There was once a time, however briefly, where Hold on Tight was the song for a six-thirty alarm call. Big mistake. The Electric Light Orchestra classic is bound to deal a fatal heart attack should it be used that way, its booming introduction a way of exploring the new, orchestra-less options for the Jeff Lynne-fronted group. A roaring start to a new era bound to wake everyone in the house up. Isolate it from the rest of Time and it still stands as one of the band’s best songs post-Out of the Blue. For those wanting a slice of the band from an era not oversaturated with nostalgia, then Hold on Tight is where to head. Those who are tired of Mr. Blue Sky and want a break from it, however short, can get the same rip-roaring sound from this Time track.
Hold on Tight may demonstrate a wider offering from ELO but it stands firm with its space-age rock and roll. Its immediate, distorted guitar and percussion bomb is one of the more powerful openers of their career. With a dominant keyboard thrown in for good measure, it marks one of the band’s finest instrumental offerings. Where it may filter the usual upbeat rocking style of Lynne and the band, its tone is severe, a defiance which would make its way through the rest of Time. Lyrically sound but never the best in class, Lynne is backed by some incredible instrumental fury here, the upbeat tempo and the constant boom of it is more than enough to hold together an inspiring piece of work. Short, punchy and sweet. The three crucial steps of an ELO classic. Do not mistake the sweetness, however, for a lack of concern.
Lynne provides a strong message for Hold on Tight, this heavy blow of escapism is, initially, the only route and a positive choice for the space-bound star at the heart of it. But listen in a little closer. Isolation is set to follow, and the lack of a shoulder to cry on or emotional balance out there in the future is a worry. Hold on Tight is as much about space as it is about mortality. About preservation. Time just rolls on and on, the warning comes early but the upbeat work from Richard Tandy does well to disguise the sharp pain. B-Side release When Time Stood Still gets to grips with that horror of isolation. A complete tonal shift from this deep cut is the ballast Time needs but lacks entirely from its main run.
Those extra pieces, the buried bits which are certainly unknown to the passing ELO fan, are their best works. Hold on Tight may be an explosion of instrumental excess in the face of an ever-changing instrumental style, but When Time Stood Still flips the fundamental sound Lynne had created. It is a daring and pragmatic piece which undercuts the space-set optimism on the A-Side. This is where a new depth to Lynne’s writing reveals itself. Those upbeat and garbled French additions to Hold on Tight feel like a universal warning when paired with the subtle pains heard in When Time Stood Still. It may be the best double-bill of ELO songs out there and, frankly, no song quite sounds as brutally clear as this B-Side.
