Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra album)

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Eldorado (subtitled A Symphony by the Electric Light Orchestra) is the fourth studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in the United States in September 1974 by United Artists Records and in the United Kingdom in October 1974 by Warner Bros. Records.

Concept

Eldorado is the first complete ELO concept album; bandleader Jeff Lynne conceived the storyline before he wrote any music.[1] The plot follows a Walter Mitty-like character who journeys into fantasy worlds via dreams, to escape the disillusionment of his mundane reality. Lynne began to write the album in response to criticisms from his father, a classical music lover, who said that Electric Light Orchestra's repertoire "had no tune".[2]

Recording

Eldorado marks the first album on which Jeff Lynne hired an orchestra; on previous albums band members would play strings using multitracked overdubbing.[1] Louis Clark co-arranged, with Lynne (and keyboardist Richard Tandy), and conducted the strings. The group's three resident string players continued to perform on recordings, however, and can be heard most prominently on the songs "Boy Blue" and "Laredo Tornado". Mike de Albuquerque departed early on in the recording process, as touring made him feel separated from his family. Lynne plays most of, if not all, the bass tracks and backing vocals for the album, but de Albuquerque still featured on the final release as well as getting credited. Kelly Groucutt replaced him for the subsequent tour, when cellist Melvyn Gale also joined (replacing the departing Mike Edwards). "Eldorado Finale" is heavily orchestrated, much like "Eldorado Overture". Jeff Lynne said of the song, "I like the heavy chords and the slightly daft ending, where you hear the double bass players packing up their basses, because they wouldn't play another millisecond past the allotted moment."[1]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".[3]

Cover design

The cover, designed by John Kehe, is a mirrored still frame of Dorothy's ruby slippers from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.[4]

Release, reception and aftermath

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Critical reception

Bruce Eder of AllMusic, giving a five-out-of-five-star retrospective rating, opined that "Eldorado was strongly reminiscent in some ways of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Not that it could ever have the same impact or be as distinctive, but it had its feet planted in so many richly melodic and varied musical traditions, yet made it all work in a rock context, that it did recall the Beatles classic."[5] Ken Barnes of Rolling Stone also noted that "The Electric Light Orchestra has sometimes swamped itself in grandiose conceptions, and Eldorado (A Symphony) sounds like a prime opportunity to do it again. But thanks to strong original songs, Eldorado emerges as something of a triumph for the group."[6] Chuck Hicks of PopMatters wrote in his retrospective review that "Eldorado (named for the mythical, gilded king of a golden kingdom) struck a responsive chord, breaking through like sunlight on the buried desires of the discouraged and disillusioned ’70s audience. Thankfully, Sony's Epic/Legacy label has reissued a gorgeous digital remaster of this album, which will carry its timeless message to another lost generation." He continued that "Eldorado was the first of many successful ELO albums that had in mind “the mission of the sacred heart”, a shimmering, purlined call to hold on tight to our dreams."[7]

Commercial reception

"Can't Get It Out of My Head" was released as a single (with "Illusions in G Major" as the B-side) and was a success in the US.[8]

Accolades

In July 2010, the album was named one of Classic Rock magazineTemplate:'s "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock".[9]

On 17 June 2015, the album was ranked No. 43 on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time" list.[10]

Track listing

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Personnel

Additional personnel
  • Peter Forbes-Robertson – spoken word
  • Louis Clark – orchestra and choral arrangements and conducting
  • Al Quaglieri – reissue producer (2001)

Charts

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Certifications

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References

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  1. ↑ a b c Wild, David. "The Story of a Rock and Roll Band and the Pop Genius Who Dared to Go Baroque." Flashback.
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Casey Kasem's American Top 40 from March 19, 1977 & May 6, 1978
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  9. ↑ Classic Rock magazine, July 2010, Issue 146.
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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