Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra

That the Electric Light Orchestra, or ELO as they inevitably became known, is worthy of a 3-CD career overview is inarguable. Co-founder/songwriter/producer/singer Jeff Lynne produced a body of work through the band that rivals that of any other Seventies pop/rock act, with a McCartney-ish sense of melody and the rare ability to meld rock with classical music in a manner that wasn't pompously "progressive." Their radio hits were among the most memorable tunes on the airwaves in that post-Beatles decade, and their "peak" albums, A New World Record and Out of the Blue, were jam-packed with prime lush pop -- though the latter double album was predictably bloated, keeping with rock tradition stretching from Fleetwood Mac's Rumours/Tusk transition to the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream follow-up, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Yes, ELO easily merits a 3-CD compilation, but unfortunately for Flashback, they already have one -- 1990's Afterglow. Is there enough difference between the two for a casual fan to want both? Fat chance! The two sets vary mainly in their choice of bonus tracks; Afterglow favors B-sides and unissued cuts from the band's Eighties albums Time and Secret Messages, most of which are guaranteed to leave the non-fanatic scratching his head. Flashback, meanwhile, finds Lynne mining the vaults for rare early- and middle-period material and completing previously unfinished tracks from 1982, with mixed results. "What's That?" for instance, is a wacky, fart-laden hoot, though it sounds far more like a Bonzo Dog Band outtake than a lost ELO anthem, and Lynne's new remake of "Xanadu" is a sluggish affair that leaves one pining for Olivia Newton-John's presence. Alternate mixes of treats from New World's Record, like a harder-rocking "Do Ya" and a just plain odd "Mission (A World Record)," are nice touches that tip the scales toward Flashback, though a muddy, incomplete "Indian Queen" demo, and the dull instrumental "After All" could have been dumped in favor of Afterglow's inclusion of Eldorado's lively "Boy Blue" and "Julie Don't Live Here," a Time outtake that's better than anything on the actual album. Either way, you get all the hits, from "Can't Get It Out of My Head" to "Calling America," plus plenty more nifty album cuts. And Flashback does have one major advantage over Afterglow -- it comes in the nice hardback book format, rather than the annoying LP-sized box that housed its predecessor. Oh, and one final thing: In Flashback's accompanying booklet, you learn what Lynne is singing in "Don't Bring Me Down" when it sounds like he's calling out to someone named "Bruce!" That really is all you wanted to know, now wasn't it?