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Electric Light Orchestra
Bio
The Electric Light Orchestra's
ambitious yet irresistible fusion of Beatlesque
pop, classical arrangements, and futuristic iconography
rocketed the group to massive commercial success
throughout the 1970s. ELO was formed in Birmingham,
England in the autumn of 1970 from the ashes of
the eccentric art-pop combo the Move, reuniting
frontman Roy Wood with guitarist/composer Jeff
Lynne, bassist Rick Price, and drummer Bev Bevan.
Announcing their intentions to "pick up where
'I Am the Walrus' left off," the quartet
sought to embellish their engagingly melodic rock
with classical flourishes, tapping French horn
player Bill Hunt and violinist Steve Woolam to
record their self-titled debut LP (issued as No
Answer in the U.S.). In the months between the
sessions for the album and its eventual release,
the Move embarked on their farewell tour, with
Woolam exiting the ELO lineup prior to the enlistment
of violinist Wilf Gibson, bassist Richard Tandy,
and cellists Andy Craig and Hugh McDowell; despite
the lengthy delay, Electric Light Orchestra sold
strongly, buoyed by the success of the U.K. Top
Ten hit "10538 Overture."
However, Wood soon left ELO
to form Wizzard, taking Hunt and McDowell with
him; Price and Craig were soon out as well, and
with the additions of bassist Michael D'Albuquerque,
keyboardist Richard Tandy, and cellists Mike Edwards
and Colin Walker, Lynne assumed vocal duties,
with his Lennonesque tenor proving the ideal complement
to his increasingly sophisticated melodies. With
1973's ELO II, the group returned to the Top Ten
with their grandiose cover of the Chuck Berry
chestnut "Roll Over Beethoven"; the
record was also their first American hit, with
1974's Eldorado yielding their first U.S. Top
Ten, the lovely "Can't Get It Out of My Head."
Despite Electric Light Orchestra's commercial
success, the band remained relatively faceless;
the lineup changed constantly, with sole mainstays
Lynne and Bevan preferring to let their elaborate
stage shows and omnipresent spaceship imagery
instead serve as the group's public persona. 1975's
Face the Music went gold, generating the hits
"Evil Woman" and "Strange Magic,"
while the follow-up, A New World Record, sold
five million copies internationally thanks to
standouts like "Telephone Line" and
"Livin' Thing."
The platinum-selling double-LP,
Out of the Blue, appeared in 1977, although the
record's success was tempered somewhat by a lawsuit
filed by Electric Light Orchestra against their
former distributor, United Artists, whom the band
charged flooded the market with defective copies
of the album. Columbia distributed the remainder
of the group's output, issued through their own
Jet Records imprint, beginning with 1979's Discovery,
which notched the Top Ten entries "Shine
a Little Love" and "Don't Bring Me Down."
In the wake of ELO's best-selling Greatest Hits
compilation, Lynne wrote several songs for the
soundtrack of the Olivia Newton-John film Xanadu,
including the hit title track. The next proper
Electric Light Orchestra album, 1981's Time, generated
their final Top Ten hit, "Hold on Tight."
Following 1983's Secret Messages, Bevan left the
group to join Black Sabbath, although he returned
to the fold for 1986's Balance of Power, which
despite the presence of the Top 20 hit "Calling
America" received little interest from fans
and media alike.
However, as Electric Light Orchestra's
career descended, Lynne emerged as a sought-after
producer, helming well-received comebacks from
George Harrison (1987's Cloud Nine) and Roy Orbison
(1989's Mystery Girl) and additionally re-teaming
with both rock legends as well as Bob Dylan and
Tom Petty in the hit supergroup the Traveling
Wilburys. Lynne made his solo debut in 1990 with
Armchair Theatre but otherwise spent the decade
out of the limelight, instead producing material
for Joe Cocker, Tom Jones, and Paul McCartney
in addition to working on the Beatles' Anthology
project. In 1988, meanwhile, Bevan formed Electric
Light Orchestra Part II with vocalist Neil Lockwood,
keyboardist Eric Troyer, and bassist Pete Haycock;
although Lynne filed suit against the group (hence
the "Part II" tag), a self-titled LP
followed in 1991, with a live collection recorded
with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra appearing a
year later. Outside of 1994's Moment of Truth,
subsequent ELO II releases have been live efforts
as well.
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