Electric Light Orchestra album could have been ‘great’ – but fans say one thing stops it

An album from the rock group Electric Light Orchestra could have been “great” according to fans who highlighted a crucial problem.

The Jeff Lynne-fronted group released fifteen studio albums in their time together, though one fell just short of brilliance, according to fans. A post to the r/ELO subreddit saw listeners of one of the band’s most recent projects share what they believed could fix the album. Lynne, who cancelled his farewell show at Hyde Park due to medical reasons, suggested he would continue on in the studio after his stage retirement. Fans are wondering whether this will continue, and have even called for Lynne to receive a knighthood for his services to music. His most recent album, From Out of Nowhere, delighted fans at the time of release.

But some have suggested a few improvements could be made to the 2019 release. One user pointed out the one thing that prevents the album from being great, instead leaving the work sounding “empty and overproduced.”

They wrote: “It had potential to be a great album but the compression kills it, unfortunately – it makes it sound empty and overproduced. But I like the title track, and Down Came the Rain.”

Another listener agreed with the comment on the overproduced feeling, suggesting some of the tracks on From Out of Nowhere were “mediocre”. They wrote: “Only really liked Time Of Our Lives, One More Time and Sci-Fi Woman. The rest were mediocre, although ENIAC created some mixed that breathed life into them.”

A third listener added: “I like the title track, Goin’ Out on Me, Time of Our Life. The sound is really atrocious, though it’s up there with Analog Man for worst Jeff Lynne crunch.”

Other users have suggested From Out of Nowhere is far from Lynne’s best work and feels more like a retread of old ideas than anything groundbreaking. The user wrote: “Not his best. But I like all ELO and almost everything Jeff does. Please, no more songs about rain or weather.

“Jeff, at this stage of your career, you’re better off collaborating than cranking out retreads of old ideas. Hire a lyricist. Make a concept album. Revisit the strings. Do something with Jazz. Anything but the same old tired lyrics and production.”

Another agreed, adding: “While is was good to hear new music from ELO, which was mostly Jeff playing all the instruments. The songs are down and out songs that aren’t as memorable but usually later albums by classic rock artists are like that.

“Still glad to see the new effort. His touring band is just incredible at recreating the music. Not sure if this is the last time playing live, but we will see.” Even though fans were underwhelmed by From Out of Nowhere, it is considered by some to be a tad better than the albums preceding it.

One user wrote: “Definitely better than the two albums that preceded it, but still a far cry from the original run.” Another added: “This album was a surprise to me and literally came out of nowhere. I really love the album. It’s got bluesy songs, and happy songs.”