Electric Light Orchestra - Out Of The Blue / Discovery

Starring: Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy Original UK Premiere: 1978 Dvd Release: 6th September, 1999 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: Full Screen, PAL, Region 0 Encoding

Article Index: [Background Info] [DVD Review] [Biographies] [Articles/Resources] [Link To This Article] Looking To Buy? Buy This DVD Here

Electric Light Orchestra was a successful Birmingham rock music group of the 1970s & 1980s. The band, formed by Jeff Lynne along with Roy Wood & Bev Bevan in 1971, used cellos & violins to give their music a classical sound. Roy Wood left ELO shortly after the release of their eponymously-titled first album & Jeff Lynne stepped up to lead the band. The band went through a lineup change, including a new keyboardist, Richard Tandy & released ELO II in 1973, from which came their first US Top 40 hit, Roll Over Beethoven. They also released On The Third Day in 1973 & Eldorado in 1974, scoring another US Top 40 hit with I Cant Get It Out Of My Head. In 1975, bassist & vocalist Kelly Groucutt joined & Face The Music was released, from which the major singles were Evil Woman & Strange Magic, marking a shift to a more radio friendly sound. The multi- platinum album A New World Record was released in 1976. That was followed by the double album Out Of The Blue, featuring the singles Turn To Stone, Sweet Talkin Woman & Mr. Blue Sky.

Out of the Blue was a short-lived American fantasy-based sitcom that aired on the ABC network during the fall of 1979. It was a once-removed spin-off of Happy Days, springing forth from the Happy Days spin-off, Mork & Mindy. The series starred Jimmy Brogan as Random, an angel-in-training who is assigned to live with a family & work as a high school teacher. The series co-starred Dixie Carter & Eileen Heckart. The unsuccessful series aired from September 9 to December 16, 1979. Out of the Blue at The Internet Movie Database.

I bought this after rediscovering a couple of old ELO cds lurking at the back of my collection. Its very 70s & very entertaining!

The music was always good, & benefits from the live arena. The strength of the songs & quality of the performances stand up very well when compared to the manufactured karaoke junk that clogs up the charts both then & now. I would recommend this wether you remember them or not - just put it on & enjoy how things used to be done.

The videos for the tracks off the Discovery album are a great bonus, although terminally dull once the first two or three have gone by - they are practically all the same. The band simply mime away in a revolting tacky studio set, & try not to look too bored.

Jeff Lynne is a British singer-songwriter & was the founder of the Electric Light Orchestra in the 1970s as well as a co-founder & a member, of the Traveling Wilburys in the 1980s. Prior to Electric Light Orchestra Lynne was a member of The Move & Idle Race. Lynne was born in Birmingham, UK In 1990 he released the solo album Armchair Theater. In February of 1994, Lynne fulfilled a life long dream by working with the three surviving Beatles on their Anthology album series & reunion tracks Free As A Bird & Real Love. Lynne teamed up with ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy to reform ELO in 2001 for an album called Zoom. A tour & DVD followed. A tribute to Lynne called Lynne Me Your Ears, was released in 2002 & featured two CDs full of artists performing Lynne/ELO songs, including Todd Rundgren, SWAG, Sixpence None The Richer, Doug Powell, PFR, Fleming & John, The Balls of France, Rick Altizer & others.

Editors Choice: Concert For George, Electric Light Orchestra, View DVDology

©2004-2008 DVDArk.co.uk