Product Description

38 track collection showcasing the classical-rock formula that was massively successful in their 1970's heyday. Birmingham innovators, ELO formed from the ashes of The Move and scored 19 UK Top 20 hits including, 'Telephone Line', 'Livin' Thing', 'Mr. Blue Sky' and 'Don't Bring Me Down'.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Hold on tight
2. Rock 'N' roll is king
3. Calling America
4. I'm alive
5. Confusion
6. Last train to London
7. Do ya
8. Showdown
9. The way life's meant to be
10. Turn to stone
11. Here is the news
12. Evil woman
13. Can't get it out of my head
14. Shine a little love
15. Strange magic
16. Twilight
17. Wild west hero
18. Nightrider
19. Xanadu

Disc 2:

1. Don't bring me down
2. Livin' thing
3. All over the world
4. Mr. Blue sky
5. Sweet talkin' woman
6. Don't walk away
7. 10538 Overture
8. Secret messages
9. Ticket to the moon
10. Telephone line
11. Ma Ma Ma Belle
12. Rockaria
13. Getting to the point
14. Across the border
15. Roll over Beethoven
16. So serious
17. Illusion in G Major
18. The diary of Horace Wimp
19. Four little diamonds

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27492 in Music
• Released on: 2001-10-22
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Why the disrespect? The Electric Light Orchestra were one of the biggest and most successful bands of the late 1970s, producing a massive string of hit singles and albums that almost any other band would envy. Their works have been cited as influences by such hip new acts as Grandaddy and Super Furry Animals. Their frontman and leader Jeff Lynne has been the producer of choice for people such as Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and George Harrison. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, ELO have for too long been the object of ridicule, considered relics of a bygone era. Hopefully, that all ends here: The Ultimate Collection is a two-disc set that gathers the biggest hits of this important and influential band. From "Evil Woman", "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Mr Blue Sky" to "Livin' Thing", "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Hold On Tight", there are few duds amongst these 38 remastered tracks (okay, "Xanadu" is a bit cringe-worthy in retrospect). ELO produced some of the biggest and best singles in rock & roll's history, and The Ultimate Collection is an excellent reintroduction to this great band. Hopefully, this also signals the beginning of a long-overdue revival and re-evaluation. --Robert Burrow

Customer Reviews

Definitive British hits collection
ELO evolved from another British group, The Move, which was successful in the late sixties with such hits as Flowers in the rain and Blackberry way. Bev Bevan, Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, all previously with The Move, created ELO. With other new members, they recorded their debut album, which yielded the UK top ten hit 10538 overture. After that, there were a series of line-up changes but the biggest change came because Roy and Jeff disagreed about the way that ELO should develop. Roy and two others quit and formed their own group, Wizzard (essentially a rock'n'roll group, updated for the seventies) who had a couple of UK number one hits (See my baby jive, Angel fingers), but is now best remembered for the top five hit, I wish it could be Christmas every day.

With Roy gone, Jeff was free to do what he wanted. He added classical music influences to a basic rock sound, making something unique and distinctive, though this vision took a few albums to be fully realized. ELO had a long string of hits on both sides of the Atlantic in the seventies, particularly from the albums A new world record, Out of the blue and Discovery, but were unable to sustain that success in the eighties. Their last UK top ten hit was in 1981 and they only came close once after that - in 1983, with Rock'n'roll is king. In America, their fortunes faded equally dramatically but they had already recorded a body of work that is well worth listening to.

This brilliant compilation contains all ELO's big UK hits and most if not all of their big American hits. Here you will find Xanadu, I'm alive and All over the world, frequently omitted from ELO compilations on both sides of the Atlantic, together with Living thing, Mr Blue Sky, Hold on tight, Roll over Beethoven, Telephone line, Rockaria, Wild west hero, Don't bring me down, Sine a little love and all the other classic tracks that you would expect to find. Do ya, an American hit that wasn't released as a British single, is also here. The only UK hits missing are Out of my head (the lead track of an EP that made the singles chart although it didn't get very high) and Honest men (a very minor hit from 1991), Neither of these tracks is important. The tracks are not in chronological order, which will disappoint some people, but it is far better to have all the tracks that matter than to have a chronological compilation that omits essential tracks.

This is truly the ultimate ELO collection - if you only want one collection of their music, this is the best there is, or is ever likely to be.

How many tracks
Too many. But that said take what you want from it and dont listen to the rest. And for the price you cant argue.

Evil Woman, Mr Blue Sky, Hold on tight, Last train to London, Turn to Stone, Sweet talking woman, Diary of Horace Wimp.

All top songs, Im 26 and you can tell what influence ELO have had on modern music, most noticably Badly Drawn Boy.

And what about those vocoders!

Winner, get it bought.

Blue skies all day!
You are not going to buy this CD unless you like ELO. An excellent compilation which rocks! Turn it up so loud that you wont hear the neighbours banging on the wall!!