LIVE - THE EARLY YEARS: USA EDITION

Eagle Rock Entertainment will issue the USA edition of Electric Light Orchestra Live - The Early Years on August 24.  Eagle Rock's website description is showing some notable exclusions (naturally) from the European version.

Brunel University 1973: 
1) King Of The Universe
2) Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
3) In The Hall Of The Mountain King
4) Great Balls Of Fire

Germany 1974 - Rockpalast: 
1) Daybreaker
2) Showdown
3) Orange Blossom Special
4) Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
5) In The Hall Of The Mountain King
6) Great Balls Of Fire
(This section omits Daytripper and Roll Over Beethoven)

London 1976 - Fusion:
1) Poker
2) Nightrider
3) Showdown
4) Eldorado Overture
5) Can’t Get It Out Of My Head
6) Poor Boy (The Greenwood)
7) Illusions In G Major
8) Strange Magic
9) 10538 Overture
10) Do Ya
11) Evil Woman
12) Ma-Ma-Ma Belle

(This section omits Roll Over Beethoven)

Bonus Feature: 
Rockpalast interview

IDLE RACE DOWNLOADS

A few Idle Race 'live' tracks from the BBC have surfaced recently and are available for download on Amazon and iTunes pretty much worldwide including USA, UK, and Japan...

First up, The David Symonds Show from 7 January 1969.  The tracks:

• Days of the Broken Arrows
• Worn Red Carpet

And secondly, Symonds On Sunday from 16 Spetember 1969.  The tracks:

• Someone Knocking
• Come With Me
• Please No More Sad Songs

They have been available since the 7 June 2010 and cost the standard price of a single download per track, cheaper if you buy the full 'album'...

Amazon USA links:
The David Symonds Show, 7 January 1969
Symonds on Sunday, 16, Spetember 1969

JUST A SUGGESTION...

The buzz about what may be on the horizon just got a lot louder in the past few days.  It started with this, an article by Adam Sherwin in a UK-based media-oriented news website, followed by this video sent to Nicolas at ELO Discovery. Apparently, Neil Hannon blurted out during a gig that an ELO album (not a Jeff Lynne solo album) is coming out soon... and then he was abruptly shushed.

Here's my unsolicited take on it and take from it what you will:  Of course, only Jeff knows what's happening and over years, we've learned that he announces nothing until it's totally set in stone.  For the record, I'm not totally convinced it'll be a new ELO album.  And this is just an opinion, but frankly I don't think it should be. (The remakes collection, of which I'm just assuming there is one, could be a different story.)

Why?  Take what happened 10 years ago.  The timing seemed to be right, Jeff had the sheer joy of playing with a new Pro-Tools suite in his house and came up a nice collection of new tunes.  Nostalgia for other bands of ELO's genre seemed quite high.  Then came the box set, which seemed to usher in the classic stuff again fairly well.  Then, the new album was released with some fanfare.  And because it was labeled as Electric Light Orchestra, the critics (and indeed some fans) automatically approached it with raised expectations.  The result: the critics shrugged their shoulders and the album sadly went nowhere fast.

Oh, and the tour.  Take, for instance, the tour stop closest to where I am, the First Union (now Wachovia) Center in Philadelphia, a 20,000 seat arena.  Look, I love ELO, I grew up listening to them, I'd be ecstatic to think they can pull it off.  But, even I knew there was no way a band who hadn't had a hit single in 15 years would fill a 20,000 seat arena as the headlining act.  No way.  As it turned out, the tour was called off before it even launched, clearly because ticket sales barely made a sound.  And $80 tickets didn't help.

I think it might be good to try a different approach. Let the guy take a crack at a solo career again; you can still drive home the point that this was the guy who brought us ELO.  But try to gear it away from the classic rock genre.  There is a huge case to be made for approaching non-commercial radio stations (ie WXPN, World Cafe-carrying stations, etc) for promoting and spreading the word about the album, not to mention using Facebook and MySpace.  Treat it as a new beginning for Jeff instead of resurrecting the past again.  Regina Spektor's Folding Chair (produced by Jeff Lynne) got steady airplay on these stations (at least here in Philly) and the track fit perfectly in their playlist.  A Jeff Lynne solo record, I think, would accomplish that before an  ELO record would.  It's too difficult to sell a new ELO track to a classic rock station.  People who listen to classic rock, want only classic rock.  Is Tom Petty's new record getting heavy airplay on classic rock stations?  I really don't know that answer, but XPN played at least 2 different songs in a 3 hour span just today... and it's their featured album of the week, so it will get way more airplay than any classic rock station.  I'd bet the house on it.  Flat out forget Top 40.

And for the love of God, if there's going to be a tour of any kind, try to sell out smaller venues first before attempting huge arenas that only Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Beyonce can sell these days.  I thought that was a no-brainer.

I want any new record of Jeff's to succeed.  But calling a new album ELO and slapping a spaceship on it didn't work very well a decade ago.  Even though we've seen ELO songs get great exposure in high-profile commercials in recent years, I don't see any evidence that same strategy of 10 years ago will work now.

SO, WHADDA YA THINK?

Blogger.com just offered us some expanded designs for our blogs.  After some tinkering, I'm thinking of giving this design a try.  What do you think?

NEWS: LIVE - THE EARLY YEARS ON DVD

Here is the first substantial release of the year in the Jeff Lynne department.  Eagle Rock Entertainment will issue a new DVD called Electric Light Orchestra Live - The Early Years (just in the UK it sounds like) containing live performances from ELO spanning 1973-1976 including the full Fusion concert during the Face The Music tour.

The DVD will include:
Brunel University 1973
1. King Of The Universe
2. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
3. In The Hall Of The Mountain King
4. Great Balls Of Fire

Germany 1974 - Rockpalast
1. Daybreaker
2. Showdown
3. Day Tripper
4. Orange Blossom Special
5. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
6. In The Hall Of The Mountain King
7. Great Balls Of Fire
8. Roll Over Beethoven

London 1976 - Fusion
1. Poker
2. Nightrider
3. Showdown
4. Eldorado Overture
5. Can't Get It Out Of My Head
6. Poor Boy (The Greenwood)
7. Illusions In G Major
8. Strange Magic
9. 10538 Overture
10. Do Ya
11. Evil Woman
12. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
13. Roll Over Beethoven


Release date is 9 August 2010.  So far this is a UK only release and it's not clear whether this will be a region-free DVD.  So, you see that In Performance DVD that's listed a few posts down.  Scratch that.  More on this particular release as we find it.

ELO.BIZ IS LIVE

At long last, Jeff Lynne and ELO have an official website again.  Some opening thoughts:

A very nice and fresh new bio.  Interesting Richard Tandy is the only other member of ELO mentioned by name.  That will not sit well with some fans.

Xanadu is finally acknowledged.

Copyright 2008.  Copyright 2008 Electric Light Orchestra.

So, Electric Light Orchestra is now on the Live Nation merchandise roster...(LOL..  Sorry about the rooster, I type a little too quickly at times. Please feel free to point out these lapses in English to my attention.)

I know the spaceship T-shirts work for the mainstream buyer, but I bet a rustic Secret Messages-themed T-shirt would sell like mad among fans. I'd pay $24.95 for that.

To the IT guys: The track lists are a bit off... Track 8 on Time, Track 9 on ELO II Beethover?  All She Wanted is listed 4 times.  I would think the official website is where you want to get it right.

No links to buy the music?  No links to iTunes or Amazon mp3??

Nice look, just not much to it yet...

SOME OT NOTES...

 Here is some new music (from fans, friends and readers) you may enjoy checking out...

First, The 286.  They are a London-based band combining Beatlesque pop with classical music.  Sound familiar?  You can hear some of their stuff on their MySpace page and it's expected to be available on iTunes soon.  They are also on Facebook.

Next, is from an ELO fan, collector and friend Oliver Achnitz from Germany.  His band, Creedsight, just released their second studio album, Planet Two, this week.  You can hear tracks from the new album at their website or join them on Facebook.  Cool album cover, huh?

And in case you haven't heard about this yet, Bev Bevan plays drums on the new Paul Weller album.  The album, I believe, is out in the UK and will be released in the States on June 1.

A PAIR OF BOOTS

A few new bootlegs have surfaced, mostly out of Russia.  Similar to the Armchair Theatre Mini-LP CD that was floating around last year, there are two new Jeff Lynne-related mini-LP bootlegs featuring tracks you generally can't buy anymore (or yet again as the case may be.)

Jeff Lynne and Friends: Every Little Thing. 
track list:
Jeff Lynne - Every Little Thing (12" Remix)
Duane Eddy - Rockabilly Holiday
Roy Orbison - Heartbreak Radio
Miss B Haven - Sand in My Eyes
Jeff Lynne - Borderline
Jimmy Nail - Blue Beyound the Grey
Miss B Haven - Nobody's Angel
Duane Eddy - The Trembler
Jeff Lynne - I'm Gone
Jeff Lynne - Sirens
Duane Eddy - Theme from Something Really Important
Jim Horn - Work It Out
Miss B Haven - You're Wrong
Roy Orbison - I Drove All Night
Jeff Lynne - Lift Me Up

Next is: George Harrison and Jeff Lynne: Cloud '86-'89
track list:
1. Johny B. Goode
(Live at Heartbeat Festival / National Exhibition Centre / Birmigham, UK 15.03.1986)
2. That's the Way It Goes 
(Remix / "When We Was Fab" Single / Remixed in 1982)
3. Hottest Gong in Town
("Shanghai Surprise" Movie Soundtrack, Recorded in 1986)
4. Hottest Gong in Town 
("Handmade in Hong Kong" Documentary Version, Recorded in 1986)
5. Zig Zag 
("When We Was Fab" Single, Recorded in 1986)
6. Zig Zag 
("Shanghai Surprise" Movie Version, Recorded in 1986)
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 
(Live at the Prince's Trust Concert / Wembley Arena, London, UK 06.06.1987)
8. Here Comes the Sun 
(Live at the Prince's Trust Concert / Wembley Arena, London, UK 06.06.1987)
9. When We Was Fab 
(Reverse End / "When We Was Fab" Single, Recorded in 1987)
10. Got My Mind Set On You 
(Extended Version "Got My Mind Set On You" Single, Recorded in 1987)
11. That's What It Takes 
(Rough Mix / "Lost and Found" Bootleg, Recorded in 1987)
12. When We Was Fab 
(Rough Mix / "Lost and Found" Bootleg, Recorded in 1987)
13. Rockline Medley 
(Radio Show / RocklineLos Angeles, USA, 10.02.1988)
14. Cheer Down 
("Lethal Weapon 2" Movie Soundtrack, Recorded in 1987-1989)
15. Cheer Down 
("Lethal Weapon 2" Movie Version, Recorded in 1987-1989)
16. Interview 
(G. Harrison talks about Jeff Lynne / "Cloud 9" Promo, 20.11.1987)

For most fans who have been compiling Jeff Lynne related material over the years, there doesn't appear to be anything new on these CDs.  All of these tracks can be found elsewhere.  But I find that the Jeff Lynne and friends CD would make an interesting official release.

(Hat Tip: Mike)

IN PERFORMANCE THE SEVENTIES

UPDATE 4/23:  Jim Hoban from The ELO Network says not to bother with this.  The quality is awful.  It didn't look very promising to begin with, did it?

Original Post: Not much info on this apparently new DVD that has just cropped up in the UK.  Electric Light Orchestra: In Performance The Seventies is for sale at a few outlets and it's not terribly expensive.

Order links:
Amazon
eBay UK

There is a track list provided:
In Concert 1974

• Daybreaker
• Showdown
• Daytripper 
• Orange Special Blossom
• Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
• In The Hall of the Mountain King
• Great Balls of Fire
• Roll Over Beethoven

In Concert 1976:

• Poker
• Nightrider
• Showdown
• Can't Get It Out Of My Head
• Poorboy (The Greenwood)
• Illusions in G Major
• Strange Magic
• 10538 Overture
• Do Ya
• Evil Woman
• Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
• Roll Over Beethoven

Probably an official but not an approved release.


(Hat Tip: Neil)

BRIT WEEK ON THE RADIO

Jeff Lynne and Peter Asher made a radio appearance on K-Earth 101FM yesterday talking about Brit Week.  Here are some snippets of the broadcast from  their web site.  There were a few short references to Jeff's new material before he changes the subject...

27 tracks, huh?

For those interested in Brit Week in LA: http://www.britweek.org

M*A*S*H*U*P*S

This mash-up remix of Telephone Line (Instrumental) and Oasis' Wonderwall is getting a lot of thumbs up from the fans.  May I also suggest a mash-up from a few years ago I also thought was excellent.  Electric Avenue vs. Don't Bring Me Down from Nemozob.  And DBMD makes that remix work.

FAB PIC DISC

I was doing a bit of eBay browsing today and saw these: 7" vinyl picture discs of Free As A Bird and Real Love.  I've never knew these existed and judging from the bids they're getting, they might be real and quite rare.  Any of you guys have or seen these before??

THE PORTFOLIO

Here's a little more info on the Traveling Wilburys: A Limited Edition Portfolio, which is quietly available for sale. GeorgeHarrison.com lists the portfolio as:

Curated by acclaimed art director David Costa, this limited edition portfolio of 250 numbered lithographs includes photographs by Alberto Tolot during the making of the “Handle With Care” video, Neal Preston’s iconic photos for the first album, Caroline Greystock’s capture of early rehearsals, as well as Polaroids by the Wilburys themselves.

So, all of the lithographs appear to be pictures from the book.  Turns out, select James Perse Stores in California are offering the deluxe portfolios, but nowhere else. They are $350 and the store will make arrangements to ship one if you can't visit a store in person.

UPDATE: The Traveling Wilburys online store just added the portfolio for $300 as well as the Genesis Publications book for $319.

OFF TOPIC: SHE AND HIM

Again, just a recommendation...

She and Him Volume 2:   (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward)

It's a bit of a '50s girl groups/Nancy Sinatra-retro theme. What hooked me first is track 2 - called In The Sun.  The chorus confuses me and I keep disconnecting from it.  But you know, M. Ward is really getting the hang of this record-making thing.

ONE INSTANCE WHERE 'XANADU' WAS BETTER

I wish I can take credit for finding this, but the credit goes to a fellow fan/collector who wishes to remain anonymous for the sake of his peaceful household.  I don't know if this info was already out there among fans, but this is the first time I've heard this.

Perhaps unbenounced (or not) to ELO or their management, several ELO songs were used in an adult video from 1976 called Ecstasy In Blue.  As is the case with many films of its genre, Ecstasy In Blue is this hilariously bad account of some scary-looking freaky guy who has magic powers over women, or something like that.  The plot kind of escaped me.  And according to the description on the box, the cinematography is great.  I, er, beg to differ.

The video apparently made its way to DVD a few years ago.  I'm told it wasn't terribly uncommon in those days for adult movie directors to use music by popular artists.  But what makes this juicy bit of info even more odd is the ELO songs (among others) they decided to use:

Fire On High
In The Hall Of The Mountain King
Daybreaker
Ocean Breakup/King Of The Universe
Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)
Dreaming Of 4000

Yes, indeed, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here.  Manhattan Rumble was used in an old porn movie.  Now, if that's not good trivia, I don't know what is.

SUNDAY EXPRESS

There was a feature on Jeff Lynne in last weekend's Sunday Express newspaper in the UK... with an offer for a free ELO's Greatest Hits Volume 2 CD.  There's an online version of the article here.  The interview was done to help publicize the new Traveling Wilburys book from Genesis Publications.  There's really nothing in the article that most of us didn't know already.  Next up: 'writing a couple of albums under his own name' and working on an album with Joe Walsh.

The free CD, despite the word 'live' in the description is likely the 16 track CD from 1992 featuring Wild West Hero, tracks from Discovery and later.  Regardless, it's another way ELO is staying on the radar...

A WILBURY BOOK BASH

Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty were on hand last night in LA for the book launch of The Traveling Wilburys by Genesis Publications. Much of the Wilbury family and extended family packed a Beverly Hills clothing store to celebrate.

Here's more on the party (including a few more pictures) from George Harrison's website...

Uh, what's in the "A Limited Edition Portfolio" and how can I get one...?
:-)

OUT OF THE BLUE PROJECT

Attention Facebookers: Here's a fun little group dedicated to ELO's Out Of The Blue. The admins of the page want to see a picture of you with a copy of Out Of The Blue; could be on vinyl, CD, iPod, whatever. Just grab your digital camera, snap a shot anyway you'd like and upload it to the Wall. They are aiming for a 1,000 pictures.

I think it would be kind of fun to spread the word about this...

POOR LITTLE FOOL

An old favorite of ELO fans is finally released on CD.  Helen Reddy's We'll Sing In The Sunshine from 1978 is paired with another album, Ear Candy, for this 2-on-1 CD on Raven Records.  The Jeff Lynne-composed Poor Little Fool is included on CD for the first time.  What on Earth took so long?  It had been available digitally for a few years.

OFF TOPIC: TOM PETTY STRIKES AGAIN...

A big announcement has come from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.  New album, Mojo and new North American tour.  Both will be happening this spring and Tom Petty's website is streaming a new song already.

Makes you wonder when someone else will be making his announcement.