Yes, there are a few songs listed from the 80s but most of their hits are from the '70s.
An underrated group, imo.
Discuss.

I love E.L.O!

There were such a good band in the mid to late 70s.
My favorite is either "Telephone Line" or "Can't get it out of my head". They are both classics. I voted for Telephone Line.

I also like Sweet Talkin' Woman and Evil Woman, and Showdown, and "Fire on High". Livin' thing, Mr. Blue Sky, Don't bring me down, Confusion.
I had the albums "ElDorado", Face the Music and Out of the Blue.

The only thing I didn't like that much was the Xanadu stuff.

I picked "Shine a Little Love".

I love E.L.O!


Seconded. They were a band that came Out of the Blue; psychedelic enough to be relevant to 60s/70s folks, heavy and electronic enough to be of interest to embryonic 80s metal/synthpop nerds.

I went with Turn to Stone for the neat audio effects (for 1977 tech) and the vaguely postapocalyptic vibe that 80s-Foo got out of it with the opening line "The city streets are empty now / the lights don't shine no more..."  It's actually about failed relationships, but I used to put the hammer down imagining a mushroom cloud behind me.  "The dying embers of the night / A fire that slowly fades till dawn / Still glow upon the wall so bright / Turning, turning, turning..."

Candidates for "Other" would be Twilight and as I got older, the Diary of Horace Wimp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A30Bt29i5KM
  - ELO, Diary of Horace Wimp, 1979.

The more I want to bitch about what it's like to work for a living, and the more I hear the lamentations of my married co-workers, the more I realize nothing has changed since my Dad's day.  (It was not until tonight, 35 years after the song came out, that I knew there was an official video for the song!)

Evil Woman
Livin' Thing
Strange Magic
Telephone Lines
Turn to Stone
Don't Bring Me Down

Good poll!

My vote went to "Evil Woman".  But I have other ELO faves, too: "Strange Magic", "Sweet Talkin' Woman", and the quirky "Rock N' Roll Is King".

This isn't one of their most famous songs, but lots of people might recognize this guitar riff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt6o03K_y54


Go to 2:42 for the riff.

The way I see it is someone hit the the wrong key, it seems to be one letter off.







On a serious note, I was never really into ELO but I do like Fire On High.

The way I see it is someone hit the the wrong key, it seems to be one letter off.



;D

I think Emerson, Lake and Oalmer were a great band.

This isn't one of their most famous songs, but lots of people might recognize this guitar riff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt6o03K_y54


Go to 2:42 for the riff.


Cool song!
I've heard it before, but I always thought it was a Pink Floyd track.

Cool song!
I've heard it before, but I always thought it was a Pink Floyd track.


5 minutes? Too short to be a Floyd song...heck..5 minutes is just an introduction to a Floyd song  :D
But the song does sound prog rock...so I can see where you are coming from.

I bought their greatest hits album a couple of years ago (and, of course, played it to death). 

I really like most of those listed. Probably Turn To Stone is close to my favourite.  Mr Blue Sky is a quirky and clever tune and rates highly for me as well.

ELO were one of the premier bands from 1975 to 1979. I feel those were easily Jeff Lynne's best writing years...  after that he seemed to lose his artistry and inspiration and came up with many simpler guitar oriented songs.

Of their 70s fare, my pick is Confusion.  Overall, my favourite is Calling America

Here's a little bit of ELO history:  Their story began back in 1965 with a new band formed out of Birmingham called The Move.  By 1972, the group consisted of founding member Roy Wood, plus Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan.  The initial goal of the three was to start ELO as a side project and continue as both ELO and The Move, but they ended up transitioning into ELO and dissolved The Move completely.  Though Roy Wood left in 1972 due to musical differences, he appears on the first 2 ELO albums (uncredited on the 2nd as he left the band during the initial recording sessions)


THE MOVE ...

(NOTE:  The first single with Jeff Lynne was Brontosaurus)

YEAR 1966 1967 1967 1968 1968 1968 1969 1970 1971 1971 1972 1972

SONG TITLE Night of Fear I Can Hear the Grass Grow Flowers in the Rain Fire Brigade Wild Tiger Woman Blackberry Way Curly Brontosaurus Tonight Chinatown California Man Do Ya

UK 2 5 2 3 - 1 12 7 11 23 7 -

USA - - - - - - - - - - - 93

CAN - - - - - - - 36 - - - -


ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA ...

(NOTE:  Confusion and Last Train to London were paired as an AA side in the UK)

YEAR 1972 1973 1973 1974 1974 1975 1976 1976 1976 1977 19771977197719781978197819781978197819791979 1979 1979 1980 1980 1980 1980 1980 1981 1981 1982 1983 1983 1983 1986 1986 1986 2006

SONG TITLE 10538 Overture Roll Over Beethoven Showdown Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Daybreaker Can't Get it Out of My Head Evil Woman Strange Magic Showdown <re-issue> Livin' Thing Rockaria! Do Ya Telephone Line Turn to Stone Mr. Blue Sky Wild West Hero Sweet Talkin' Woman It's Over The ELO EP Shine A Little Love The Diary of Horace Wimp Don't Bring Me Down Confusion Last Train to London I'm Alive All Over the World Don't Walk Away Xanadu <w/ Olivia Newton-John> Hold on Tight Twilight Here is the News / Ticket to the Moon Rock 'N' Roll is King Secret Messages Four Little Diamonds Calling America So Serious Getting to the Point Surrender

UK 9 6 12 22 - - 10 38 - 4 9 - 8 18 6 6 6 - 34 6 8 3 8 8 20 11 21 1 4 30 24 13 48 84 28 77 97 81

USA - 42 53 - 87 9 10 14 59 13 - 24 7 13 35 - 17 75 - 8 - 4 37 39 16 13 - 8 10 38 - 19 - 86 18 - - -

CAN - 19 47 - 57 25 6 18 25 8 -131927-12--4-1 20 28 10 5 - 9 2 - - 5 - - 28 - - -

ELO is one of my all-time faves. It was hard for me to pick a favorite song since they had so many great ones but I decided on Mr. Blue Sky. Part of the reason I like this song so much is the backstory behind it.

Jeff Lynne: "I rented this little chalet in Switzerland, in the mountains just beyond Lake Geneva. I rented this gear from a little shop in a village, a little music shop, with a Revox tape recorder, an electric piano - I had my guitar there - and just sat there to try and write. For two weeks, I came up with nothing - and I only had four weeks to write this double album! I was sort of thinking, 'bloody 'ell, maybe I can't come up with anything'. The weather had been really bad and then one day I got up and it was fantastic, the sun was brilliant and shining, all the mountains were lit up and this mist had gone away. It was gorgeous and I came up with 'Mr. Blue Sky'. I just kept coming up with songs then, y'know? They just came real quick and I came up with about fourteen in the two weeks after the first empty two weeks."

What a great concept for a song.  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98P-gu_vMRc


(P.S. Dear Jann Wenner: Please stop being such a jerkwad and let these guys into the Hall of Fame already.  ::))

Jeff Lynne:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljvURfTy3Ag

  - Jeff Lynne, Let It Run, from the soundtrack to 1984's Electric Dreams

Every time I hear some pundit today talking about how the "internet of things" is going to make my life easier, I can't help but think back to this little bit of silliness.  Sure, we all want doors that open for us when I show up, and audio/visual systems that know what we're in the mood for before we get home from work, but do we really want our appliances to share my preferences with my neighbors?  ;)

(Sorry, Howard!  They wrote you into the script!  JUST GO ON IN!)