Electric Light Orchestra – Eleanor Rigby Review

Should it be any surprise that a band so inspired by The Beatles would eventually cover them? Not really. But that does not make the Electric Light Orchestra’s rendition of Revolver track Eleanor Rigby any less special. They owe a lot to the John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr-featuring outfit and they pay their dues with this delightfully rare cover of Eleanor Rigby. A live performance from 1977 is where this Eleanor Rigby rendition comes from. A definitely different setlist here, and it makes up for much of the band’s other covers. Roll Over Beethoven was bludgeoned to death by the band, let alone by its original songwriter Chuck Berry. A blessed relief to not have to hear it anymore. It no longer echoes around the singular brain cell, every movement it makes toward the corner of a skull producing another review. Such as this. Eleanor Rigby in the hands of a band who clearly love it and are moved by it, that’s a treat to hear.  

Paying tribute to “the greatest group of all time” is only fair. What Electric Light Orchestra adds to Eleanor Rigby with their rock and roll style is clear from the first moments of this performance. A real barnstormer of an effort. There’s a nervousness that lingers through the cover, more because the band has decided to tackle a tender Beatles classic than anything else. They do a fantastic job of it. Those string sections which back their very best works are well-placed. Instrumental breaks which obscure Jeff Lynne’s vocals are more an occurrence of recording shows at the time, rather than an active artistic choice. You can just about make out his work despite the band’s instrumentals overwhelming him, the backing vocals too trying to grab the spotlight from his hands. Once they hit that first “look at all the lonely people” it comes together brilliantly.  

Lynne is clearly moved by The Beatles and though it would be some time before he started collaborating with George Harrison and overhauling the band’s archive, his understanding of what makes the songs tick is clear from this Eleanor Rigby cover. It’s not so much a blueprint for what Lynne could do for the band, this is just a bit of a fun cover after all, but it does highlight his love of the Fab Four and that became a crucial factor in his work with them through the 1990s. He may not have been the boldest on-stage presence but there’s still an entertaining factor at play that has Lynne and the band cover one of The Beatles’ many successful works. A great showing of the song too, not too keen to play it straight but ELO accepts their limits in adapting it any further than they do.  

It’s not the time for instrumental overhauls, for instance. Even if it were, what more can they add but a bit of keyboard and a lot of violin? That’s enough to make the song click, to be fair to them. Eleanor Rigby is handled well by Lynne and the band who manage to not get caught up in respecting the song all too much. There’s a layer of to this Eleanor Rigby cover that’s perhaps lacking in other renditions of the song. Lynne and the band are cautious not to cause an upset but never feel as though they’re scared to tackle such a huge piece of work. Love for The Beatles prevails and offers up a straightforward but intoxicatingly sweet rendition of a Revolver classic. One of the many great songs to come from that album, and one of the few covers here to feel like it preserves the message. ELO doesn’t add or detract from the message, and that’s about as good as it gets for covers of The Beatles.