Electric Light Orchestra
Face the Music

THE REVIEW

The so-called "Orchestra of Electric Light," led by the eclectic Jeff Lynne and his motley crew (a hybrid of symphonic and rock artists), attempted to experiment in a flourishing period like the early '70s with a new concept of rock, pairing strings and violins with classic instruments of the genre; in truth, this attempt had already been timidly undertaken by other bands of the '70s, but we are talking about sporadic episodes and mainly live performances. The Electric Light Orchestra (from now on, we will simply call them ELO) tried to produce, especially in their early productions, a decidedly progressive sound, an attempt that actually did nothing but reveal the group's real peculiarity: short, catchy, and well-arranged tracks.

After the experimental ELO and ELO II, the transitional On a Third Day, and the ambitious Eldorado (all albums accompanied by successful singles), the classic "boom" arrived: "Face The Music".

Face the Music, seems almost to foreshadow aggressive sounds... nothing could be more wrong. The LP in question is a collection of catchy and well-arranged tracks, the best ELO could aspire to, yet it does not lack experimentation and tracks with progressive nuances: it is the first track, "Fire On High", that stands out from the rest of the album.

"The music is reversible but time is not. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back."

This line of text is the only one in the entire track, and moreover, it was recorded "backwards," making it incomprehensible without playing the old tape in "rewind" mode. Therefore, we can consider "Fire On High" a purely instrumental track (the only one on the album) with a great impact: besides being aggressive (just as the album title suggests, no?), it features a rather erratic rhythm, with violins and strings accompanied by guitar and drums that intensify, then take a short break, resuming with the strings and the relentless drumming of Bev Bevan (who made a brief appearance on a Black Sabbath tour).

"Fire On High" is certainly the most original and compelling track on the album, followed closely by a series of sweet symphonic sketches like "Waterfall", "Strange Magic" and "One Summer Dream", mainstream hits with a commercial impact like "Nightrider" and "Evil Woman", the rocking "Poker", and "Down Home Town", a track with a country flavor. Nothing aggressive, yet the title suggested otherwise; the reality is that we have an album in which the listener is mostly lulled, and that's not a bad thing: what seemed to be a "Progressive" work, is actually what I would define as Symphonic Rock, and Face The Music will pave the way for subsequent works, with ELO increasingly in search of simple and catchy melodies, their great limitation.

At least in this LP, we find two of the most successful tracks in their discography, and I am mainly talking about "Nightrider", with a truly galloping and dark rhythm, just as if we were admiring a knight of the night, and especially "Evil Woman", a famous track in the USA, recently included in the prestigious soundtrack of the video game GTA IV, deservedly so. However, "Waterfall" and "Strange Magic" are excessive for different reasons: the former is too sweet, the latter too somnolent. The rest of the tracks won't make history, but we are talking about an album that I consider an "Evergreen": it's suitable for all seasons, it's not demanding, it can be listened to by anyone, and it can introduce you to one of the catchiest bands ever.

The light bulb depicted on their covers has finally lit up, revealing their true ambition: simplicity. And we like them that way.