I'd like to bring up one of the most underrated bands of all time, in my opinion. I brought it up on another forum, but I'll discuss it here as well. While the band Electric Light Orchestra is primarily known for many of their hits from the latter half of the 1970s, the band brought a rich diversity and incredible songwriting from album to album. Jeff Lynne, the founder and driving force behind the band, is a disciple of The Beatles, having been heavily influenced by them, following their songwriting philosophy, and becoming very close friends with Paul, George, and Ringo. John Lennon once called the band "Sons of the Beatles."
The band had enormous success in the 1970s and 80s, with more Top 40 hits in the US and UK combined between 1972 and 1986 than any other band on the planet. After shutting down ELO, Lynne went on to become a Traveling Wilbury with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. He would also produce and co-write many of the songs on Tom Petty's first solo album, "Full Moon Fever" and co-write his two major hits, "Learning to Fly" and "Free Fallin'." He produced Orbison's last album as well, and co-wrote "You Got It" with both him and Petty. He would also produce Harrison's 1987 album "Cloud Nine" and Ringo Starr's successful comeback album "Time Takes Time" amongst other albums by other artists. Most recently, he produced Regina Spektor's 2009 album "Far."
This past October he was nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
While many know him for his tremendous hits with ELO in the late 1970s, many of the non-singles on each album are completely ignored by those who aren't familiar with the band. Frankly, every single song on every album is fantastic, and Lynne tackled new ideas every opportunity he had. From progressive rock to art rock to symphonic rock, he had it covered.
I've picked a few songs from the band's catalog of music to share, though I've decided not to post individually any of the major hits such as "Evil Woman," "Turn To Stone," "Mr. Blue Sky," "Can't Get It Out Of My Head," "Livin' Thing," etc. Instead, I've posted a few albums for you to listen to:
Every album provides a different sound. I invite you to listen:
"On the Third Day" Full Album:
"Face the Music" Full Album:
"A New World Record" Full Album:
"Time" Full Album:
Unfortunately, I can't find a high-enough quality "Out of the Blue" album to post here. The only one on YouTube is full of clicking sounds. That's the one with "Mr. Blue Sky," "Turn To Stone," "Sweet Talkin' Woman," "Wild West Hero," etc. I'll post tracks from it in a separate post a bit later.
The band had enormous success in the 1970s and 80s, with more Top 40 hits in the US and UK combined between 1972 and 1986 than any other band on the planet. After shutting down ELO, Lynne went on to become a Traveling Wilbury with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. He would also produce and co-write many of the songs on Tom Petty's first solo album, "Full Moon Fever" and co-write his two major hits, "Learning to Fly" and "Free Fallin'." He produced Orbison's last album as well, and co-wrote "You Got It" with both him and Petty. He would also produce Harrison's 1987 album "Cloud Nine" and Ringo Starr's successful comeback album "Time Takes Time" amongst other albums by other artists. Most recently, he produced Regina Spektor's 2009 album "Far."
This past October he was nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
While many know him for his tremendous hits with ELO in the late 1970s, many of the non-singles on each album are completely ignored by those who aren't familiar with the band. Frankly, every single song on every album is fantastic, and Lynne tackled new ideas every opportunity he had. From progressive rock to art rock to symphonic rock, he had it covered.
I've picked a few songs from the band's catalog of music to share, though I've decided not to post individually any of the major hits such as "Evil Woman," "Turn To Stone," "Mr. Blue Sky," "Can't Get It Out Of My Head," "Livin' Thing," etc. Instead, I've posted a few albums for you to listen to:
Every album provides a different sound. I invite you to listen:
"On the Third Day" Full Album:
"Face the Music" Full Album:
"A New World Record" Full Album:
"Time" Full Album:
Unfortunately, I can't find a high-enough quality "Out of the Blue" album to post here. The only one on YouTube is full of clicking sounds. That's the one with "Mr. Blue Sky," "Turn To Stone," "Sweet Talkin' Woman," "Wild West Hero," etc. I'll post tracks from it in a separate post a bit later.
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