Released - February 1973
Genre - Art Rock
Producer - Jeff Lynne
Selected Personnel - Jeff Lynne (Vocals/Guitar/Synthesiser); Bev Bevan (Drums/Percussion); Richard Tandy (Keyboards/Synthesiser); Mike De Albuquerque (Bass); Wilfred Gibson (Violin); Mike Edwards (Cello); Colin Walker (Cello); Roy Wood (Bass/Cello)
Standout Track - Kuiama
With their 1971 self-titled debut album, the Electric Light Orchestra had laid out a careful template of their vision which, on the whole, had been a compelling and exciting piece of work. It showcased a band that was the product of the joining of two creative minds, one (Roy Wood) pushing the artistic boundaries of rock music by applying classical instrumentation and compositional techniques to it, and another (Jeff Lynne) who quite simply had a brilliant ear for crafting catchy pop tunes. Working in tandem together, this creative partnership could have gone on to create a considerable amount of exciting progressive art-rock, but not long into the recording of their second album it became clear that this union couldn't last. Wood, the band's founding father, disagreed with Lynne about how to manage the band and soon left (having already contributed bass and cello parts to two songs, which happen to be easily the album's tow low-points). Given that Wood was the driving force behind the band's entire concept and modus opernadi, it could have been assumed that ELO wouldn't be able to continue under Lynne's leadership, or that it would immediately become a very different band. It's quite a surprise, then, to find that ELO 2, rather than immediately shifting the focus onto simple traditional pop-rock, continues to mine the same pioneering avant-garde orchestral sound as The Electric Light Orchestra and actually ends up being a far more consistent, daring and enjoyable record than even that excellent debut.
As the 70s rolled on, it would become increasingly clear that Jeff Lynne was far less invested in the "orchestra" concept than Wood had been. 1975's fairly tepid Face The Music would be the band's first all-out pop-rock record that more or less ignored, or at least relegated, the "orchestra" element of their name, but even by the time of third album On The Third Day later in 1973, Lynne was already putting more focus on short pop songs than grand orchestral pieces. But ELO 2 consists entirely of lengthy suites or instrumental jams and shows a real depth of imagination and artistic ambition that Wood himself would have been envious of (particularly considering he was off founding the tedious Wizzard). Of course, with the departure of Wood, the classical instrumentation had to take something of a back seat compared to its overbearing presence two years previous, seeing as he had played the majority of the classical instruments himself. Cellists Mike Edwards and Colin Walker and violinist Wilfred Gibson replaced him on strings, and Lynne simply felt no compulsion to replace the horn and woodwind parts Wood had contributed, instead recruiting Richard Tandy on keyboards to flesh out the band's sound. As such, there are no songs here that follow in the whole-heartedly baroque traditions of the likes of "First Movement (Jumping Biz)" or "The Battle Of Marston Moore." Instead, every single song is a conventional tune played on conventional instruments that's then fleshed out with ambitious instrumental passages and rich string arrangements.
Not all of them work - most notably, the two songs recorded before Wood's departure, "In Old England Town" and "From The Sun To The World," struggle to convince. Wood himself can't be directly blamed for this, as all the pieces are still Lynne compositions, but it does suggest that it perhaps wasn't until he felt free from Wood's controlling influence that he could really let his imagination take flight. "In Old England Town" feels stirringly dramatic in places, but sinks too often into pseudo-avant-garde posturing. Far better is "Momma," one of the most simply beautiful songs ELO ever recorded. A fairly conventional ballad at heart, its mesmeric string parts give it a grandeur far greater than it could have ever have achieved on its own, and it's a genuinely emotional and powerful piece as a result. Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven," meanwhile, makes for a great choice of cover for a band supposedly built around classical traditions, and also marks the only moment on the album when Lynne gives the band the opportunity to really rock out. Wisely still building his version around the iconic, frenzied rock and roll guitar riff, the song simply grows and grows from that hard-rocking starting point and becomes a manic beast of epic proportions, with pounding piano and truly manic violin solos driving it totally out of control. It's rare, particularly in their later years, that ELO really indulged themselves with a song where they let themselves loose, so it's great to hear such passion and energy from them in a song.
"From The Sun To The World" is simply a fairly uninspired and forgettable thing, and then there's "Kuiama," easily the most powerful thing in the band's discography, and also their longest and most ambitious piece of music. It's rare that a man with a brain simply attuned to rock and roll and pop songwriting should turn out a lyric of devastating potency, but in "Kuiama" Jeff Lynne tells the story of a harrowed soldier in the Vietnam War who has to explain to a lost orphaned girl that he was the man responsible for killing her parents. It's a truly powerful story, and the dramatic sweep of the strings and synths make it a piece that's almost cinematic in its scope. Later on it also incorporates a searing violin solo over a marching, militaristic drumbeat that's truly harrowing in its discordant power. Surprisingly for an album consisting solely of lengthy orchestral suites, the album sold fairly well, and "Roll Over Beethoven" became a relatively successful single. Still, this was the last time ELO would sound quite like this. By 1973, the complexity and pomposity of prog rock was already beginning to fall out of favour, with '74 generally being considered the year the genre "died." As such, a band like ELO that flirted with such grandiosity but hadn't fully embraced it, had the chance to become something different. Perhaps Lynne felt compelled to follow through on Wood's vision for this second album before truly following his own agenda. Whatever the reason, by the time On The Third Day came out, short and catchy pop songs seemed to be the highest priority, there was still room for some cinematic scope and orchestral flair. By the time of Face The Music, though, the music they were producing could have been the work of a different band. The journey to that new musical territory is an exciting and enjoyable one, but ELO 2 would be the last time the band sounded truly artistically ambitious and compositionally complex. It's the best of their early albums, and well worth seeking out if you're curious about their origins and enjoy something a little more imaginative and challenging than the stuff ELO would later become famous for.
As the 70s rolled on, it would become increasingly clear that Jeff Lynne was far less invested in the "orchestra" concept than Wood had been. 1975's fairly tepid Face The Music would be the band's first all-out pop-rock record that more or less ignored, or at least relegated, the "orchestra" element of their name, but even by the time of third album On The Third Day later in 1973, Lynne was already putting more focus on short pop songs than grand orchestral pieces. But ELO 2 consists entirely of lengthy suites or instrumental jams and shows a real depth of imagination and artistic ambition that Wood himself would have been envious of (particularly considering he was off founding the tedious Wizzard). Of course, with the departure of Wood, the classical instrumentation had to take something of a back seat compared to its overbearing presence two years previous, seeing as he had played the majority of the classical instruments himself. Cellists Mike Edwards and Colin Walker and violinist Wilfred Gibson replaced him on strings, and Lynne simply felt no compulsion to replace the horn and woodwind parts Wood had contributed, instead recruiting Richard Tandy on keyboards to flesh out the band's sound. As such, there are no songs here that follow in the whole-heartedly baroque traditions of the likes of "First Movement (Jumping Biz)" or "The Battle Of Marston Moore." Instead, every single song is a conventional tune played on conventional instruments that's then fleshed out with ambitious instrumental passages and rich string arrangements.
Not all of them work - most notably, the two songs recorded before Wood's departure, "In Old England Town" and "From The Sun To The World," struggle to convince. Wood himself can't be directly blamed for this, as all the pieces are still Lynne compositions, but it does suggest that it perhaps wasn't until he felt free from Wood's controlling influence that he could really let his imagination take flight. "In Old England Town" feels stirringly dramatic in places, but sinks too often into pseudo-avant-garde posturing. Far better is "Momma," one of the most simply beautiful songs ELO ever recorded. A fairly conventional ballad at heart, its mesmeric string parts give it a grandeur far greater than it could have ever have achieved on its own, and it's a genuinely emotional and powerful piece as a result. Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven," meanwhile, makes for a great choice of cover for a band supposedly built around classical traditions, and also marks the only moment on the album when Lynne gives the band the opportunity to really rock out. Wisely still building his version around the iconic, frenzied rock and roll guitar riff, the song simply grows and grows from that hard-rocking starting point and becomes a manic beast of epic proportions, with pounding piano and truly manic violin solos driving it totally out of control. It's rare, particularly in their later years, that ELO really indulged themselves with a song where they let themselves loose, so it's great to hear such passion and energy from them in a song.
"From The Sun To The World" is simply a fairly uninspired and forgettable thing, and then there's "Kuiama," easily the most powerful thing in the band's discography, and also their longest and most ambitious piece of music. It's rare that a man with a brain simply attuned to rock and roll and pop songwriting should turn out a lyric of devastating potency, but in "Kuiama" Jeff Lynne tells the story of a harrowed soldier in the Vietnam War who has to explain to a lost orphaned girl that he was the man responsible for killing her parents. It's a truly powerful story, and the dramatic sweep of the strings and synths make it a piece that's almost cinematic in its scope. Later on it also incorporates a searing violin solo over a marching, militaristic drumbeat that's truly harrowing in its discordant power. Surprisingly for an album consisting solely of lengthy orchestral suites, the album sold fairly well, and "Roll Over Beethoven" became a relatively successful single. Still, this was the last time ELO would sound quite like this. By 1973, the complexity and pomposity of prog rock was already beginning to fall out of favour, with '74 generally being considered the year the genre "died." As such, a band like ELO that flirted with such grandiosity but hadn't fully embraced it, had the chance to become something different. Perhaps Lynne felt compelled to follow through on Wood's vision for this second album before truly following his own agenda. Whatever the reason, by the time On The Third Day came out, short and catchy pop songs seemed to be the highest priority, there was still room for some cinematic scope and orchestral flair. By the time of Face The Music, though, the music they were producing could have been the work of a different band. The journey to that new musical territory is an exciting and enjoyable one, but ELO 2 would be the last time the band sounded truly artistically ambitious and compositionally complex. It's the best of their early albums, and well worth seeking out if you're curious about their origins and enjoy something a little more imaginative and challenging than the stuff ELO would later become famous for.
Track Listing:
All songs written by Jeff Lynne except where noted.
1. In Old England Town (Boogie No. 2)
2. Momma
3. Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry)
4. From The Sun To The World (Boogie No. 1)
5. Kuiama
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