Electric Light Orchestra: No Answer

Electric Light Orchestra: No Answer

1971

United Artists Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. 10538 Overture  2. Look at Me Now  3. Nellie Takes Her Bow  4. The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)  5. First Movement (Jumping Biz)  6. Mr. Radio  7. Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)  8. Queen of the Hours  9. Whisper in the Night


Like many people, I was familiar with Electric Light Orchestra mostly through classic rock radio which regularly airs a handful of dico-ish pop-rock singles that mostly make me wanna puke. "Don't bring me dowwww-owwwnn...B-r-r-r-r-uce!"  I had no inkling that some day I would one day own and actively enjoy an Electric Light Orchestra album. How did this happen?

Several years ago I was just hanging out, drinking some beers, listening to some old glam rock on youtube when suddenly I encountered a video of some King Diamond-looking Wookiee singing the poppiest Phil Spector shit I ever heard...The man's name? WIZZARD!!!

I instantly fell in love with Wizzard and bought all the Wizzard albums I could find. I discovered his real name was Roy Wood and he was in a number of other bands in addition to an excellent solo career...His first band was an amazing 60's outfit called The Move which also featured Jeff Lynne, who became the leader for ELO. But what I didn't know was that Electric Light Orchestra was originally an offshoot of The Move and their first album was helmed by both Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, intended to be a more ambitious version of The Move focusing on instruments and structures usually found in classical music.

Now listen, I'm a real plebe. I have no love or interest whatsoever in classical music. I drink Bud Light and listen to KISS records...Therefore, the album's "classical" ambitions terrified me before I heard it, but for the most part it's absolutely fantastic!

The classical elements that I was so afraid of turned out to mostly be BIG LOUD CELLOS THAT SOUND LIKE GIANT DISTORTED CHAINSAWS! Sure, there's also a fair bit of fancy-dan violin and stuff but for the most part this is very much rock...The minute I put on the album and heard that goose-bumpy descending opening riff to "10538 Overture" I fell in damn love. What a great song! I'm sorry I doubted you for a second Roy Wood and I especially doubted you Jeff Lynne (whose high keen is so perfect here...The only possible vocal that could exist for the song).  They pull off one other absolutely flawless track with the swoony bittersweet that sounds like Ray Davies fronting sharp-toothed string quartet...The vocal melody on the chorus is a knockout.  I'm also fond of Roy's "Look at Me Now," which has some of the best, most interesting violin I've ever heard. It's all classical stings and shit, but played hard like rock guitars...Man, Roy Wood could play anything...

But for all the incredible heights it routinely reaches, there are a few definite problems: Some of the material is a bit meandering, "Mr. Radio" is a rubbishy Kinks vaudeville piffle, "First Movement (Jumping Biz)" is a shameless rip-off of "Classical Gas" (Roy Wood has a history of cribbing other people's music but manoman, Mason Williams is one kind motherfucker not to sue the pantoloon's off of these guys) But there's also a lot of cool stuff here that I can't believe I missed out on...Roy Wood was on one hell of a creative streak during this era. He jumped from ambitious project to ambitious project. As a result of all this creative restlessness, this is Roy's one and only ELO record. I haven't been brave enough to wade any further into this band's discography because I know at some point I'm going to arrive at "Don't Bring Me Down."

Alright, let's listen to some music...Here's "10538 Overture" by ELO...Enjoi oi oi!