version was more substantially truncated. single issue presented the album track minus its orchestral introduction, while the U.S. ("10538 Overture" occupies the flipside in a live version.) The dramatic "Nightrider" (with a stunningly cinematic string arrangement) and another beautiful ballad, "Strange Magic," were also released as singles from FTM. counterpart, though still more than a minute was sliced off the album track. The gleeful pop lament from 1975's Face the Music was less severely edited for the U.K. A live "Daybreaker" can be heard here as the B-side of the later release "Nightrider.") The haunting "Can't Get It Out of My Head," the group's first ballad A-side, marked another step forward for Lynne as a songwriter and ELO's first top ten in America.Īnother breakthrough came with "Evil Woman," ELO's debut single on the Jet label, which became a top ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic and one of Lynne's signature songs. in favor of the proggy "Daybreaker" as the B-side.
("Oh No Not Susan," featuring a rare profanity for ELO, was jettisoned in the U.S. Rex's Marc Bolan opposite Lynne on dueling guitar) features a unique single mix. Records" palm-tree labels are seen on "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" b/w "Oh No Not Susan" and "Can't Get It Out of My Head" b/w "Illusions in G Major." In addition to an edit, the rocking "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" (featuring T. for the U.K., so the famous "Burbank, Home of Warner Bros. 2)" from sophomore album ELO 2, and is one of two tracks from that album to feature Roy Wood (on bass and cello) in his final contributions to the band.īoth On the Third Day and its conceptual follow-up, 1974's Eldorado, ended up on Warner Bros. Its instrumental B-side, "In Old England Town," was a unique edit of "In Old England Town (Boogie No.
With slashing strings, searing guitars, and an irresistible hook, "Showdown" attracted the favorable attention of John Lennon. version of the band's third album, 1973's fittingly-entitled On the Third Day. The song has a bit of checkered history it was released as a non-LP single in the U.K. 3, "Showdown." While still in a prog/symphonic rock vein, its funky, R&B flourishes were new to ELO. His knack for a hook was evident on Single No. When Wood departed from the ranks just as "10538 Overture" was rising up the charts, Lynne took control of the band, eventually nudging it in a sophisticated, melodic pop direction without losing sight of his grand ambitions and classical sensibilities. Indeed, "a bit much" seemingly wasn't in Lynne's vocabulary. One might have thought that crossing Chuck Berry's jubilant oldie with Beethoven's actual Fifth would be a bit much, but ELO pulled it off in majestic fashion. They showcased Lynne's naturally Beatle-esque vocals (of course, they recorded "Roll Over") but also took the Fabs' classical influences a big step further. singles.ĮLO's first three singles appeared on EMI's progressive Harvest imprint, including "Roll Over Beethoven" b/w "Queen of the Hours," both sides of which bore the influence of the Fab Four on Jeff Lynne. And be sure to keep your 45 adapter handy replicating the original releases, some of the disks have the larger center holes more common to U.S. This hasn't been done on the cheap the Harvest sleeves, for instance, have the appropriate fold-over flap rather than being printed as a flat sleeve. Records, Jet Records, and United Artists in various original designs. These sixteen 45s are all packaged in replica sleeves and labels bearing the nostalgic logos of Harvest, Warner Bros. But the real thrill here is seeing and feeling these singles as they first appeared. The 34 tracks on this collection, all in their original single versions (many of which were edited from the lengthier album renditions), would certainly make for an enjoyable CD or vinyl set. The box set is available exclusively through the official ELO webstore. Singles Volume One 1972-1978, containing sixteen vinyl replica 45s from the electrifying first era of the band's remarkable history. That single naturally kicks off Legacy Recordings' new box set The U.K. release would follow one month later), and ELO was born. Backed with Wood's "Classical Gas"-inspired instrumental composition "First Movement (Jumping Biz)," "10538 Overture" was issued on Harvest Records in June 1972 in the U.K. The pair reveled in the wonders of double-tracking as they created their own hard rock orchestra. Wood had overdubbed what he later remembered as a "cheap Chinese cello" onto the driving track which the two singers/multi-instrumentalists had created with the aid of Bill Hunt on French horn and Steve Woolam on violin. The A-side of Electric Light Orchestra's first 45 had been originally written for The Move, but once it was recorded, it was clear to songwriter-producer Jeff Lynne and his co-producer and bandmate Roy Wood that "10538 Overture" was the sound of a different band altogether.