A JEFF LYNNE AND RELATED BLOG

AN OCTOBER MOVE

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:51:17 GMT

Play.com now saying the Move box set is out October 27... 31 unreleased titles.

OLE EBAY

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:36:36 GMT

Holy cow...

PLAYLIST

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:53:35 GMT

It appears the ELO Playlist CD is already out.

Indeed, this is a re-packaged Essential Electric Light Orchestra collection from 2003. The one difference, there's an enhanced section on the CD that leads you to additional photos (including one of the newer shots of Jeff used in the Yamaha magazine article about him), credits and most notibly, 2 new wallpapers. I had a hell of time trying to access the wallpaper, but here are direct links to them:

http://feature.legacyrecordings.com/playlist/ELO/playlist_elo_1024x768.jpg

http://feature.legacyrecordings.com/playlist/ELO/playlist_elo_1680x1050.jpg

http://feature.legacyrecordings.com/playlist/ELO/playlist_elo2_1680x1050.jpg

http://feature.legacyrecordings.com/playlist/ELO/playlist_elo2_1024x768.jpg

By the way, if you think the Essential madness is over, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Judas Preist, Journey and several others are getting Essential 3.0 releases. They contain a third music CD of more hits and fan favorites. Funny.

Two other observations: 1) There are no post-1974 group photos in the enhanced section... and 2) There's an ELO Part II CD in the discography.

MOVE ANTHOLOGY 1966-1972

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:05:52 GMT

The long awaited Move Anthology 4 CD box set will apparently be out on September 29 in the UK. The track list according to Play.com:

Disc 1: 1966 - 1967

You're The One I Need
I Can't Hear You No More
Is It True
Respectable
Night Of Fear (Alternate Version)
Disturbance (Undubbed Alternate Version)
I Can Hear The Grass Grow (Full-Length Version)
Move
Wave The Flag And Stop The Train
(Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree (Stereo)
Flowers & Lemon Tea (Tony Visconti Talks To The Players)
Flowers In The Rain
Cherry Blossom Clinic (Enhanced Stereo)
Vote For Me (Mono)
Fire Brigade (Early Piano Version; Rough Mix)
Useless Information
Yellow Rainbow (Enhanced Stereo)
Kilroy Was Here (Enhanced Stereo)
Fire Brigade
The Girl Outside (Alternate Take)
Mist On A Monday Morning (Enhanced Stereo)
Flowers In The Rain (Acoustic Version; Rough Mix)
Simple Simon (Take 6 Backing Track; Rough Mix)

Disc 2: Live At The Marquee 1968

Move Bolero (Live)
It'll Be Me(Live)
Too Much In Love (Live)
Flowers In The Rain (Live)
Fire Brigade (Live)
Stephanie Knows Who (Live)
Something Else (Live)
So You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star (Live)
The Price Of Love (Live)
Piece Of My Heart (Live) *
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher (Live)
Sunshine Help Me (Live)

Disc 3: 1968 - 1969

Somethin Else (EP Version)
Sunshine Help Me (EP Version)
Wild Tiger Woman (UK Single Edit)
Omnibus (Enhanced Stereo)
Blackberry Way
A Certain Something (Piano Version; Rough Mix)
Curly
Second Class (She's Too Good For Me) (Part 1)
Second Class (She's Too Good For Me) (Part 2)
Beautiful Daughter (Reduced Mix)
This Time Tomorrow
Hello Susie (Abridged)
Dont Make My Baby Blue
The Last Thing On My Mind
Open My Eyes (Live At Fillmore West 1969)

Disc 4: 1969 - 1972

I Can Hear The Grass Grow (Fillmore West 1969)
Brontosaurus (US Promo Edit)
When Alice Comes Back To The Farm
Turkish Tram Conductor Blues (Take 5; Rough Mix)
Feel Too Good
Lightnin' Never Strikes Twice
Ella James
Tonight (US Edited Version)
Do Ya (Edited Version)
Chinatown
California Man
The Duke Of Edinburgh's Lettuce

I have to admit, I'm not terribly excited by this track list yet.

A SKATELY PLEASURE-DOME DECREE

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:32:08 GMT

While taking this week off, I thought I'd take in a show. Actually, I meant to see Xanadu on Broadway a while ago, I just had major fears about what I was going to see when I got there. I'm not really a Broadway musicals fanatic, but after 2 Tony award nominations, I figured it was worth trying.

But it was hard to get to that point. Xanadu (the film) got some of the most horrifying reviews ever. I mean, what's not to love about a creative muse who pops out of a mural with her 8 sisters and persuades 2 men (a character played Gene Kelly one of them) to open a roller disco?

Frankly, the new Broadway cast CD and performances on TV didn't help me. I just didn't see it translating well.

That was then.

Flash forward to last night, I get my Playbill and my glow stick, then finally settle into my seat. Surprise #1, the Helen Hayes Theatre was a packed house.

The house lights dim, then I brace myself for the worst. The male lead, Cheyenne Jackson, sets up the first number. The music strikes up, the mural "comes to life" and the festivities begin. As soon as you realize that two of the muses were now guys, all bets were off.

Xanadu on Broadway was excellent.

It's now a jacked-up, and high-camp comedy only loosely based on the film. The talent was amazing, every one of them. And for the record, I caught it with Whoopie Goldberg... a huge bonus.

The jokes were far from stale. Like I said, two of the muses are now guys: the muse of comedy and the muse of dance. However, if that idea bothers you, stay as far away from this show as you can.

Otherwise, prepare to have a great time in a very Mama Mia-esque kinda way.

Rob Caiger, by the way, is interviewed about Jeff in Xanadu: The Book! Seriously! which is sold at the Helen Hayes Theatre. While Rob's interview is quite good, it should be an interview with Jeff. And given the Tony nominations and the good will, fun and humor this show is creating, Jeff may want to consider embracing this production very publicly. I'm not confident it's his kind of humor, but the show won over so many.

I'm almost shocked how much fun it was.

I'm now officially thankful Xanadu was an awful movie.

Here's their webiste, and for discount tickets (highly recommended, the show is not cheap) go to broadwayoffers.com and enter XUDVD85. For a larger premium, there are seats on the stage.

ROY ORBISON BOX

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:53:26 GMT

On top of what appears to be a complete overhaul of his website, there's a career-spanning box set from Roy Orbison on the docket for Tuesday September 30 from Legacy.

While there's nothing new studio-wise (unreleased) from his later years (Jeff Lynne-produced to be more to the point,) all 5 of Roy's released recordings with Jeff at the helm have made the cut as well as the Wilburys Not Alone Any More.

For the record, the only other Lynne-related track is a mash-up/remix of an old original and a newer version of Ooby Dooby. That did not make the cut.

Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty will be among a slew of artists who will contributing comments to the liner notes.

NOW, IT'S A PLAYLIST

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:42:11 GMT

Hope you're all having a great summer. News in the ELO world has been sparce, so the blog is getting a vacation break. Barring any major developments, the blog will pick up again in the coming weeks.

I did see a note on the latest Musictap.net entry that ELO will be one of the artists who will get a Playlist: The Very Best Of... CD on September 2 from Sony BMG.

There's allegedly an All Over The World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra CD (likely no different than the already existing UK version) in eco-friendly packing coming on Tuesday July 22. We'll see about that.

I wonder, though, if record companies push to recycle CD jewel cases, would we even need eco-friendly packaging? There's not much left to CDs after the jewel case, is there?

Anyway, have a great rest of the summer, everyone!

10 BEST COMEBACK ALBUMS

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:58:28 GMT

I feel it's my duty to bring little news tidbits to this blog even if the news is 2 months old. Thing is: I don't recall seeing this before.

Rolling Stone compiled the 10 Best Comeback Albums Ever. George Harrison's Cloud Nine is #8.

WELL, AT LEAST GENE KELLY ON ROLLER SKATES LOOKS CLEARER NOW...

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:09:07 GMT

Xanadu: Magical Music Edition is in stores beginning today and as promised the sound and picture quality has been substantially improved. So, all of that glitz and camp is more pronounced than ever before.

The bonus soundtrack CD is the current USA edition on MCA, so they didn't throw the fans a bone there.

The Going Back To Xanadu feature is admittedly a bit fun. A few observations from that: ELO is mentioned just once, the whole bit about the lengths they went through for the customes was interesting, (in addition to the director, producers and other major crew members,) they interviewed several of the dancers and two muses, 2 of the Tubes turned up, Michael Beck wasn't even mentioned by name, Olivia apparently declined to be interviewed, and holy shit, Thaaattt's Gene Kelly's widow?!!?!

OT: LONG LIVE LIFE

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:20:52 GMT

Just as I hoped, the new Coldplay record is out of control. For those of you who like Jeff's productions for the quality recordings they are, you might appreciate Cemeteries Of London (with a few seconds from the end of Life In Techicolor), Lost! and Yes.

Lost! was released in acoustic form (titled Lost? with a question mark) weeks before the album's release and it, without question, was a brilliant move. I learned and love the song in its acoustic form. When you get to the album version weeks later, you know it enough to sing along, only thing is: it blows the doors off your expectations.

What's also interesting is Reign of Love, Chinese Sleep Chant and The Escapist are presented more as interludes or segues instead of outright album tracks. Interesting idea. (Was Secret Messages the last time Jeff Lynne interluded between two songs??! Not sure I'd count Opening/Heaven Only Knows)

Between the free download of the first single, an exclusive b-side on vinyl, Lost?, the title track on iTunes and iTunes commercial, plus the full album on vinyl with full length CD inside of it, the marketing of this record is genius.

I recommend the lyrics to follow along.

The CD is already out in the UK, Tuesday for the States.