ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA [AKA: NO ANSWER]

The recently formed ELO comprised of Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan from the band The Move. The sound is very unique on this recording in comparison to the ELO music that came later. I was quite a fan of the group's early work many years ago and was glad I dug this great one out again recently.

Here the group incorporated many wind instruments and replaced the guitar parts with heavy, "sawing" cello riffs, giving this release an experimental "Baroque-and-roll" feel."The Battle of Marston Moor" is the most baroque-influenced track on the album, on which Wood played virtually all the instruments. The bittersweet melodies can easily be compared to the Beatles, sometimes a bit like The Kinks too. The ELO bandmembers even stated that they formed the group to "pick up where The Beatles left off..."."10538 Overture" appears to have a heavy influence and the ending of the song especially reminds me of "I Am The Walrus". Anyone who enjoys the fab four's music from around 1967 brewed with a seventeenth century baroque backing might quite like this album (if you could indeed imagine such a combination!)

"First Movement" is one favourite track of mine which features acoustic guitar. "Mr Radio" ,"Queen Of The Hours" and "Whisper In The Night" are also very memorable songs for me as I used to often sing them in the bath. Some of the pieces are quite dramatic, especially "Manhattan Rumble". Wood's voice adds to that feeling on other tracks too. Admitedly, the recording quality isn't one of the strong points for the album, but the music stands out as ELO's most eccentric. By the next album they were already developing a new sound. 3 stars.