Very few know that Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) is my favorite band of all time. It may seem odd, but I feel ELO sums up my music taste all in one. Many point out the “Orchestra” part of the name and think it will be an entire symphony; that is not the case. ELO features the traditional band, vocals, guitar, bass, drums and piano. However, as a unique addition, they added a cello and violin. With all the instruments combined, they can achieve a wide range of genres such as: rock, progressive rock, pop, disco and more. 

As my favorite band it may come as a surprise that I’m not a fan of every single album. In reality I really only listen to their 70s albums and only a few songs from the 80s. The reason is because in the 80s they shifted to a more poppy techno sound, which I don’t entirely dislike but definitely is not my favorite. Some notable songs that I recommend are “Don’t Bring Me Down”, “Evil Woman”, “Sweet Talkin’ Woman”, “Strange Magic”, “Can’t Get It out of My Head” and “Ma-ma-ma Belle”.

There are so many great hits that many don’t know ELO wrote but my favorite Electric Light Orchestra Album is “A New World Record”. Released in July of 1976, this nine song album produced a lot of future hits. “Telephone Line” and “Livin’ Thing” were among the most popular from the album (LP). 

The album begins with the song “Tightrope”. It starts with a more of a cinematic sound, but soon jumps into an upbeat bluesy type rhythm. The rest of the song progresses into something that’s hard to describe. The best description I can match it with is it’s simply an ELO song and there’s no other like it. It  was a great decision to put it at number one. 

The next song to follow gives me nostalgia every time I hear it. The memorable ring of a telephone leads us into a soft piano and the calming voice of Jeff Lynne. “Telephone Line” is one of those songs I can listen to and relax without a care in the world. The best part in my opinion is the chorus. It gives a sense of relief and picks up for a brighter feel but doesn’t get too heavy. From the overall structure of this song and how everything fits together, I consider it to be perfect. 

It’s rock and roll time because the next track is “Rockaria!.” I think one thing I like the most about ELO is how they add something unique in each song. It keeps things feeling fresh, new and original. In “Rockaria!,” it honestly starts off sounding like an opera. With a quick drum fill from Bev Bevan, it then kicks off into a straight hard blues rock song which I would never complain about. Even while incorporating the opera vocals throughout the song, they keep up a steady paste which I think masters this song. 

“Mission (A World Record)” is the fourth track on the album. This one sort of tells a story and you can almost hear it unfold. I believe it has to do with something about aliens visiting Earth but everyone perceives things differently. The use of sound effects definitely benefits the story telling aspect of the song and around halfway through, there’s a bass line that adds some funk to it. 

“So Fine” is different from the rest to say the least. It has a very catchy upbeat rhythm, which I could see somebody in a movie walking down the street to. It also has a nice quick paste to it but around halfway through the song is why I call it different. The whole vibe completely switches to this Cantina Bar from “Star Wars” sound. Multiple different instruments are used in this part. I couldn’t even name them all. This kind of stuff isn’t heard much in this day and age and I think it really defines that classic experimental music. The song quickly shifts back into the original groove and does not disappoint. 

Having over 141,321,500 streams alone on Spotify, “Livin’ Thing” is up there as one of the most popular ELO hits. The classic, almost Spanish sounding violin, introduces the song and is something I can’t resist singing. I find it hard to not enjoy this one just because of how catchy it is. It has a lot of subtle changes throughout, yet each one doesn’t ruin it. The chorus is of course the famous part being something that you could jump or clap on beat to. I’d say that this song revolves a lot around the violin, whether it’s the melodic notes between each bar of the chorus or the increasing and declining sound in the background of the verse, I personally love it. As someone who mainly listens to rock and roll, that says a lot. I feel everyone should give this one a listen at some point in time if they haven’t heard it already.

Truthfully, “Above the Clouds” is probably my least favorite song on the LP, but by no means does that mean it’s a bad song. It’s a slower, simpler song and keeps a steady beat for most of it. If I was in a relaxing mood, I wouldn’t have a problem whatsoever listening to this. There’s nothing super crazy that pops out to me, but sometimes simple is better. 

If I listen to the album in order all the way through, I feel like it’s just preparing me for this next track. “Do Ya” is easily my favorite song of all time and for fans of rock, it’s even better. The simple but captivating three chord riff will never, not catch my attention. Followed by a flam on the snare, a build up becomes evident. It soon breaks through and from there on is a straight masterpiece. With hard driven verses and a chorus anyone could sing along to, I’d recommend this song to anyone. The first build up isn’t the only one either. There’s a breakdown part which kind of relaxes the main riff for a bit and allows it to slow down for a bit. The best way I can describe it is like taking flight in the air and just letting go of everything, but at the same time it’s also preparing you for the initial build up to recur. Yet again those three chords strike again and they never get old.  

Putting a close to this amazing album as the ninth track is “Shangri-La.” It was the slow song that was missing and was honestly executed beautifully. Jeff Lynne’s guitar playing stands out most to me on this track as it has a very soft tone mixed with a slide and comes off very peacefully. I think the solo adds a lot to it as well because it’s not very complex but perfectly fits the theme. Though, what I believe displays one of the most art and power of musicianship comes in with around two minutes left in the song. All goes quiet as a piano interlude begins. From there, it sprouts into this cinematic sounding masterpiece ending and is a true experience. This is by far one of Electric Light Orchestra’s most underrated songs and sums up this album perfectly.