OUT OF THE BLUE

ELO had completely abandoned any leftover vestiges of their progressive rock roots with their previous release, A New World Record. Out of the Blue is basically an expansion of the band's new direction into pop stardom, this originally being a 2-LP release (with a fantastic cover by the way). Here and there you can hear some signs of interest. These include the neat vocoder lines in songs like Believe Me Now and The Whale, and the neat thunder and rain sound effects between the various parts of the pop rock epic (if there was such a thing) "Concerto for a Rainy Day."

However, for the most part, Out of the Blue is an entirely pop rock affair. There are no doubts to my ears though that this is really good pop rock and quite an enjoyable listen, although Jungle and Night in the City seem more like gimmicks for chart success (neither one was ever released as such). Out of the Blue should rank quite nicely on a "Pop Archives" site, but alas this album does not fit very well at Prog Archives (indeed the band is here chiefly because of their earlier period). A great album if you're into well-crafted, toe-tapping pop rock. All others should start with their first three albums. Two stars, collectors and fans only.