Jeff Lynne's ELO to release new live album 17.11.17

Well I have the set with the DVD as well and the audio from the DVD is way too loud and is much louder then the CD's. In fact I don't think I ever heard any concert DVD that was this loud. Yes the CD's do sound very muddy without any separation of the instruments.

 

I am really surprised at how loud the audio is on the DVD. Have you bought the DVD or Blu-Ray? I would love to get your opinion of the sound quality. Also the CD's do sound muddy but the audio on the DVD while being way to loud does sound less muddy then the CD's. When I put the DVD in and started to play it it starts with Jeff speaking and I had to run over to my receiver to turn the volume down.

 

I agree but the DVD audio is a bit better and isn't quite as dull sounding but the audio on the DVD is too loud.

 

Bit off topic, maybe... Although I try to write and understand English in the best possible way (I'm Dutch), can anyone explain the title to me? I don't understand the word play in 'Wembley or bust'. What I know 'bust' means 'broken' or 'cast down', but I don't understand what Jeff wants to express with this title.

 

The Electric Light Orchestra have always had problems as a live band. When Jeff Lynne joined the Move, they gave up live work to a large extent. The first ELO gigs were fiascos, neither Lynne or Roy Wood were entirely happy with the way things went, which may have contributed to Wood's departure. Things improved when proper pickups became available for the string section of the band, but Jeff never, ever looked comfortable on stage, preferring Bev or Kelly to talk to the crowd, and the string players to provide the theatrics. The spaceship tour of 1977/78 actually took the visuals from the band, which probably suited Lynne, and turned it from a rock concert into an event. But that could only go so far.

Mistake not to support "Discovery" with the Knebworth offer in 1979, in spite of a no.1 album, and the slightly stripped-down, saner "Time" tour of 1981 saw some half filled venues and a disillusioned Jeff Lynne tied to a tour he probably didn't want to do. Nothing to promote "Secret Messages" and the half-dozen dates supporting Rod Stewart in 1986 were paltry, and probably insulting to the fans.

His return to regular touring is a surprise. The Hyde Park gig was a real wake-up call, and it's likely Lynne (aided by manager Craig Fruin) is now in a position to call ALL the shots and do live shows the way he wants to do them, rather than bend to the demands of the Ardens, or Bev Bevan? That's my theory anyway.

 

I'm hoping to have the either the DVD or Blu-ray and CD in my stocking later this year, so I can't yet comment on anything beyond the YouTube preview clips I've already watched, unfortunately.

The closest phrase I could equate the title to is "All or Nothing," but the fact this is having to be explained shows a further issue with the entire project - a simple Jeff Lynne's ELO Live at Wembley Stadium 2017 would have been perfectly sufficient.

 

Actually the Frontiers sounded ok on my system (subjective dependant on ones system?), but the SHM is better IMHO. My HiFi is Audiolab pre/power and Mission 753 F speakers for info.

 

It's not bad sounding but I found it to sound weaker then most good live recordings of other artists that have released live albums.

 

Regarding 2018 tour ticket prices, I am surprised but then again not surprised. I went to Wembley last summer, and the ticket, plane, hotel, and incidentals came to about $2,000 USD. Certainly a bit more money than my Time Tour ticket in 1981! This time around I have two tickets to the LA Forum show, which will also involve flying and hotel costs.

I'm disappointed to hear the audio analysis of this latest Jeff Lynne's ELO release, and I'm really hoping that Jeff's album next year is better than AITU. The latter of which I haven't listened to since its release.

 

Just played the SHM again, sounds great. Plus with the SHM you get Telephone Line live from Bungalow Palace with just Jeff and Richard Tandy on keys. Brilliant.

 

Yes I wished I had bought the SHM disc. I really wished they included those Bungalow Palace performances as an extra for the Hyde Park DVD. It's only about 20 minutes or so and would be nice to watch it. If they went to the trouble of recording it why not issue it on a DVD as one of the extra's.

 

So this is available now everywhere but Canada, it appears........

 

Apologies if it's been mentioned, but Jeff does remark in one of the few parts of between song "chat" that Richard Tandy has been unwell and will rejoin them on the next tour.

 

I really like the material on AITU, but I don't like the way it sounds.

 

I get what you are saying, but the material and performance are one package on the album. I would like to think that ALL of JEff's releases post 1987, excepting AT, would be much better with at least a professional drummer like Jim Keltner.

 

Strange Magic from Bungalow Palace is on the SHM of Armchair Theater. Its a shame the full session is not available on CD.

 

Listening to the CDs now. I think this is a very nice-sounding set. Jeff sounds amazingly good and not just because of his advancing years... just a wonderful presence to his vocal. I like the mix in that the backing is slightly in the background, with Jeff and his backing vocalists just to the fore. Guitars are suitably crunchy and the bass sounds good, especially on the dance-y Last Train To London and Shine A Little Love. Is it audiophile quality? Well, no. It's overly compressed and the peaks are a bit squashed, but I didn't have to run to the amp and turn it down either. It's not crazy hot, but has a bit more limiting than I find necessary. My system handles well and overall, it's just fine.

As for the songs, well most are treated with the reverence they deserve. Here's some highlights so far. I absolutely LOVE When I Was A Boy. Just a lovely, heartfelt vocal by Jeff. Surprising how tough Ma Ma Ma Belle sounds. Real crunchy, in-your-face guitars on it, as is needed. Handle With Care is done quite nicely, nice slide guitar nod to our George too! Sweet Talking Woman is also well done. Still amazing how effortlessly Jeff hits those notes. It seems a wee bit slower than the original which is nice and the backing vocals aren't too invasive. If that's a synth playing the little cello part near the end of the chorus it's very nicely done. The crowd loves the song. Telephone Line. One of my favorite ELO songs of all time. Sometimes the sadness in Jeff's vocal can bring a tear to my eye after a tough day or whatever.... this version doesn't disappoint. Moving vocals, without the effects added on the studio version. He mostly leaves out the falsetto parts, but when he sings it he does so effortlessly. The bit of reverb on his vocal is a nice touch. Jeff sounds so earnest on this one. Again, this sounds just a shade slower than the studio version. Huh, maybe I'm just tired.

I'll probably follow this post up later on after a second listen. So far, I really like it and it will be a nice companion over the holiday weekend. Ron

 

FYI, for those interested, the 2CD + Bluray set is down to $15.11 currently on Amazon.

 

The traditional use of the phrase "______ or Bust" normally meant a group aiming to get to a geographic location (a goal). For instance, during the 1840s gold rush in California, for the gold prospectors it was "California or Bust." Using the traditional meaning in the context of this concert, it isn't really applicable as Jeff Lynne is already a superstar and he has had successful tours the past couple years.

If Jeff was REALLY reactivating the orignal ELO by having Bev, Richard (I know he is out of commission), Lou, Mik, heck even Roy, then starting a tour and ending at Wembley would be "Wembley or Bust" - given that the original ELO hasn't played Europe or America in 30+ years.

I would agree with ShardEnder and the proposed title he gave in his response. That's the most accurate description. But given that the English language has become very fluid in modern times, the language is moved around for marketing purposes.

 

I finally received my copy of WOB in the cd/dvd format, and have watch the film and listened to the cds.

As for the film, I think it is a good film. I wasn't annoyed like others with the cuts from the stage to the people in the crowd, it all seemed pretty normal for live concerts these days. Being there in person was much better than watching it on dvd - I think some of the excitement was lost in translation.

As for the cd, I'm somewhat disappointed about the sound quality. It didn't seem as dynamic as I remember the show. I was struck by how forward Jeff's voice was in the mix at the beginning of Standin in the Rain. It was pretty surprising. The mix also seemed heavily compressed, as others have said. Mostly, I'm disappointed with the dead sound between each song. It sounds like a greatest hits package with some cheering thrown in, not a single gig.

Now that we have this, I really want the Time Tour recording (if it is exists) released on cd!

 

I'd be very surprised if either of the known Time Tour era recordings survived, and even if they did, Jeff supposedly blocked at least one of these due to some undisclosed technical issue was likely performance-related. Using the handful of audience tapes that circulate, you can quite easily "roll your own" to approximate what might have been in terms of the shelved official live album (this was going to form half of "Unexpected Moments" for a while until that evolved into the all-studio Secret Messages). However, there isn't any fan-shot footage doing the rounds to my knowledge, so the visual side of things remains unseen beyond a few photos...

Also, to all those fans in the UK who insist they saw a special called ELO Live in Wembley on their televisions in late December 1981, this advertised programme didn't consist of highlights from the several dates the group played earlier that same month at Wembley Arena, but was rather the hour-long edited '78 show that was put on as a last minute replacement when Jeff backed out of another genuine Time Tour project. Under his original deal with a then-fledgling division of the Disney group that later became Hollywood Records, the company responsible for capturing the raw material retained all rights to this, and they've presumably still got everything in their vaults or it was long since misplaced/destroyed. Whatever the case, Jeff probably doesn't care enough to assemble some document of this period - especially as the overall feel was so loose compared to his current, more slick presentation style.

 

I know that any Time Tour material won't be released, ShardEnder - I just like to say it as a way of noting that the Time Tour era is not fully represented in the band's released material. Though I wonder - Jeff made an embarrassing vocal flub at the beginning of Do Ya in WOB and he kept it in this release - so it that survived, how bad was the Time concert technical performance? Or maybe back then he was even more of a perfectionist than now?

You are correct about Jeff's current presentation style, though I'd add the phrase "controlled &" right before the word "slick" in your sentence above!

 

Bbc are showing a 75min edited version of WoB sometime in December

 

That's a great idea - release Wembley or Bust in several configurations, only to then broadcast the majority of its content just weeks after! Queen made a similar mistake with their recent News Of The World 40th anniversary boxed set, which includes a documentary supposedly not too different from an edit shown on BBC Four only a few days ago...

 

I've never seen any confirmation of the exact dates that were recorded, but there were several consistent issues during later Time Tour shows, including Richard messing up his brief piano solo in the middle of Twilight (likely due to the speed being considerably faster than its studio counterpart) and Dave having to tape lyrics on Jeff's monitor because of how frequently he'd mess up.

I wouldn't be surprised if the actual reason we never got an official performance from this tour is because Jeff didn't have to legally commit to such a thing - he supposedly walked away from the Disney offer due to them wanting ELO as the first major rock act on the music label they'd been hoping to launch, but he was also desperate to end his existing contract with Jet/CBS. Rather than embark on a tour that would keep him away from his wife and two young daughters, my understanding is that Jeff would have preferred to remain at home through 1981 to work on the next ELO album, presumably making use of his new studio and the full Oberheim system he'd just bought, which he wrote several of the eventual Secret Messages tracks around, including Bluebird and Letter From Spain.

Right up until July '81, Jeff had no intention to play live with ELO again, though he reluctantly agreed to a low-key tour when Jet suggested that Time wasn't selling as well as previous albums. Also, it's well known that Secret Messages was originally going to be a double album, meeting Jet's remaining contractual demands and releasing Jeff to spend more time off before slowly relaunching himself as a producer over the course of the '80s, as was his initial plan. While the official explanation from CBS was legitimate, I still believe that a decision had been made to try and squeeze more out of ELO as a group that was still somewhat popular. Instead of going out with a 2LP set, CBS probably thought ELO could be dragged out as an entity for longer by making them produce two separate albums. The fact Jeff didn't suggest simply repackaging the outtakes* from Secret Messages shows how much he still cared, if not in terms of live appearances then definitely in the studio. Saying that, I can imagine him relishing the opportunity to continue experimenting with rapidly-advancing technology, as Balance Of Power was the first major project he worked on following the introduction of MIDI.

*Endless Lies might have been a Secret Message leftover, but at least it was reworked to a degree. Also, the basic idea for Caught In A Trap dates back to the 1982 era, since the original "handshake" cover for Secret Messages is referenced in the lyrics to this song's earlier version, In For The Kill, while the final version's sleeve was influenced by Hello My Old Friend - a track that didn't even make the final cut on either Secret Messages or the subsequent Balance Of Power!