Jeff Lynne Working On New ELO Music, Will Play US Dates



At Tuesday night's (Nov. 4) Classic Rock Honours in Los Angeles, ELO mastermind Jeff Lynne was feted with the very deserving Outstanding Contribution to Music award. “I think it’s because I’ve done a lot of stuff,” Lynne joked to Billboard after the ceremony.

Lynne, who revived the ELO name and revisited such classic '70s and '80s hits as “Telephone Line,” “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Livin’ Thing,” “Showdown” and so many more at London’s Hyde Park, confirmed to Billboard he will be bringing ELO to the States.

“I had so much fun in Hyde Park with 50,000 people, where I just played in September, first time I’ve played in 28 years it was fantastic and I loved every minute, so I’m definitely gonna come here and play.”

As for when he says, “Not too long.” His manager then added it will be in 2015.

It won’t just be a greatest hits celebration, as Lynne said he is working on new music under the ELO banner. “I’m working on a new album and that’ll be involved in the new times when we play.”

Of course even the old stuff is somewhat new to Lynne, as the songs have evolved and he has different appreciations for those seminal ELO hits nearly three decades after he last played them as ELO.

“They always take on new meanings and some of them I wrote 40 years ago, some of them I wrote 35 years ago and some of them 30 years ago, they all become something slightly different as the years go by,” he said. “Some that I thought are very straight forward aren’t at all. I sing them now and I realize what they’re about and it’s usually about grim stuff like relationships and crap relationships,” he added.

So are there any now that he really understands better than he did during the first ELO run? “Yeah, I wrote it before I met my second wife, but ‘Evil Woman’ turned out to be a prophecy in me own lunch time.”

It's not clear to me if the new album will be from/by the Electric Light Orchestra or a solo Jeff Lynne. I'd guess it's just semantics at this point. Some folks would say that Zoom was practically a solo project and that Jeff's two albums sound a lot like ELO. Either way, I'm in.

Jim

JEFF LYNNE’S ELO
 SIGNS WITH COLUMBIA...

Known as one of the most iconic forces in history, Jeff Lynne’s ELO has signed a global deal with Columbia Records and is set to deliver a new album which will be the first new ELO music in 15 years. As with ELO’s previous chart-topping albums, Lynne continues to serve as ELO’s producer, songwriter, arranger, lead singer and guitarist. In September 2014, for the first time in 30 years, Jeff Lynne's ELO headlined BBC Radio 2's "Festival In A Day" in London's famous Hyde Park to a sold-out crowd of 50,000 fans in attendance and nearly a million people tuned in to watch.

Lynne was the creative genius behind ELO which sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, had more than 20 Top 40 Hits across the U.S. and the U.K. and received countless awards and accolades. At the time of ELO’s formation, Lynne had said the goal was to create modern rock and pop songs. A goal that remains true some 30 years later with the creation of new material.

Hope Lynne reunites with Bevan and the string guys.

When a legendary band returns after a long hiatus the results are often cringe-worthy—or mixed, at best. To be fair, it's nearly impossible to recapture the kind of magic that makes legends to begin with. But that's not the case with a surprise new album from the Electric Light Orchestra.

Due out Nov. 13, Alone In The Universe is ELO's first album of all-new songs in nearly 15 years, and only the band's second since 1986. "When I Was A Boy" is the opening track and first single.

"When I Was A Boy" is in part about ELO frontman Jeff Lynne's childhood dream of being a musician. "Music is such a powerful force in our lives," says Lynne in a press release. "A good song can make people feel much less alone in this universe. And trying to create one of those songs somehow makes me feel less alone, too. My whole life—from being that kid with a dream in Birmingham, right until today—proves how much music can do."

Though the harmonies that helped make the band one of the biggest selling acts of the '70s aren't as abundantly layered here, "When I Was A Boy" is vintage ELO, with Lynne's signature chord progressions, string flourishes and a wistful but infectious melody.

After years of lineup changes, Alone In The Universe is being officially released under the name Jeff Lynne's ELO. It's the band's first record for Columbia Records.

Tracklist
1. When I Was A Boy
2. Love & Rain
3. Dirty To The Bone
4. When The Night Comes
5. The Sun Will Shine On You
6. Ain't It A Drag
7. All My Life
8. I'm Leaving You
9. One Step At A Time
10. Alone In The Universe
Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:
11. Faultline
12. Blue