Album Review - Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) may have begun its life as a progressive
rock outfit, but by the mid-'70s, founder Jeff Lynne had made it
abundantly clear that he was determined to transform his band into a
mega-selling, pop-oriented act. His 1975 endeavor Face the Music had
been a tentative and seriously flawed step in this direction, but the
subsequently issued A New World Record served as the full-blown
realization of this phase of his career. There was little doubt that
Lynne had begun to pen material that he knew would translate comfortably
into the overblown arenas and stadium shows that ELO was staging, but,
unlike most of his past work, none of his tunes felt forced to fit
within a predetermined format. Not only did each song on the set -- from
the crunchy remake of The Move's Do Ya to Rockaria!'s playful blend of
Little Richard, glam, and opera to the beautiful, Beach Boys-influenced
Above the Clouds -- boast an indelible melody, but also his grand,
symphonic explorations were merged more seamlessly into the framework of
his compositions.
This is an excerpt. To read the complete review, please visit:
http://www.musicbox-online.com/reviews-2006/elo-anewworldrecord.html
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