Electric Light Orchestra Flashback CD

Electric Light Orchestra: Jeff Lynne, Roy wood, Bev Bevan, Steve Woolam, Bill Hunt, Richard Tandy, Michael De Albuquerque, Wilf Gibson, Colin Walker, Mike Edwards, Kelly Groucutt, Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell, Melvyn Gale, Louis Clark, Dave Morgan.
Compilation producers: Jeff Lynne, Al Quaglieri, Jeff Magid.
Contains a 44 page booklet with liner notes by David Wild.
Digitally remastered by Doug Sax and Robert Hadley (The Mastering Lab, Hollywood, California).
Personnel: Roy Wood (vocals); Jeff Lynne (guitar); Marc Mann (keyboards); Bev Bevan (drums).
Liner Note Author: David Wild.
Recording information: 07/1970-??/1982.
Photographer: Pamela Springsteen.
The very fact that Electric Light Orchestra released a second three-disc box set is a tacit admission that, yes, 1987's Afterglow wasn't everything it should be. Happily, 2000's Flashback is. Assembled with the cooperation of Jeff Lynne, Flashback covers all the bases, featuring all the hits, a good selection of album tracks, and seven previously unreleased tracks, two alternate mixes and "After All," previously unavailable on CD. The sequencing is roughly chronological, with each of the three discs spotlighting a different era, then sequenced for maximum listenability within that -- so "10538 Overture" segues to "Showdown" and "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" then doubles back to the first album. It's a gambit that works, since Flashback winds up flowing as gracefully as ELO's best albums. And, make no mistake, this is one of their best albums, a rare box set that satisfies the needs of both casual and mildly dedicated fans, while offering the hardcore not just a bunch of rarities but an enjoyable album with its own character. So, it trumps Afterglow in every possible way, then, and thereby eliminates the need for yet another three-disc ELO box. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Formed in 1971 as a side project to the Move by Roy Wood, Bev Bevan, and singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Jeff Lynne, the Electric Light Orchestra immediately revealed the Brits' genius in combining rococo pop songs with classical instrumentation. Though the multitalented Wood largely produced the band's debut, his departure pushed Lynne's style to the fore, as evidenced by the listener-friendly "Showdown" and crunchier "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle." Beautiful classical arrangements also grace "Mama." In 1974 the group's slickly produced pop rock cracked the Top 10 with the atmospheric ballad "Can't Get It Out of My Head."
Although ELO's sound became increasingly commercial in the late '70s, it was no less grand, as demonstrated by the violin arpeggios in "Livin' Thing" and the swirling, complex string arrangement of "Telephone Line." The group continued its chart success in the face of MTV and changing tastes with polished '50s style gems like "Rock and Roll Is King" and "Hold On Tight," before disbanding in 1986. Including previously unreleased tracks, and tunes recently completed by Lynne, FLASHBACK is a fine set.

3 Cds

Entertainment Weekly (12/1/00, p.98) - "...The most packed power-pop ouvre of the '70s, full of stark stacking effects whose sonic wit is still unsurpassed..." - Rating: A-
Q (3/01, p.117) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...As a singles band they were unbeatable. There are few pop songs better than, say, 'Telephone Line', 'Livin' Thing', 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head', 'Turn To Stone', 'Mr Blue Sky' and even...'Hold OnTight'..."
CMJ (11/27/00, p.17) - "...All the hits are here....ELO are a tremendous influence on the current musical landscape."