Monday, December 31, 2012

END NOTES 2012

A few quick notes before we let this year slip away...

First off, for those of you who pledged to the Songs After Sandy benefit album, make sure you check your e-mail... the link to download the 2012 Electric version of Save Me Now was e-mailed to everyone around Dec. 16 or so...

And don't forget, Dave Morgan's new album Across the Divide is now out on CD.  You can check it out and order one at his website.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped contribute to the blog this year. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2013!  Happy New Year, everyone!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

LONG ENDURANCE, BULKY CURTAINS ctd...

Happy 65th Birthday, Jeff...

And thank you for all the amazing stuff this year!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

SOME HOLIDAY JAMMING

Look who was having some fun at the Troubadour a few nights ago... (hat tip: Neil)


Thursday night at the Troubadour in Los Angeles Jeff Lynne was part of Jonathan Wilson's Merry Minstrel Musical Circus that did a benefit jam-a-thon to raise money for Little Kids Rock and the Tazzy Animal Rescue Fund. Taking turns onnstage were Bob Weir, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, and Jackson Browne, who called Jeff's appearance a 'visitation.'

Friday, December 21, 2012

COMING SOON ON BLUE VINYL

It appears next month will see the release of a new batch of vinyl for Jeff Lynne's Long Wave and Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra - this time on limited edition blue vinyl - Mr. Blue Sky will be on two discs.  They will be limited to 1000 each and are on the schedule for January 28 2013 in the UK.

Preorders also at Amazon:
Mr. Blue Sky

(hat tip: Rich)

Saturday, December 15, 2012

ALSO ON ITUNES

Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO comes to iTunes on Tuesday, but just added and available to buy now are four more ELO videos from back in the day.

The live Wembley version of Sweet Talkin' Woman and the original promo videos for So Serious, Last Train To London and the rare version of Shine A Little Love are now available to buy for $1.99 each.

MR. BLUE SKY: THE STORY OF JEFF LYNNE & ELO

From elo.biz:
The full version (presumably) of Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO will be available to download starting Tuesday December 18 on iTunes.

A physical release on DVD is still on target for next year.

The trailer:

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

RECORD COLLECTOR


ELO is the cover story and Jeff Lynne is gracing the cover of the December 2012 Record Collector Magazine in the UK.  Two full articles about ELO - one from Jeff Lynne:
Two albums released on the same day saw Jeff Lynne break a lengthy silence. Terry Staunton meets up with ELO’s head honcho and asks just why he had to hide away for so long. 
The Top 10 albums chart in late October made interesting reading, with a familiar name dominating the list. One of the highest new entries was Long Wave, a collection of vintage oldies from the 50s and 60s refashioned for the 21st century by Jeff Lynne. Just below it was Mr Blue Sky, with Lynne revisiting some of his old band ELO’s best loved songs, re-recording each one from scratch. A few places below those offerings was a catalogue compilation of ELO originals, sales reignited by the buzz surrounding the front man’s return. 
Not that Lynne has ever been away, he’s just been out of the spotlight. Since the demise of ELO in 2001 (having fought and won a legal battle for rights to the name from drummer Bev Bevan’s touring outfit ELO II), Jeff has mostly worn his producer’s hat. He worked on George Harrison’s last album, Brainwashed, continued his long association with Tom Petty, and his name can also be found on the credits of releases by Regina Spektor and Joe Walsh. 
He was involved in the Traveling Wilburys reissue campaign in 2007, which saw the supergroup that also featured Harrison, Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison top the album charts again, but releases with his own name front and centre have been conspicuous by their absence. 
All that changed in the autumn of 2012, …
The other article is on Bev Bevan...
The strings soared, Jeff Lynne delivered the hits, but the foundation was Bev Bevan, driving it all behind the drum kit. Here, he recalls his times with The Move, Black Sabbath and ELO. Matt Eastley snares him for an interview
Sometimes, what looks on paper like the dream ticket simply fails to come off. 
The metamorphosis of Birmingham band The Move into the Electric Light Orchestra and the subsequent failure of the Roy Wood/Jeff Lynne partnership is one of the more curious tales in rock’s annals. 
The Move had been one of the finest bands to emerge in the late 60s, largely driven by the creativity and inventiveness of Wood. 
But come the 70s, the band was struggling for direction and when close mates, mutual admirers and stellar talents Wood and Lynne finally hooked up, they looked set to take the world by storm with a vehicle that would satisfy both their ambitions. 
But as far as the pairing was concerned, it never happened, and within a year, Wood had stunned everyone by upping sticks and leaving to form the complex but often-amusing and parodic Wizzard. 
Watching all this at first hand was drummer Bev Bevan, who had known Wood since the mid 60s. To this day is flummoxed as to why the Wood/Lynne axis did not flourish.
On newsstands in the UK but you can also order one right from Record Collector's website...

Monday, December 3, 2012

WEEKEND READING

While housecleaning this weekend, I came across this nugget from the Philadelphia Inquirer dated February 1, 2003.  It was the first time many of us heard the new remake of Mr. Blue Sky in a Volkswagen Beetle commercial.  The tongue-in-cheek(ish) article's writer has a hard time accepting that bands like ELO are finding a niche in 'hip' movies and TV commercials. Enjoy.




Sunday, December 2, 2012

BLU-SPEC CD2


First up in 2013 so far looks to be this: A New World Record, Out of the Blue, Discovery and Time will be released on a new Blu-Spec CD2 "format".  The blurb:
Features the high-fidelity Blu-spec CD2 format (compatible with standard CD players). Part of a 4-album Electric Light Orchestra Blu-spec CD2 reissue series featuring albums "New World Record," "Out of the blue," "DISCOVERY," and "Time." *Blu-spec CD2 is the next generation Compact Disc that employs the Phase Transition Mastering, the technology developed for mastering of Blu-ray discs, to further perfect the acclaimed characteristics of Blu-spec CD. Fully compatible with standard CD players, Blu-spec CD2 completely alters the experience of music.

We'll see... Release date for Japan: March 6, 2013