Search - Elo :: Discovery

ELO's Brilliance

10/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Read the reviews up above and then this one and you'll get an ida of why ELO is brilliant.They mean a thousand different things to a thousand different people.While some one else might think Horace Wimp is "horrid" songwriting, I think it's an absolutely brilliant example of Jeff Lynne's reverence and appreciation for the Beatles and Absurdist Brit humor.Ironically, "Don't Bring me Down" the biggest "hit" on the record, is probably my least favorite on this albumn.Although catchy at first, It's repetative and boring to me. The song has a short relistenability lifespan.Other songs like "I need her love" and "last train to london" remain fun and interesting years after you first hear them.If ELO bridges Pop and Prog (and many suggest that it does) Discovery is certainly more to the Pop side (while the next albumn, Time, leans more to the prog side).Personally I feel as though this stretch of time between out of the blue through time (including the xanadu soundtrack songs) are the most interesting and exciting period of Jeff Lynne and ELO's catalog.If you liked out of the blue or new world record, don't hesitate to get either discovery or xanadu (but never rent the movie because it's god awful... unless your into god awful, in which case, cheers!).If you want a real treat that will challenge you and open you up to a world of beautifully brilliant intelligent yet poppy while simultaneously progressive sounding music, I suggest you look into TIME.From a musical standpoint, Time is groundbreaking in it's production and it's conception. The problem is that no one noticed it at the time because it's also ve fun (and since Pink Floyd's "The Wall" was dominating charts at the time, fun wasn't exactly what folks were listening to in the post punk pop world.But don't snub discovery either. It's a blast you won't regret (or at least shouldn't regret!)"

A New Direction

P.M. Santiago | florida | 01/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have read countless times of how jeff lynne had sold out ELO to disco.(Discovery). ELO has been bashed many times even when the best of their music have proved masterful. these critics have grown worn and old while ELO's music has aged like fine wine. making one drunk while soothing the soul and putting a smile to ones face. "Discovery" is not and will probally never be the best ELO had put out, but it's appealing in sound and feel. to understand what jeff lynne was trying to do with this album, you have to understand that this was ELO's eighth album. Lynne had already proved what he could do with this group. He had just come off with two of the bands most popular albums, he had experimented with so many different sounds. Along comes Disco, a genre that many so called pure rock fans dismissed as trash. these souless tunnel vision air heads could not stand to see and artist take himself to another level and life in music. jeff lynne has done this with "Discovery" and other latter ELO music that has also been criticized. For myself "Discovery" is Amazing and near flawless. "Shine a little love" and "Last train to london" may have a disco sounding beat to it,as he calls it a "Dico very" sound. but it's the best. Lynne Stays away from turning his music into the bee gees, but takes just enough of this once menacing sound to suite his purpose. "I need her love" opens with what sound like a space ship landing, Followed by a guitar riff that digs deep into your heart, just as deep as the lyrics to this rare unconditional ELO love song. the string orchestra is not as prominent,just as the other songs on this album, but when the orchestra hits, it hits like a heavy weight champions money punch. "Don't bring me dowm" is hard rocking and most people's favorite from the album, but "Midnight Blue" shines! You want a classic ELO song, here it is. Like the album, this song has been over looked. It stands toe to toe with other classic ELO songs like "Telephone line" and "Strange Magic". Just this song alone shows the preciousness of this CD. "The Diary of horace Wimp" sounds off bells reminiscent of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" and it's just as rousing as it is sappy. Who but Jeff Lynne Can give you sappy and make you love it. "Confusion" shows just how far ELO had come to this point, Lynne gives off vocals that sounds as if his chilhood days of music are over and demands that you listen to this adult. But as you listen it becomes all to clear that he is mourning the chilhood that he has put to death. "On the run" is as different a song from the band as you will ever come accross. With a mock begining followed by a soulful bass sound that captures it's time and innocence. "Wishing" Sounds like an eerie ghost story, and makes you wonder if maybe the love he's wishing for is accually six feet under. Along with great music "Discovery" has probally one of the great album covers of ELO, depicting what seems to be an early muslim's discovery of an mysterious glowing ELO emblem. but what makes it even more great is the depiction inside of the CD, that has the same character hopelessly running for his life on foot in the dessert with a grim face and the ELO emblem tucked against his chest, while three men on horses with swords in hand,and looks as if they mean buisness and to take the mysterious magical looking emblem for themselves. The scene is one of despair. There's no way our hero is escaping his death. We will never get the full story of our doom hero. or if our hero is really a theif and deserves death.I would like to think ELO's "Midnight Blue" was being played threw the magical emblem during the chase, and Just as the hero was about to get his head choped off. Electric Light Orchestra just took a new direction. The love and feel of the music only got if not better, certainly bolder. No one got hurt, only people who refused to grow with time and music. these are the ones holding on to an emblem and about to get their heads chopped off."

One of ELO's best ever albums but not THE best!

Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 10/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"That honour has to go to "Time" in my opinion but still this album is very strong on its own merits. For one thing, this has been remastered by Jeff Lynne himself with 3 extra tracks and liner notes also written by Jeff plus the lyrics as well. I actually hate "Don't...Down" but "Last Train..." is one of my all-time favourite tracks ever. By the way, "...Horace Wimp" isn't as bad as all that and it has some interesting musical ideas and was always meant to be a kind of musical joke so don't take it so seriously. All the other tracks are good working examples of good songwriting and melody irrespective of genre and even disco, done tastefully is good music. Recommended."