Electric Light Orchestra Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Electric Light Orchestra
ELO performing live during the Time tour. L-R: Jeff Lynne, Mik Kaminski, Kelly Groucutt, Bev Bevan, and Richard Tandy; 1981.
Background information
Origin	Birmingham, England
Genres	Symphonic rock, progressive rock
Years active	1970–83, 1985–86, 2000–01, 2010, 2012-2013
Labels	Harvest, Warner Bros., United Artists, Jet, Columbia, Epic, Legacy, Sony BMG
Associated acts	Jeff Lynne, The Move, ELO Part II, The Orchestra, The Traveling Wilburys, The Idle Race, Olivia Newton-John, Rosie Vela

Past members	See: Personnel

The Electric Light Orchestra, known to fans as ELO, was a very popular English rock band. They were famous in the 1970s and early 1980s. The band's leader was musician and songwriter Jeff Lynne. He wrote and sang most of their songs. Jeff Lynne also produced their recordings.

Other important members included Richard Tandy on keyboards and Bev Bevan on drums. Mike D'Albuquerque and later Kelly Groucutt played bass guitar. Hugh McDowell, Mik Kaminski, and Melvyn Gale added a unique sound by playing violin and cello. The band's name, "Electric Light Orchestra," is a clever mix of "electric light" and a "Light Orchestra." A light orchestra plays lighter, more popular classical music.

History of ELO
Albums
Images for kids
See also

History of ELO

How ELO Started: The Move

ELO began as a side project from another band called The Move. Two musicians from The Move, Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, started it. The Move already used some classical music in their pop songs. But Wood and Lynne wanted to mix rock music and classical music even more closely.

Bev Bevan, The Move's drummer, joined their new project. Roy Wood played almost all the classical instruments on their first album. They used new recording studio technology a lot. This included multitrack recording and overdubbing, which let them record many layers of sound.

Their first album was called Electric Light Orchestra in the United Kingdom. But when it came out in the United States, the American record label, United Artists, didn't know the album's title. They called ELO's British label to ask. When no one answered, they wrote down "No Answer." Later, this was mistaken for the album's title. So, in America, the album was released as No Answer.

The band's first single was "10538 Overture." It became a favorite on FM radio. Over time, ELO's music became more popular than The Move's. The Move eventually stopped playing, and Electric Light Orchestra became a full-time band.

ELO's Rise to Fame

Roy Wood left ELO while they were recording their second album. He went on to start a new band called Wizzard. Jeff Lynne then took over as the main leader of ELO. Hugh McDowell, Mik Kaminski, and Melvyn Gale joined the band.

The second album, ELO 2, was finished and released. It wasn't as popular as the first album. However, one song on the album was a cover version of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven." ELO added parts of many Beethoven compositions to Berry's song. This mix became another big radio hit.

Their third album, On the Third Day, included a rock version of "In the Hall of the Mountain King." This album also had another hit single called "Showdown." ELO then started touring the United States. At first, they played for small audiences. But they became more popular over time. They added theatrical elements to their shows. New contact microphones allowed the classical musicians to move around and even dance on stage. This was just like pop musicians. Audiences really enjoyed watching them.

By their fourth album, Eldorado, ELO started recording with real orchestras. Before, they used overdubbing with their small group. They had some problems when working in England. British classical musicians often followed strict union rules. Sometimes, they would even leave during recordings. This made it hard to finish their records.

So, ELO tried a studio called Musicland in Munich, Germany. They liked how the studio worked there. The German musicians were also more dedicated. ELO used Musicland many more times for their recordings.

Their next album, Face the Music (1975), had two hit singles: "Strange Magic" and "Evil Woman." ELO became even more popular. A compilation album called Olé ELO featured most of their early hit songs. In 1976, their album A New World Record had three songs that became worldwide hits. These were "Telephone Line," "Livin' Thing," and "Do Ya." "Do Ya" was a new version of an old song by The Move.

In 1977, ELO recorded a double album called Out of the Blue. This album included "Turn to Stone," "Sweet Talkin' Woman," and "Mr. Blue Sky." All of these became hit records. The band toured all over the world. Their stage set looked like a UFO. It would open up to show the band performing inside. Their shows also had lots of stage lighting and laser effects.

Their next new album, Discovery, came out in 1979. ELO's record label, Jet Records, changed distributors from United Artists to Columbia Records. This change caused some of the delay. Discovery included two hit singles: "Shine a Little Love" and "Don't Bring Me Down." "Don't Bring Me Down" was the first ELO single that didn't use any classical instruments. Columbia also released a Greatest Hits album. This album included some songs from Olé ELO along with newer hits.

ELO in the 1980s and Beyond

ELO became less popular during the 1980s. They had fewer hit songs. They recorded the Xanadu soundtrack with singer Olivia Newton-John. They also released the albums Time (1981), Secret Messages (1983), and Balance of Power (1986). "Time" and "Hold On Tight" were singles from Time. "Stranger" was a single from Secret Messages. "Calling America" was on Balance of Power. By this time, the classical musicians had left the band. Jeff Lynne started recording their parts using synthesizers or with other musicians who played for recordings.

Jeff Lynne began producing music for other artists, like The Everly Brothers. He stopped working with Electric Light Orchestra in 1986. However, most of the other band members wanted to keep playing together. They formed a new group called OrKestra, and later "ELO Part II." These groups toured for many years. They played ELO's old hits and released two albums of new songs. Meanwhile, Jeff Lynne continued his producing career. He also released a solo album, Armchair Theatre, in 1990. He also formed Traveling Wilburys with Beatle George Harrison.

In 2001, Lynne recorded an album called Zoom. He used the ELO name again, but with a new group of musicians. He made a few television appearances with this new lineup. They played both old and new songs. He also planned to tour with them. However, not many people were interested in the band at that time. Most of the shows were cancelled.

Electric Light Orchestra's music wasn't very present in popular culture from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. Their mix of classical and rock music made it hard for radio stations to put their songs on playlists. But ELO's music has made a comeback in the 2000s. Their songs have been used in movie soundtracks and in commercials, like for Monster.