All over the world - oh, and Xanadu too
I always knew, since the first posting I did on Sucky CD Sunday, that this post was inevitable so I figure, why prolonged the inevitable? Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you - the Electric Light Orchestra.
There has been a lot of tribute paid to music of the 70's and much credit for that should go to Hotwire, who has really put that much maligned decade back into the black (oh, yeah, didn't Back in Black come out in the 70's too?) but ELO was one of my first introductions into the decade's music when little Pog and her 27-year-old mother would go every weekend to the roller disco. Pog's fav song to take those corners under the disco lights was "Don't Bring Me Down". It was way better than "My Sharona" by the Knack or "I Can't Smile without You" by Manillo - thank God they saved that for couples skate. It was knocked out only by "Hey 19" by Steely Dan, some years later (again, thanks for the memories Hotwire!)
ELO's angle was that the band was supposed to be this science-fiction based band whose music and look and everything was supposed to be futuristic. The problem with that is that they never really sounded "futuristic" just "over-engineered" and they were dated about 2 days after they launched their records. It reminds me of those movies made in the 70's that were set in 2000-something which were so indicative of the 1970's that it is worth watching them for the laugh - Like the James Caan version of Roller Ball.
I bet everyone reading this likes, sort of, at least one ELO song, whether is be "Evil Woman" or "Livin' Thing". It's ok, we are not here to judge. I bet everyone reading this hates one too - like, will-not-even-let-it-stay-on-the-car-radio-if-you-are-underneath-it-and-have-to-wheel- yourself-from-under-the-chassie hate. Songs like "Xanadu" and "Telephone Line" spring to mind. But keep this in mind whether you are secretly digging an ELO song or scrambling to turn them off - they had an undeniable influence in the culture of the 1970s. They provided a vision of the future which would permeate into every aspect of our lives.
Remember this?
Tell me you don't see the ELO album cover influence.May the force be with you.
posted by pog mo thoin @ 5:30 AM
4 Comments:
Man, I just got flashbacks of playing ping pong or match box cars with the neighborhood kids! I never noticed the Simon cover/elo cover connection. that's so funny. I loved Simon! That was the first of all those eletronic games and along with Atari on a rainy afternoon in 1978 with the radio blaring "Evil Women" ...we had it made! Those were the days!
hey, thanks for the shout out.
although i wouldn't say that i'm a big elo fan, and you are exactly right with your 'overproduced' comment, i do like it when their songs come on the radio and i even have a 'best of' cd that i burned a few years ago.
i remember that during the summer before my senior year of high school i heard 'don't bring me down' on the radio every day on the way to football practice and all the guys would sing it all day long...
I totally want to hear music for ELO now!!!
Xanadu--remember that Olivia Newtown-John movie!
And, if you couldn't guess, I ROCKED at Simon!
I'm sorry, but ELO is cool. Jeff Lynn (The guy who wrote, sang, and Produced all of their stuff) rocks. You might remember him as the dude in the Traveling Wulburry's that nobody knew. ELO had a good sound.
BTW - I've rented a roller rink for my 40th birthday party. 2 1/2 hours of bad 70's and 80's music.
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