ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA [AKA: NO ANSWER]

Classic symphonic prog. When I was a young one, I spent a lot of time listening to ELO. In fact, my first album ever bought was "Out of the Blue". That album featured the pop-rock sound that made ELO a monster seller. Thiis album, No Answer, bears little resemblance to what many people think ELO was all about.

No Answer, the first ELO album, was the connection between Jeff Lynne and Roy Woods work with The Move to what ELO was later to become. In fact, the later Move album work tends to sound similar to what is on this album.

This album features great Symphonic Prog, from the quiet sounds of "Whisper in the Night" to the all-out jamming of "10538 overture". The albums moves smoothly from track to track, with the only low point, in my opinion being "Marston Moor", which is a little much.

No Answer is not what I would consider the best early ELO album (that would have to be ELO II), but it is an essential to anyone who loves pop mixed with orchestra sounds ala' Moody Blues and ELO. If you love the late work of The Move , this album will fit your tastes. For fans of the later pop sound of ELO, this may be a bit much.

For those interested in picking up ELO albums with prog sounds, I would recommend anything from this album up to On the Third Day. After that the sound gets progressively "poppier" and more accessible to a mainstream audience.