Out Of The Blue

I discovered Electric Light Orchestra in my teens when I was going through a bunch of old records that my brothers had and "Out of the Blue" was one of them. I had never heard of ELO before that time and I thought the name of the band was rather cool, so I decided to check them out. I was instantly hooked. I loved the album and how the group blended the orchestra with rock music, plus the use of the vocoder and all of the cool electronic sounds throughout. It was, and still is, awesome. The entire album is excellent. There's not a song I skip. My personal favorites are "Turn to Stone," "It's Over," "Sweet Talkin' Woman," "Across the Border," Night In the City," "Standin' In the Rain," (my personal #1 favorite from the album), "Summer and Lightning, and "Birmingham Blues." This 2007 remaster includes three bonus tracks. A home demo of "Wild West Hero" with an alternate bridge, an instrumental piece called "The Quick and the Daft," and "Latitude 88 North." The cd sounds great, so clear and crisp compared the cassette recording I made. It's also nice to have the entire album on a single compact disc with no pops, hiss, or the grinding gears of a cassette player after all these years. The cd sleeve includes interviews with Jeff Lynne along with photos of the band members. I like that they included the interior of the spaceship drawing from the original album gatefold sleeve as I always liked that drawing. I highly recommend "Out of the Blue" to anyone getting into ELO for the first time. It's a bona fide classic that, nearly fifty years later, still sounds incredible.

Bought as a gift. My son, 19 years old, loves it.

I still remember this album from when it came out. I remember the tv ad with two teenagers making out in a car and all of a sudden a flash of light. "What's that?" she asks. He replies "Why it's the new album from the Electric Light Orchestra" while pulling it down from the roof of the car. This album starts with the big hit Turn To Stone and already you can here the disco influence that would become more prevalant on the band's Discovery album. Still, it is a good song. It's Over has always been one of my favorite ELO songs and it's never sounded better than on this edition. Back when this album came out, I couldn't stand the hit Sweet Talkin' Woman but it really doesn't sound as bad now. Across The Border is fun. Night In The City and Starlight are both nice enough. Jungle, Believe Me Now and Steppin' Out are great songs. Jungle is fun. Believe In Me Now and Steppin' Out show Jeff's Beatles influence and are better for it. What used to be side three is Concerto For A Rainy Day and is/was the most consistant side of the old album including the third big hit, Mr. Blue Sky. Sweet Is The Night is nice. The Whale is another great song. Birmingham Blues is only ok and Wild West Hero is better. The unreleased bonus tracks are short but good. It is to Jeff's credit, that unlike most two record sets at the time, there are no real terrible songs on here. As far as the packaging of this one, I don't currently see what all the complaints are about. First of all, the Joe Gastwirt version came out in 1987 and not 1990 and as far as a few brief dropouts, those are on the master tapes. Most albums recorded in the late '70's have this problem as the tapes actually fall apart and need to be "baked". I like the fact that they went for a version that actually sounds like the master tapes which makes this sound more like the original release and not overly remastered(IE new mixes, erased parts and stuff like that). My first copy of this was from 1977(without dropouts) and in 1982 I bought a fresh copy but by that time the dropouts were already there. The Gastwirt version was from a cleaned up vinyl copy and the dropouts are on there too as well as the box set versions of the songs. As far as the box, I've gotten cd's that have been worse packaged than this one including a couple by ELO. I would suggest putting a wrapper around the box to help keep it from getting too dinged up. I like the fact that there's a mini version of the put it together spaceship that used to come with the lp and I like the interview with Jeff Lynne. I should add that the other new version comes with an edited booklet and doesn't have the nice stuff that this one does.

This is the best of the Jeff Lynne's ELO output. The lp's are thick and not prone to scratch. The song writing is top notch. The band plays the music just fine.

This is there best cd not really there all good!

Please indulge me for one minute. I really need to take exception to the ongoing notion that in 1977 punk unceremoniously barged in and supplanted the old guard bands like Tull, Yes, ELO and all the others. True, punk made a noticeable impression in London and New York and possibly L.A. But the US at large missed out on the entire punk wave of '77 and '78. Some college radio stations played it but certainly precious few (if any) US mainstream radio stations dared play Ramones, Sex Pistols, et.al. The false refrain that punk ruled and disposed of album rock in 1977 is getting tired, repeated ad nauseam by both noted music journalists on AMG and Rolling Stone (who ought to know better) and do-it-yourself-ers on Amazon and elsewhere. I guess they feel they are hip and "in the know" when citing even false information. Unbeknownst to many, there exists a considerable world outside of London and New York. A world that functioned just fine without the edict stating that punk will turn your music world upside down. Sure, most large cities had a burgeoning punk movement but it didn't happen simultaneously (in 1977). It took a couple of years to germinate and grow and didn't have a measurable impact on the pop music of the time in the US. Just look at the reprehensible music charts of the time. Punk simply wasn't there. I wish otherwise. Please don't cite Elvis Costello or Blondie. Elvis was no punk; an acerbic, gifted, new voice in the rock/singer-songwriter mold but certainly not a punk. If Blondie were punks then they were the lamest of all. Most US music fans in 1977 didn't even know what punk was and maybe could name one or two bands. There just wasn't this purported onslaught of punk rock in the US as urban legend tells us. Disco was the real culprit here in the US. Many top rock artists suffered or fell due to the preponderance of disco in the pop and sales charts and their flawed notion that they must therefore forfeit integrity and alter their sound accordingly. ELO was one of the few groups that used it artistically and to their advantage. While they weren't a full-fledged disco band Jeff Lynne certainly was influenced by this change in the musical landscape. As early as 1975 he abandoned much of the formula that made ELDORADO such a delightful and groundbreaking album in favor of a more pop and, yes, disco-flavored sound. I don't hold this release (OUT OF THE BLUE) as near and dear as many ELO fans. The AM and FM hits were numerous and relentless. I didn't get this CD to hear 'Turn to Stone,' 'It's Over,' 'Sweet Talking Woman,' 'Night in the City,' 'Birmingham Blues' or 'Mr. Blue Sky' even though I find a couple of those quite tolerable today. With 17 tracks I'd hoped that there were a few gems that were neglected due to the constant hammering of the hits back in the late 70s. I never owned this album until now but I certainly heard it many times on 8-track in Nova SS and Trans-Am autos as well as on LP at house parties and college dorms in those days. My hunch proved right. There are many other nice pieces on this album. The first one that jumps out at my is 'Jungle' with it's propulsive rhythm and irresistible melody. The nonsensical refrain is a bit silly but so what. Remember Doo-Wop, anyone? 'Standing in the Rain' is a tasty medium tempo rocker in the classic ELO mold, once the lengthy intro expires. The slow tempo 'Big Wheels' is another melodic winner replete with the swirling string section synonymous with ELO. 'Summer and Lightening' and 'Sweet is the Night' are two more enjoyable album tracks. Actually, this entire album is quite nice, hits or otherwise. I didn't buy it for the hits and am pleased to say that this album would hold its own as a 12 track album, not including any of the best-known songs. And that is the criteria for a truly solid album. Take away the hits and what's left?

Maybe you are like I used to be, an ELO fan but just knew the hits. Maybe you are thinking the albums can’t be that good. I was 7 when this album came out and had never heard it so most of the music was new to me and I was amazed at the quality of the album tracks, several of which could have been successful singles had they been released. If you are sick and tired of hearing the hits for the 800th time do yourself a favor and pick this up. Still on the fence??? Cue up “Summer and Lightning” on youtube. Do it now! I’ll wait………. Yeah. Now you know what I am talking about. Lots of great songs on this album. Be careful though. Once you buy this you will want to pick up the rest of their catalogue. The other albums are great too!

As much as I would love to gush on about this album, I'll let others do that. I can't be objective...it's been one of my fav albums since I was 10. Simply put, this was ELO and Jeff Lynne's high-water mark artistically and production-wise, as well as comercially. If you're a fan, you already own a tattered version. If not...what are you waiting for? Sony Legacy has slowly been issuing the ELO remasters since the turn of the century, with "Out of the Blue" and "Balance of Power" (why bother?) being the last two. Why they waited for so long to get their biggest selling album out as a remastwer is beyond me, but the wait has been worth it. This is one of the best remasters I have heard in a LONG time. In fact, although it is not mentioned in the credits, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some minor re-mixing involved. Some may claim sacreledge, but if this is the case, it has worked to this album's favor. The production and sound quality is impeccable, the "audio landscape" is vastly improved. The seperation of instruments has improved, the bass has serious depth, the highs soar. Twelve-string guitars sound like musical waterfalls ("Sweet Talking Woman"), the strings sizzle all over. The guitar on "Jungle" has been boosted a bit, giving the track a power it only hinted at before. The overall sound flows wonderfully with a great balance. Let's put it this way...say you've only ever watched your favorite movie on a small black & white TV. All of a sudden, you get to see it in color on IMAX. This remaster of "Out of the Blue" is the audio equivalent of that. Jeff Lynne states that this is his favorite of the ELO catalogue, and it certainly shows with this lovingly done remaster. Every ELO fan (or want-to-be fan) and every serious audiophile should have this in their collection. If you've ever owned this album, it's now time to trade up and experience it as if it were the first time.

Perfekt. Super Verpackung, keinerlei Versandbeschädigungen, gute Qualität in Verarbeitung und Klang.

I vinili sono di buona qualità, resa sonora ottima. Purtroppo ad ogni edizione si dimenticano di inserire il foglio di cartone con l'astronavetta di costruire. Peccato, ma allo stesso prezzo probabilmente vi dovreste accontentare di una copia usata scricchiolante.

Bon, pas la peine de décortiquer chaque chanson, en disant que c'est du sous Beatles, non, je n'ai pas besoin de 50 à 60 lignes pour prouver que cette réédition remastérisée est purement INDISPENSABLE !! Cela n'a que peu de rapport avec les Beatles, dont je connais chaque album dans le détail, les choeurs sont propres à Jeff Lynne (il est plus dans des schémas de choeurs "question-réponse" style "Il était une fois" que dans les tierces aigues des Beatles), quant aux arrangements de violons et de cordes, il en met où il veut, personnellement, je suis preneur, il n'y en a ni trop ni trop peu, juste ce qu'il faut pour affirmer ce génie musical qui le caractérise. Techniquement, il fallait une remastérisation, car l'édition en CD de l'album faisait apparaitre les mêmes failles, son "caca-boudin", confus et sale, ne correspondant pas au talent des musiciens. Ici,au contraire, tout est clair et magnifié, c'est un vrai régal pour l'oreille...A acheter sans hésiter, ce CD est un pur CHEF d'OEUVRE !!

Begrijp me niet verkeerd, de muziek van E.L.O is prachtig anders had ik deze lp niet gekocht, de kwaliteit van de opname is echter bedroevend slecht, sterker nog, het is een van de slechts klinkende platen in mijn zeer uitgebreide collectie. Niet kopen dus!!!! Voor de goede orde, ik gebruik een pro-ject x1b platenspeler, een marantz sr7015 receiver en als front speakers de kef Q950, aan de apparatuur ligt het dus niet, vrijwel mijn gehele collectie klinkt echt prachtig op deze combinatie. Behalve dus deze uitgave van Out Of The Blue. Jammer, echt heel jammer.

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