Jeff Lynne's ELO - From Out Of Nowhere

By the start of the 1980s, Jeff was moving away from Don Arden's influence and listening more to eventual personal manager Craig Fruin... For example, it was his idea to release unique b-sides on the first two Time singles (both outtakes from when this was intended as a double album) rather than continuing the Jet tradition of recycling previous LP tracks, which returned when The Way Life's Meant To Be was prepared as one final sampler to coincide with the European leg of the Time Tour. Around the same period, Kelly signed with Peter Kuys, while Richard entered into a contract that saw Brian Leahy advance the necessary funds to record what became Earthrise, leaving Bev as the only core ELO member still loyal to the head of Jet Records continuing all the way up to '93 - at this point, with the Arden family no longer in the picture, negotiations began to have Kelly and Mik join ELO Part II on a more permanent basis, since they'd originally had to work around existing legal conditions by technically appearing as special guests from regular touring support band, OrKestra. From what I've read, Kelly and Mik wanted to remain with ELO Part II beyond the '91 tour, only they objected to Don Arden still having say behind the scenes. As I'm sure most familiar with ELO's history will know, Kelly sued Don and later turned to Jeff for financial support during a lawsuit that ended in October '83 with him settling out of court then being excommunicated from the group he most certainly helped in ways we might never truly find out. For all Jeff's talk of calling the shots after Roy Wood's departure, I don't believe for a moment that ELO was ever completely a one man band, and I agree that its success wouldn't have been a fraction of what it was if this had been the case. On the other hand, what is now regarded as Jeff Lynne's ELO absolutely is a glorified solo act, though it thankfully hasn't affected the actual songwriting quality. Now, the reliance on a very particular approach to production is another matter entirely, though you may hear a difference very soon.

 

Hah, thereby showing that people can sure have different opinions. To me, they sounded more synthetic. Then again perhaps my perceptions were skewed by having read about it. I'm fine with the Journey hits re-dos that were on the second disc of Revelation

 

For the audiophiles in this thread, an unsurprisingly muddy DR rating for this release:

foobar2000 1.4.6 / Dynamic Range Measurement (DR) 1.1.1
Report date: 2019-10-21 21:21:35
----------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -------
Analysis: Jeff Lynne's ELO / From Out Of Nowhere
--------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------
DR RMS Peaks Track Duration
------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------
DR8 0.00 dB -8.59 dB 3:16 01-From Out Of Nowhere
DR7 0.00 dB -8.35 dB 3:15 02-Help Yourself
DR6 0.00 dB -7.70 dB 3:07 03-All My Love
DR8 0.00 dB -8.81 dB 3:30 04-Down Came The Rain
DR7 0.00 dB -7.93 dB 3:37 05-Losing You
DR8 0.00 dB -9.18 dB 3:29 06-One More Time
DR7 0.00 dB -8.26 dB 3:07 07-Sci-Fi Woman
DR8 -0.06 dB -8.59 dB 3 : 09 08-Goin 'Out On Me
DR8 0.00 dB -8.61 dB 3:10 09-Time Of Our Life
DR6 0.00 dB -7.83 dB 3:08 10-Songbird
-------------- -------------------------------------------------- ----------------
Number of tracks: 10
Real values of DR: DR7
Frequency: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bit: 16
Bitrate: 845 kbps
Codec: FLAC

 

For anyone worried about those DR figures just posted, the title track and a few other songs I could think of seem as if they're much louder. I'm not saying any more about the album's contents for now, though I've already got a feeling this one is going to generate some fantastic discussion over the next few weeks...

 

Discussion...in a good way?

 

They just sound much clearer, more punch and they flow so much better. I think this is because JL had up to 80 tracks at his disposal, compared to somewhere between 16 -24 when he recorded Evil Woman, Livin' Thing and Telephone Line. Those three tracks work really well and if you listen to the New recordings and the originals of these three tracks via youtube and playing both at the same time he is spot on, with the timing. Showdown, has a lot of bass. CGIOOMH is much better because it is more focused and with less going on, you really get a better picture. 1o538 Overture, is a different take of the original and works. Turn To Stone, not so keen on that one.MBS is alright, it mirrors the US shorter single release. Strange Magic, is sort of almost there. On Vinyl, it is too bright. On CD it is a bit dull. The mix is really good, you can hear everything nicely and I like. I think he has done a really good job, it is authentic.

I know some dislike it for their own reasons, but they didn't like LW, AITU or the new album. They only like MBS 1975-1979.

 

Not bad on the dynamics. Although the kbps rate is a too low.

 

No worries - wasn't directly calling you out on the concept. It was more an overall statement about the dearth of creativity within the justification of the musical do-it-yourselfer idea...

 

The Animals get credit for Don't Bring Me Down and Crow then Black Sabbath for Evil Woman.

 

Indeed, though I'd include anything from the original Electric Light Orchestra run from 1972-1986!

 

I heard the new album today.

A few comments from first listen:

1) It sounds very squashed
2) The plodding drums are a drag on many songs
3) Some good songcraft going on here--on the whole better than Alone in the Universe
4) Some of the songs sound a lot more like classic ELO than anything on Alone in the Universe or Zoom

 

For sure...I actually felt he took serious creative risks with both Armchair Theatre and Zoom, with the results being better product, but fewer sales...however, the remakes, AITU and all the little bits in between are simply an ordeal...a shame really for a guy with such talent...it's clear (to MOST of us - ymmv) that he sees no real need to stretch himself in his writing or his production efforts...I'll wait to pass judgment on the new album after I hear it, but the title track doesn't exactly fill me with encouragement...

 

Yeah, same for me with both Armchair Theatre and Zoom, but most especially the latter, fewer sales due to lack of promotion or name recognition!

 

I just had my first listen. I agree with this and would add:
5) It is great to hear strings again.

 

I heard the single on the radio last week and outside of it being a melodic tune that was enjoyable, the most notable element to me was how poor the drumming was. And how a good drummer might’ve added a little swing to the proceedings.

 

Entertainment Weekly, a magazine here in the states, just published a review of FOON. The title is "Mr. Blue Sky."

The second paragraph begins as follows: "On the new record, Lynne and company reflect on old flames,...."
"and company?" there is no band on this album. It is all him and his engineer, right? So either more people are playing on the album, or EW has it completely wrong - which also is a bit of a misrepresentation. Or they were lazy and pulled language from an ELO review in 1977 when it was more clearly "Lynne and company."

 

Some companies have 2 people?

 

Mine too !!

 

Since others are now commenting, I'll share some of my first impressions:

Spoiler: Here be spoilers!

I've already said quite a lot about the title track, but From Out Of Nowhere is quickly finding a place in my heart as one of Jeff's finest melodies. I absolutely love this one, though I'm starting to feel a little worried because of that piano-led instrumental break and everything up to the fade out - is it wrong that I don't want to let Jeff fly off to somewhere else just yet, especially not when his writing is up to this kind of standard? With only seven chords repeated over and over, he's given us something that's worth infinitely more than the sum of its few parts.

Next, I almost don't want to admit that Help Yourself isn't doing much for me. If anything, it would have musically fit onto Armchair Theatre or Zoom, with those call-and-response vocal parts very reminiscent of Jeff's work from that era. Also, it seems he just can't resist a descending piano line, and I really like the detail of how the guitar solo begins sounding like a synthesiser, almost a reverse of the effect he achieved on Another Heart Breaks. Of course, this is something closer to 1991/2001 than 1981, but even the finest albums can't maintain consistency or surprised throughout. While it's not offensive, this is very much Jeff by numbers compared to what follows.

As hinted in one magazine article, All My Love sees ELO venture into yacht rock territory. Beyond the staccato guitar parts and complex, almost tribal shuffling drum patterns, it's Jeff's sky high vocals on the chorus that most caught me off-guard. You can't accuse him of phoning this one in, though I'm also concerned that it won't quite stand out enough to become a favourite with many listeners. After that, Down Came The Rain comes off like Jeff paying tribute to a certain recently fallen Wilbury, who I can easily imagine doing a very similar job, both vocally and in terms of its guitar work, but then you get a keyboard flourish that I recognise from Alone In The Universe, specifically Dirty To The Bone.

Where do I start with Losing You? Dreamy strings and a double-tracked Jeff cooing right into your ears make for a delightful mix, but once again I'm thinking back to Zoom in the best possible way. There's a strange guitar-led gear change in the middle that takes you in a most unexpected direction, only for another verse to come in, backed with what sounds like a harp. Now, if you don't mind, I'm just going to melt in a corner for a while, because Jeff sure won't lose this fan any time soon. However, there's no time for that, as I'm convinced that he's been looking at my wish list...

Beginning with a sound I can only describe as an air raid siren in deep space, One More Time is like a modern-day take on Let It Run. With chugging guitars, falsetto yelps, a drawn-out title and Richard blistering his fingers on the piano, it's even got room for a cowbell. No, there isn't quite the same level of technical wizardry going on, but this is the closest Jeff has come in a very long time to giving us one of his classic kitchen sink productions reminiscent of the Time/Secret Messages period. Sci-Fi Woman has a strange buzzing pulse throughout, and there's a theremin-like keyboard in places. I'm not entirely sure what I was hoping for here, but Jeff's sure taking us in some unexpected directions, with the ending being pure Mission (A World Record).

Remember how Jeff spoke of the covers he tackled on the Long Wave project inspiring large parts of Alone In The Universe? Well, Goin' Out On Me is a combination of Sleep Walk, which can be exclusively found on the Down The Lane And Far Away sampler, and Tears On My Pillow. You can literally sing that last one over the opening instrumental bars perfectly, but it's more a case of Jeff wearing his heart on his sleeve than looking to deliberately rip anyone off. Anyway, there's a much bigger point to be made. Stealing the show over his brilliant guitar solo, the drumming has an actual swing, plus some very nice fills. More than any other song on this album, Jeff's written something new that equally seems like it's been around forever, or specifically since the '50s. Maybe he does have a working spaceship?

Less pandering that Beatles Forever, the lyrics to Time Of Our Life make it clear that playing Wembley had a profound impact on ol' Mr. Blue Sky. Indeed, he's one of the few artists who apparently likes that thousands of concertgoers were holding up their phones in the dark. Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising moment on the entire album, he first references Telephone Line then gives us a brief reprise of its chorus, followed by some crowd noise. If you still doubt whether he was enjoying himself up on that stage, I'm suddenly compelled to edit this song over black and white footage of the aforementioned concert. Finally, in what might just be the greatest twist of all, Songbird is a slow gospel track packed with descending piano chords, the Armchair Theatre choir, some very welcome "strings" and a downright gorgeous guitar solo.

I can't state this closing remark enough: Jeff absolutely hasn't spent the last few years putting together more of the same. I'm now convinced that so much of his playing it safe is the result of confidence issues, only now he's on the other side of realising that countless people out there still appreciate him for trademark eccentricities just as much as any of the truly big hits, which have long since deservedly become staples. I'll look forward to cherishing multiple physical copies of this album, as it's truly remarkable to be getting something this good and daring from an artist in his early 70s, particularly when it would have been all too easy for him to rest on his laurels. Without the foot of one Don Arden up his back end, Jeff's been free to follow his muse over the last three decades. Even though I wasn't so enamoured with the sterile end results, his reception at Hyde Park, Glastonbury and more recently Wembley echoes proudly in the scope you'll hopefully all soon be enjoying in this collection of songs.

To those of you left disappointed by the short running time, I never once thought I was being short-changed by a track, and while I'd have liked a few to stick around longer, there isn't a wasted note anywhere. If someone connected to Jeff is somehow reading this, please tell him that I think he's a bloody genius whose entire creative output is a mere blip in the universe, albeit one that's going to keep shining after far lesser stars have faded!

 

Did I mention Bev Bevan?
Actually, isn't Jeff Lynne buddies with Ringo? (certainly acquainted). And Neal Peart isn't too busy these days...

 

Presumably, there is at least one more person credited for this album--engineer, producer, arranger, player, background singer. If so, you can refer to it as "Jeff Lynne and company".

 

Then there's also Richard Tandy with his piano solo on One More Time.

 

...and what a solo!

 

for me the best album of "the expanded beatles family" since 2005 (chaos and creations in the backyard)