Electric Light Orchestra Night The Lights Went On (In Long Beach) CD

E.L.O.'s THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN LONG BEACH features seven, fully restored tracks from their seminal 1974 live album.

This album, recorded at Long Beach Auditorium on May 12, 1974, appeared as a limited release in a handful of countries in the mid-1970s, and showed up as a remastered, somewhat improved LP in 1985. But this marks its debut as a compact disc, made from the upgraded 1980s master. The resulting CD is, for starters, really, really loud, a far cry from the muddy sound of the original LP. Additionally, the band -- who had no time even for a soundcheck due to various delays -- is unusually raw and spirited, as though a highly animated show could compensate for any probable defects in the tuning and timing. They needn't have worried, although the resulting performance is ferocious, like little else the band ever delivered. Further, a range of detail in the playing can be heard on this CD that was obscured on the original LP. As for the repertory, it's all rooted in the group's first three albums -- "Daybreaker" (with Bev Bevan's drums sounding like they're practically in your lap, and the rest of the band equivalently close), "Showdown" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King" are juxtaposed with "10538 Overture" and robust covers of "Day Tripper," "Orange Blossom Special" (with a Mik Kaminski solo violin spot) and "Great Balls of Fire," with the band's version of "Roll Over Beethoven" as the finale. This disc predates ELO's emergence as a major international act by perhaps a year, and captures them doing the material upon which their basic sound was formed and cast. Lynne's sinewy guitar playing, in particular, is extraordinary, and the digital master brings it all the way up front, and Bev Bevan's lunatic rolls and fills on "Roll Over Beethoven" might've made even Keith Moon a little dizzy. The band also manages to have fun with their own history, while anticipating their future, integrating a quotation from what was then exclusively a Move song, "Do Ya," into their version of "10538 Overture." It makes the song and the album. ~ Bruce Eder

Reissue of E.L.O.'s 1974 live album for the United Artistslabel, 'The Nights The Lights Went Out In Long Beach'.Features the famous line-up of Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan & co.performing their greatest up to that point, including'Showdown' & '10538 Overture', plus covers of 'Roll OverBeethoven', 'Great Balls Of Fire' and 'Day Tripper'. Seventracks total, all remastered & featuring Super Bit Mapping.Four of the cuts are restored full length versions that wereedited on the original vinyl. The full title is 'The NightThe Light Went On (In Long Beach)'. 1998 Epic release.

Remastered.