MR. BLUE SKY: THE STORY OF JEFF LYNNE AND ELO ctd...

The official press release for Jeff Lynne's upcoming appearance at the Grammy Museum on Wednesday:

JEFF LYNNE–one of rock’s most iconic figures–will make a special appearance at The Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday,September 12 in advance of the October 9 release of two albums on Frontiers Records: the solo disc LONG WAVE, a heartfelt and vivid tribute to some of the very songs that originally inspired him, and MR. BLUE SKY–THE VERY BEST OF ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA. The evening’s programwill consist of a screening of “Reel to Reel: Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne and ELO” and a discussion about the film, moderated by Vice President of the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares, Scott Goldman. 

LYNNE‘s illuminating and entertaining documentary “Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne and ELO” gets to the heart of who JEFF LYNNE is and how he has had such a tremendous musical influence on our world. The answer–as told by the British artist himself and such distinguished collaborators and friends of JEFF as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, Olivia and Dhani Harrison, Barbara Orbison and Eric Idle–is that LYNNE is a true man of music for whom the recording studio is his greatest instrument 

The release of LONG WAVE and MR. BLUE SKY–THE VERY BEST OF ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA mark the 40th anniversary of ELO. LYNNE’s legacy will further be celebrated with releases in 2013 including ELO Live! plus expanded reissues of the ELO’s 2001 album Zoom and LYNNE’s first solo album in 1990, Armchair Theater. For up to date info on all things JEFF LYNNE and ELO, go here: www.elo.biz 

LONG WAVE powerfully celebrates the music of a time when LYNNE’s lifelong passion for music began, evoking an era back when old standards were just giving way to rock & roll. He somehow makes pre-rock standards like “Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered,” “Smile” and “Love Is A Many Splendored Many Thing”–along with a few of his favorite gems from the Sixties such as the first single “Mercy, Mercy,” “Let It Rock” and “So Sad”–his own with these loving versions. LYNNE’s deeply felt and musically brilliant one-man-band takes add up to an inspired love letter to music itself–and an exquisite reflection of the way songs grace and change our lives. 

MR. BLUE SKY–THE VERY BEST OF ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA is a powerful testament to LYNNE’s enduring artistry and his singular desire to get things right once and for all. Featuring such classics as “Evil Woman, “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Livin’ Thing” and “Mr, Blue Sky,” the result is, in effect, a kind of showdown between JEFF LYNNE today and his extremely illustrious past, and thanks to improved technology and recording artistry, LYNNEsomehow comes out on top again. It’s a fresh chance to hear these extraordinary songs sounding sharper and clearer than the old versions. “There was a big reason I wanted to re-record these ELO songs,” says LYNNE. “When I listen to the old versions they don’t sound the way I thought they did when I first wrote and recorded them. I wanted to use the experience I’ve gained producing records ever since and have a completely new try at them. I’m not saying the old versions aren’t good; I like them very much. We were doing our best, but experience and technology also play a big a big part, and these new ones sound much more solid and tight.”