ELDORADO

Eldorado is the album where it all came together for the Electric Light Orchestra. A little Beatles appreciation on Mister Kingdom, orchestral participation on the opening overture and finale and cropping up here and there throughout the album, and exceptional pop-prog songwriting throughout the album. The loose concept is vague enough to permit a range of interpretations (I personally am quite fond of the idea that the protagonist is a rookie bank robber who's lying low after a job gone bad and has been fatally wounded, and is retreating into a world of dreams to avoid acknowledging the turn his life has taken), Jeff Lynne's slurred singing is perfect for the dreamlike material, and the band plays spectacularly. ELO's true masterpiece.