ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA: Out Of The Blue (POP): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Jeff Lynne is a prolific composer. After having released one album per year since the creation of Electric Light Orchestra, he gratifies us in 1977 with a double album. Of course, the bad tongues will say that to repeat oneself unceasingly, it is not very difficult to have an abundant production, and one will not be able to give them completely wrong. For it must be admitted that since "Eldorado", the machine is purring. ELO has invented a style of which it ends up becoming somewhat prisoner and it is clear that the group no longer allows itself any risk taking. So much so that the title, "Out Of The Blue", which refers to an unexpected event, seems quite inappropriate. No unexpected event in this album where we find the same melodies, the same strings as those used on the three previous records. With an inevitable feeling of déjà entendu, but also, it must be admitted, with the same greedy pleasure.

Because if Jeff Lynne always draws from the same sources of inspiration, these have the grace to be extremely melodious. The album contains fifteen titles, as many sweet compositions which will charm more than one by their smoothness but which will annoy many others. Fifteen songs composed by Jeff Lynne in barely two weeks. Some will rave about his speed and his extraordinary ease to compose where others will wonder about the quality of the result.

For those who already know the band, it will come as no surprise to find the easy but endearing melodies, the debauchery of the choruses and orchestrations, the legato movements of the strings. Musically, ELO season its melodic rock with a good dose of disco-style pop and the third side of the vinyl, supposedly conceptual, is just a suite of four songs neither worse nor better than the rest of the album. We go from too sweet, a bit sickening or without personality ('It's Over', 'Starlight', 'Jungle', 'Summer And Lightning', 'Birmingham Blues') to little musical gems ('Turn To Stone', 'Sweet Talkin' Woman', 'Believe Me Now', 'Steppin' Out', 'Standing In The Rain', 'Wild West Hero'), the jewel in the crown being the sublime 'Mr Blue Sky', luminous, whimsical and in a great Beatles-like vein.

The great ease with which all these tracks can be listened to has undoubtedly contributed to the success of this album. However, in front of the banality of certain songs, one can wonder if Jeff Lynne would not have done better to be satisfied with a simple album: "Out Of The Blue" could then have been a great album posing as a worthy successor of "A New World Record". It will be satisfied to be a good record containing some very beautiful moments. - Official website

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA

OUT OF THE BLUE

COLUMBIA

POP