81-579: Long Wave is the second solo album recorded by Jeff Lynne released on 8 October (UK) and 9 October 2012 (US). The album contains cover versions of songs that influenced Lynne's songwriting while growing up and residing in Birmingham . It was recorded between 2010 and 2012. The album debuted at number 7 on the UK Albums Chart and at number 1 on the UK Top 40 Independent Albums Chart, then also at number 133 on
162-611: A Bang & Olufsen 'Beocord 2000 De Luxe' stereo reel-to-reel tape recorder, which allowed multi-tracking between left and right channels. He says it "taught me how to be a producer". In 1966, Lynne joined the line-up of the Nightriders as guitarist, having responded to an advertisement in the Birmingham Evening Mail . The band soon changed their name to the Idle Race . Despite recording two critically-acclaimed albums with
243-455: A Reuters article on 23 April 2009, Lynne said that he had been working on the follow-up to his 1990 solo debut album Armchair Theatre with a possible tentative release date of "later this year". He also produced four tracks on Regina Spektor 's fifth album Far , released on 23 June 2009. In a March 2010 interview with the Daily Express newspaper, Lynne confirmed he was working on
324-585: A cult following , particularly among retrofuturist enthusiasts. Time is a work of synth-pop that combines elements from 1950s music, new wave , reggae , rockabilly , the Beatles , Phil Spector and the Shadows . The album signalled a departure from the band's sound by emphasising electronics over its usual orchestra. It is also the band's second concept album, the first being Eldorado in 1974. The music video created for its lead single , " Hold On Tight ",
405-420: A double album of Time , but they were instead issued as B-sides of later singles after Time was reduced to a single album. Lynne's comments on the album's concept are as follows: in 1981, a man drifts into a state of twilight (" Twilight "), where he appears to have entered the year 2095, meets a Gynoid ("Yours Truly, 2095"), and reflects on the 1980s, "back when things were so uncomplicated" (" Ticket to
486-664: A Bird " (1995), " Real Love " (1996), and " Now and Then " (2023). In 2014, Lynne re-formed ELO and resumed concert touring under the name "Jeff Lynne's ELO". Outside of ELO, Lynne's producing credits include the UK or US Top 10 albums Cloud Nine (Harrison, 1987), Mystery Girl (Orbison, 1989), Full Moon Fever (Petty, 1989), Into the Great Wide Open ( Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers , 1991), Flaming Pie ( Paul McCartney , 1997), and Get Up! ( Bryan Adams , 2015). Lynne
567-539: A Broken Heart "), the film Still Crazy , Hank Marvin (" Wonderful Land " and "Nivram") and Et Moi ("Drole De Vie"). In 1996, Lynne was officially recognised by his peers when he was awarded the Ivor Novello Award for "Outstanding Contributions to British Music" for a second time. In the year 2000, Lynne reactivated ELO and released the retrospective box set Flashback , containing many newly finished, previously unreleased tracks. The following year Lynne debuted
648-469: A case of the grandiosities. You'll find great sweeps of melody and plenty of high and low and loud and soft sounds for your expensive hi-fi equipment to chew on." Coppage remarked of the album's concept: "Ironically, all he [the narrator] does the whole time is whine about how he misses good old 1981 and the girl he left back there. You want to shake him by the shoulders and say, 'Man, have you no sense of adventure?'" Deborah Frost of Rolling Stone called
729-499: A concept but as far as pop sensibilities are concerned, ELO has no worries. Its brand of rock doesn't only sway. It soars." In his retrospective review for PopMatters , Kevin Mathews says that, despite Lynne's decision to embrace a new, synth-pop sound, "In essence … Time remained a quintessential ELO album." Mathews adds: "Once again, Lynne’s melodic craft, technical expertise, production skills and encyclopaedic pop authority made Time
810-471: A contract to deliver an album of new ELO music for Columbia Records marking the first time in 14 years new ELO music would be released. On 24 September 2015, " When I Was a Boy ", the first single from Alone in the Universe was released on the internet with a music video scheduled not long after. The album was released on 13 November 2015 and was followed by promotional shows including the first ELO shows in
891-452: A crowd of 60,000, playing a 24-song setlist including "Xanadu", "Do Ya" and "Twilight". The concert was released on DVD and CD, under the title Wembley or Bust . On 2 August 2018, Lynne and his band Jeff Lynne's ELO began a 10-city tour of North America which included Oakland , Los Angeles, Denver , Houston , Dallas , Rosemont, Illinois , Detroit , New York City, Philadelphia and Toronto . On 12 September 2018, Jeff Lynne's ELO began
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#1732854569307972-406: A heavily gated snare drum sound. During the 1980s and 1990s, Lynne collaborated on various projects with former members of the Beatles . The band had been a major influence on Lynne since the release of their debut album, Please Please Me , in 1963, and have continued to influence him throughout his career to date. In 1968, while performing with The Idle Race , Lynne and the other members of
1053-670: A live set of ELO's songs. This was broadcast on TV as part of the Mr. Blue Sky documentary. Lynne and Tandy reunited again on 12 November 2013 to perform, under the name Jeff Lynne and Friends, "Livin' Thing" and "Mr. Blue Sky" at the Children in Need Rocks concert at Hammersmith Eventim Apollo , London. On 9 February 2014, Lynne performed George Harrison's " Something " with Joe Walsh and Dhani Harrison on The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles , as well as " Hey Bulldog " from
1134-437: A marginally successful tour, Lynne kept this general approach with Secret Messages (1983) and a final contractually-obligated ELO album Balance of Power (1986). Lynne discusses the contractually-obligated nature of the final albums on the short interview included with the 'Zoom' DVD. ELO now had only three remaining official members (Lynne, Bevan and Tandy), and Lynne began devoting more time to producing. During his time in
1215-661: A member of ELO, and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2020. Born in Birmingham , Lynne became interested in music during his youth and was heavily inspired by the Beatles . He began his music career in 1963 as a member of the Andicaps, then left the group the next year to join the Chads. From 1966 to 1970, he was a founding member and principal songwriter of the Idle Race . In 1970, he accepted Roy Wood 's offer to join
1296-454: A mixed reception. On Time , bandleader Jeff Lynne chose to emphasise electronics over the band's orchestral sound. He wrote a collection of songs with a theme that focused on time travel and civilisation in the year 2095. The album's musical style draws from the 1950s , new wave , reggae , rockabilly and the work of artists such as the Beatles , Phil Spector and the Shadows . Writing for PopMatters , Kevin Mathews says that
1377-529: A new album with Joe Walsh and simultaneously "writing a couple of albums under his own name, though he won't tell us in which musical direction he's heading." Lynne contributed a cover of Buddy Holly 's " Words of Love " for the tribute album Listen to Me: Buddy Holly , which was released on 6 September 2011. On 31 December 2011, Brian Williams reported on NBC New Year's Eve with Carson Daly that "2012 releases will include rare new work from Jeff Lynne." In 2012, Walsh released his Analog Man album which
1458-565: A new album, called From Out of Nowhere , which was subsequently released on 1 November of the same year. The album was accompanied by the release of an eponymous single which premiered on BBC Radio 2 that same day. The album went to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. On 18 March 2024, Jeff Lynne's ELO announced the Over And Out Tour, a final tour of North America that would span from August to October 2024. Tandy died on 1 May 2024, at
1539-544: A prologue and an epilogue ... Although there is hardly any plot to thread the various songs together, the theme remains largely intact ... they embellish, rather than engage." A recurring line that appears in the album's epilogue is: "though you ride on the wheels of tomorrow, you still wander the fields of your sorrow". Rockol 's writer says that the protagonist revisits the place he once lived only to find that it has become unrecognisable ("The Way Life's Meant to Be"). Afterwards, he hopes that he may be able to return home with
1620-620: A public concert for the first time in over 25 years, headlining at the Radio 2 festival in Hyde Park, London . Never particularly enthusiastic for live performance even in his younger days, Lynne has called this event "easily the best concert I've ever been involved with". On 8 February 2015, Lynne appeared at the Grammy Awards, playing "Evil Woman" and " Mr. Blue Sky " with Ed Sheeran . On 10 September 2015, Lynne's website announced he had signed
1701-563: A solo career, with two albums: Armchair Theatre (1990) and Long Wave (2012). In 2014, Lynne received a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars , and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the following year. He received three Ivor Novello Awards , including the award for Outstanding Services to British Music. In 2017, Lynne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as
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#17328545693071782-465: A time machine, "but with all their great inventions and all their good intentions, here I stay" ("Rain Is Falling"). Following his final attempt to return to the past, the protagonist is invited to "hold on" (" Hold On Tight "). Author Adam Roberts calls Time a "future-set rock opera". According to music journalist Mark Beaumont , it is a concept album about a man who is abducted forward in time to
1863-464: A tour throughout Europe including dates in Stockholm , Oslo , Copenhagen , Hamburg , Berlin , Munich , Mannheim , Vienna , Amsterdam , Nottingham , Glasgow , Manchester , Newcastle upon Tyne , Birmingham , Leeds , London, Liverpool , Dublin , and Belfast . On 20 June 2019, Jeff Lynne's ELO began a North American tour with Dhani Harrison . On 26 September 2019, Jeff Lynne's ELO announced
1944-538: A treasure for all true connoisseurs of classic pop music. Surprisingly, this re-issue reveals an artist ahead of his time as Time stands head-and-shoulders above the hip electro-pop records of the day." The Quietus ' Joseph Stannard said that Time is a "very good album indeed", highlighting "Twilight" as "the most exciting song ever recorded ... Pulsating, momentous, charged with purpose and overstuffed with hooks, counter-hooks, sub-hooks and semi-hooks, 'Twilight' makes being abducted by time travellers sound like
2025-404: Is a concept album about a man from the 1980s who is taken to the year 2095, where he is confronted by the dichotomy between technological advancement and a longing for past romance. The record topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks, though it attracted mixed reviews for its heavy use of synthesizers and stylistic shift away from the orchestral rock of previous ELO albums. It has since gained
2106-479: Is one of her five favourite albums. In 1983, the tracks "Prologue" and "Twilight" were used as the soundtrack for the Daicon IV opening animation , an animated music video created for the 1983 Nihon SF Taikai convention. According to academic Mark W. MacWilliams, the convention would go down as "one of the most famous otaku events of all time". "Hold On Tight" was also used in a post-feature short that showcased
2187-405: Is the mother of Sarah Sutherland and Michelle Kath. Despite his success, Lynne has spoken of his aversion to the stereotypical rock star lifestyle. Reflecting on the 1970s, he told Rolling Stone magazine: "I was reluctant to become a real rock star. I was shy and was always told to not get a big head. And my favourite thing in the world was to work 14 hours a day in the studio. Everything else
2268-471: The Anthology album series. At Harrison's request, Lynne was brought in to assist in reevaluating John Lennon 's original studio material. The songs " Free as a Bird " and " Real Love " were created by digitally processing Lennon's demos for the songs and overdubbing the three surviving band members to form a virtual Beatles reunion that the band had mutually eschewed during Lennon's lifetime. He also worked on
2349-486: The Yellow Submarine soundtrack , while accompanying Dave Grohl , commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles ' performance on The Ed Sullivan Show . On 5 March 2014, Lynne received an honorary doctorate degree from Birmingham City University . He also mentioned he was working with Bryan Adams on new material. On 14 September 2014, Jeff Lynne and his touring band, under the name Jeff Lynne's ELO , played
2430-627: The 2020 Birthday Honours for services to music. He is a fan of Birmingham City F.C. See also: The Idle Race discography , the Move discography , Electric Light Orchestra discography , Traveling Wilburys discography Co-produced 1972 United Artists Co-produced A-sides A-sides co-produced B-sides B-sides co-produced Time (ELO album) Time is the ninth studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (credited as ELO), released in July 1981 on Jet Records . It
2511-521: The Concert for George DVD, released in November 2003, which later received a Grammy . Lynne reunited in 2006 with Petty to produce the latter's third solo release, Highway Companion . In 2004, Lynne and Petty inducted Harrison into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , then played " Handle with Care " with Dhani Harrison , also " While My Guitar Gently Weeps " adding Prince , Steve Winwood , and others. In
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2592-565: The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). The original idea was that both bands would exist in tandem. Bevan has, however, since suggested that Lynne had little interest in the Move, stating: "The only reason Jeff Lynne ever joined the Move was to form a new band. He was never interested in being a part of the Move." The band's eponymous first album was released in December 1971, featuring heavy contributions from Lynne and Wood and producing
2673-453: The Top 10 record charts in the UK. After ELO's original disbandment in 1986, he began producing for various artists. In 1988, under the pseudonyms Otis Wilbury and Clayton Wilbury , he co-founded the supergroup Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison , Bob Dylan , Roy Orbison , and Tom Petty . Lynne co-produced the Beatles' Anthology reunion singles from John Lennon demos, " Free as
2754-548: The 1970s and 1980s, ELO released a string of top 10 albums and singles, including the band's most commercially successful album, the double album Out of the Blue (1977). Two ELO albums reached the top of the British chart: the disco -inspired Discovery (1979) and the science fiction –themed concept album Time (1981). In 1986, Lynne disbanded the group after losing interest in it. Lynne produced all fifteen ELO singles that rose to
2835-449: The 1983 anime opening animation Daicon IV . In 2001, a CD reissue of Time included three additional tracks that were originally left off the LP. Time followed the albums Discovery , on which ELO had dispensed with their three-man string section (although orchestration was used on the album), and Xanadu , the soundtrack to the 1980 musical film of the same name , which was met with
2916-552: The Alan Parsons Project and Wings rather than Lynne's "fascination with Pepper -era Beatles". The Independent ranked Time as 17th on their list of 20 most underrated albums, with Beaumont writing that "its sonics would more quickly become a blueprint for Eighties synthpop and inspire the likes of Daft Punk , Grandaddy and Ladyhawke ." According to Beaumont, Time is the most influential album of ELO's catalogue. The book The Time Traveler's Almanac cites it as
2997-449: The Beatles' sound of '68 and '69. That has obviously been a big influence on the way [he] looked at songwriting" and said that being compared with The Beatles was the "ultimate compliment". Lynne's Beatles influence was clearly evident in his ELO work, and the connection to the Beatles was strengthened when Lynne produced George Harrison 's Cloud Nine . The latter was a successful comeback album for Harrison, released in 1987, featuring
3078-596: The Electric Light Orchestra, Lynne had managed to release a few recordings under his own name. In 1976, Lynne covered the Beatles songs " With a Little Help from My Friends " and " Nowhere Man " for All This and World War II . In 1977, Lynne released his first solo single, the disco -flavoured " Doin' That Crazy Thing "/" Goin' Down to Rio ". Despite ELO's high profile at that time, it received little airplay and failed to chart. In 1984, Lynne and Tandy contributed two original songs " Video! " and "Let It Run" to
3159-552: The End of the World"). When asked whether the man's experiences had been a dream all along, Lynne responded: "This is what I'd like to know, because it's baffled me since I wrote it, if he has actually gone [to the future], or if he's just thinking about it. ... It could be real, or it could be a dream... I'm not sure. I'd rather not say, because I don't know either. I'm supposed to, but I don't." Mathews writes: "Like Eldorado , Time contained
3240-456: The Moon "). Walking down the same street from a hundred years before, he is dismayed by the plastic flowers and ivory towers which have grown on top of it (" The Way Life's Meant to Be "). As he remains in this future period, he looks out his window depressed, watching the world go by (" Rain Is Falling "). He attempts to send a letter in the form of a dream to his girlfriend in the past, but fails ("From
3321-464: The Move , and he was a major contributor to the band's last two albums. Later that year, Lynne, Wood, and Bev Bevan formed the band ELO as a side project to which they intended to devote most of their energies, out of their desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones. Following Wood's departure from ELO in 1972, Lynne assumed sole leadership of the band and wrote, arranged, and produced virtually all of its subsequent records. During
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3402-503: The Music (1975). By A New World Record (1976), Lynne had almost developed the roots of the group into a more complex and unique pop-rock sound mixed with studio strings, layered vocals, and tight, catchy pop singles. Lynne's now almost complete creative dominance as producer, songwriter, arranger, lead singer and guitarist could make ELO appear to be an almost solo effort. However, the ELO sound and
3483-527: The Rockin' Hellcats, then the Handicaps, and finally the Andicaps. They practised at Shard End Community Centre and performed weekly. However, in 1964, Robert Reader and David Walsh left the band and Lynne brought in replacements. At the end of 1964, Lynne decided to leave the band to replace Mick Adkins of the local band "the Chads". Some time in or after 1965, he acquired his first item of studio recording equipment,
3564-458: The UK for 5 weeks. The album is primarily associated with its two disco-flavoured singles (" Shine a Little Love " and " Last Train to London ") and with the title's word play on "disco" and "very". However, the remaining seven non-disco tracks on the album reflected Lynne's range as a pop-rock songwriter, including a heavy, mid-tempo rock anthem (" Don't Bring Me Down ") which uses a drum loop. Lynne later recalled his forays into dance music: "I love
3645-677: The US Billboard 200 albums chart, at number 33 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and at number 48 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart. Lynne said of the album: "I call this new album Long Wave because all of the songs I sing on it are the ones heard on long wave radio when I was a kid growing up in Birmingham, UK. These songs take me back to that feeling of freedom in those days and summon up
3726-832: The United States in 30 years. A 2016 European tour was scheduled, with Dublin , Amsterdam and Zürich being some of the locations toured. Notably, the Dublin concert was delayed by a week due to medical advice given to Lynne. In September, 2016, shortly after the European dates, ELO played three shows at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, with full orchestra and fireworks. Jeff Lynne's ELO also played two concerts at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on 16 and 18 September 2016 respectively. On 24 June 2017, Lynne performed at Wembley Stadium to
3807-542: The Wilburys' follow up Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 and released his first solo album Armchair Theatre . The album featured Harrison and Tandy and included the singles " Every Little Thing " and "Lift Me Up". It received some positive critical attention but little commercial success. Lynne also provided the song "Wild Times" to the motion picture soundtrack Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991. In 1991, Lynne returned to
3888-648: The Year in 1989. The Traveling Wilburys won a Grammy for " Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal " that year. Lynne's song " One Way Love " was released as a single by Agnetha Fältskog and appeared on her second post- ABBA album, Eyes of a Woman . Lynne co-wrote and produced the track " Let It Shine " for Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson 's first solo album in 1988. Lynne also contributed three tracks to an album by Duane Eddy and "Falling in Love" on Land of Dreams for Randy Newman . In 1990, Lynne collaborated on
3969-412: The age of 76. Announcing his death on social media, Lynne memorialised Tandy as "a remarkable musician and friend". Lynne was married to his first wife Rosemary Adams from 1972 to 1977, and then to Sandi Kapelson, with whom he has two daughters, in 1979. After divorcing Kapelson, Lynne married Camelia Kath in 2017. Kath, née Ortiz, had previously been married to Terry Kath and Kiefer Sutherland . She
4050-621: The album reflects Lynne's absorption in the UK synth-pop sound popularised by contemporary artists such as Gary Numan , OMD and the Human League . ELO recorded Time mainly at Musicland Studios in Munich , West Germany , with some sessions taking place at Polar Studios in Stockholm , Sweden. Three additional songs written in the album's context were recorded, but left off the release: "The Bouncer", "When Time Stood Still" and "Julie Don’t Live Here". These songs were originally going to be on
4131-544: The album. All songs performed and produced by Jeff Lynne . Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne OBE (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder, and latterly the sole member, of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970, and has written all of the band's music since 1972. This includes hits such as " Evil Woman ", " Livin' Thing ", " Telephone Line ", " Mr. Blue Sky ", " Don't Bring Me Down ", and " Hold On Tight ". He also has had
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#17328545693074212-434: The band and producing the second, success eluded him. In 1970, Lynne accepted an offer from friend Roy Wood to join the line-up of the more successful band the Move . Jeff is credited as the producer of Funky Moped. Lynne contributed many songs to the Move's last two albums while formulating, with Roy Wood and Bev Bevan , a band built around a fusion of rock and classical music – a project which would eventually become
4293-400: The band used pre-recorded supplemental backing tracks in live performances. Although that practice has now become commonplace, it caused considerable derision in the press of the time. Lynne has often stated that he prefers the creative environment of the studio to the rigours and tedium of touring. Lynne followed up the success of Out of the Blue with Discovery (1979), which held No. 1 in
4374-416: The band were invited to a Beatles session at Abbey Road Studios . While there, he met the Beatles during the making of The White Album , witnessing the band making it together. He spent an hour at the session, before going back to the sessions with the Idle Race. Years later, he admitted that being in the same room "caused me not to sleep for, like, three days." The original aim of Electric Light Orchestra
4455-457: The band's debut single " 10538 Overture ". Problems led to Wood's departure in 1972 (he formed the band Wizzard later that year), a year after the release of the band's first album, leaving Lynne as ELO's dominant creative force. Thereafter followed a succession of band personnel changes and increasingly popular albums: ELO 2 and On the Third Day (both 1973), Eldorado (1974), and Face
4536-453: The charity single "Action!" for Tandy Morgan Band . In contrast to the dense, boomy, baroque sound of ELO, Lynne's post-ELO studio work has tended toward more minimal, acoustic instrumentation and a sparse, "organic" quality that generally favours light room ambience and colouration over artificial reverb, especially on vocals. Lynne's recordings also often feature the jangling compressed acoustic guitar sound pioneered by Roger McGuinn and
4617-402: The classic ELO harmonic vocal sound. The pinnacle of ELO's chart success and worldwide popularity was the expansive double album Out of the Blue (1977), which was largely conceived in a Swiss chalet during a two-week writing marathon. The band's 1978 world tour featured an elaborate "space ship" set and laser light show. In order to recreate the complex instrumental textures of their albums,
4698-511: The development of the film, and his material consequently had only superficial attachment to the plot. Xanadu performed weakly at the box office (although it later has experienced popularity as a cult favourite ). Lynne took the band in a somewhat different direction with the science-fiction themed album Time (1981), reaching number one for two weeks in the UK, producing the second Top 3 single in less than two years. The strings were still featured, but with heavily synthesised textures. Following
4779-401: The feeling of first hearing those powerful waves of music coming in on my old crystal set. My dad also had the radio on all the time, so some of these songs have been stuck in my head for 50 years. You can only imagine how great it felt to finally get them out of my head after all these years." " At Last " was scheduled to be the first UK single and " Mercy Mercy " the first US single issued from
4860-733: The film Electric Dreams (they also provided a third song, " Sooner Or Later ", which was released as the b-side of "Video!"). Lynne also wrote the song "The Story of Me," which was recorded by the Everly Brothers on their comeback album EB84 . Even before the official end of ELO, Lynne began his move toward focusing almost exclusively on studio production work. Lynne produced and wrote the 1983 top-40 hit " Slipping Away " for Dave Edmunds and played on sessions (with Tandy) for Edmunds's album, Information . Lynne also produced six tracks on Edmunds's follow-up album in 1984, Riff Raff . Lynne collaborated with Tandy again in 1986 with Lynne producing
4941-461: The final Del Shannon album, Lynne co-wrote "Walk Away" and finished off several tracks after Shannon's death. In 1989, Lynne co-produced Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, which included the hit singles " Free Fallin' ", " I Won't Back Down " and " Runnin' Down a Dream ", all co-written by Lynne. This album and Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 received nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Album of
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#17328545693075022-467: The finale of the concert and joining many other musicians in a rendition of " Johnny B. Goode ", as well as a one-off Electric Light Orchestra concert, both in 1986. In 1987, he appeared with Harrison at Prince's Trust in Wembley Arena. Critics often compared Electric Light Orchestra to The Beatles, and they were often criticised for "ripping off" the band. Lynne admitted that he "was very influenced by
5103-502: The first major concept album devoted entirely to time travel. Rockol states that while Time is not one of the most celebrated ELO albums, it has attracted a cult following from those interested in retrofuturism . Among the album's "unexpected" fans are the Flaming Lips and Daft Punk. In an early 1980s Rolling Stone magazine interview, Steve Winwood said that ELO's Time had influenced him. Ladyhawke has stated that ELO's Time
5184-444: The first new ELO album in fifteen years, Zoom . The album featured guest appearances by Ringo Starr , George Harrison and Richard Tandy, with Lynne multi-tracking a majority of the instruments and vocals. The album received positive reviews but had no hit singles. It was marketed as a "return to the classic ELO sound" in an attempt to connect with a loyal body of fans and to jump-start a planned concert tour (with Lynne and Tandy as
5265-467: The focus of Lynne's writing was also shaped by Louis Clark 's and Richard Tandy 's co-arranging, under Lynne's direction (especially the large string sections in addition to ELO's own string trio), and Bev Bevan's drumming, while Richard Tandy's integration of the piano, Moog , harmonium , and Mellotron , with more novel keyboard technology, gave Lynne's songs a more symphonic sound. Bassist Kelly Groucutt 's distinctive voice mixed with Lynne's to produce
5346-498: The force of disco. I love the freedom it gave me to make different rhythms across it. I enjoyed that really steady driving beat. Just steady as a rock. I’ve always liked that simplicity in the bass drum." In 1979, Lynne rejected an offer for ELO to headline the Knebworth Concert in the UK, allowing Led Zeppelin to headline instead. In the absence of any touring to support Discovery , Lynne had time to contribute five tracks to
5427-465: The most fun you can have." Writing in The Guardian , Beaumont listed "Twilight" as the 10th best song of ELO's career "for its space-age cathedral sizzle, warp-speed pacing and the sort of brazen futuristic hooklines that proved they gave that Flash Gordon gig to the wrong band". AllMusic 's James Chrispell assessed the album as less-than-great formulaic work by ELO, noting a resemblance to work by
5508-416: The only returning original ELO members). While a live performance was taped at CBS Television City over two consecutive nights and shown on PBS (with subsequent DVD release), the tour itself was cancelled. Earlier in 2001, Lynne began working with George Harrison on what would turn out to be Harrison's final album, Brainwashed . After Harrison's death from cancer on 29 November 2001, Lynne returned to
5589-678: The popular singles " Got My Mind Set on You ", " When We Was Fab " (appearing in the video) and " This Is Love ", the last two of which were co-written by Lynne. Lynne's association with Harrison led to the 1988 formation of the Traveling Wilburys , a studio " supergroup " that also included Tom Petty , Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison and resulted in two albums ( Vol. 1 and Vol. 3 ), both produced by Harrison and Lynne. In 1988, Lynne also worked on Orbison's album Mystery Girl , co-writing and producing Orbison's last major hit, " You Got It ", plus two other tracks on that album. For Rock On! ,
5670-547: The song " Now and Then ", which remained unfinished until 2023. Lynne has also produced records for Ringo Starr and worked on Paul McCartney 's Grammy-nominated album Flaming Pie . Lynne's work in the 1990s also includes production of a 1993 album for singer-songwriter Julianna Raye titled Something Peculiar and production or songwriting contributions to albums by Roger McGuinn ( Back from Rio ) and Joe Cocker ( Night Calls ), songs by Aerosmith ("Lizard Love"), Tom Jones ("Lift Me Up"), Bonnie Tyler (" Time Mends
5751-444: The soundtrack for the 1980 film musical Xanadu . The score yielded three Top 20 singles for ELO in both the UK and the US: " I'm Alive " (UK No. 20, US No. 16), " All Over The World " (UK No. 11, US No. 13), and the title track " Xanadu ", featuring Olivia Newton-John joining ELO on lead vocals, which reached number one in the UK (US No. 8). Nevertheless, Lynne was not closely involved with
5832-571: The storytelling a "superfluous ... thematic conceit" and said that, with the reliance on synthesised sounds, "If ELO's not careful, they're going to end up becoming the kind of cheese that squirts out of an aerosol can." She described the album as a cross between the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the 1960s science fiction television show Star Trek , "yet as long as Jeff Lynne's future-vision Beatlemania comes in near-perfect Top Forty spurts, why moan?" Frank Conte of The Boston Globe opined: " Time doesn't stick together well as
5913-467: The studio in 2002 to help finish the uncompleted album. Lynne was heavily involved in the memorial Concert for George , held at London's Royal Albert Hall in November 2002, which also featured Traveling Wilburys member Petty. Lynne sang the lead vocal on " The Inner Light ", " I Want to Tell You " and " Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) ", and subsequently produced the Surround Sound audio mix for
5994-412: The studio with Petty, co-writing and producing the album Into the Great Wide Open for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers , which featured the singles " Learning to Fly " and "Into the Great Wide Open". The following year he produced two songs on Roy Orbison's posthumous album King of Hearts , including the single " I Drove All Night ". In February 1994, Lynne worked with the three surviving Beatles on
6075-465: The year 2095 – moon tourism! Hovercars! Smartphone spouses! – is still giving Elon Musk bad ideas." Time reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart , maintaining the position for two weeks. The change in the band's sound, particularly the lack of orchestral strings, came as a considerable shock to some ELO fans. Noel Coppage of Stereo Review found the band "has slimmed down some and grown out of its twin- electric-cello phase, but it can still give you
6156-409: The year 2095, while the web publication Rockol and Stereo Review magazine both recognise Time as being about a man who becomes trapped in the future. The News & Advance ' s Ben Cates says it "tells the story of a man living in the year 2095 who glimpses enough of the future to know that he wants to get back to the 1980s". Beaumont, however, joked that the album's "lyrical vision of
6237-614: Was born in Erdington , Birmingham , England, to Nancy and Philip Lynne, and grew up nearby in Shard End , Birmingham, where he attended Alderlea Boys' Secondary School. As a native of Birmingham, he still has his Brummie accent. His father bought him his first guitar, an acoustic instrument, for £2. He was still playing it as of 2012. In 1963, he formed a group with Robert Reader and David Walsh using little more than Spanish guitars and cheap electrical instruments. They were originally named
6318-425: Was peripheral to me, like having the record out and promoting it. I did have a big house, but I didn't do rock-star things. I never saw myself like that. I was a songwriter, singer and producer. Rock stars are different. They dress all flashy and hang out in nightclubs. That just wasn't my priority. I liked to spend my spare moments at the pub." Lynne was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in
6399-480: Was produced by Lynne. Lynne's second solo album, a covers album titled Long Wave , was released on 8 October 2012. A greatest hits collection of re-recorded ELO songs by Lynne titled Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra was also released under the ELO moniker on the same day. Lynne suggested that a new album with original material could be released during 2013. In 2012, Lynne and Tandy teamed up at Lynne's Bungalow Palace home studios to record
6480-484: Was the most expensive ever made to that point, with a budget of approximately £40,000. Four more singles followed the album's release: " Twilight ", " Ticket to the Moon " (backed with " Here Is the News "), " Rain Is Falling " and " The Way Life's Meant to Be ". The record is considered the first major concept album devoted to time travel as well as ELO's most influential album. The "Prologue" and "Twilight" tracks were used in
6561-575: Was to take up "where the Beatles had left off, and to present it on stage." John Lennon praised the group, calling them the "sons of the Beatles" on a radio station when discussing the group's 1973 single " Showdown " on the New York radio station WNEW. Lynne worked with George Harrison very closely in the late 1980s. This friendship eventually led to Harrison's appearance at the Birmingham Heartbeat Charity Concert , showing up as
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