ELO was formed in Birmingham, England in the autumn of 1970 from the ashes of the eccentric art-pop combo the Move, reuniting frontman Roy Wood with guitarist/composer Jeff Lynne, bassist Rick Price, and drummer Bev Bevan. Announcing their intentions to "pick up where 'I Am the Walrus' left off," the quartet sought to embellish their engagingly melodic rock with classical flourishes, tapping French horn player Bill Hunt and violinist Steve Woolam to record their self-titled debut LP (issued as No Answer in the U.S.). In the months between the sessions for the album and its eventual release, the Move embarked on their farewell tour, with Woolam exiting the ELO lineup prior to the enlistment of violinist Wilf Gibson, bassist Richard Tandy, and cellists Andy Craig and Hugh McDowell; despite the lengthy delay, Electric Light Orchestra sold strongly, buoyed by the success of the U.K. Top Ten hit "10538 Overture."
However, Wood soon left ELO to form Wizzard, taking Hunt and McDowell with him; Price and Craig were soon out as well, and with the additions of bassist Michael D'Albuquerque, keyboardist Richard Tandy, and cellists Mike Edwards and Colin Walker, Lynne assumed vocal duties, with his Lennonesque tenor proving the ideal complement to his increasingly sophisticated melodies. With 1973's ELO II, the group returned to the Top Ten with their grandiose cover of the Chuck Berry chestnut "Roll Over Beethoven"; the record was also their first American hit, with 1974's Eldorado yielding their first U.S. Top Ten, the lovely "Can't Get It Out of My Head." Despite Electric Light Orchestra's commercial success, the band remained relatively faceless; the lineup changed constantly, with sole mainstays Lynne and Bevan preferring to let their elaborate stage shows and omnipresent spaceship imagery instead serve as the group's public persona. 1975's Face the Music went gold, generating the hits "Evil Woman" and "Strange Magic," while the follow-up, A New World Record, sold five million copies internationally thanks to standouts like "Telephone Line" and "Livin' Thing."
Vol. 1
01. Mr. Radio
02. Do Ya (2012 Version)
03. 10538 Overture (40th Anniversary) (2012 Version)
04. Strange Magic (2012 Version)
05. Roll Over Beethoven
06. Bluebird Is Dead
07. Showdown (2012 Version)
08. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
09. Illusions in G Major
10. Can't Get It Out of My Head (2012 Version)
11. Waterfall
12. Evil Woman (2012 Version)
13. Nightrider
14. Livin' Thing (2012 Version)
15. Rockaria!
16. Sweet Talkin' Woman
17. Turn to Stone (2012 Version)
18. Telephone Line (2012 Version)
19. Summer and Lightning
20. Mr. Blue Sky (2012 Version)
21. Wild West Hero
22. Don't Bring Me Down (2012 Version)
23. Shine a Little Love
24. Need Her Love
25. Confusion
Vol. 2
01. Last Train to London
02. I'm Alive
03. Xanadu (2000 version)
04. All Over the World
05. Don't Walk Away
06. Hold On Tight
07. The Way Life's Meant to Be
08. Twilight
09. Here Is the News
10. Ticket to the Moon
11. Rock 'N' Roll Is King
12. Four Little Diamonds
13. Hello My Old Friend
14. Secret Messages
15. Calling America
16. Send It
17. So Serious
18. Getting to the Point
19. She
20. When I Was a Boy
21. Alone in the Universe
22. One Step at a Time
23. From Out of Nowhere
24. Time of Our Life
25. Songbird
