We haven’t heard much in the way of new music from Jeff Lynne in a long time. FOR 2012, he has returned with Long Wave, a new solo album (his first since 1990’s Armchair Theatre), and a re-recorded offering of Electric light Orchestra’s greatest hits, Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra. Both releases are on Frontier Records.
Long Wave consists of obscure cover songs, mostly from the 1950s. There are no familiar Jerry Lee Lewis or Elvis tunes here, but more of an array of hidden gems from an era when Lynne would listen to BBC radio in his youth and was inspired by what he heard. He has chosen music that is relaxing, songs packed with emotion and a true “from-the-heart’ feel like “If I Loved You,” a Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune from Carousel, Charlie Chaplin’s “”Smile” and Chuck Berry’s “Let It Rock.” Long Wave reminds me of someone sitting back in a comfortable chair on a porch and singing their heart out, accompanied by an acoustic guitar.
Tranquil and inspiring, it is apparent Lynne could not care less about airplay, at least not anymore. He is confident enough in his choices (and self-satisfaction) to release these songs. It seems to me he is trying to familiarize his audience with these songs by opening up a new door to great music most of us are unfamiliar with. I like to think I know my rock history, but Long Wave tells the listener there is always so much more to explore.
Of course, there’s plenty of popular, well-known songs on Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra. I’ve always loved ELO’s hybrid of Beatles-inspired rock and roll combined with a symphonic backdrop. I saw their concert at Anaheim Stadium in the 70s (you know, the one with the spaceship and a then-unknown Journey as one of the opening acts), and was blown away by the amazing combination of theatrics and and brain-numbing music. ELO, by the way, actually had 27 Top 40 hit singles, both in the UK and the US, yet, never a Number One.
For Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra, Lynne took on the daunting task of re-recording ELO’s best songs and playing all the instruments himself (exactly as he does on Long Wave). In a Rolling Stone interview, Lynne mentioned he was dissatisfied with everything previously recorded and felt compelled to go over and fine tune these hits. In all honestly, the changes are subtle and almost unnoticeable. If it makes Lynne happy, so be it. These are his babies. But for the listener, it is not apparent.
The hits are all here — “Mr. Blue Sky,””Don’t Bring me Down,” Turn to Stone,” Do Ya” and so on. Aside from Lynne’s self-approval, not sure why we have another Greatest Hits release. I doubt this CD will reach out to a new audience; it’s merely another collection for die-hard fans to buy. MTV and radio will not give any of these songs a spin, but that is neither here, nor there. Regardless, Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra is an excellent representation of ELO at their (or Lynne’s?) very best.
~ Bruce Forrest
