Elo - Essential Electric Light Orchestra (15 tracks) +Album Reviews

Fine for ELO newbies

Candace Scott | Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA | 04/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are some problems with this package, especially the editing of "Roll Over Beethoven" from eight minutes to four minutes, and excluding some of ELO's best songs. But every ELO "Greatest Hits" collection misses the mark in some way, and this is no exception.I am sick of ELO being bashed as the poor man's Beatles, as sappy, as "disco-flavored violin trash," and as infantile muzak. All of these criticisms are from people who haven't bothered to listen to ELO from beginning to last and who are too obtuse to realize that Jeff Lynne is a musical genius (and no, I don't use that word lightly). Yes, his lyrics are banal, but with this type of music, who on earth cares? The lyrics to "Ob La Di, Ob La Da" are trite too, but with such catchy music, one can overlook the banality of the words.There are many stellar songs curiously omited, including ELO's most underrated (and, I think, best) song, "Nightrider." And how about "Four Little Diamonds??" The omissions alone bring the rating down to four stars I bought my first ELO single when I was 10 years old and I never looked back. If you've read this far, you're a fan like me and you will devour this set. Long live this sappy, trite, banal band... I still love 'em forever!"

Great single disc...but should have been two discs

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

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like others, I am disappointed that Sony seems to give ELO a "leftovers" kind of treatment here with this somewhat perfunctory career overview. A second disc would have certainly been merited and could have contained many more classic "essential" cuts. But then, I suppose, we would have had just another repeat of STRANGE MAGIC, that wonderful 1995 two-disc collection of ELO's best tracks. So, once we get past the fact that many "essential" cuts are missing here and the packaging is a little skimpy, this is a fine collection of songs...all of them are superlative, save for the disastrous "edited" version of "Roll Over Beethoven." This collection certainly makes the case for ELO being one of the premier art pop bands of the 1970s and 1980s. ELO maestro Jeff Lynne is rightly considered a genius in the studio, and it's easy to see why with tracks such as the crunchy power pop of "Do Ya," the proto synth symphony "Turn to Stone," the lovely lilt of "Strange Magic," the orchestral rock of "Mr. Blue Sky," and the lush wistful ballad, "Can't Get it Out of My Head." If you must have only one single "best of" disc, this is probably the best way to go. But, also be on the lookout for outstanding bargain collections such as ELO CLASSICS and ELO SHINE ON. Of course, as mentioned, STRANGE MAGIC is superior with it's two discs and buffed up packaging. Best of all is FLASHBACK, a 3-disc set featuring numerous previously unreleased gems. (The rare AFTERGLOW is another great 3-CD set, though the sound is inferior.) Happy listening!"

The best single disc greatest ... not the best period

Brian Campbell | Chicago, Illinois | 11/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have always loved ELO since I was a kid and am familiar with all of the assorted boxes/2 discs/single disc greatest that are out there. Let's determine a couple of things quickly.-This is most by far now the best single disc collection by the band you could have; this makes the 1979 greatest extinct.
-The remastering is fabulous; all of these songs sound better here than on any prior collection.
-Of course, there will be many missing songs for the fanatics that they will deem "essential".The only thing I would suggest is to get the 2 disc "Strange Magic" collection which contains nearly everything. However, this is now my favorite of all the collections. This one is more hit heavy than any of the others ... tracks 1 through 10 are amazing with the way they were sequenced here. Some may dispute what I wrote here, but this essential ELO is worth having by any fan of this outstanding band. For an hours worth of pure pleasure play this straight through. Nothing but strange magic, I'll tell ya ... :)"

Good quality, short on "essential" songs.

D. J. Rizzo | Centreville, VA USA | 07/16/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a lifelong ELO fan, I think this is a decent but definitely lacking collection of radio hits. Songs like "10538 Overture", "Fire On High", "Showdown" and "Ma Ma Ma Belle" should be included in any collection deemed "Essential". While this CD is of better quality due to improved re-mastering; a better representation of ELO's hits and catalog is the 2-disk "Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra". But again, for some reason, that collection omits the sports-arena anthem "Fire on High". Also, do not take the liner notes in this CD as gospel; because there are some factual errors (albeit minor ones).With all do respect to "A Music Fan", I would like to recommend readers dismiss his/her review on this CD as it paints an incorrect portrayal of my favorite band. This user wrote that ELO synthesized all their strings. This is incorrect. Their earliest band members included veterans of the London Symphony Orchestra (on this CD they play the strings on "Roll Over Beethoven"). Some tracks on this album ("I Can't Get It Out of My Head", "Mr. Blue Sky") were recorded with a full symphonic orchestra. On their remastered album "Eldorado", Jeff Lynne comments that you can hear the union-orchestra members packing up their instruments before the recording session was complete because they wouldn't work one second later than they had to! In later years, (mostly the 80's) ELO did use more synthesizers and less strings; but they NEVER attempted to mislead anyone about what instruments were being used. Another interesting fact is that ELO's use of strings on stage helped to bring about great technological advances in the use of electronic pick-ups on classical instruments. "A Music Fan" claims his favorite song by them is "The Ace"; but there is no song recorded by ELO with that name. Subsequently I must urge Amazon.com users to dismiss that post as inaccurate and uninformed."

If you only can have one ELO CD, this is the one!

Robert G. Martinez | Brooksville FL | 10/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We all recall back in the 70's, when we had the time to sit and listen to an entire ELO album. We may have had all their albums. Times have changed. I don't believe anyone sits down and listens to an entire album anymore. Everyone is in a hurry!

There's not enough time anymore. So behold, the greatest ELO CD you'll ever have. It's chock full of the hits that made Jeff Lynne and his band, production wizards. The sound is superb. Favorites included: Telephone Line, Livin' Thing, Sweet Talking Woman, Evil Woman, Do Ya, Turn to Stone. I realize there may have been a favorite or two left off from previous albums, but these are truly the best of ELO. These were the big hits and they still sound great! Buy It! It's great for beginners and old pros alike. Shoot...I forgot to pay my cell phone bill..gotta go now!"

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	Elo Essential Electric Light Orchestra Genres: Pop, Rock, Classic Rock Track Listings (15) - Disc #1 Evil Woman Do Ya Can't Get It Out of My Head Mr. Blue Sky Strange Magic Livin' Thing Turn to Stone Sweet Talkin' Woman Telephone Line Shine a Little Love Hold on Tight Calling America Rock & Roll Is King Don't Bring Me Down Roll Over Beethoven - Electric Light Orchestra, Berry, Chuck
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