GREATEST HITS

Containing most of their top-40 hits to that point, 1979's Greatest Hits compilation rode on the coattails of Discovery and later entered the charts itself. Though it completely ignores the band's first two albums, Greatest Hits evenly covers the band's most commercially successful period between 1973 and 1978. The previous compilation Ole ELO was perhaps more representative, but it was released prior to El Dorado and Out of The Blue and therefore lacks any material from those peak albums. Greatest Hits does avoid album cuts and focuses only on chart hits, but this choice allows casual fans an opportunity to grow their interest in the group and expand on it. That this compilation is still readily in print nearly 35 years later is a testament to the staying power of this collection of songs, and though it does have its flaws, is a good introduction to Electric Light Orchestra.

From a Progressive Rock perspective, Greatest Hits is superfluous as it omits material from the band's first two albums, largely considered their most innovative. These albums (originally released on Harvest) were a logical extension of The Move, the group from which ELO evolved. Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Roy Wood lost interest after No Answer, ELO's debut album, and left Jeff Lynne to man the helm single-handedly. Lynne led the group to super- stardom, and that success is largely captured on Greatest Hits. For a more complete picture of the band's output, I would recommend 1995's Strange Magic; this 2-disc collection is more balanced and thorough, and sounds better too. For a cheap entry into the world of ELO however, you can't really go wrong with Greatest Hits.