Review Summary: ELO's creative swan song is schmaltzy and a bit self-indulgent, yet the total is greater than the sum of its parts
It would seem that the LP and rock music were made for each other. Offering about 30-40 minutes of recording time with a break in the middle, the long play format would prove to be ideal for painting sonic pictures that could pass the Goldilocks test: Not too much, not too little, but just right. Those who find the courage or hubris to chase the whale of a second disc often end up biting off more than they can chew, with the music losing momentum somewhere in the middle of the lengthier program and much of the additional space occupied by filler. (We submit into evidence Exhibit 1:
Tales from Topographic Oceans.) The Electric Light Orchestra's double LP
Out of the Blue isn't entirely free of these excesses, yet it manages to work as a whole even as some of its individual pieces struggle on their own.
The highlight of
Out of the Blue is the third side of the LP and its "Concerto for a Rainy Day", a four-song cycle that closes with one of ELO's finest pop triumphs: "Mr. Blue Sky" is undoubtedly the best version of "Penny Lane" that Paul McCartney never wrote, a crowning achievement of soaring melodic glory filled with such infectious optimism that even the gloomiest of curmudgeons can't help but feel better after hearing it. All four of these songs work well as a cohesive piece, with "Big Wheels" binding the whole thing together in another one of ELO bandleader Jeff Lynne's better Beatley moments. This suite alone makes the album worth owning.
It isn't surprising that Jeff Lynne reportedly wrote the entire album over a period of a few weeks, as the remaining songs tend to blur together in a big sonic chunk of sweet, tasty cheese: "It's Over", "Night In the City", "Steppin' Out" and "Sweet Is the Night" are all perfectly nice pop songs that are enjoyable to listen to (albeit with some overdone singing -- a lot of la-la-la's and syrupy backup vocals going on here), but the songs are all fairly interchangeable and don't really stick with you. The record also manages to take a passable stab at blue-eyed soul with "Starlight", although that is a style that Hall and Oates would do far better.
With the exception of "Mr. Blue Sky", the major singles on this album tend to go in one ear and out the other. The Moog-heavy "Turn to Stone" and breezy "Sweet Talkin' Woman" are both upbeat, vanilla and ultimately forgettable, the type of music that would work well in a 70s retro TV soundtrack but is not otherwise compelling today. (The disco string treatment doesn't exactly help matters, either.)
That may not sound very promising, but it may be this consistency that also makes
Out of the Blue work well as a double LP. With the exception of the Side 3 "Concerto," the individual songs offer little to distinguish themselves and do not merit serious listening. But play the album in the background from beginning to end and it takes on a different dimension, an enjoyable 70-minute diversion to accompany your day that serves up well-placed hooks and a song sequence that flows while you get on with the rest of your business. OK, so that's not entirely true -- "Across the Border", "Jungle" and "Wild West Hero" all cross the line of acceptable cheesiness, but these three songs can be skipped without disrupting the continuity of the rest of the album.
No, this is not a grandiose, dramatic two-disc manifesto with Important Things to Say ala
The Wall, nor is it a sprawling artistic achievement as is
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. What
Out of the Blue has in spades is an unapologetically big sound, heavy on production and pop sensibility that makes for pleasurable listening if you can accept the album on its own terms instead of giving it your best punk rock sneer. In any case, you'll want to save those sneers for the next ELO record, that wretched disco-pop train wreck that would be aptly entitled
Discovery.
Recommended tracks: "Concerto for a Rainy Day" ("Standin' in the Rain"/"Big Wheels"/"Summer and Lightning"/"Mr. Blue Sky"), "It's Over", "Night In the City", "Steppin' Out", "Sweet Is the Night"
Author's note/ shameless plug: This is one part of my ongoing series of reviews of most of ELO's original studio releases, with albums reviewed in chronological order. If you found this commentary to be somewhat informative, interesting, intriguing, intelligent, indefensible, insufferable, infuriating, incoherent, inane, incomprehensible or insulting, or if you just want to take pity on a guy who is masochistic enough to write these things, then please take a look at the other reviews and add your own thoughts. Thanks.
