Out of the Blue

( 3 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Bruce Eder
The last ELO album to make a major impact on popular music, Out of the Blue was of a piece with its lavishly produced predecessor, A New World Record, but it's a much more mixed bag as an album. For starters, it was a double LP, a format that has proved daunting to all but a handful of rock artists, and was no less so here. The songs were flowing fast and freely from Jeff Lynne at the time, however, and well more than half of what is here is very solid, at least as songs if not necessarily as recordings. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Turn to Stone" are among the best songs in the group's output, and much of the rest is very entertaining. The heavy sound of the orchestra, ...
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More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Bruce Eder
The last ELO album to make a major impact on popular music, Out of the Blue was of a piece with its lavishly produced predecessor, A New World Record, but it's a much more mixed bag as an album. For starters, it was a double LP, a format that has proved daunting to all but a handful of rock artists, and was no less so here. The songs were flowing fast and freely from Jeff Lynne at the time, however, and well more than half of what is here is very solid, at least as songs if not necessarily as recordings. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Turn to Stone" are among the best songs in the group's output, and much of the rest is very entertaining. The heavy sound of the orchestra, however, as well as the layer upon layer of vocal overdubs, often seem out of place. All in all, the group was trying too hard to generate a substantial-sounding double LP, complete with a suite, "Concerto for a Rainy Day." The latter is the nadir of the album, an effort at conceptual rock that seemed archaic even in 1977. Another chunk is filled up with what might best be called art rock mood music "The Whale", before you finally get to the relief of a basic rocker like "Birmingham Blues." Even here, the group couldn't leave well enough alone -- rather than ending it on that note, they had to finish the album with "Wild West Hero," a piece of ersatz movie music that adds nothing to what you've heard over the previous 65 minutes. In its defense, Out of the Blue was massively popular and did become the centerpiece of a huge worldwide tour that earned the group status as a major live attraction for a time. [Out of the Blue was reissued in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary Edition with new photos, liner notes, and three bonus tracks, including "The Quick and the Daft," "Latitude 88 North," and a home demo of "Wild West Hero."]
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 4/29/2008
  • Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
  • UPC: 886972675022
  • Catalog Number: 726750
  • Sales rank: 6,857

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Turn to Stone (3:47)
  2. 2 It's Over (4:08)
  3. 3 Sweet Talkin' Woman (3:48)
  4. 4 Across the Border (3:53)
  5. 5 Night in the City (4:01)
  6. 6 Starlight (4:26)
  7. 7 Jungle (3:51)
  8. 8 Believe Me Now (1:21)
  9. 9 Steppin' Out (4:39)
  10. 10 Standin' in the Rain (4:21)
  11. 11 Big Wheels (5:05)
  12. 12 Summer and Lightning (4:14)
  13. 13 Mr. Blue Sky (5:05)
  14. 14 Sweet Is the Night (3:26)
  15. 15 The Whale (5:02)
  16. 16 Birmingham Blues (4:23)
  17. 17 Wild West Hero (4:42)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Electric Light Orchestra Primary Artist
Jeff Lynne Synthesizer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Bev Bevan Drums, Vocals
Melvyn Gale Cello
Kelly Groucutt Bass, Percussion, Vocals
Mik Kaminski Violin
Hugh McDowell Cello
Richard Tandy Synthesizer, Keyboards, Vocals
Technical Credits
Jeff Lynne Producer, Audio Production
Nick Gravenites Producer
Harvey Brooks Producer
W. Pete Producer
Kosh Cover Design
Ria Lewerke Cover Design
Shusei Nagaoka Illustrations
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 3 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(1)

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Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    POP/ROCK MASTERPIECE

    This double LP ( in the vinyl age) is worthy of being mentioned as one of those great double albums of the 70's, right there alongside with Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and Kiss' "Alive'. The song "Starlight" is pure pop bliss, as well as the other well known hits like "Turn to Stone" and "Sweet Talkin' Woman". The album even has a sort of mini symphony in "Concerto for a Rainy Day" which is a delight to listen to on, you guessed it, a rainy day! Wonderful and lush production by Jeff Lynne.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 27, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 4, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews