at work on such a thing for the last two years, making use of every moment I can spare. At first, it was going to focus on just Secret Messages (with a proposal submitted to Bloomsbury so it could potentially become part of their 33 1/3 series), but my scope has since expanded to cover ELO's activity from after the release of Out Of The Blue to their official split in November 1988. Of course, I'll provide some key background along with major details that took place after this cut-out point. If all goes to plan, you can expect the end results in just a few months. I'd originally been hoping to get the final draft submitted to my publisher for release this month, only I recently asked for an extension due to other commitments getting in the way of the editing process, which I'm currently deep into.

 

I look forward to it.

 

Thanks for that - here's the thread where most of the relevant discussion has taken place, including plenty of insights from my research so far, plus a lot of the initial motivation that ultimately inspired me to begin work on this ambitious project:

Electric Light Orchestra - Secret Messages as originally intended

 

Yep. That would make sense. Likewise I've searched their archives but there's nowt. Very odd. Tory tabloid rubbish probably replaced it with....worst winter since 1963 etc

 

So noone picked up the 3LP vinyl version? Is it safe to assume mastering would be bad on that too?

 

How does the 3 LP set sound on this release?

 

Nobody has this set on vinyl? I bought it, just now listening to the first LP so far its OK.