Albums You Should Own: A New World Record by Electric Light Orchestra
December 7th, 2008
Released in 1976, A New World Record, was the record that helped ELO breakthrough in the UK. It was much more focused pop music than previous efforts and really showed what Jeff Lynne could do as a songwriter. It gave ELO their first top ten record in the UK as well as their first gold single in “Telephone Line”. Every time I hear “Telephone Line” I can’t get Steve Buscemi putting on lipstick out of my mind. Other great songs on the record are the amazing “Livin’ Thing” and “Rockaria!”, as well as the Monster.com approved “Do Ya?”
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Livin’ Thing
Telephone Line
December 8th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
LB said:
Man, I never knew those were by ELO. Great songs, very reminiscent of their peers in a little band called Queen. I, too, seem to only think of Buscemi in lipstick when hearing “Telephone Line”. Is that unfortunate, or just great movie-making?
December 8th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Big Rob said:
Great movie making. ELO is the truth, you can go through their catalogue and at least twice an album you say to yourself “I didn’t know they did that track”. All the bands of that time shared quite a bit stylistically. ELO, Wizzard, Queen, Marc Bolan…
December 8th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
SqueakyCleanTyroneGreen said:
It’s odd that just a week and a half ago I heard Telephone Line and Livin Thing on classic rock Satellite radio and had the same epiphany. I bought Out of the Blue the day it was released, it cost me, like $7.99 or something, and I got it from the Tin Ear Record & Stereo Store in Richland, WA. I was a soon-to-be ‘mork from ork’ dork kid living in Mayberry, with nary a care in the world. ELO sounded out there and personal at the same time. They were my champions of that year and a bit for a couple more. It was a far cry from my first loves (Kiss, then Queen), but there was still a bit of flash in the Electric Light Orchestra. Thanks for relivin’ this livin’ thing.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Jules said:
Speaking of great movie making, ELO is all over Xanadu. Which I actually watched for the first time in like 20 years a couple of months ago. It’s not that bad of a movie in 2008.