Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Electric Light Orchestra
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1971
Rating: 4/5
“The Electric Light Orchestra” was the debut from the legendary British art rockers Electric Light Orchestra. In America it came out as “No Answer”, the result of a telephone mix-up after their label asked them about the album’s title for the US market and failed to grasp the perfectly simple message that “the band doesn’t answer that question”. “The Electric Light Orchestra” was the realization of years of vision from Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, two top-notch musicians and multi-instrumentalists who had been dreaming since the late ’60s of a band that would combine the melodic rock tradition of the (late) Beatles with the layered orchestral arrangements typical of classical music. Their debut took shape around the core of a trio made up of Roy Wood on vocals, guitar, bass, clarinet, cello and plenty more, Jeff Lynne on vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards, and drummer Bev Bevan. All three had already worked together in the legendary psychedelic band The Move, and the rebirth as Electric Light Orchestra marked the start of turning their lofty artistic ambitions into reality. During the recording of this album, French horn player Bill Hunt and violinist Steve Woolam joined them. Original bassist Rick Price got the short end of the stick, since by the time the album came out Wood had completely overwritten his original parts with his own bass lines.
“The Electric Light Orchestra” was easily the most progressive-rock-leaning album in the band’s history, and besides numerous symphonic arrangements for strings, woodwinds and keyboards, it also boasted a string of avant-garde, in places pretty obscure musical elements. That made it a completely unique item in their whole discography, especially next to their later arena/pop rock output and the slick, perfectionist production that became the band’s trademark once Lynne took the reins. Prog-rock experimentalism through dark orchestral string arrangements and obscure passages on guitar and keyboards is something this album had no shortage of, and as such it must have thrilled everyone who swore by eclectic prog with a dash of obscurity in the style of King Crimson, Gentle Giant or Van Der Graaf Generator. On the other hand, ELO already showed an exceptional knack here for crafting tasteful symphonic rock melodies, along with Wood and Lynne’s special obsession with the legacy of the (late) Beatles. From the latter they drew inspiration above all for the vocal tone and for shaping melodies accessible to a wider audience, which on this album often follow the avant-garde obscurities of the strings and woodwinds. Lynne repeatedly stressed, with zero modesty, that ELO picked up musically where the Beatles left off, and he was very flattered by such comparisons. This kinship with the “Fab Four” was always both a blessing and a curse throughout their entire career, since critics liked to take a swipe at it, often in a negative sense.
The album opens with the ELO classic “10538 Overture”. It was originally conceived as a The Move single, but later became the first creation Wood and Lynne released under the ELO name, after Wood started messing around with the cello in the studio and was so taken with the result that Lynne and he decided to add string arrangements to it. This superb symphonic rock composition is marked by a mighty, inventive guitar riff, which is later joined by the dark sound of strings (cello, violin and horn) and Beatles-style vocals. The orchestral string arrangements nicely enrich the central melody and push it into a broader dimension beyond the usual rock boundaries. In the vocal lines Wood and Lynne often trade off, with Wood recognizable by his somewhat more eccentric voice. It was also their first song and single to break into the British top ten that year. This is followed by the much more obscure and baroque-spiced “Look At Me Now”, dominated by dark string passages and Wood’s slightly irritating vocal lines. It has quite a few rhythmic and vocal flirtations with the Beatles classic “Eleanor Rigby”. After a while the whole thing starts to sound like the soundtrack to some psychedelic horror flick. “Nellie Takes Her Bow” continues the symphonic rock eccentricity according to the Wood and Lynne recipe. This time it’s done in a somewhat subtler way, since apart from its eccentric lyrics it contains delicate passages on Lynne’s piano and solid string arrangements. After the first transition, though, it swerves into fully avant-garde, if not almost chaotic, territory, followed by an oriental-tinged section with plenty of energetic violin passages and excellent use of percussion.
The ambitious avant-garde symphonic instrumental “The Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)”, on which Wood also played percussion, is distinguished by numerous baroque and pastoral arrangements, akin to what you’d later find in the music of baroque-leaning prog folk bands such as Gryphon. Dramatic string passages and bass lines create a gloomy atmosphere, and they successfully evoke the historical battle in question, in which Cromwell’s Parliamentarians scored their first victory over the Royalists. Next comes the excellent instrumental “First Movement (Jumping Biz)”, a far more romantic piece with plenty of tasteful pastoral passages on acoustic guitar and strings, plus Bevan’s super-dynamic drums. The fun English eccentricity carries on with the excellent “Mr. Radio”, which was originally meant to be the second single but then never came out in that form. It’s a track that already hinted at the more refined ELO direction that arrived after Wood’s departure. Witty symphonic arrangements flowing into the central guitar melody and Lynne’s vocals are an absolute treat. Here Lynne tells the story of a rather pathetic fellow whose wife has left him. He made up for his loss by making the radio his best and only companion.
Then comes the biggest avant-garde obscurity on the whole album, “Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)”, with its chilling, gloomy atmosphere on strings, woodwinds and piano and a marching rhythm. It’s a composition that even Frank Zappa wouldn’t have been ashamed to use as the backdrop for one of his grotesque films. The chaotic, dark mood, marching beat and all, carries on into the intro of “Queen Of The Hours”, which, through the interjection of Lynne’s sarcastic vocals, surprisingly tips over into a melodic and relatively accessible piece with plenty of dramatic symphonic passages. If King Crimson and the Beatles had ever teamed up, something like this track would probably have come out of it. Closing things out is the lovely pastoral ballad “Whisper In The Night”, which can also be read as a kind of farewell song from Wood, since after this album came out he packed his bags and left, having lost the stomach for Lynne’s whims. His distinctive, slightly “suffering” eccentric vocal is accompanied by lovely orchestral arrangements and additional vocal harmonies from Lynne. After a heap of dark avant-garde symphonic rock creations, the album still ends on a gentle note.
“The Electric Light Orchestra”, even though it isn’t as accessible as most of their later albums, is a very good debut that holds a very special place in the ELO legacy. For prog rock fans it was quite possibly even their favorite, while devotees of the later arena/pop rock stuff surely won’t find many kind words for it. A genre-neutral listener and lover of diverse music won’t get too hung up on that and will appreciate both sides of this album equally — the avant-garde and the melodic rock. “The Electric Light Orchestra” remains the most experimental ELO release and totally unique in its even-handed use of Wood’s (more avant-garde) and Lynne’s (more Beatles-style/melodic rock) ideas. That approach was over right after Wood’s farewell and his founding of his own band, Wizzard. Disagreements over ELO’s future direction had grown to the point that Wood had to leave the band even before the second album came out, and from then on Lynne was the absolute ruler of ELO, writing all their compositions and often deciding the fate of band members. Despite his benevolent but absolute reign, the new direction proved right and later wildly successful, once the band became one of the biggest stadium attractions. For several more years Lynne made ELO albums under prog rock influences (he always stuck to their original symphonic agenda, which made them something special), until commercial success carried him off into almost pure pop rock and even disco waters, which also marked the beginning of their decline.
Lineup
Jeff Lynne – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, percussion
Roy Wood – vocals, bass guitar, clarinet, cello, oboe, slide guitar, percussion
Bev Bevan – drums, percussion
Bill Hunt – French horn
Steve Woolam – violin
Production
Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne
Track list
1. 10538 Overture (5:30)
2. Look at Me Now (3:16)
3. Nellie Takes Her Bow (5:58)
4. The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd, 1644) (6:02)
5. First Movement (Jumpin’ Biz)(2:58)
6. Mr.Radio (5:02)
7. Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre) (4:21)
8. Queen of the Hours (3:21)
9. Whisper in the Night (4:48)
Album length: 39:56
