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Avg: 4.5 (41 ratings)
- Date Released: November 1, 1976
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Rock
- Label: Epic
- Copyright: 1976 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
A driven, baroque and nerdily innocent stunner from start to finish
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We Say...
ELO's second-best album, A New World Record, is a stunner from start to finish. It's no surprise that this was their first big hit: the '76 release included the finest disco-doo wop number the Beatles never got to write ("Telephone Line"); the bizarre flamenco rocker "Livin' Thing"; the absurd retro mini-opera "Rockaria!"; and maybe their most balls-out jam ever, a re-recording of the Move classic "Do Ya," wherein Jeff Lynne's gruff shout of "woman!" in the chorus is beyond cute — it's like watching an Ewok flip you the bird.
There's something almost savant-like about ELO leader Jeff Lynne's approach to music; his work is driven and baroque, yet nerdily innocent at the same time. His best works could be said to be like the first three Star Wars films: they're as epic as they are silly, but if you haven't fallen in love with them — what the hell is wrong with you? Do you just hate fun?
The non-hits on the album are just as strong; nothing here sounds like filler. "Tightrope" pits lean rockabilly licks against almost-atonal strings and medieval voices. By the time you get to "Above the Clouds (Paris to Manchester)," a gorgeous little "Gene Kelly floating on the sands of Mars" kind of song (a string-driven waltz punctuated by a theremin), it's clear that Lynne is far more than the dullard ripoff artist he's often accused of being. He's a deft stylist, capable of pasting different genres together at will. If only his lyrics had come close to the same range as his music, or if he hadn't come across as such a sci-fi goober, his work might be taken seriously. Oh well. Being taken seriously is vastly overrated, isn't it? -
They Say...
Jeff Lynne reportedly regards this album and its follow-up, Out of the Blue, as the high points in the band's history. One might be better off opting for A New World Record over its successor, however, as a more modest-sized creation chock full of superb songs that are produced even better. Opening with the opulently orchestrated "Tightrope," which heralds the perfect production found throughout this album, A New World Record contains seven of the best songs ever to come out of the group. The Beatles influence is present, to be sure, but developed to a very high degree of sophistication and on Lynne's own terms, rather than being imitative of specific songs. "Telephone Line" might be the best Lennon-McCartney collaboration that never was, lyrical and soaring in a way that manages to echo elements of Revolver and the Beatles without ever mimicking them. The original LP's second side opened with "So Fine," which seems like the perfect pop synthesis of guitar, percussion, and orchestral sounds, embodying precisely what Lynne had first set out to do with Roy Wood at the moment ELO was conceived. From there, the album soars through stomping rock numbers like "Livin' Thing" and "Do Ya," interspersed with lyrical pieces like "Above the Clouds" (which makes striking use of pizzicato bass strings).
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| 01. |  |
Tightrope
|
5:05 |
|
| 02. | |
Telephone Line |
4:40 |
|
| 03. | |
Rockaria! |
3:13 |
|
| 04. | |
Mission (A World Record) |
4:26 |
|
| 05. | |
So Fine |
3:55 |
|
| 06. | |
Livin' Thing |
3:32 |
|
| 07. | |
Above The Clouds |
2:17 |
|
| 08. | |
Do Ya |
3:45 |
|
| 09. | |
Shangri-La |
5:34 |
|
09 Total Tracks, 36:27 Total Length
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Credits
- Electric Light Orchestra - Main Performer // Electric Light Orchestra - Main Performer // Jeff Lynne - Synthesizer // Jeff Lynne - Guitar // Jeff Lynne - Keyboards // Jeff Lynne - Vocals // Jeff Lynne - Vocals (Background) // Jeff Lynne - Producer // Jeff Lynne - Orchestration // Jeff Lynne - Choir Arrangement // Jeff Lynne - Group Member // Louis Clark - Producer // Louis Clark - Orchestration // Louis Clark - Choir Arrangement // Bev Bevan - Percussion // Bev Bevan - Drums // Bev Bevan - Vocals // Bev Bevan - Vocals (Background) // Bev Bevan - Group Member // Melvyn Gale - Cello // Melvyn Gale - Group Member // Kelly Groucutt - Bass // Kelly Groucutt - Percussion // Kelly Groucutt - Vocals // Kelly Groucutt - Vocals (Background) // Kelly Groucutt - Group Member // Mik Kaminski - Violin // Hugh McDowell - Cello // Hugh McDowell - Group Member // Richard Tandy - Synthesizer // Richard Tandy - Guitar // Richard Tandy - Piano // Richard Tandy - Keyboards // Richard Tandy - Vocals // Richard Tandy - Clavinet // Richard Tandy - Orchestration // Richard Tandy - Choir Arrangement // Richard Tandy - Group Member
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Performers
Lynne, Jeff // Melvyn Gale // Bev Bevan // Mike Kaminski // Hugh McDowell // Kelly Groucutt
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