Description:
Bombast, Beatles, and big hair are the order of the day on Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley, a 1978 show by Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra at that fabled London arena. This was a charity event with a couple of Royals in attendance, not to mention actor (and renowned music authority) Tony Curtis, who introduces the band as "the most outstanding rock group in the world today." In their dreams, maybe. Still, ELO managed to thrive in an era when the punk movement was obliterating many "dinosaur" bands of their ilk, with a string of hits and a flashy, entertaining stage show (the spaceship set is a t
Bombast, Beatles, and big hair are the order of the day on Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley, a 1978 show by Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra at that fabled London arena. This was a charity event with a couple of Royals in attendance, not to mention actor (and renowned music authority) Tony Curtis, who introduces the band as "the most outstanding rock group in the world today." In their dreams, maybe. Still, ELO managed to thrive in an era when the punk movement was obliterating many "dinosaur" bands of their ilk, with a string of hits and a flashy, entertaining stage show (the spaceship set is a trip), all on display throughout this hour-long performance. They cram a full thirteen tunes into that time, focusing on Out of the Blue, a double vinyl album which included the undeniably catchy hits "Turn to Stone" and "Sweet Talkin' Woman"; we also get "Telephone Line," "Showdown," "Do Ya," and an extended "Roll Over Beethoven" to close the show. It's no coincidence that Lynne, who wrote, sang, and produced ELO's material, would go on to produce George Harrison's Cloud Nine and later preside over the mid-'90s reunion that saw Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney complete two "new" John Lennon songs. Lynne and his band were unabashed Beatlemaniacs, and mixed in with their rock-cum-pseudo-classical sound was the almost constant influence of the Fabs ("Mr. Blue Sky," to name just one, bears more than a passing resemblance to the McCartney-penned middle section of "A Day in the Life"). Of course, echoing the Beatles is neither an uncommon nor a bad thing, and Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley, which features digitally remastered sound, is good, dumb fun. The DVD package includes a too-small reproduction of the original tour program. --Sam Graham
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Manufacturer: Eagle Rock Ent
Release date: 27 June 2006
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 0801213303793 UPC: 801213303793
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