This week on Left of The Dial, we’re delving into the world of vinyl with Out of The Blue by Electric Light Orchestra. ELO is a prog-rock band from Birmingham, England, led by the legendary Jeff Lynne. On Out of The Blue, other members included Berv Bevan, Richard Tandy, Kelly Groucutt, Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell, and Melvyn Gale, most of which provided too many instrumental contributions to list here. The album was released in 1977, after being written in only three and a half weeks by Lynne in a burst of inspiration. It’s impressive, especially when you realize this is a double album. Out of The Blue stretches across four sides of two vinyl records, so to deviate from my usual review structure, let’s look at each side on its own and take it from there.
Side 1 consists of “Turn to Stone,” “It’s Over,” “Sweet Talkin’ Woman,” and “Across The Border.” “Turn to Stone” is easily my favorite on this side, describing the petrifying depression the narrator goes through when his woman isn’t around. I’m a sucker for songs with a lively tempo, and this song has that in spades. I also love the call-and-response structure of the vocals. “It’s Over” starts off much slower, which can be a little jarring. However, the opening strings on this track help set the mood for what’s to come later on. Once the vocals kick in, the shift is much less jarring. The lyrics describe the inevitability of the seasons changing, and how we yearn for the seasons passed. As I write this, it’s snowing in mid-April when just a couple days ago it was 50 degrees outside and sunny, so this song hits home a little too much right now. Moving on to “Sweet Talkin’ Woman,” we get a more upbeat tone to offset the sadness of the previous tracks. The juxtaposition of joy and melancholy is a running theme in this album, so prepare yourself for more tonal shifts like this. Anyways, this song has our narrator brimming with determination to find his girl once again. He’s had his time to mope, and now he can move on to win her back. I appreciate how the tone of the music so far has led up to the theme of this track. “It’s Over” was so slow and sad, it feels like a prequel song to “Sweet Talkin’ Woman.” If the former was the mourning period of a breakup, then the latter is the acceptance period. If the opening lines “I was searchin’, On a one-way street, I was hopin’, For a chance to meet,” sound familiar, then look to Huey Lewis & the News’ 1982 single “Do You Believe in Love,” as its opening lyrics are quite similar, even sharing a similar melody to “Sweet Talkin’ Woman.” Whether this was a homage to ELO or a ripoff on Huey Lewis’ part, I can’t say, but like I said about the similarities between Nirvana’s cover of “Molly’s Lips” and Green Day’s “She’s a Rebel,” I’ll let you decide what conclusion to come to. Finally, we have “Across the Border,” which is about catching a train to go down south. The song opens with the whistle of a train, which helps set the mood. The upbeat, almost rockabilly guitar and strings give the track an infectious energy that wouldn’t be out of place in the soundtrack of a Spaghetti Western. In my research, I discovered that this was the only song on Side 1 that wasn’t released as a single, and man am I disappointed about that. This has serious potential as a single, probably more so than “It’s Over,” but that’s just my bias. Speaking of segues, Side 1 is over now, so let’s turn the record over!
Side 2 consists of “Night in The City,” “Starlight,” “Jungle,” and “Steppin’ Out.” “Night in The City” features a mix of horns, strings, and samples of car horns to set the scene in the opening. The story centers on two people and their contrasting relationship to the titular city. There’s a girl who is looking to escape the city, but can’t because luck just doesn’t seem to be on her side, and our narrator, who joins the city life to expose himself to a wider variety of women. At this point, I feel it’s necessary to mention that Jeff Lynne wrote this album while isolated in a cabin in the Swiss Alps. I’m starting to wonder if the isolation inspired the themes of lost love that litter the album. Anyway, let’s move on to “Starlight.” The use of synths in the opening are a great way to set up the cosmic atmosphere. Something I admire about ELO is their innovative use of technology like synths and especially the Vocoder, the latter of which I’ll go into more detail about later. “Starlight” doesn’t have much of a story going for it like other songs on the album. Instead, it’s a mood-setting sort of song, where the point is to establish an image in your mind instead of telling a story. “Jungle” is another one of these mood songs, though I think the execution isn’t quite there like “Starlight” is. My primary complaint is the mixing on this track. Lynne’s vocals are unusually quiet here, as if the volume was turned down and forgotten about. It’s even more jarring when the backing vocals and chorus are at normal volume. It’s awfully distracting, but that’s the only negative on this track. The atmosphere established is appropriately tribal, and the chanting in the chorus is a lot of fun. This track is also a shining example of how great ELO’s vocal harmonies are. Finally, “Steppin’ Out” closes off the side. It’s quiet and ominous, appropriate for what will be coming on the next record. We’re returning to the story structure, this one being about preparing to leave home and wander “like a rollin’ stone.” Admittingly, this track is on the forgettable side, likely because the material around it is much more memorable, it isn’t the track’s fault. With that in mind, it’s now time to swap records and move on.
Side 3 contains Concerto for a Rainy Day, a four-movement suite consisting of “Standin’ in the Rain,” “Big Wheels,” “Summer and Lightning,” and “Mr. Blue Sky.” “Standin’ in the Rain” establishes the violence of the storm at hand, as well as introducing the suite by announcing its title via the Vocoder. The weather effects on the suite were recorded by Lynne during the sessions for the album in Munich, Germany, as the weather there was appropriately rainy and stormy. The violent feeling quiets to a listless sadness on “Big Wheels,” alluding to the numbness that bad weather and depression can bring on. Anyone who suffers from SAD can relate, and even if you don’t, maybe this song can help explain the disorder better than words can. As this movement ends, the rain and a crack of lightning transitions us to “Summer and Lightning,” my personal favorite of the suite. At this point, the storm is wrapping up and it’s only a matter of time before the sun comes back out. The strings add a sense of hope, and the harmony on the chorus are so joyous, I can’t help singing along. As the chorus fades out, we hear a radio clip describing the sunny weather, leading right into “Mr. Blue Sky.” You’ve heard this one before, so I don’t have to describe how relentlessly upbeat and happy it is. What I will say is that it holds such a different meaning when you listen to it by itself versus listening to the whole of Concerto for a Rainy Day. The Vocoder returns at the conclusion of “Mr. Blue Sky,” saying “Please turn me over.” There’s a real satisfaction listening to this on vinyl, since we can now obey the request and turn the record over.
Side 4 contains “Sweet is the Night,” “The Whale,” “Birmingham Blues,” and “Wild West Hero.” “Sweet is the Night” brings us back to the feelings of social distance between our narrator and the girl he loves. His whole perspective on the world is brighter when his girl is finally within reach, it’s nothing new on this album. The track is still enjoyable from an instrumental perspective, it’s just that the lyrical themes of longing are starting to get stale at this point. Perhaps that’s why “The Whale” opts out of having lyrics altogether. This is a purely instrumental track, which serves as a wonderful exhibit on the power of synths to establish a mood. They work to paint a cosmic and aquatic picture, throwing in samples of whale calls to match the title. The lack of lyrics really works in the song’s favor, making it the best of the “mood songs” on the album from my perspective. “Birmingham Blues” is almost tonal whiplash, ripping us out of the ambient mood of the previous track into a jazzy, upbeat atmosphere. It’s a follow-up to “Steppin’ Out” lyrically, referencing how the narrator has worn himself out in his travels, and how he can’t stop himself from wandering now that he’s had a taste of the rolling stone life. This is another lower-tier song compared to the rest of the album, though I appreciate how it ties in story-wise. Let’s move on to “Wild West Hero,” the closer of the album. What a way to go out, I must say! The strings and piano establish an epic ballad mood, relaying the story of wanting to run off to the wild west and have a purpose to live by. The vocals and harmonies are at their peak here, which already tells you that I love this track to death, particularly in the chorus. You’ll even hear subtle thunder in the background if you listen closely, tying back to Concerto for a Rainy Day. The track fades out, and it leaves me wanting more. Might I recommend swapping records and starting over from the beginning?
Out of the Blue is a top-tier album that belongs up there on the list of essentials for starting your record collection. This was the very first record I played on my turntable, and my copy had been a well-loved part of my late grandfather’s record collection, so it holds a special place in my heart. My top three tracks would be “Turn to Stone,” “Summer and Lightning,” and “Wild West Hero.” The bottom three would likely be “Jungle” solely for the volume issue, “Steppin’ Out,” and “Birmingham Blues.”
Rating: 9/10
Feature Photo by Becca Fauteux