Customer Reviews

All Over the World: the Very Best of

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I, too was baffled by the omissions on this ELO comp. I wrote to a watchdog column to get answers.

Here's what I was told. This comp initially was only intended for the UK. Hence only the hit singles in that country were chosen. That is why Can't Get it Out of My Head is not on this - it didn't chart overseas. That is why Wild West Hero and Rockaria are on this.

It was then released worldwide with the track selection intact. Sounds plausible, and yet, the tracklisting does vary in Holland and Japan. So...back to the same question=why not vary it here?

Why the remake of Xanadu and not the UK hit with Olivia Newton John?

Skimpy liner notes and a slightly spotty track selection (no Do Ya, Twilight, Calling America, Roll Over Beethoven, 10538 Overture (the latter two both charted well in the UK), and the above Can't Get it Out of My Head knock this down one star. The four stars are for what IS on here and the remastering which is superb!

As another reviewer has mentioned, "All Over The World" is a fantastic introduction to one of the central bands of the 1970's and early 1980's. With a sound all of their own, ELO produced some of the most original and unique sounds I have ever heard.

ELO mix rock/pop with a bit of classical, and the mix is heady. These guys could still hold their own in contemporary music, and their enduring fan-base is testament to their appeal. In addition to that, ELO can sing like no one else, and just have an awesome sound.

Bottom line, for a sound that is unique and original, ELO's "All Over the World" is a great place to start with a great band.

Nice overseen remastering job by Jeff Lynne. With the exception of the new version of "Xanadu"(I wish it was the 1980 version with Olivia Newton John), the song list is pretty nice. This sampling of ELO hits is a great way for a new ELO fan to start an ELO collection. Nice linear notes by Jeff. Again as with all the ELO greatest hits and ELO box sets there are favorite songs missing. Best bet by all the Epic /Legacy remastered ELO cd releases, but if you just want one disc full of hits this disc is a nice edition to have. I wish "Look At Me Now", "Dreaming Of 4000" and a few more ELO oddities were on this collection I know these are two odd songs that are not known as ELO greatest hits material but it would have added a little different curriculum to this latest ELO greatest hits release. I still enjoyed the listen it brought brought back alot of memories. While I listened to this ELO greatest hits collection cd, as usual I cracked an ELO smile. Recommended listening...............

ELO evolved from another British group, The Move, which was successful in the late sixties with such hits as Flowers in the rain and Blackberry way. Bev Bevan, Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, all previously with The Move, created ELO. With other new members, they recorded their debut album, which yielded the UK top ten hit 10538 overture. After that, there were a series of line-up changes but the biggest change came because Roy and Jeff disagreed about the way that ELO should develop. Roy and two others quit and formed their own group, Wizzard (essentially a rock'n'roll group, updated for the seventies) who had a couple of UK number one hits (See my baby jive, Angel fingers), but is now best remembered for the top five hit, I wish it could be Christmas every day.

With Roy gone, Jeff was free to do what he wanted. He added classical music influences to a basic rock sound, making something unique and distinctive, though this vision took a few albums to be fully realized. ELO had a long string of hits on both sides of the Atlantic in the seventies, particularly from the albums A new world record, Out of the blue and Discovery, but were unable to sustain that success in the eighties. Their last UK top ten hit was in 1981 and they only came close once after that - in 1983, with Rock'n'roll is king. In America, their fortunes faded equally dramatically but they had already recorded a body of work that is well worth listening to.

No single CD can contain all of ELO's hits - if you want a comprehensive compilation, go for the British double-CD Ultimate collection - but this compilation contains most of the essentials. Their first two UK top ten hits (1538 overture, Roll over Beethoven) are missing as is Do ya (an American hit but not a UK hit) and Last train to London (the flip side of Confusion - the two sides were credited as a double-sided UK top ten hit). However, you will find Xanadu and All over the world, frequently omitted from ELO compilations on both sides of the Atlantic, together with Living thing, Mr Blue Sky, Hold on tight, Telephone line, Rockaria, Wild west hero, Don't bring me down, Shine a little love and other classic tracks that you would expect to find. The omitted hits can be found on Ultimate collection The tracks are not in chronological order, which will disappoint some people, but it is far better to have all the tracks that matter than to have a chronological compilation that omits essential tracks.

If you only want one ELO collection of their music and you feel that a double-CD is too much for you, this will suit you ideally providing all your favorites are here.

Jeff Lynne wears his Beatles' influences (proudly) on his sleeve and from the mid-Seventies through the early Eighties wrote, produced and performed a string of hit singles--most of which are collected on this 20-track anthology. If this were the only ELO greatest hits release available, I'd give this a more enthusiastic endorsement. However, there are several to choose from, and this current release has some serious flaws.

Six of ELO's twenty U.S. Top 40 hits are excluded from this collection, including their American debut "Can't Get It Out of My Head" (which went to No. 9 in 1975) and the 1980 million-seller "I'm Alive." The omission of these two songs makes no sense. The other missing singles are "Do Ya," "Last Train to London," "Twilight" and their last chart entry "Calling America."

Also missing are three U.K. hits: Their 1972 debut single "10538 Overture" (No. 9), the 1973 Chuck Berry Cover "Roll Over Beethoven" (No. 6--it only reached No. 42 in the U.S., but it's what first turned me on to the band), and 1982's "Ticket to the Moon" (No. 24).

While it may seem like nitpicking to complain about missing U.K. hits, the compilers did include all of their other U.K. hits that did not hit the Top 40 in the U.S.: "The Diary of Horace Wimp" (No. 8), "Wild West Hero" (No. 6), "Showdown" (No. 12), "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" (No. 22; by the way, this track features Marc Bolan playing lead guitar along with Lynne), and "Rockaria" (No. 9).

They even throw in "Alright" from 2001's ZOOM, but that's not enough to make up for all the previously mentioned omissions. While this is a more than adequate collection for the novice fan, 1995's 2-disc THE ESSENTIAL (even though it omits the three singles from the XANADU soundtrack) is a more complete look at the history of ELO. Or better yet, 2000's 3-disc FLASHBACK has all hits and just about everything else all but the most dedicated fans will ever need. RECOMMENDED

ELO evolved from another British group, The Move, which was successful in the late sixties with such hits as Flowers in the rain and Blackberry way. Bev Bevan, Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, all previously with The Move, created ELO. With other new members, they recorded their debut album, which yielded the UK top ten hit 10538 overture. After that, there were a series of line-up changes but the biggest change came because Roy and Jeff disagreed about the way that ELO should develop. Roy and two others quit and formed their own group, Wizzard (essentially a rock'n'roll group, updated for the seventies) who had a couple of UK number one hits (See my baby jive, Angel fingers), but is now best remembered for the top five hit, I wish it could be Christmas every day.

With Roy gone, Jeff was free to do what he wanted. He added classical music influences to a basic rock sound, making something unique and distinctive, though this vision took a few albums to be fully realized. ELO had a long string of hits on both sides of the Atlantic in the seventies, particularly from the albums A new world record, Out of the blue and Discovery, but were unable to sustain that success in the eighties. Their last UK top ten hit was in 1981 and they only came close once after that - in 1983, with Rock'n'roll is king. In America, their fortunes faded equally dramatically but they had already recorded a body of work that is well worth listening to.

No single CD can contain all of ELO's hits - if you want a comprehensive compilation, go for the British double-CD Ultimate collection - but this compilation contains most of the essentials. Their first two UK top ten hits (1538 overture, Roll over Beethoven) are missing as is Do ya (an American hit but not a UK hit) and Last train to London (the flip side of Confusion - the two sides were credited as a double-sided UK top ten hit). However, you will find Xanadu and All over the world, frequently omitted from ELO compilations on both sides of the Atlantic, together with Living thing, Mr Blue Sky, Hold on tight, Telephone line, Rockaria, Wild west hero, Don't bring me down, Shine a little love and other classic tracks that you would expect to find. The omitted hits can be found on Ultimate collection The tracks are not in chronological order, which will disappoint some people, but it is far better to have all the tracks that matter than to have a chronological compilation that omits essential tracks.

If you only want one ELO collection of their music and you feel that a double-CD is too much for you, this will suit you ideally providing all your favorites are here.

Bad choices for compilation. Missing are breakthrough Top 10 single "Can't Get It out of My Head," and signature anthem "Do Ya" and

"Roll Over Beethoven." One star for including "Showdown" which was missing from the also poorly-conceived "Essential" compilation. ELO deserves a single-disk comilation that doesn't force you to buy an additional compilation of their widely acknowledged "best." I'm a huge fan but you can't highly rate a compilation just because you love the band. You have to rate it based on the quality of the concept, and this one falls short.

I love ELO, but what is truly the point of this collection? It is incomplete. For instance, where are "Can't Get It Out of My Head" and "I'm Alive?" And why the heck is "The Diary of Horace Wimp" on a VERY BEST of anyone CD??? A crass effort by CBS to cash in on ELO's success! A wasted effort! CBS could have done a wonderful VERY BEST OF COLLECTION with 20 tracks, including the true hits... They failed!!!

This is the third hits collection put out by Legacy for ELO. The third time's a charm, right? Well, almost. I guess if I were a big fan of ELO, I'd grab 2000's 3CD Flashback collection. Granted in 2003, The Essential ELO was released with 15 songs, but this latest collection has 20. For some reason, some of the 'Essential' songs aren't the very best, because they have been omitted.

All of that aside, getting 20 hits by one of the most progressive rock bands of the seventies ain't so bad. Some of the effects heavy numbers will make you chuckle due to their use of primitive electronic effects. All and all, this collection packs all you need to know about ELO. You'll be surprised at how many song you actually know too.

Whether or not this collection is "complete" is irrelevant, because you cannot possibly fit all of ELO's greatest songs on one disc. These guys have been recording off and on since 1971, and they have an amazing body of work.

For me, I just judge it based upon the listening experience provided by each individual song. On that basis, all I can say is WOW. From the opening blast of "Mr. Blue Sky" through the pop brilliance of "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and the eccentric romp "Diary of Horace Wimp" and the recently re-recorded Jeff Lynne version of "Xanadu" and the galloping guitars of "Alright" from ZOOM and the closing retro kick of "Rock and Roll is King," each track is a new revelation. Of course, you've got the mammoth hits like "Don't Bring Me Down," "Telephone Line," "Strange Magic," "Shine a Little Love," and "Evil Woman" all sandwiched in there too.

As for the sonic boom here, it's huge! Each song sounds more clear and BIG than ever before. It's a great way to introduce a friend to ELO or to refresh your own happy memories of them. Get in your car, put on a rocker like "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle," roll down your windows, and hit the gas. This is pure driving music, baby!