Ep #13: Electric Light Orchestra’s “Out of the Blue”

The double album with a taste for far-out ideas.

A name like Electric Light Orchestra is intimidating, and off-putting. This surely can’t be a rock group, or something the average radio listener might want. Or could it? ELO’s lesser known claim to fame is Jeff Lynne’s uncanny ability to write memorable melodies, which when combined with his talent for adding orchestral instruments in new and interesting ways to a solid rock foundation results in a killer band. This is a band who has the oddity of having more compilation albums released than studio works. This is also a band who has the certainty of only going bigger, bolder, and more intricate on every album. Out of the Blue does not disappoint.