ELO's Greatest Hits

by Electric Light Orchestra

Overview

By ignoring the band's first two albums, the Roy Wood-dominated Electric Light Orchestra and the transitional ELO II, the 1979 singles compilation ELO's Greatest Hits presents a somewhat skewed vision of the band. Ironically, this revision has become the normative view of the band: slick, almost mechanical purveyors of undeniably catchy but somewhat soulless hit singles. "Evil Woman," "Showdown," "Turn to Stone," "Telephone Line," "Strange Magic" -- anyone who was anywhere near a radio in the latter half of the '70s knows them all by heart, whether they like them or not. But ELO's Greatest Hits does a far graver disservice to the Electric Light Orchestra's oeuvre. For some reason, the original vinyl LP sounded somewhat muffled and distant, as if the EQ was perceptibly off. The result is that while this is otherwise a fine survey of Jeff Lynne's most successful -- if not necessarily his best -- songs, it just doesn't sound very good. ~ Stewart Mason

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/1990
Label:	Jet Records
UPC:	0074643631020
Rank:	857

Tracks

1. Evil Woman
2. Livin' Thing
3. Can't Get It Out of My Head
4. Showdown
5. Turn to Stone
6. Rockaria!
7. Sweet Talkin' Woman
8. Telephone Line
9. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
10. Strange Magic
11. Mr. Blue Sky

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Electric Light Orchestra   Primary Artist
Jeff Lynne   Keyboards,Synthesizer,Vocals,Guitar
Kelly Groucutt   Bass,Vocals,Percussion
Bev Bevan   Drums,Vocals
Richard Tandy   Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Jeff Lynne   Producer,Composer
Fin Costello   Photography