ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - THE DIARY OF A BUNCH OF WIMPS . . . . BUT HOT DAMN COULD THEY WRITE BRILLIANT TUNES . . . . I'VE CANED THESE DUDES IN MANY A MUSICAL POST/RANT, I KNOW . . . . IN HONEST REALITY THEY WERE A FAVOURITE, IMPECCABLE SONGCRAFT, TOTALLY INDIVIDUAL SOUND AND STUDIO TECHNIQUE STILL AT THE PRODUCTION FOREFRONT . . . . BE REAL, FESS UP, THIS SHIT KICKS !!!!

Jeff Lynn and ELO began their global musical ascendancy in about 1974, after having been thrown together courtesy of an idea from the beautifully eccentric Pommy muso/songsmith, Roy Wood, about three years earlier, sadly, he was not to share in the staggering commercial success the band achieved between '75 and '80 . . . . I believe part of the original 'design brief' was to carry on where the Fab Four had left off, incorporating strings, synths and state of the art production methods, remember, this was the early seventies kids, and there are definitely hints of Lennon/McCartney in their tunes, just listen to the intro from 'Mr Blue Sky', a wee spot of 'A Day in the Life' anyone ?? . . . . these fuckers could write seriously complex, melodic, instant hook laden, gorgeously crafted tunes that stood out like very large dog's balls from all that was going on around them, their sense of pace and timing always had me blown out, still does, I never liked the satin, velvet, big collar schtick, nor the monster bouffant hairdo thing but the songs alone are forever worth their weight in gold . . . . yes, they quickly became yet another victim of the Punk Revolution and by the beginning of the eighties were languishing in the quagmire of the past like so many other musically anachronistic dinosaurs but at one time they were the champions of the world . . . . they even had a new world record to prove it . . . . rock on, you velveteen, hairy, old, hippy dick swingers !!!