Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Electric Light Orchestra
Label: Legacy Recordings
Release: 1973
Rating: 4/5
According to the Bible, God shaped the earth’s surface on the third day, and in the third year of British art rock institution Electric Light Orchestra, their “god”, meaning singer, guitarist and occasional keyboardist Jeff Lynne, created the third ELO album, fittingly titled “On The Third Day”. It was the band’s first album without any contribution from founding member Roy Wood, who planted the seed of ELO together with Lynne after The Move fell apart.
Of all the ELO albums apart from their first two, “On The Third Day” came closest to what you could call progressive rock, though I’d still describe the sound of most of the record as symphonic melodic rock with a quiet streak of art rock experimentalism. Once again the album is packed with grand orchestral arrangements and complex time changes, which worked brilliantly for Lynne’s vision of fusing melodic rock straight out of the The Beatles school with the high symphonic drama of 19th-century classical music. “On The Third Day” also marked the last moment in their career when Lynne built that trademark ELO orchestral sound in the studio by overdubbing violin and cello string arrangements over and over, bending it around his melodic rock foundations. For the next album, he’d hire a proper orchestra.
Most of the songs on “On The Third Day” were shorter and more accessible, and the individual arrangements got even more melodic than before. Two of them could even pass as pop rock. The overall mood of the album also turned a lot less gloomy and more romantic than on their first two records, where Wood’s influence was still felt. ELO noticeably lost some of their edge here, but gained in tightness and in how smoothly the arrangements flow. Lynne grew further as a singer. His vocals gained a lot in range and melodic finesse, even if his lyrics this time around were pretty dull. His guitar playing improved too, though he was never going to win any prizes for it. Bevan’s drums were a bit more subtle than before on most of the album, which doesn’t mean he stopped impressing with his trademark witty, intricate rhythms and unpredictable transitions. Keyboardist Richard Tandy made good use of the classic prog rock keyboard, the mini moog, which really comes into its own on a few tracks, and he proved he was no slouch, even though on their later records he’ll often seem a bit sidelined. Of course, it wouldn’t be ELO without lineup changes. New violinist Mik Kaminski replaced Wilf Gibson, while Colin Walker’s departure left Mike Edwards alone as the only cellist. ELO once again accepted the claim that was both the biggest compliment and the harshest criticism of their sound – that they often sound like the Beatles with an orchestra, even though their orchestral arrangements, and with them most of the sound, were always recognizable from a mile away.
The first four tracks on the album run together without gaps, forming a kind of mini suite that doubles as a quasi-concept about the creation of the world (hence the album title). The album opens with the dramatic “Ocean Breakup/King Of The Universe”, where mighty orchestral string arrangements hit the listener, while a Morse code signaling the letters ELO can clearly be heard in the background. After the first transition comes a romantic motif on electric piano and cello that forms the central melody. Then Lynne comes in with his unmistakable vocals, which in some registers have no trouble sounding like John Lennon. It’s a solid opening to the album, continued successfully by the serene and pleasant “Bluebird Is Dead”, where the The Beatles influences are even more obvious. It’s a thoroughly solid melodic rock number with tasteful symphonic arrangements led by the cello, dreamy vocals and a very witty guitar solo. “Oh No Not Susan”, whose lyrics are about an apathetic woman surrounded by excessive luxury, has a mighty, complex intro and a great ending with a tasteful violin solo. It’s also the first and last time in their career that Lynne used the famous four-letter “F” word in a lyric. The four-part suite wraps up with the positively minded “New World Rising/Ocean Breakup (reprise)”. This excellent composition has an interesting, building electric piano motif that flows through the cello into a complex section with superb mini moog passages. Lynne’s dramatic vocals tie the complex instrumental sections together beautifully.
Next comes the big pop rock hit “Showdown”, which originally came out only on the American version of the album (also as a single), where it became the album’s only ELO hit. Still today, and quite rightly, it counts as one of their most beloved hits. For ELO, it was the first major stylistic departure, mostly thanks to its funky bass rhythm, which wonderfully supports the double harmony on the cellos and Lynne’s flexible vocals. The keys to the song’s success are the excellent central chorus, the superb vocal harmonies, the gorgeous string arrangements and a tasteful guitar solo in the middle. Without a doubt one of their best pop songs, and really a kind of forerunner, if not the prototype, of all their later pop rock hits. The excellent instrumental “Daybreaker”, on the other hand, is one of the album’s bigger prog rock experiments. Richard Tandy shines here above all with his witty mini moog arpeggios. In the main motif on that instrument you can even detect the prototype of the sound that became the signature of most later (neo) prog rock bands in the 80s. Tandy proved the doubters wrong here: he had total command of the keys, even though he never again got a proper chance to shine as a soloist the way he does on this track.
“Ma-Ma-Ma Belle”, also released as a single, is the second pop rock song on the album. Here Lynne was joined by a special guest, glam’s “20th Century Boy” Marc Bolan (T. Rex). His typical boogie-woogie riff is recognizable from a mile away. It’s basically a pretty basic but solid rock and roll number with a silly lyric, but with very tasty cello passages and an energetic chorus. Next up is the high-energy “Dreaming Of 4000”, where Bolan also guests on guitar. It’s one of the album’s better pieces, with plenty of mood shifts and unpredictable time changes. Lynne once again uses his voice in an incredibly flexible way, while the violin lines are finger-licking good. For a change, the lyrics are religiously inspired this time, though (as is usual with Lynne’s poetry) they don’t really say much. The closing track, a cover of Grieg’s classic “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”, is a majestic take in which a masterpiece of classical music comes to life in rock clothing. The fiery, sharp string passages that form the central dark motif are played brilliantly, and the excellent violin solo does its part too. Gradually the piece gets faster and faster and ends with a grand classical finish. Alongside ELP (to a much lesser extent, admittedly), ELO were one of the first and, at the time, very rare rock bands to take a witty swing at classical suites, which they mostly pulled off, even though most classical purists always cringed at it. Personally, I can’t imagine a better way to spark an interest in classical music in young rock rebels for no reason at all, since classical music will always remain the main foundation of modern music and of anyone’s general cultural education.
“On The Third Day” was one of the best ELO albums, though you couldn’t call it a masterpiece, since even with every composition at least solid, it had no career-defining peak. With it, ELO began their gradual transformation from an ambitious symphonic prog rock band into a world-class symphonic pop rock band. Unlike most of their later releases, “On The Third Day” wasn’t exactly a commercial smash, failing to chart at home, while it only had some success in the US (mostly thanks to “Showdown”). Maybe the main reason it isn’t among their best-known albums today, despite how dynamically it moves between melodic/pop rock accessibility and prog experimentalism, is that it was too undemanding for most prog rock gourmets, while still too adventurous for classic rock fans. Anyone who doesn’t sweat that and takes it as a great art rock album will have no trouble enjoying it. Perhaps the best testament to the quality of “On The Third Day” is that it was one of John Lennon’s favorite albums. He reportedly liked it so much that he even declared ELO the sons of the Beatles.
Lineup
Jeff Lynne – vocals, guitar
Bev Bevan – drums, percussion
Richard Tandy – piano, mini moog
Mike de Albuquerque – bass guitar, backing vocals
Mik Kaminski – violin (tracks 1-4)
Mike Edwards – cello
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Marc Bolan (T. Rex) – guitar (tracks 7 and 8)
Wilf Gibson – violin (tracks 5-9)
Colin Walker – cello (tracks 5-14)
Production
Jeff Lynne
Track list
1. Ocean Breakup/King of the Universe (4:05)
2. Bluebird Is Dead (4:25)
3. Oh No Not Susan (2:52)
4. New World Rising/Ocean Break up (Reprise) (4:40)
5. Showdown (4:15)
6. Daybreaker (3:50)
7. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (3:52)
8. Dreaming of 4000 (5:00)
9. In the Hall of the Mountain King (6:35)
Album length: 39:34
