Search - Electric Light Orchestra Part II :: Moment of Truth

Incredible CD!

08/27/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I think that the true ELO lies somewhere between the new Jeff Lynne ELO's `Zoom'and ELO part 2's `Moment Of Truth'. Those of you that think that all of ELO is nothing but Jeff Lynne please hear me out. It is true that Jeff Lynne is ELO. It is also true that former ELO members Bev Bevan, Kelly Groucutt and Mik Kaminski are also ELO. Jeff Lynne may be the songwriter and producer of all the classic ELO songs, and he may be more of the spirit of ELO at times, but the songs on `Zoom' seem to be missing something musically that was always present on previous ELO releases, and that is big production and incredible musicianship of all involved in the recording. Since Jeff plays nearly everything on `Zoom' it tends to sound one-sided from time to time. Jeff's musicianship is outstanding, but he is no master of every instrument that he plays. Don't get me wrong, `Zoom' is a great CD, but so is `Moment Of Truth'. If you are able to put both CD's in your player and play them on shuffle mode, or better yet, take the time to methodically mix them together, you will find that you have one hell of an ELO recording. The musicianship and orchestration on `Moment Of Truth' is absolutely incredible. It's better than the first ELO part 2 CD and the songs themselves are fantastic. Old ELO fans must get over the fact that it is not Jeff Lynne's voice on the ELO part 2 songs, as vocals for most fans have historically been most band's biggest defining factor. On `Zoom', it is easier to imagine that you are listening to more of a genuine ELO release because of Jeff's incredible vocals and outstanding songwriting, but it the lacks hugeness and overall power of ELO with all members present. In all fairness, `Zoom' doesn't seem that it was ever intended to sound like old ELO, because it sounds quite a bit stripped down musically. In fact, it sounds quite a bit like Jeff's outstanding `Armchair Theatre' in many ways, and not too many ELO fans consider that to be an ELO release. I highly recommend both `Zoom' and `Moment Of Truth' to all of you fans of ELO, old and new. I think you'll find them both together to be the true continuation of our much loved ELO."

Moments of brilliance...and then there are other moments

Dr. Emil "Tom" Shuffhausen | Central Gulf Coast | 11/19/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"MOMENT OF TRUTH is an improvement over ELO Part Two's first CD, and it contains several outstanding tracks. The personnel here make a stronger case for this project being associated with The Electric Light Orchestra, though, sadly, anything without Jeff Lynne is just not ELO. The orchestral interludes included are a nice thread, and reminiscent of the ELO classic ELDORADO. Sir Louis Clark's involvement, as well as that of Kelly Groucutt and Mik Kaminski and Bev Bevan help to beef up the sound and the quality here. Eric Troyer proves himself a fine tunesmith and vocalist, and Phil Bates provides a suitably rough "rawk" element. Things kick off strong with the "Overture" and into the first single, "Breakin' Down the Walls," which has an excellent cascading chorus. Troyer's "Power of a Million Lights" would have fit in nicely on any of the classic mid-period ELO albums with a great melody and spine-tingling arrangement. "One More Tomorrow" is a lovely, big ballad that hits all the high notes. So far, so good. However, "Don't Wanna" is a slight step down, a rather trite rocker followed by the less-than-memorable "Voices." Groucutt presents a lovely tale with "The Fox," a fine narrative of high drama that again recalls ELDORADO. Another strong cut is "Love or Money," a gutsy ballad. I really love "Blue Violin," but wish it were fleshed out into a full song; instead, it slips by all too quickly. Sadly, the band takes a major stumble with the utterly stupid "Whiskey Girls," which trots out an amazing number of bad rock n' roll cliches, lyrically and musically. Groucutt comes to the rescue with "Twist of the Knife," a melodic mid-tempo piece and the band ramps up the energy for "So Glad You Said Goodbye," which is not remarkable, but is at least passable. Overall, this could have been a much stronger CD had "Whiskey Girls" been axed and "Blue Violin" expanded. As it stands, there is a lot to like about it and I suppose I would actually give it 3.5 stars. Just be prepared to skip a couple of cuts."

A solid cd with the best orchestral movements of any elo LP

Tracy Basso | Davis, CA USA | 11/11/1998

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a long time ELO fan, I thought this cd certainly possessed the novel ELO sound even without Jeff. The orchetral movements are outstanding and the best from ANY prior ELO output. The songs range in style and content, and at one point I thought I was listening to Lynard Skynard singing about a "whiskey woman." There are a number of tracks that are solid ELO reminescent of the Out of The Blue era. No regrets in the purchase. All said, it does not match the creativity and soulful brilliance of "A New World Record.""