ELDORADO

I hate to give a record to low rating but now I am going to do it. 3,5 stars would have been absolutely fair according to my opinion but neither 4 nor 3 is juste. Prog archives' definition "good but not essential" will be my help because that explains how I feel about this record.

Eldorado is told to be a symphony and the fourth record by Electric Light Orchestra a band which among others is inspired by Beatles. That is certainly clear in "Mister Kingdom"(8/10) one of the record's best songs, which sounds like "Across the Universe" in the verses. Electric Light Orchestra shows on this record they could make nice melodies and there is a symphonic flow sometimes, especially the fact that there are no empty spaces between the tracks. Despite a good song writing I miss an edge or someting special with this music. This feels unfortunately a bit lame. I know the string arrangements are something ELO is famous for but this is not a record I want to raise on the barricades of prog.

Well this is a good record. It starts with a talked prologue and welcomes us with the Eldorado theme which also concludes the record nicely in the end. In between there are eight songs, amongst which I like six. "Laredo Tornado" has great power in the chorus, some of the power in a whirlwind perhaps and the song "Eldorado" is more wonderful or sweat than powerful, a quite poetic tune. "Boy Blue" and "Poor Boy" are worth listen to and it's really hard to get "Can't get it out of my head" out of my head. It is a "progressive" hit song. "Nobody's Child" or "Illusions In G major" don't interest me so much even if they aren't bad songs. Eldorado by Electric Light Orchestra is a record worth listening to. It will please you if not impress you. Its importance can be read in its position between symphonic music and popular music. Perhaps it was an important bridge, in that case, thank you for that!