From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
Greatest hits album by
Released1 April 2003
RecordedSeptember 1972 – January 1986
Genre Rock
Length60:58
Label Epic
Producer Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
ELO 2
(First Light Series)

(2003)
The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
(2003)
All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
(2005)
Playlist: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
The Music Box [2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide [3]

The Essential Electric Light Orchestra is a 15-track, single-CD, US-only compilation album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 2003. It is part of Sony Music's The Essential series.

On 2 September 2008, an eco-friendly repackaging of the album, retitled Playlist: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, was released. This edition includes a multimedia section on the CD that features photos, credits, and two wallpapers.[ citation needed]

A third edition of the album was released in 2011. This version features 37 tracks on two discs, arranged in chronological order. [4] It was the third ELO compilation to present the songs in chronological order, preceded by the US releases Olé ELO in 1976 and Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra in 1995.

Each edition of the album features a different cover.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jeff Lynne, except " Roll Over Beethoven", which was written by Chuck Berry.

Original Edition

No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1." Evil Woman" (UK Single Edit) Face the Music (1975)4:19
2." Do Ya" A New World Record (1976)3:47
3." Can't Get It Out of My Head" Eldorado (1974)4:26
4." Mr. Blue Sky" Out of the Blue (1977)5:08
5." Strange Magic" (UK Single Edit)Face the Music (1975)4:07
6." Livin' Thing"A New World Record (1976)3:33
7." Turn to Stone"Out of the Blue (1977)3:48
8." Sweet Talkin' Woman"Out of the Blue (1977)3:49
9." Telephone Line"A New World Record (1976)4:40
10." Shine a Little Love" Discovery (1979)4:42
11." Hold on Tight" Time (1981)3:08
12." Calling America" Balance of Power (1986)3:28
13." Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (Edit) Secret Messages (1983)3:17
14." Don't Bring Me Down"Discovery (1979)4:04
15." Roll Over Beethoven" (Single Edit) ELO 2 (1973)4:33
Total length:60:58

2011 edition

Essential Electric Light Orchestra 2CD
Greatest hits album by
Released10 October 2011 (UK/Europe), 24 October 2011 (US)
Recorded1970–2007
Genre Rock
Length144:56
Label Epic, Legacy, Sony Music
Producer Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
Ticket to the Moon: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2
(2007)
Essential Electric Light Orchestra 2CD
(2011)
Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
(2012)
2-Disc Edition UK album cover
Disc one
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1." 10538 Overture" ( Single Edit) The Electric Light Orchestra (1971)4:05
2." Roll Over Beethoven" (Single Edit) ELO 2 (1973)4:33
3." Showdown" On the Third Day (1973)4:10
4." Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" (Single Edit)On the Third Day (1973)3:38
5." Can't Get It Out of My Head" (Single Edit) Eldorado (1974)3:08
6." Evil Woman" (UK Single Edit) Face the Music (1975)4:13
7." Nightrider" (Single Edit)Face the Music (1975)3:43
8." Strange Magic" (UK Single Edit)Face the Music (1975)4:08
9." Livin' Thing" A New World Record (1976)3:33
10." Do Ya"A New World Record (1976)3:46
11." Rockaria!"A New World Record (1976)3:13
12." Telephone Line"A New World Record (1976)4:41
13." Turn to Stone" Out of the Blue (1977)3:50
14." Mr. Blue Sky"Out of the Blue (1977)5:04
15." Sweet Talkin' Woman"Out of the Blue (1977)3:49
16." Wild West Hero"Out of the Blue (1977)4:43
17." It's Over"Out of the Blue (1977)4:10
18." Shine a Little Love" (Single Edit) Discovery (1979)4:11
Total length:72:36
Disc two
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1." Don't Bring Me Down"Discovery (1979)4:04
2." The Diary of Horace Wimp"Discovery (1979)4:17
3." Confusion"Discovery (1979)3:40
4." Last Train to London"Discovery (1979)4:32
5." I'm Alive" Xanadu (1980)3:44
6." Xanadu (New Version)" Flashback (2000)3:22
7." All Over the World"Xanadu (1980)4:03
8." Don't Walk Away"Xanadu (1980)4:47
9." Hold on Tight" Time (1981)3:08
10." Twilight"Time (1981)3:45
11." Ticket to the Moon"Time (1981)4:08
12." The Way Life's Meant to Be"Time (1981)4:40
13." Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (Single Edit) Secret Messages (1983)3:08
14." Secret Messages"Secret Messages (1983)4:45
15." Four Little Diamonds"Secret Messages (1983)4:07
16." Calling America" Balance of Power (1986)3:31
17." So Serious"Balance of Power (1986)2:44
18."Surrender"A New World Record: 30th Anniversary Edition (2006)2:33
19."Latitude 88 North"Out of the Blue: 30th Anniversary Edition (2007)3:23
Total length:72:20

Charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Switzerland Swiss Hitparade [5] 58

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom ( BPI) [6] Silver 60,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ The Essential Electric Light Orchestra at AllMusic
  2. ^ Metzger, John (May 2003). "Electric Light Orchestra The Essential Electric Light Orchestra". The Music Box. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p.  275. ISBN  0-7432-0169-8.
  4. ^ Electric Light Orchestra - The Essential Electric Light Orchestra at JB Hi-Fi
  5. ^ Switzerland Charts – Electric Light Orchestra – The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
  6. ^ "British album certifications – Elo – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 April 2022.