Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Electric Light Orchestra Part II
Label: Edel Records
Release: 1994
Running time: 54:03
Rating: 4/5
Electric Light Orchestra Part II were a short-lived offshoot of the legendary British art rock band Electric Light Orchestra, one that worked and performed without longtime creative chief, guitarist, singer and producer Jeff Lynne. Despite their brief existence, under the leadership of drummer Bev Bevan, the only founding ELO member still standing, they managed to put out two more-than-noteworthy releases, ones that plenty of ELO devotees rate higher than anything the band did under Lynne in the synth-soaked eighties, when electronic sound textures took over from organic orchestral arrangements. After a promising self-titled debut, where they at least partly managed to revive the classic ELO sound by weaving in arena rock elements and bringing back the (organic) orchestral section, they went back into the studio and made “Moment Of Truth,” an album that didn’t exactly make a noticeable commercial splash, but topped its predecessor in every musical department.
Compared to the debut, ELO Part II made a clear leap forward here, and with a modern production that sounds far livelier and more organic, they managed to get right up close to the classic ELO sound of the seventies. The number of grand orchestral arrangements they wove around the melodic rock structures of most of the compositions has noticeably gone up, with a real orchestra playing on some of the tracks. For comparison: the “real” ELO under Lynne’s baton hadn’t pulled that off since the album “Eldorado” (1974). The orchestra even joined them on stage, which the “real” ELO never did once in their entire career. Continuity with the classic string section came from longtime ELO violinist Mik Kaminski, while Bevan had strong moral backup in Kelly Groucutt, back on bass guitar, and keyboardist Louis Clark, who wrote most of the orchestral arrangements. After cult cellist Hugh McDowell left, there were a few more lineup shuffles before this album came out, the standout being the arrival of solid guitarist and even better singer Phil Bates. His vocals, which had quite a bit in common with John Payne (ex-Asia, GPS), opened up a whole new dimension compared to the traditional Beatles-style vocal harmonies Lynne was positively obsessed with for most of his career.
Most of the songs on the album, through an effective mix of impressive vocal harmonies, mighty melodies with heavy use of the orchestral section, and melodic rock anthems, serve up a generous helping of gourmet pleasure for fans of the traditional ELO sound, even if there’s no real progressive rock adventurousness to be found here. Then again, nobody really expected that from Bevan’s gang, who managed to blend a high degree of melodic sensibility, rhythmic finesse and instrumental complexity into a fitting harmony that at least partly brings back memories of ELO’s golden days.
Between the individual pop and melodic rock creations sit short orchestral instrumentals that give the album continuity and remind you of the orchestral section’s important role. Still, the main appeal lies in the excellent melodic rock compositions with hypnotic vocal hooks, with “Breakin’ Down the Walls,” “Power of A Million Lights” and “Voices” standing out, where the rock and classical elements shine with equal force. In another era, these would have been guaranteed hits. There’s no shortage of dramatic power ballads either, led by “One More Tomorrow” and “Love Or Money,” where the individual vocal talents of the constantly rotating singers shine with a special glow and without a hint of cloying sweetness. Fans of heavier sounds will get the most out of the hard-rock-seasoned tracks like “Don’t Wanna” and “Whiskey Girls,” where distorted guitar phrases and boogie rhythms really come to the fore, with a balanced dose of orchestral trimmings, of course. In short, the album shines in every respect. The one shortcoming is the renewed absence of the “big boss,” who, mostly through his voice, was an inseparable part of the ELO legacy, so every longtime fan is going to miss him. I’d rather not imagine how good this release could have been if Lynne had somehow managed to rein in his ego and decided to take part.
With “Moment Of Truth,” ELO Part II pulled off a real surprise: they didn’t just build on a more-than-solid debut, they landed the best shot yet at the classic ELO sound, the one Lynne could only dream about in the eighties. In my opinion, besides the successful return of organic orchestral arrangements, the recipe for success also lay in the band’s different approach. Unlike the legendary band under Lynne’s all-powerful vocal, songwriting and production rule, ELO Part II were a democratic collective, where individual members took turns by mutual agreement writing songs and handling lead vocals. Bev Bevan, as the only original member, of course stayed the undisputed leader right up until his unexpected retirement in 2000, when, after mounting frustration over the weak commercial response (for someone who’d played in front of packed stadiums in the seventies, the move to the club or even bar gig scene must have been a pretty hard pill to swallow), he decided to dissolve the band and sell his share of the rights to the ELO name to Lynne.
The remaining members carried on under the name The Orchestra, but that’s a whole other story. It’s a kind of irony that Lynne, with all his songwriting and production genius, stubbornly stuck to synthetic arrangements in the eighties and tried in vain to get close to the brilliance of the classic ELO albums, while his former sidekicks pulled it off with such ease. His unexpected comeback with a freshly redefined ELO at the start of the new millennium ranks among the biggest surprises in the story of rock music. Chances are his old “friend” Bevan was the only one who wasn’t the least bit surprised.
Lineup
Eric Troyer – keyboards, vocals
Louis Clark – arrangements, keyboards
Phil Bates – guitar, vocals
Bev Bevan – drums
Kelly Groucutt – bass guitar, vocals
Hossam Ramzy – percussion
Mik Kaminski – violin
The London Session Orchestra – orchestral section
Production
Stephan Galfas
Track list
1. Moment of Truth (Overture) (4:08)
2. Breakin` down the walls (4:27)
3. Power of a million lights (4:51)
4. Interlude (0:32)
5. One more tomorrow (5:00)
6. Don`t wanna (3:41)
7. Voices (4:27)
8. Interlude 2 (0:20)
9. Vixen (0:05)
10. The fox (4:35)
11. Love of money (4:09)
12. Blue violin (1:10)
13. Whiskey girls (3:37)
14. Interlude 1 (0:58)
15. Twist of the knife (4:33)
16. So glad you said goodbye (4:12)
17. Underture (2:52)
18. The leaving (0:26)
