Electric Light Orchestra—Out of the Blue

Electric Light Orchestra—Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue—Divisive though it may be, Out of the Blue was the defining Electric Light Orchestra record set. It wasn't their breakout LP—that was the gold-selling Eldorado (1974)—but it is the greatest testament to Jeff Lynne's talents. ELO are one of those bands where it's hard to say what their best-known song is, but one of them is certainly the revved-up, bipolar blues "Turn to Stone," which always impresses with its call-and-response lyrics. "It's Over" is one of their great album cuts, featuring striking minor-key dips during its chorus. The sweetly obsessive march "Sweet Talkin' Woman" is their peak here—3:50 of symphonic pop bliss (check that chanting in the back of the third verse) and agent of Lynne's underrated humor ("Home run") as well as a great drumming change-up at the end of the song. "Across the Border" accurately portrays the feeling of constant movement.

The dissonant "Night in the City" could have been inspired by Lynne's impending divorce, while "Starlight" sounds like it was written for a child, though Lynne's daughters wouldn't be born for a few years; notwithstanding, it features a notably excellent outro refrain. "Jungle" is the album's cheesiest moment, though as always that's part of the charm, and "joyful harmony" is right. The vocoder interlude "Believe Me Now" sets up the melodramatic closer of the original first LP, "Steppin' Out."

Side three is comprised entirely of the "Concerto for a Rainy Day." which are words that can be heard synthesized at the beginning of "Standin' in the Rain" just after the opening melody. Lynne flexes his prog muscles for the first time in a long while before leading into the movie-music epic "Big Wheels," which is at least more bearable than "Xanadu." The self-empowering "Summer and Lightning" is brighter and more palatable; the celebrated and celebratory "Mr. Blue Sky" is one of Lynne's best melodies. He sneaks in the line, "Hey you with the pretty face/Welcome to the human race," belying a different topic, and closes the song on the comically sentimental note, "But soon comes Mr. Night/Creepin' over, now his/Hand is on your shoulder/Never mind; I'll remember you this way."

"Sweet Is the Night," partially sung by bassist Kelly Groucutt, is one of those songs that probably could have been a hit with a few tweaks; the melodies are great, but they're overloaded with sound effects, the tempo is a little too sluggish, and the lyrics are among Jeff Lynne's most poetic. "The Whale" is a pleasant but mystifyingly out-of-place instrumental. "Birmingham Blues" tributes Lynne's hometown, but with the knowing end verse, "I'll go and stay a while and all the folks I meet /They'll say, 'You won't stay long, you got them travelling feet'/You'll soon be long gone/'Cause boy, you got the rest of the world blues." The love-it-or-feel-ambivalent-about-it "Wild West Hero," if it fails, fails because of its strangely unsympathetic subject matter, which is exactly what it purports to be: "I wish I was a Wild West hero."

It's easy to see why Out of the Blue is not as beloved as its sales might indicate. It sags here and there outside of side one, and the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" wasn't good enough to merit such ostentation. On the other hand, there are nice little moments scattered throughout the record that jump out on each new listen, even on the lesser songs. If not their best, the album may at least be their most fun.