A rare sighting of Jeff Lynne without his sunglasses is not the only reason to listen to The BBC Sessions, Volume Two. Electric Light Orchestra spent the 1970s finding their footing on the live stage and it was not until towards the end of the decade they found a comfortable swing to their appearances. None of their greatest hits appear in this session from the London Hippodrome but it does highlight a change in gear for the band, who were short to the tune of one Roy Wood and hoping to fill in the gap. Instrumental joys are the real draw of ELO live on stage, though in later years they would remain relatively unchanged and a tad flat. Here is a band roaring through, trying to figure out whether they can change it up on stage after so much time spent in the studio. They can.
The BBC Sessions, Volume Two, has a remarkably urgent sound to the live experience. Opener Ma-Ma-Ma Belle is ripped from a different live show to the rest of the tracks appearing on this bootleg compilation, with most from the Live at the BBC sessions. Softer flourishes on King of the Universe are a welcome touch. An instrumental powerhouse with those guitar strums feeling like a jagged and thoroughly impressionable section, pulling at those string sections and quieter moments. Lynne sounds a tad off-key but it is better than the monotone snooze which would affect some of his later performances. Still a force to be reckoned with on stage but no space for improvisation, no suggestion of fresh flourishes to come. Plenty on the stage here, though not all of them are winners. Later tracks like New World Rising hear the band settle into a comfortable groove which inspires some of their very best on-stage work.
Exceptional, ever-rising instrumentals are key to this. A double bill of instrumentals follows, with a violin solo and a bit of chatter preceding In the Hall of the Mountain King. That instrumental piece, the adaptation of classical music to rock opera-like pieces, is the big sell Electric Light Orchestra has in these pre-A New World Record performances. Covers made up many of these early performances and Great Balls of Fire, even to the passing ELO bootleg listener, will feel almost inevitable in these early spots. It serves a solid purpose here as the compilation closer. In the Hall of the Mountain King bleeds into Great Balls of Fire rather nicely, and those shockwaves Lynne can create with just his voice are right on show.
The BBC Sessions, Volume Two is an exceptional stop-off for those wondering how ELO continued evolving their instrumental style. A few workings in this compilation find them blisteringly close to the rocking sounds which would dominate Face the Music and beyond. Wonderful additions they are, nothing stands taller than Great Balls of Fire in this selection of live efforts. Tremendous stuff through and through, ultimately it shines a light on how ELO would piece together their instrumentals and use Lynne as a guiding light for some lyrical qualities. Each works independently of one another but when paired together, as was the case for many of ELO’s best bits, the layering that comes from it is sensational.
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