Electric Light Orchestra is a band lead by Jeff Lynne, God's musical gift to man. They are most known for their 70's albums like Face the Musicโ , Discovery โ ƒ, A New World Recordโ ‰, and most importantly Out of the Blueโ ™, their most well known album with it's timeless hit Mr. Blue Sky. However, my favourite album comes after their peak. The sound, the image, the masterpiece that captured my mind and soul came in 1981, with the release of their album Timeโ ‘.

Interestingly, despite only being released in 1981, Time is the very first concept album based around the idea of time travel. Somehow no one else has thought of that before ELO. Imagine that, take my favourite band and have them make an album about one of my special interests? You don't get that often. And to top it off, it's actually an amazing album!


Figure 1: Jeff Lynne - The immortal vampire musical legend

So what makes Time, an album which received quite middling reviews when it was first released, and which was even forgotten by Lynne himself, the greatest album ever released (or should I say, the greatest album of all time)? Well let's take the release of the album as a reference point and go through PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE, piecing together the story of this overlooked gem, and then, maybe then, dear reader, you will understand, why I am OBJECTIVELLY right, have always been, and will be, for as long as time itself exists.

PAST

The Band Itself

The Creation of Time

PRESENT

Prologue and Twilight

Now, if you've been listening to the album as you've been reading this, the more weaboo-inclined amongst you might recognise these songs. Hold your tongue until the legacy section, don't spoil it for the rest of the class. Rest of class? Pretend you've never read this.

From the very beginning, Time lets you know you will be taking a step into a strange, foreign world, in more ways than one. The best way to describe Prologue would be "This is what Jeff Lynne approximates a time machine would sound like, as you rocket your way into the far future". For the audiences of the time, familiar with ELO's albums through the 70's, there existed another layer to this effect. ELO have not shyied away from using sythesizers in the past, but never have they done anything to this extent. The very instruments used in this albums creation are alien and futuristic to the fans of the band at this point. This did, after all, mark their step into a new decade, but they band decided to take this opportunity to give people a glimpse in what the future has to offer.

As our protagonist in this album is taken into the future by forces beyond our comprehension, we hear these words, which mark the themes and emotions running through the whole album:

  "Just on the border of your waking mind. There lies another time where darkness and light are one. And as you tread the halls of sanity, you feel so glad to be unable to go beyond. I have a message, from another time."  

Yours Truly, 2049

Ticket to the Moon

The Way Life's Meant to Be

Another Heart Breaks

Rain Is Falling

From the End of the World

The Lights Go Down

Here Is the News

21st Century Man

Hold on Tight

Epilogue

The Bonus Tracks

That Which Time Forgot

FUTURE

The Birth of Gainax

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Konnik ยท Dec 4, 2024

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