![]() “Out Of The Blue”, Jeff’s next album, was to be even more ambitious, but, as a double album, it simply doesn’t have the punch of “A New World Record” and the quality on the record most people consider to be Lynne’s magnum opus is spread out a little further than this intoxicating serving of Lynne’s unique brand of orchestral-fused rock. Simply put, “Shangri-la” is a perfect end to a flawless album and this is why I consider ELO’s 1976 album to be their masterpiece, because there isn’t a weak track to be found here, there are nine excellent tracks, some of which are amongst the most remarkable rock/pop songs ever written. As ever, Jeff’s love of that rather popular sixties group from Liverpool leads to another lyrical reference (“My Shangri-la has gone away, faded like The Beatles on ‘Hey Jude’”) which, to me, is a superb line, but I can grudgingly understand if others find it clumsy. A soul-melting Jeff Lynne vocal guides us through this account of heartbreak and jaded, faded love, with the dramatic, emotional orchestral false ending adding just an extra touch of genius to an already magnificent song. Perhaps the most precious jewel in the crown of “A New World Record” is the final track, “Shangri-la”. Jeff’s decision to re-record The Move’s “Do Ya” (one of his own songs) is utterly vindicated by ELO’s brilliantly overblown version and the string arrangements, as well as a more melodic vocal line, give the already excellent rocker a few extra dimensions. As a lesser-known track and overshadowed by the bigger compositions, “Under The Clouds” is rather gentle underrated and beautiful piece and is just over two minutes of sheer loveliness. Side two of the original vinyl would have begun with the breezy, upbeat “So Fine”, an infectious track with a Latin edge which then segues effortlessly into one of the Electric Light Orchestra’s biggest selling and most loved hits, “Livin’ Thing”, three-and-a-half minutes of pure pop genius, resplendent with magical, soaring vocals, flamboyant violin arpeggios and a chorus that will refuse to leave your head long after you’ve finished listening to the song. It is a sublimely dreamy, drifting, lightly philosophical song, complete with some funky bass-work from Groucutt and has the most wonderful Louis Clark string arrangements. One of my very favourite compositions on “A New World Record” is “Mission (A World Record)” which relates the perspective of an alien observing life on Earth. The final moments of the track also builds to a beautifully intense finish to provide the icing on the cake of a flawless three minute pop-rock song. The maddeningly catchy “Rockaria!” starts with the operatic voice of Mary Thomas (mistake and all) and explodes into a hard, orchestral rock song with strong classical influences, both lyrically and musically. As one of the band’s best known songs, this big ballad needs no further enthusing about it from me, but it really is one of those perfect moments in rock when a superb composition meets a brilliant performance and arrangement. The first huge hit of the album, “Telephone Line” begins with a Moog impersonating the tones of a ‘phone when dialling which then leads to an unanswered ringing and Jeff’s desolate, emotional vocals. The classy “Tightrope” provides a superb introduction to the album, with the dramatic orchestral beginning giving way to a hook-laden, bright, infectious pop song it was never a single but probably should have been. ![]() “A New World Record” (a title suggested by Richard Tandy, as the album was being recorded in Munich during the 1976 Olympics) is the beginning of an exceedingly prolific songwriting era for Jeff when nearly everything he composed during this time became classic ELO songs which remain well loved and played to this day. ![]() From a personal perspective, this was also the first ELO studio album I bought when I was in my mid-teens, once I decided to venture past the couple of “greatest hits” compilations I owned, so it also has a rather special, sentimental quality. Although “Out Of The Blue” receives more critical accolades, this particular album is as near to perfect as can be, with every single track a fully accomplished piece of inspired craft. If I was forced to declare that any one release was Jeff Lynne’s masterpiece, it would probably be The Electric Light Orchestra’s sixth album, “A New World Record”.
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