Vital Statistics:
Released - 1976
Producer - Jeff Lynne
Label - Columbia
Chart Position - #5 Billboard
RIAA Certification - Platinum
Track Listing:
Side 1:
1. Tightrope
2. Telephone Line
3. Rockaria!
4. Mission (A New World Record)
Side 2:
1. So Fine
2. Livin' Thing
3. Above The Clouds
4. Do Ya
5. Shangri-La
This week's selection is the 1976 release from E.L.O. entitled A New World Record. This is a very fine album, top to bottom. The only song that doesn't do much for me is Above The Clouds. Everything else is really good. I'll concentrate on my favorites. Track 2, Telephone Line, is my all-time favorite E.L.O. song. I remember hearing it as a kid, and something about the singer's voice just captured me. He sounds so helpless. All he wants to do is talk to this person, but she won't answer the phone. I just love this song. I also think Rockaria! is very good. I love the operatic intro, which is also repeated in the song.
Mission (A New World Record) and So Fine are hidden gems. I'm sure you've heard Livin' Thing. It was a very popular song, and for good reason. Do Ya was also a decent hit. It's really a good song that was covered in the 80's by Ace Frehley. I believe ELO's version is a cover as well. I'll include Ace's cover version here as a bonus tune. To me, other than Telephone Line, the jewell in this collection of music is Shangri-La. I bought this CD a few months ago, and had never heard this song. It is the most "gemmiest" of hidden gems. I really, really, really love this song. How does something this good go unnoticed? And if you listen, check out the shout out to The Beatles "Hey Jude" in the song. Simply amazing.
Another week, another album. You can buy this jewel on Amazon, brand new, for 8 bucks. That's a bargain, folks. I can think of no reason why you, yes you, shouldn't own this album.
Hidden Gems:
Tightrope
Rockaria!
Mission (A New World Record)
So Fine
Shangri-La
**Hint for next week - I've got a 2-fer (that means two for the price of 1 in the deep south) coming from Noah Drake (do you know who that is?)