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 Results - The ELO Quickie Rate |
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 24th August 2020, 04:44 PM
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#1
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 BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961 
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 Thanks to the ten people who voted. The scores have been added up. 21 songs received votes. The three top 10 singles that did not score a point were Rockaria!,Telephone Line and Wild West Hero. All the songs chosen were from 1971 to 1981 which can be regarded as ELO's most successful era chartwise. Stand by for the results. |
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24th August 2020, 05:27 PM
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#2
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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21. 21st Century Man
King Rollo 1 point It's rather appropriate that '21st Century Man' is placed at number 21. It's taken from the 1981 album 'Time' which was the second ELO album to reach no.1 and was also the first album I bought (on cassette) with my own money. I had previously received a box set of the albums 'A New World Record','Out Of The Blue' and 'Discovery' as a birthday present to play on my cassette recorder which I had purchased at the start of 1981 so I spent much of the year listening to these four wonderful albums over and again. 'Time' is a concept album about a man who is transported through time from 1981 to the year 2095. It leans towards synth pop with the orchestral string section discarded. '21st Century Man' is an impeccably produced Beatles sounding ballad which comes towards the end of the album. |
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24th August 2020, 05:56 PM
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#3
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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20. Hold On Tight
AH Gold 2 points 'Hold On Tight' follows '21st Century Man' on the 'Time' album and is the final track before the epilogue which closes the album. I'm not sure where it fits in with the album's story. Was it all just a dream? When asked about this,Jeff Lynne said he didn't know. Well,if he doesn't know,no one will ever know. 'Hold On Tight' was the lead single from the album and reached number 4,giving ELO their fourth top 5 single. It was a no.1 single in Spain and Switzerland. It's an energetic rock'n'roll song,not unlike the Shakin' Stevens songs that were in the chart in 1981. |
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24th August 2020, 06:35 PM
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#4
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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19. All Over The World
The Snake 2 points Xanadu is generally regarded as one of the worst movies of all time but its saving grace was the music with no less than six top 40 singles,three for ELO,two for Olivia Newton-John and one with their collaboration. Jeff Lynne regretted getting involved as he found it tedious trying to write songs to fit in with the dancing in the film. Rather than the songs being written first,the movie was filmed before them so he had to compose the songs based on the scenes he was watching. 'All Over The World' is a fantastic feel good party anthem. It only reached number 11 in 1980 but has gradually become one of the group's best known and most popular songs. I'm posting two videos for it. The first is a 'flashmob' video with an impressive 22 million views while the second one is how the song appeared in the Xanadu film. It sounds slightly slowed down in that one so I would recommend you watch the flashmob. This post has been edited by King Rollo: 24th August 2020, 06:36 PM |
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24th August 2020, 07:53 PM
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#5
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 Say that hiss with your chest, and...
Joined: 24 May 2016
Posts: 18,459 User: 23,308
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Surprised I was the only one here to give points to All Over The World. Maybe the reason is that its global travel themed title hasn't suited the mood of this year.... Anyway, it is as good a feel good tune as Mr Blue Sky but hasn't been overplayed unlike it.
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24th August 2020, 09:35 PM
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#6
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Shakin Stevens
Joined: 29 December 2007
Posts: 46,151 User: 5,138
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I remember hearing 'Hold On Tight' on TOTP repeats of 1981 and knew ELO were a classic band and wondered what the big deal was with them as you say it sounds like a Shaky sounding track!
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25th August 2020, 11:36 AM
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#7
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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QUOTE(Thorn Femenerkay @ Aug 24 2020, 08:53 PM)  Surprised I was the only one here to give points to All Over The World. Maybe the reason is that its global travel themed title hasn't suited the mood of this year.... Anyway, it is as good a feel good tune as Mr Blue Sky but hasn't been overplayed unlike it. I think All Over The World would be a great anthem for people around the world to play when the pandemic is over and things get back to normal. |
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25th August 2020, 01:48 PM
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#8
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376
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I wasn't so sold on the ELO tracks off Xanadu, apart from Magic, All Over The World and Xanadu, and All Over The World sounded like it was written specifically for a film where the other 2 didn't, oddly enough.
Time was a great period, but it coincided with one of those sea-changes in the singles chart as New Romantic/synth bands took over, so some of my fave ELO tracks flopped, Twilight and The Way Life's Meant To Be both topped my chart along with Hold On Tight. Had they come out in 1977 or 1978 they'd have been big hits. Hey ho. 
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25th August 2020, 06:10 PM
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#9
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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18. Shangri-La
King Rollo 2 points A New World Record was ELO's sixth album and a big breakthrough for them in their own country,reaching number 6 on the album chart. None of their first five albums had reached the top 30. Up to this point,they were doing better in the US. Three of the tracks on the album became top 10 singles but the best song,in my opinion,is 'Shangri-La'. It's a beautiful ballad sung with great soul by Jeff. It seems to be coming to a finish at 3.40 but then opens out again with a stunning coda with Jeff and the choir joined by the opera singer,Mary Thomas,along with the drums and strings. One of the youtube comments describes it as the "greatest outro in modern recorded music ever!" I certainly wouldn't argue with that. |
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25th August 2020, 06:36 PM
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#10
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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17. Roll Over Beethoven
Steve201 4 points In ELO's early days of touring,they didn't have enough songs that would suit a live performance so they included some cover versions with one of them being Chuck Berry's 'Roll Over Beethoven'. The song was then recorded in the studio and put out as the group's second single,reaching number 6 in 1973. A longer 8 minute version was part of their second album,released two months later. The song has regularly been used to close ELO concerts ever since. Here is a classic Top Of The Pops performance with Jeff's head covered in tin foil. |
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25th August 2020, 06:51 PM
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#11
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376
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Shangri-La is fab, and A New World Record is their first great album to kick start their imperial phase (to coin an overused term) when they could do no wrong. Roll Over Beethoven was majestic in comparison to the original Chuck Berry sparse version. I knew the original, but much preferred ELO's Roy-Wood-less single that really started to make the point what they were about - orchestral poprock, rather than avantegarde orchestral rock. Roy Wood was my hero in 1973, but Jeff took over in the long run and didn't have a flop chart single in my personal charts until....well, ever. Every single made my charts!
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25th August 2020, 07:23 PM
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#12
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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16. Kuiama
King Rollo 4 points And talking of Roy Wood,that leads me nicely into the second album which was just called ELO 2. He contributed to some of it before leaving to form his own group,Wizzard. The album contained five long songs of which 'Kuiama' was the longest at just over 11 minutes. It's about an American soldier who kills the parents of a girl called Kuiama in the Vietnam war. Racked with guilt,he then decides to adopt Kuiama and take her home with him. It's only in America that he tells her that it was him who shot her parents. This dark,powerful song is certainly unlike anything else the group have recorded. This post has been edited by King Rollo: 25th August 2020, 07:27 PM |
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26th August 2020, 04:23 AM
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#13
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rip in peace Dickston
Joined: 29 January 2017
Posts: 9,555 User: 25,045
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I don’t really know any of these so far
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26th August 2020, 06:35 PM
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#14
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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15. Evil Woman
Dexton 1, Popchartfreak 2, diva thin muffin 1 = 4 points ELO's fifth album,'Face The Music',marked the transition from the progressive sound of their first four albums to the more commercial 'A New World Record' which was to follow. The first single from it,'Evil Woman',reached number 10 in both the UK and the US. It's one of just a few ELO songs to feature female backing singers. The string interlude is part of another track from the album,'Nightrider',played backwards. It was this part that went on to be sampled on the no.2 single 'Beep' by the Pussycat Dolls. Richard Tandy's piano playing is quite prominent in this song. Richard is the only member of the classic line-up who has been part of Jeff Lynne's ELO which is down to the fact that he's the only one who hasn't fallen out with Jeff. While the revival in the last few years has been very welcome,it would have been even better to see Bev Bevan on drums and Mik Kaminski playing the violin at Wembley Stadium,Glastonbury and all the other places they have played at. |
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26th August 2020, 07:16 PM
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#15
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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14. 10538 Overture
Popchartfreak 4, dandy* 1 = 5 points The Move were best known in the 60s for 'Flowers In The Rain',which was the first record played on Radio 1,and their no.1 single 'Blackberry Way'. Frustrated by the lack of chart success for his own group,The Idle Race,Jeff Lynne agreed to join them in 1970 after being excited by Roy Wood's idea of adding classical instruments to rock songs. The trio of Jeff,Roy and Bev Bevan started recording songs intended for either The Move or ELO at the same time with the first ELO album,which included '10538 Overture',released in 1971 but singles by the Move still being released in 1972 to help finance the ELO recordings. The last single by The Move,'California Man' was sliding down the top 40 chart in the same week as '10538 Overture' was climbing it when the latter was finally put out as a single in July 1972. '10538 Overture' was about an escaped prisoner whose number was 1053,inspired by the number on the mixing desk that was being used to record the song. The 8 was added to fit the melody as the number is included in the song's lyrics. The single reached number 9. The guitar riff was sampled on Paul Weller's top 10 hit 'The Changingman'. |
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26th August 2020, 07:44 PM
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#16
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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13. Can't Get It Out Of My Head
Dexton 2, dandy* 4 = 6 points I'm pleased that two people voted for this song as I love it but I couldn't fit it into my top 5. Taken from the fourth album,'Eldorado',it was ELO's first top 40 hit in the US,charting as high as number 9 and raising their profile there. It was also a top 5 single in France but had no success in the UK. The song is a beautiful ballad with great use of the choir and orchestra and was written by Jeff in response to a comment by his father about his songs - "they've got no tune". |
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27th August 2020, 07:40 AM
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#17
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376
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3 fab faves there from me, Evil Woman topped my chart in early 76 as I was starting my A Levels in a new old school (it's complex!), and Nightrider went top 10 later in the year for me as it flopped everywhere else, criminally. I never knew about that reverse sample! 10538 Overture was way better than California Man and it came onto the glam rock scene as a "well that's something I've never heard before!" moment. I loved the orchestra, rock riff contrast and the vocals, topping my chart that summer of 72 as I got a break from being targeted by bullies in the same school that I went back to in late 1975 (RAF kids get posted around a lot!). Did Paul Weller ever credit ELO? I rmemeber getting miffed at the time when everyone was raving about how great that riff was and I seemed to be the only one aware it had been lifted off 10538! Can't Get It never did top my chart, but it went top 10 in '75 and peaked at 2 in 1978 when the ELO EP gave 4 ELO tracks an airing now they had a lot more fans, and that was the lead radio track, as it finally became a top 40 hit then
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27th August 2020, 11:39 AM
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#18
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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The wiki page for the Paul Weller song is not showing Jeff Lynne as a co-writer which is surprising as he is normally quite quick to claim credit. He's down as co-writer of the Pussycat Dolls song which samples Evil Woman and the Sam Smith song that sounds like Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down'.
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27th August 2020, 03:50 PM
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#19
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376
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QUOTE(King Rollo @ Aug 27 2020, 12:39 PM) The wiki page for the Paul Weller song is not showing Jeff Lynne as a co-writer which is surprising as he is normally quite quick to claim credit. He's down as co-writer of the Pussycat Dolls song which samples Evil Woman and the Sam Smith song that sounds like Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down'. Weller prob changed one note and got away with it, I seem to recall it sounding like an early 70's budget album cover version (Ooh guess I'm still miffed about it!) Or else I'm still miffed about the last Weller gig I went to when he was a bit mystified why the audience wasn't reacting to his endless run of new album tracks, devoid of old faves. Mostly cos we hadnt bought the album and wanted to hear some classic back catalogue not sit through an extended bloody advert that we'd had to pay for!  I saw The Jam in their heyday and they were totally fab, so it's not as though he doesn't know how to perform live...
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27th August 2020, 06:19 PM
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#20
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,154 User: 23,961
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12. Turn To Stone
TheSnake 7 points ELO's record company,Jet Records,owned by the formidable Don Arden (Sharon Osborne's dad),decided that they wanted the seventh LP to be a double album so Jeff Lynne rented a chalet in the Swiss Alps,well away from distactions,to write the songs. After suffering from writer's block for a while,he wrote all the songs required for 'Out Of The Blue' in three and a half weeks. 'Turn To Stone' is the opening track on the album and also the first single to be released from it,only getting to number 18 on the singles chart in 1977. The other three singles from the album all reached the top 10. The song is an uptempo rocker notable for a fast paced vocal section at 1.40. |
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