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thanks to KillerRips and other friends :)
OUT OF THE BLUE: 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (W/BOOK) FINALLY!!!! IT'S ABOUT TIME. I ADMIT IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT............., February 20, 2007
Reviewer: Patrick Miller "SAUROPOD" (NEW YORK)
First the negatives, as there are only two. 1: there are no song lyrics as there was with original lp. 2: To pull the cd out of its envelope is quite a challange, use extreme caution when removing the cd, as it is extremely tight, as you would not want to damage the cd in anyway. My advice would be to burn a copy and use it for listening, keep the original "Out Of The Blue" cd in stock. All that aside, the rest of this review is all positve. Beautiful package by Sony, the 24 page booklet is extremely informative, the pop out space ship is a nice retro 1970s treat. Elos most commercial album release is not as experimental as their earlier releases but is definintly a synth masterpiece that leaves experimenting far behind. As I listen to "Out Of The Blue" I hear how Jeff Lynn and Elo have matured at this stage of their careers, the result is a mind blowing recording masterpiece. Commercial as this album was, Elo broke the mold with "Out Of The Blue" as they never appraoched this level of creativity and popularity ever again, despite many excellent recordings after "Out Of The Blue". "Out Of The Blue" catches Jeff Lynn and Elo at their creative zenith. This original lp recording was done with care and precision during its production in 1977. Every song is treated with that Jeff Lynn touch, that every song on an lp should be treated like a single, as every song is a story and not just filler on an lp. "Out Of The Blue" is in my opinion a landmark rock recording. A true synth masterpiece. "Out Of The Blue" speaks volumes of pop, rock, disco, fusion, jazz, blues and classical. "Out Of The Blue" is a true Elo magnum opus. What more can I say? you ask, the remastering is incredible and life like as every instrument is heard in its own seperate space. Especially the synthesizers on "The Whale" the sound is life like. I swear at times listening to this cd, an Elo chorus was inside my speakers. Harmoniously the remastering really stands out as you hear the Elo voices fresh and new like you did during "Out Of The Blues" release in 1977. I waited along time for "Out Of The Blue" to be remastered, as I own all the Epic Legacy Elo remasters. There are also 3 bonus tracks 18."Wild West Hero" - (alternate bridge mix, previously unreleased, bonus track)19. "Quick And The Draft", The (previously unreleased, Bonus 20."Latitude 88 North" - (previously unreleased, Bonus). I admit the wait was worth it. This newly remastered 30th anniversary limited "Out Of The Blue" edition is a well thought out cd package release that transports me back to 1977-1978. A must own for any fan of music. Special praise for Jeff Lynn for an incredible supervised remastered edition of "Out Of The Blue". Its 1977-1978 all over again, only this time it isn't with a double lp set................
Review by Bruce Eder
The last ELO album to make a major impact on popular music, Out of the Blue was of a piece with its lavishly produced predecessor, A New World Record, but it's a much more mixed bag as an album. For starters, it was a double LP, a format that has proved daunting to all but a handful of rock artists, and was no less so here. The songs were flowing fast and freely from Jeff Lynne at the time, however, and well more than half of what is here is very solid, at least as songs if not necessarily as recordings. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Turn to Stone" are among the best songs in the group's output, and much of the rest is very entertaining. The heavy sound of the orchestra, however, as well as the layer upon layer of vocal overdubs, often seem out of place. All in all, the group was trying too hard to generate a substantial sounding double LP, complete with a suite, "Concerto for a Rainy Day." The latter is the nadir of the album, an effort at conceptual rock that seemed archaic even in 1977. Another chunk is filled up with what might best be called art-rock mood music ("The Whale"), before you finally get to the relief of a basic rocker like "Birmingham Blues." Even here, the group couldn't leave well enough alone -- rather than ending it on that note, they had to finish the album with "Wild West Hero," a piece of ersatz movie music that adds nothing to what you've heard over the previous 65 minutes. In its defense, Out of the Blue was massively popular and did become the centerpiece of a huge worldwide tour that earned the group status as a major live attraction for a time. [Out of the Blue was reissued in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary Edition with new photos, liner notes and three bonus tracks, including "Quick and the Daft," "Latitude 88 North" and a home demo of "Wild West Hero".]
OUT OF THE BLUE: 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (W/BOOK) FINALLY!!!! IT'S ABOUT TIME. I ADMIT IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT............., February 20, 2007
Reviewer: Patrick Miller "SAUROPOD" (NEW YORK)
First the negatives, as there are only two. 1: there are no song lyrics as there was with original lp. 2: To pull the cd out of its envelope is quite a challange, use extreme caution when removing the cd, as it is extremely tight, as you would not want to damage the cd in anyway. My advice would be to burn a copy and use it for listening, keep the original "Out Of The Blue" cd in stock. All that aside, the rest of this review is all positve. Beautiful package by Sony, the 24 page booklet is extremely informative, the pop out space ship is a nice retro 1970s treat. Elos most commercial album release is not as experimental as their earlier releases but is definintly a synth masterpiece that leaves experimenting far behind. As I listen to "Out Of The Blue" I hear how Jeff Lynn and Elo have matured at this stage of their careers, the result is a mind blowing recording masterpiece. Commercial as this album was, Elo broke the mold with "Out Of The Blue" as they never appraoched this level of creativity and popularity ever again, despite many excellent recordings after "Out Of The Blue". "Out Of The Blue" catches Jeff Lynn and Elo at their creative zenith. This original lp recording was done with care and precision during its production in 1977. Every song is treated with that Jeff Lynn touch, that every song on an lp should be treated like a single, as every song is a story and not just filler on an lp. "Out Of The Blue" is in my opinion a landmark rock recording. A true synth masterpiece. "Out Of The Blue" speaks volumes of pop, rock, disco, fusion, jazz, blues and classical. "Out Of The Blue" is a true Elo magnum opus. What more can I say? you ask, the remastering is incredible and life like as every instrument is heard in its own seperate space. Especially the synthesizers on "The Whale" the sound is life like. I swear at times listening to this cd, an Elo chorus was inside my speakers. Harmoniously the remastering really stands out as you hear the Elo voices fresh and new like you did during "Out Of The Blues" release in 1977. I waited along time for "Out Of The Blue" to be remastered, as I own all the Epic Legacy Elo remasters. There are also 3 bonus tracks 18."Wild West Hero" - (alternate bridge mix, previously unreleased, bonus track)19. "Quick And The Draft", The (previously unreleased, Bonus 20."Latitude 88 North" - (previously unreleased, Bonus). I admit the wait was worth it. This newly remastered 30th anniversary limited "Out Of The Blue" edition is a well thought out cd package release that transports me back to 1977-1978. A must own for any fan of music. Special praise for Jeff Lynn for an incredible supervised remastered edition of "Out Of The Blue". Its 1977-1978 all over again, only this time it isn't with a double lp set................
Review by Bruce Eder
The last ELO album to make a major impact on popular music, Out of the Blue was of a piece with its lavishly produced predecessor, A New World Record, but it's a much more mixed bag as an album. For starters, it was a double LP, a format that has proved daunting to all but a handful of rock artists, and was no less so here. The songs were flowing fast and freely from Jeff Lynne at the time, however, and well more than half of what is here is very solid, at least as songs if not necessarily as recordings. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Turn to Stone" are among the best songs in the group's output, and much of the rest is very entertaining. The heavy sound of the orchestra, however, as well as the layer upon layer of vocal overdubs, often seem out of place. All in all, the group was trying too hard to generate a substantial sounding double LP, complete with a suite, "Concerto for a Rainy Day." The latter is the nadir of the album, an effort at conceptual rock that seemed archaic even in 1977. Another chunk is filled up with what might best be called art-rock mood music ("The Whale"), before you finally get to the relief of a basic rocker like "Birmingham Blues." Even here, the group couldn't leave well enough alone -- rather than ending it on that note, they had to finish the album with "Wild West Hero," a piece of ersatz movie music that adds nothing to what you've heard over the previous 65 minutes. In its defense, Out of the Blue was massively popular and did become the centerpiece of a huge worldwide tour that earned the group status as a major live attraction for a time. [Out of the Blue was reissued in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary Edition with new photos, liner notes and three bonus tracks, including "Quick and the Daft," "Latitude 88 North" and a home demo of "Wild West Hero".]