Great Song! Great Friggin' Song!
Tightrope
I get a lot of guff from ELO fans because I don’t heap praise on every song “ELO” has done in the 21st century. (“ELO” in quotes because is it really ELO if there’s no Bevan, Grocutt, and sparsely used Tandy? That’s a whole ‘nother topic!)
To paraphrase the backlash to my thoughts on 21st century “ELO”, “It’s Jeff Lynne! How can you say the 21st century stuff is weak sauce???”
Because I have ears, and I’ve heard ‘70s and ‘80s ELO!
Lately YouTube has been feeding my suggestions sidebar with reaction videos to “Tightrope.” I rarely click on them because I’ve got 648 podcasts a week to produce. (That may be a slight exaggeration.) If I’m going to YouTube it’s because i’m uploading one of the podcasts, or looking for something to yoink from a video to use in a podcast.
But tonight, I clicked on Jamal’s reaction video to “Tightrope.” I’ve seen a few of his reactions to ELO songs, and they’re enjoyable.
As he’s listening to it for the first time, and I’m hearing it for the 10 quadrillionth time since December 25, 1983, I’m just as full body and mind enraptured by the music.
The doom and gloom, yet catchy orchestral intro. Then the bouncy, clappy main tune. Jeff’s voice full of life and energy. The swoony pre-chrous verses. The background choir. The section where the doom and gloom orchestra meshes with the Rock of ELO, then swerves right into the perky tune. And Bevan’s drumming keeps the blood pumping throughout.
It’s a sonic whirlpool that swallows me up and spins me around like the best amusement park ride, but doesn’t rough me up in the process.
And when that ride is over, I want to turn right around, and get back on it again. Even though I know every twist and turn of the song, it’s still, AW HELL YEAH!!!
Now, you wanna compare that to the bare, stripped down, sonically compressed sound of 21st century “ELO” and tell me it’s just as good as “Tightrope”?
Go on…pick any song from Zoom, Alone in the Universe, or From Out Of Nowhere. Even modern “ELO” like “When I Was a Boy” can’t compare to cinematic widescreen magnum opuses like “Turn to Stone,” “Fire On High,” “The Way Life’s Meant to Be,” or the last half of “Hello My Old Friend.” Even stripped down ELO songs like “Don’t Bring Me Down” or “The Bouncer” sound expansive.
”Alright” (Zoom 2001,) “Ain’t It a Drag” (Alone in the Universe 2015) not so much.
And the less said about Jeff’s lifeless drumming when compared to Bev Bevan’s, the better.
Look, I think Jeff Lynne is a stone cold brilliant musical genius. There are some pretty good 21st century “ELO” songs. “Just For Love” (Zoom,) Alone in the Universe bonus track “On My Mind,” the title track on From Out of Nowhere. And his voice is still just as dreamy.
But they feel empty when compared to the awe-inspiring ELO work of the ‘70s and ‘80s
I DO NOT want Jeff to rehash the past. (God knows he’s already rehashed 1990 to death for the last 35 years.) I absolutely do not want Another New World Record, or Out Of the Blue II: Back Into the Blue, or It’s Time Again. But he’s done the stripped down stuff for way too long. Time to do something that sounds full, big, great in (((SurroundSound))). A beautiful sonic overload that engulfs me into a thrilling world of music.
Not just bass…drums…guitar…voice…
.