Here are just a few of the fun facts to be picked up from the inner-sleeve credits on Out of the Blue, ELO's double-LP set: Jeff Lynne's Marshall amps are custom-made be Tony Frank; all ELO road cases are made by Anvil; no less than fourteen utilized in the creation of this work; engineer Mack "slaved over a hot mixer for 1127 hours." Here's my favorite, though: Bev Bevan uses Slingerland "Bev Bevan" drumsticks. One could say that ELO is more than a bit smitten with itself.

One could say it, and one would be right, though self-absorption is not any grounds for attacking a rock band; it's almost impossible to think of a band or an artist that isn't mainly ego. When one crosses over into self-indulgence, however, it's a different story completely. I didn't read the credits until after I had waded through the four sides of this totally uninteresting and horrifyingly sterile package. What I heard was a meticulously produced and performed set of songs, with subtle nods to the Beach Boys ("Across the Border" has a melodic passage identical to "Heroes & Villains"), the Bee Gees ("Starlight" and "Steppin' Out" both feature Jeff Lynne as Robin Gibb) and, of course, the Beatles (clearly Lynne's biggest influence). And without any noticeable passion or emotion. All method and no madness: perfectly hollow and bland rock Muzak. Solos are virtually nonexistent, which makes perfect sense because an individual statement by any one instrument would set the ELO ship jaggedly off course by injecting some heart into the proceedings. Group commander Jeff Lynne obviously is consumed by his vision of the totality of the ELO sound, floating slowly through the void.

Original album advertising art. Click image for larger view.

- Billy Altman, Rolling Stone, 1-12-78.

Bonus Reviews!

The Electric Light Orchestra was responsible for "Telephone Line," one of the best-made and most pleasing singles of 1977, and in this two-record set they offer some dandy follow-ups. Out of the Blue is not an "album" so much as it is a collection of potential singles. There are seventeen selections, each performed with the craftsmanship and sass that distinguish ELO under the direction of Jeff Lynne, who is responsible for the music, lyrics, lead vocals, and production. Among the standouts in this delightful package of bonbons are "Turn to Stone," "Birmingham Blues," "Night in the City," and the hilarious, dopey "Jungle," which features an insert by the student bodies of Spratley's Dancing Academy tapping their collective toes off. First-rate pop.

- Joel Vance, Stereo Review, 3/78.

This versatile group's first double pocket LP with 17 cuts all tracked at Munich's Musicland Studios may be its quintessential statement. While the music is certainly an extension of its well identified fusion of rock and amplified classical elements it manages to go one step beyond without being overproduced. All kinds of special effects such as echo and delay devices and the speech altering Vocoder are employed in the mix of high energy rockers and lush, ethereal ballads which make it a truly spectacular, multi-track extravaganza. Mind boggling possibilities for both AM and FM programming. Best cuts: "Turn To Stone," "It's Over," "Night In The City," "Jungle," "Sweet Is The Night," "Wild West Hero," "Standin' In The Rain," "Summer And Lightning."

- Billboard, 1977.

Reputed to have taken well over a thousand hours to mix, Out of the Blue represents the pinnacle of high-production "orchestral/art rock." Four of the songs here even go to make up a complete rock "concerto." ELO went through many personnel changes but always had a mainstay of classically trained players through the 'seventies who helped provide the incisive string presence required by mainman Jeff Lynne behind many of his compositions. The sound throughout is a many stranded web of multitracked voices and sound effects while rock and classical instruments jostle for room -- Compact Disc is suited to sorting out the strands and layers of the complex sound picture. A graininess is sometimes evident from CD, no doubt due to the original pushing contemporary recording and noise reduction techniques to the limit.

Originally released as a double-LP set, Out of the Blue has turned up as a single CD offering full use of the Compact Disc's extended playing time. This is one of the longest playing rock CDs that is neither a compilation or CD special and shows that the medium can offer high value -- given the willingness on the part of the record companies.

- David Prakel, Rock 'n' Roll on Compact Disc, 1987.

An over-produced, overwrought piece of pop fluff masquerading as something important. * * *

- Bruce Eder, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Jeff Lynne is a man with serious ambitions. That much was clear from the start, when he and two other ex-members of pre-ELO psychedelic pop outfit The Move announced that they would now pick up where The Beatles had left off with "I Am The Walrus." But even by Lynne's standards, Out Of The Blue was a daringly ambitious project -- a galaxy-spanning double platter that melded spacey art rock, Beatlesque pop, and sleek orchestral arrangements.

Despite its length, ...Blue does not contain much filler. It kicks off with a trio of tunes that rank among ELO's finest -- the giddy "Turn To Stone" and "Sweet Talkin' Woman" that bookended the meticulously produced "It's Over," a track that hints at what Lynne would later accomplish with George Harrison. The album draws inspiration from both Berry and Beethoven as it moves through rockers such as "Birmingham Blues" and the symphonic side-long "Concerto For A Rainy Day," which climaxes with "Mr. Blue Sky." The cinematic "Wild West Hero," complete with its McCartney-like refrain, brings the album to a triumphant close.

Released at the height of disco, Out Of The Blue was seen by some as a futuristic fish out of water. (The trippy spaceship cover was illustrator Shusei Nagaoka's expansive development of the UFO-shaped logo from the band's previous LP, A New World Record.) Nonetheless, it quickly became a platinum-selling hit and launched the band on one of the most ambitious world tours of the 1970s.

- Jim Harrington, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 2005.

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