Out of the Blue

Reminds me of me da, he loved ELO. This isn't what I normally go for but it hit me in the right mood at the right time! It's inconsistent and kinda strange in places but it just worked for me today

This is very jaunty. The band name is a good name for how they sound. Somewhat Ace & Queen-esque (I guess a different card name would also suit).

Highlights: 'Summer and Lightning' (I suspect because I've heard it before, although I'm not sure why since it doesn't seem to be a single or in any TV shows?), 'Mr. Blue Sky' (also heard this one before, but so has everyone)

Love this album!

I had a visceral negative reaction to this. There's something about expertly produced and brilliantly executed music that completely lacks personality or soul that makes me question whether I even like music.

I don't generally agree with cliches like "punk killed prog" and "grunge killed hair metal" as I don't think music trends work like that in reality - people just need black-and-white narratives to make sense of all the mess. But if punk needed to murder something in Britain in 1977, it's whatever this album is.

Jeg trodde jeg var mer fan av ELO, mest pga den EMINENTE "Evil Woman", men det er jeg altså ikke. Joda, det er noen fete låter, men veldig ofte er det bare glattpolert, sjelløst softrock, mens i andre tilfeller er det Queen med alle kanter pusset bort. Aldri likt "Mr. Blue Sky" heller, men "Jungle" er låt.

I really love ELO. Some amazing songs on here, towards the end there’s a few that are just ok. But that’s what makes double albums tricky I suppose!

Super long, but the songwriting is impeccable.

4.5/5.0

fun album but not good enough to justify the runtime

I know ELO for only one song, "Mr Blue Sky", which gained new popularity thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2. I've been wanting to discover their music since then.

Sides 1 and 2 are pretty great. They're fun, joyful, often beautiful and eclectic. But the album really reaches its heights with side 3 and the Concerto for a Rainy Day, which is kind of its own concept album within the album. Side 4 then hits you with the hypnotic sci-fi sounding "Whale". Great shit throughout.

Rest of the album is enjoyable but Mr Blue Sky is the clear number 1 cut on this album, what else do you want me to say

Ah, what a treat this morning and a perfect album to start my holiday! ELO basically synthesized symphonic rock sound and made it sound so easy. This is super enjoyable, great, fun album, it is a bit long though, drags a bit so at most 4 stars. Clearly highly influences by The Beatles, and they, themselves have stated if they haven't separated they would sound like ELO, so this is not too surprising at all, great stuff all in all.

Nice! This album is so, so fun.
And what a genre mix this is! There's boogie/rock, classical, disco and even electronic elements, and on top we get sweet Beatles-like melodies. Sounds like a "great in theory, total mess in practise" thing, but no, ELO actually make it work.
Now, the downside is, not all songs hit the same. The B- and D-sides are weaker than their front counterparts. And speaking of B and D... I get that you had lots of ideas, guys, but 70 minutes of this eclectic whirlwind is too long.
All in all, I enjoyed it and will be back for more.
3.5/5 - very good

I would rank the spaceship albums like this:

1. Boston (10/10)
2. Out Of The Blue (10/10)
3. Mothership Connection (10/10)

Honorable mention to Escape by Journey which should absolutely be in the book.

simply a good time

I've seen a million second hand copies of this record, but have never heard it. Within 15 seconds it sounds like 10CC - which came first? As we progress it feels highly influenced by John Lennon and the Smile project by the Beach Boys. No Heroes & Villains, no Out Of The Blue.

Quite a few good songs, but instantly forgettable, plus lyrically so-so. Mr Blue Sky is still a belter, and Jungle seems to have been a very direct influence on the Rocket From The Crypt b-side Tarzan.

Overall, this feels like the purest essence of BBC Radio 2 for a 40 year spell.

ELO definitely belongs on this list, but for my money it would be the previous record (New World Record) a tighter collection of phenomenal orchestral pop. Blue is comparatively bloated and less satisfying, though with lots of quality if this style of music is in your wheelhouse. I owned the single of “Turn To Stone” as a preteen, and it still provokes a little chill.

Pleasantly surprised it wasn't just Mr Blue Sky. Some great songs in here. Too long though

This feels like the type of music Punk was rebelling against, rather than Prog rock. It's all fine and there are a lot of familiar songs on here, but ELO often feels kind of soulless. It's Pop, but the type of Pop music that seems to take itself too seriously. Either be a Pop album or a 4 side long piece with a side long rainy day concerto, both doesn't relaly work. Everything here is fine and I can't say I really disliked any moment, but I'm never really moved by any particular ELO song.

I won’t be revisiting, but this was a pretty enjoyable album. For the vibes, it gets a 4

So it turns out I just might not like ELO all that much. There are some good moments throughout this album and Mr. Blue Sky is still a great song, but it honestly felt a bit overdone by the time I got to it. Overall, listening to over an hour of maximalist prog classic rock is exhausting.