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Our Electric Light Orchestra’s Best Song on Each of Their Studio Albums article presents the songs of one of our favorite bands of all time. We first saw Electric Light Orchestra in concert back in the 1970s. They put on one of the most exciting rock concerts we ever saw. Their laser shows were phenomenal. That is, of course, before lasers were banned. Bands used to actually shoot the lasers right into the audience. The ’70s were a crazy time. Nonetheless, this is a band that has never disappointed me, except maybe when they jumped on that Xanadu bandwagon. But hey, that was just another example of the ’70s pop culture kind of losing itself amidst that whole disco phenomenon. In the end, they have remained one of the greatest rock and roll acts of all time, led by the multi-talented Jeff Lynne, who my friend Kevin Miniham always called “son of the Beatles.”
The Electric Light Orchestra (No Answer) – “10538 Overture”
Released: December 1971
Electric Light Orchestra’s debut album was also called No Answer in the United States, although not in the UK. Nonetheless, what really matters is the music, and as we start off this list, the choice here goes to the brilliant opening track “10538 Overture.”
ELO 2 – “Roll Over Beethoven”
Released: March 1973
The second album by Electric Light Orchestra, ELO 2, was filled with only five songs. They just happened to be five really long songs. This was an interesting album in which we saw the band exploring which direction they were going to take. Progressive rock music was at an all-time high in 1973, and the band reflected this trend. Although in the end, they would steer the ship more towards shorter songs on all their subsequent albums. The choice here had to go to their classic rock rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven.”
On the Third Day – “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
Released: November 1973
On the Third Day, which was a perfect title for a band’s third album, saw ELO beginning to find their voice. It’s a great record filled with nine songs that capture the essence of what ELO was becoming. The popular choice here would have been “Showdown.” Instead, we went with the band’s interpretation of the classic Grieg epic “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”
Eldorado – “Can’t Get It Out of My Head”
Released: September 1974
Eldorado would become the album in which Electric Light Orchestra started to find a much wider audience. The reason behind the band’s growth in popularity is the success of the striking single “Can’t Get It Out of My Head.” This is by far the strongest song on the album and easily gets the pick here.
Face the Music – “One Summer Dream”
Released: September 1975
Face the Music is the album that broke Electric Light Orchestra worldwide. This phenomenal album included major hits like “Evil Woman” and “Strange Magic.” The album’s opening track, “Fire on High,” also became a TV staple on sports programs. However, the song that we always felt was the strongest track on the album, and maybe in their entire career, is the closing number “One Summer Dream,” which gets the pick here.
A New World Record – “Telephone Line”
Released: October 1976
As big as the album Face the Music had become, Jeff Lynne and his band came rolling back with an even bigger one in A New World Record. This striking album dominated the radio and is filled with great songs, including the hits “Livin’ Thing,” “Do Ya,” and the pick here, “Telephone Line,” which was easily our favorite song right from the start.
Out of the Blue – “Mr. Blue Sky”
Released: October 1977
What a run Electric Light Orchestra had between 1975 and 1977, with three albums in a row that just blew everybody’s rock and roll minds. It all culminated with the release of their double album Out of the Blue. We didn’t even realize how great this was when it was first released. The ’70s were just so fueled by great rock and roll albums coming out from all directions. We thought it would last forever; how wrong we were. There are many great songs to pick from this album, but in the end, we had to go with what we thought was one of the best songs the band had ever released, the extraordinarily upbeat “Mr. Blue Sky.”
Discovery – “Last Train to London”
Released: June 1979
Many people felt Discovery was a bit of a letdown after the extraordinary album Out of the Blue. However, this was still a great rock and roll record; its only fault was that it was released in the shadow of Out of the Blue. The opening song “Shine a Little Love” was a brilliant piece of music, as well as “Confusion,” “Need Her Love,” and, of course, the big single “Don’t Bring Me Down.” Nonetheless, our favorite track on this album was the cool, soulful rhythm and blues tune “The Last Train to London.”
Xanadu (Soundtrack) “All Over the World”
Released: June 1980
Some people would not count the Xanadu soundtrack album as an Electric Light Orchestra album. The band only shares one side of the album with Olivia Newton-John, who shared the other side. It’s a soundtrack, so of course, this is a bit of an outlier in their catalog. But still, we felt we should include this on the list for fun’s sake. The pick here is “All Over the World,” and that’s it.
Time – “Twilight”
Released: July 1981
The ’80s did not serve the band as well as the ’70s did. During the decade, Jeff Lynne would become a sought-after producer. This is really not the same Electric Light Orchestra that we all came to love in the 1970s. The band was still putting out good music, but it just wasn’t the same. The pick here is “Twilight.”
Secret Messages – “Bluebird”
Released: June 1983
When Secret Messages was released in 1983, it was clear that Jeff Lynne was starting to really get the bug to work with other artists. Following this album, he would produce two albums with legendary rockabilly rocker Dave Edmunds. Despite this, Electric Light Orchestra fans continued to be loyal to the band, buying their albums. My favorite song on this one was “Bluebird,” which has nothing to do with the Paul McCartney song.
Balance of Power – “Heaven Only Knows”
Released: March 1986
By the time Balance of Power was released, Jeff Lynne was just about to begin his second career as a big-time producer and a founding member of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys. In the late ’80s, Jeff Lynne would also produce albums by Tom Petty, George Harrison, Duane Eddy, and Brian Wilson. Electric Light Orchestra didn’t seem to be first and foremost on his mind anymore. This is not one of our favorite Electric Light Orchestra albums, and the pick here goes to the opening track “Heaven Only Knows” by default.
Zoom – “A Long Time Gone”
Released: June 2001
Alone in the Universe – “When I Was a Boy”
Released: November 2015
Once again, almost 15 years would pass between ELO albums. During this time, Jeff Lynne released his second solo album. Interestingly, it was no longer called Electric Light Orchestra but rather Jeff Lynne’s ELO. The album featured the standout single, which was also the opening track, “When I Was a Boy,” which gets the pick here.
From Out of Nowhere – “Time of Our Life”
Released: November 2019
From Out of Nowhere is Electric Light Orchestra’s most recent studio album. The album was recorded at Jeff Lynne’s home studio in Los Angeles, which made it much easier for Jeff to compose and record all the songs at his own pace. One of our favorite songs on the album, and the choice here, is the wonderful “Time of Our Life.”
Read more of our Electric Light Orchestra and related articles…….
Complete List Of Electric Light Orchestra Albums And Songs
Top 10 Electric Light Orchestra Songs
Why We Loved Electric Light Orchestra’s Out Of The Blue Album
Top 10 Traveling Wilburys Songs
Complete List Of Traveling Wilburys Albums And Songs
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