Since we last spoke the ELO success story has taken yet another giant step forward. The eight night residency at the Wembley Empire Pool last June emphasised (as if it needed emphasising) that the Electric Light Orchestra were indeed a unique phenomenon in contemporary Seventies' pop, oddly joining a club that includes Abba, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Boney M as its elder statesmen.
"The Light Shines On", this album's predecessor, was designed in part to show British audiences, who, let's face it, were embarrassingly slow to catch onto ELO, that the present-day ultra-commercialism of the music had, at its roots, an admirable sense of adventure and experimentation. So much so, in fact, that although the music was essentially hummable pop, it went totally over the heads of home audiences circa 1971-1973. Harvest, who possess the rights to the first two ELO albums-"The Electric Light Orchestra" and "ELO2" -are singularly determined to sustain their faith in that early material. Hence Colin Mlles' second compilation.
And - please - will you sit up and take notice this time. If you're a real ELO fan, there's a lot to be learned from this early stuff, you know.
To recap, let's briefly recall the birth of the Electric Light Orchestra. The original band was very different from today's troupe. It all started back in 1968 when Roy Wood, becoming rather bored with the limitations that the Move was imposing, looked for another vehicle. Jeff Lynne, a latterday Move member who later professed that he joined them from his own group, Idle Race, as a means to an end (i.e. today's ELO which he has total control over), and drummer Bev Bevan, concocted to form the Electric Light Orchestra with him.
Out came the first album and the pretentiousness of the concept-violins, cellos, oboes and horns were being touted as the future of rock and roll ("It took me ages to get that violin out of me ass," Lynne later joked) – proved too much for critics and public alike. But under all the superficial gloss was a solid pop album with interesting experimental overtones. There were a couple of classic tracks, notably " 10538 Overture" and "I st Movement (Jumping Biz)", both of which appear on this album. From the blatant patronising nature of the titles, you can judge why ELO were being called pretentious.
With Wood being put in the limelight, although Lynne wrote half the material, there was, not surprisingly, a good deal of discontent within ELO. Roy admirably took the ultimate solution to the problem by quitting and leaving the entire show to Lynne, whose eloquence, we've since learned, is not displayed through Press interviews but through his music. With a possible clash of egos erased, Lynne set about realising his vision of the band and the vital addition in that aspect was undoubtedly keyboard's player Richard Tandy, still his right hand man.
"ELO 2" was still shrouded slightly in a vague cloak of experimentation which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't but there was always the impression that Lynne's brilliance would shine through. On "From The Sun To The World (Boogie No. 1)" and "Kuiama", which conveniently appear on this compilation, Lynne showed that he could mess about with structures and overburden arrangements with strings and still come out with a good pop tune. That was the most fascinating aspect of ELO's approach at that time.
But they still couldn't break through to a major audience and only spasmodically, with obvious adaptations like "Roll Over Beethoven", did they make the charts. It wasn't until the arrangements were watered down further, with the string section playing more of a complementary role than being to the forefront, was Jeff Lynne's value appreciated.
It's for that very reason that you should listen attentively to these early works. Okay?

HARRY DOHERTY
 

1.1 – 10538 Overture

Did you see your friend crying from his eyes today
Did you see him run through the streets and far away
Aah
Did you see him run, did you see him fall
Aah Aah Aah
Did his life flash by at the bedroom door
Aah Aah
Aah Aah Aah
Aah Aah Aah

Did you hear the news it came across the air today
Someone has been found on the rocks down in the bay
Ahhh
Did you see him hide, did you see him crawl
Aah Aah Aah
Does his life mean more than it did before
Aah Aah
Aah Aah Aah
Aah Aah Aah

Did you see that man running through the streets today
Did you catch his face, was it 10538
Ahhhh

1.2 – First Movement

Instrumental

1.3 – In Old England Town

Down, down, you can see them all
Rising gaily to the top
Keep on rising babe you know you got a long drop
You better cling cos it's the done thing

Down, down, at the Policeman’s Ball
They're all dancing in a line
Keep on grunting boys you know you're doing fine
Come quickly I've been strangled

Down, down, at the Military
They're all marching round and round
Keep them boots shined and that still upper lip down
Ablution Revolution

Down, down, at the launching pad
Giant phallus stands erect
Ten thousand tons of waste throb then eject
Look out space, we're gonna change our place

Down, down, in old England Town
There was air and now there's smoke
Let's build more cars and drive away before we choke
Suddenly it's always night time

Down, down, at that nice Trade Fair
All the money gone astray
Let's inflate this price and float away
Just you and me and everyone...

1.4 – Manhattan Rumble

Instrumental

1.5 – From The Sun To The World

Listen to me sister, I got news from the governor,
And he's heard people shouting from the towers in the city
While their babies grow in test tubes over night

Run and fetch the priest cos there's a light on in the building
And there's sounds blowin out in the music of the night
And we should try to get the people out alive

Movin 'cross the ocean with the flag of death a'flyin
The demon butcher pointin out the message on the tide
And the demon light a'sailin at his side

Stormin down the airwaves comes the protest and the prayin
And the love that shone down from the sun to world
No longer could support the life it gave
 

2.1 – Kuiama

My My Kuiama, she came in the morning
She smiled but the tears on her little face
Showed the pain that had been in that far off place
So sad, treated so bad

My My Kuiama, don't break your heart tryin
To say how your ma and your pa passed away
And they left you to wander the ruin and decay
Real mean, that bullet machine

See here Kuiama, now ten thousand miles
Is a long long way and you're here today
And you won't go back so you might say
Hello, how do you do

Kuia stop your cryin, there's no bombs a'fallin
No horsemen in the night a'ridin through your dreams and tearing at your life
Baby goodnight

No more silver rain will hit your ground
And no more guns will sound
And no more life be drowned
No more trenches where the soldiers lie
And no more people die
Beneath that big black sky

Wake up Kuiama, I got somethin to tell you
It's just that I mean, well that is to say,
That I'm trying to explain but I'll start again,
For you, I must be true.

Kuia in this country, they got rules with no reason
They teach you to kill and they send you away
With your gun in your hand, you pick up your pay
So cool, that no mercy tool

Kuia please believe me? I just couldn't help myself.
I wanted to run but they gave me a gun
And they told me the duty I owed to my Fatherland.
I made my stand.

Kuia I just shot them, I just blew their heads open,
And I heard them scream in their agony
Kuiama she waits there for me
True blue, you saw it through.

2.2 – Nellie Takes Her Bow

Who thanked the Lord for the clothes that she wore and mended,
Nellie with the big old fashioned eyes
Who won the heart of a crowd tore apart, took a bow,
Nellie there's a different world backstage

I see the flood lights burning
I hear the band play on
Now Nellie takes her bow

She said she really could not stay
Nellie she had a brand new play to play
And so she paints her face and smiles
And she'll be someone else in a while

I see the flood lights burning
I hear the band play on
Now Nellie takes her bow

Just a lonely girl who could not face a broken world,
And so she acts out all her dreams and wishes that's how it had been
But when the audience is near, it seems as though she doesn't even care.

Nellie just sent me a line to tell me she was doing fine
She got the lead and on Broadway, and now they're digging her today
And as she turns the final page, living someone's life upon the stage

I see the flood lights burning
I hear the band play on
Now Nellie takes her bow

2.3 – Queen Of The Hours

Queen of the hours lies waiting for the wind to blow away the veil of time
Slowly now the threads of age are starting to unwind

Queen of the hours
Along, Along, Along the path of time, of time,
She is still
The clock shall tell the tale
When all is well, is well.

Black was the night that came in from the East and caused the land to sleep.
Riding on a storm, it carved a message in Isabella Creek.

Queen of the hours
Along, Along, Along the path of time, of time,
She is still
The clock shall tell the tale
When all is well, is well.

Dawn is the death wish night has passed away, it left the sacred flower,
Opened up the grave and bowed its life unto the Queen of Hours.

Queen of the hours
Along, Along, Along the path of time, of time,
She is still
The clock shall tell the tale
When all is well, is well.

2.4 – Roll Over Beethoven

Gonna write a little letter gonna mail it to me local D.J.
it's a jumpin little record I want my jockey to play
Roll Over Beethoven, gotta hear it again today

My temperature's risin, the juke box's blowin a fuse
My heart's beatin a rhythm, singin out rhythm and blues
Roll Over Beethoven, rockin in two by two

Well if you feel you like it, go get your lover and reel and rock it
roll it over and move on up now, go for cover and reel and rock it
roll it over, Roll Over Beethoven, tell Tchaikovsky the news

Well early in the mornin I'm a givin you the warnin,
don't you step on my blue suede shoes
hey diddle diddle gonna play my fiddle,
I ain't got nothing to lose
Roll Over Beethoven, tell Tchaikovsky the news

Well she wiggles like a glow-worm, dances like a spinning top
she got a crazy partner, you should have seen her reel and rock
long as she got a dime, the music will never stop

Well if you feel you like it, go get your lover and reel and rock it
roll it over and move on up now, go for cover and reel and rock it
roll it over, Roll Over Beethoven, dig these rhythm and blues

Roll Over Beethoven, Roll Over Beethoven,
Roll Over Beethoven, Roll Over Beethoven,
Roll Over Beethoven, dig these rhythm and blues?

Roll Over Beethoven, Roll Over Beethoven,
Roll Over Beethoven, Roll Over Beethoven,
Roll Over Beethoven, dig these rhythm and blues?

Roll Over Beethoven……..