"What happened to the [group] I used to know?"
This year for Christmas I asked for, and received, The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra; All Over The World, a compilation by the very popular group from the mid 70’s. When I lived in Washington House across from the very lovely campus of the very exclusive Harvard of Post-High School Christian Intellectual Enlightenment, my pals and I would play ELO at ear-splitting volumes day and night. One of the guys owned four Bose 901 speakers, which we hung by chains from the ceiling in each of the corners of the living room. With the volume at full chat it was a mind-altering experience. This we used to bring ourselves to fevered levels of emotional excitement before exams, dates and sporting events.“It’s a livin’ thing.”
Anyway, I have been listening to this CD a lot since Christmas because it reminds me of those carefree days when I lived with the YB of the SC and the Og Man and Reeser and Lower and of course Earl our dog. Also I just like their music. One day last week as I was running an errand in the venerable Nissan, listening to ELO, I had a stunning revelation—I was listening to Disco! I can only (inadequately) describe this as an out-of-body experience. This is something like going for a walk in the woods and having this weird sensation that everything is looking familiar when in fact you have walked back to where you had started hours before without knowing it until you have a shocking and unexpected encounter with your own vehicle exactly where you parked it. Such things make you question your sanity.
“I tell you once more before I get off the floor…”
I will never regard ELO or myself the same way again. How could I have possibly missed it all these years? Maybe I was mesmerized by the complex orchestration and the falsetto harmonies and the reverb. Maybe I was concentrating on the memories. I don’t know.
“Don’t bring me down.”
I still like ELO. Apparently it’s the only thing (I will admit) I like from the Disco era and genre. No more nasty surprises though, the disk is safely back in its jewel case and I am back to listening to Disturbed, Anberlin, Alterbridge and other bands from the less-than-sunny side of contemporary music.
“[I] ain’t got nobody else to blame.”
posted by Yakimaniac at 11:24 PM
13 Comments:
That's a really funny story! I know you really didn't mean it to be funny, but to think you didn't identify ELO as disco... The reason I knew it was disco is my late wife loved ELO and her two handsome, gold bechained, hairy chested brothers listened to them all the time. Otherwise, I might not have known either.
By the way, something weird has happened to your link to OG. Not that it matters since he doesn't write anymore!
On behalf of Jeff Lynn and the entire gang over here at ELO I would prefer to call them "rock and roll".
My lovely wife will never be able to fully unwind all the abbreviatons from this era. For example, she will often ask whether or not it was ELP or ELO that we saw in Santa Monica one night many, many moons ago. And, I try to respond with "EL if I can recall, perhaps it was BTO".
Hey Shilohperson,
I think maybe I was in denial. I liked their music but couldn't admit it was disco. Honestly I didn't know! Didn't even think about it. Very strange!
YB,
Did you go with me to that BTO concert on the south side of Chicago? We were lucky to make it out of there alive!
My dear Mr. Yak,
How can you forget such a memorable evening 30 some years ago? You schlepped me down to the South Side of Chicago along with you and Dave Shire. Perhaps you didn't see me behind his floppy mass of hair as he bounded up and down.
I think you guys took me along as your bodyguard. It was a very "nice" section of town...
Mrs. Yak
Yes, I was there with you all at the BTO concert...it was great, even though we had to stand for the entire event if my memory serves me right.
Hey YB,
And didn't you go with me and Danny Anderson to a Beachboys concert all the way down in Indianapolis in January '74? Who else went on that trip? Rattler? I don't recall.
There must be some mistake...
Nancy Kraftson would never have let the YB leave campus without her for more than an hour or so...(Maaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrkkkkkk)
Mrs. Yak
I think BTO was during our sophomore year...post Kraftson era.
I've never stopped listening to ELO and have my children now on board.
I saw them live in early 70's. They were the loudest band I ever witnessed.
Both shock, horror and anger overwhelmed me as you called them "Disco." I frantically search the history of the band and disco. I did find this on Wikipedia-""In 1979, Lynne set out to capitalize on the growing popularity of disco with the album Discovery (or "Disco very" as has been quoted). The album generated their biggest hit "Don't Bring Me Down" (the first ELO track not to feature strings), along with "Shine A Little Love""
So, I guess at that juncture you're onto something.
Meanwhile, do you have the Randy Newman album "Born Again" ? You have to listen to "The Story Of A Rock And Roll Band" with the famous chorus "I love my ELO!"
Yak's link to my blog has an extra "/" at the end which is preventing hundreds of thousands of people from clicking through the yak blog to read what I have not written lately.
Why thank you Oggie. Don't know how that happened, but I fixed it!
The hits to your blog should be astronomical in the next few days!
(Better WRITE something!)
Mrs. Yak
How the hell did that happen? it was working one day and then everything turned to crap. Well that just shows to go ya that the theory of natural selection leading to ever-increasing complexity is bunk!
The amazing thing I remember is that the boys at Washington House had another renter living upstairs. All those late-night hours with the stereo on notch #9 and they never said a word.
I think they were afraid of being bit by Earl.
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