Discovery

E.L.O. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000025FG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MiniDisc  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,285 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Re-discover a superb pop album., March 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Discovery (Audio CD)

OK, this is not ELO's best album. And, yes, they do go through a bit of "disco" experimentation here ("Shine a Little Love" and "Last Train to London"). Still, this is a fine album, filled to the brim with great moments. Disco notwithstanding, "Shine A Little Love" is an awesome track, well-produced, and very "up". "Confusion" has a lovely melody, marred only slightly by the computerized vocals on the chorus. "Need Her Love" and "Midnight Blue" are classic ELO ballads. "The Diary of Horace Wimp" is funny and contains some true insights...not to mention it's amazing production. If Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" represents the depressing side of the operatic rock coin, then "Horace" is the bright side. "Wishing" is wistfully wonderful. Then, there's "Don't Bring Me Down," which inhabits the rarified air of enduring rockers that still receive extensive radio airplay 20 years after being recorded. And, deservedly so, as the Bevan drum stomp propels this humorous look at the perils of romance. Good music can overcome many obstacles, including disco. Discover DISCOVERY! No, it's not "very" disco...just a dab of disco.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discovery - cool album with cool sounds, August 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Discovery (Audio CD)

After reading through the other reviews I am quite frustrated that people are either ashamed of admitting their liking for this album or flatly dismiss it as light discopop.
In my opinion, DISCOVERY is a brilliant pop/rock album on which JEFF LYNNE incorporates some disco elements into his sound. But he definitely does not turn ELO into a disco outfit with this. Anyway, he already showed this approach, to a lesser degree, on OUT OF THE BLUE which the same people who pretend to hate DISCOVERY praise to the skies. Strange, isn't it? Now, here comes my theory for this: DISCOVERY was released at a time when people grew tired of omnipresent disco. Back then, I suppose, it was like "well, there is this four-to-the-bar thing, so it must be embarrasing discopop by nature". DISCO became a synonym for rubbish. And so, even ELO fans might have become manipulated by the spirit of their time. They finally believed the critics who bashed this album, missing out thus on wonderful synth-ladden pop/rock songs which are in my view as great as for example the ones off OOTB and TIME.
I became an ELO fan in 1990, so I did not fall victim to the spirit of the time of the "disco sucks" era when every album with a hint of disco style was derided as a matter of course.
So there, I'll shout it out loud: this album is great and atmospheric, featuring some wonderful sounds. It is so fantastic BECAUSE OF some stylish disco elements and not despite them.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the most consistant ELO record, January 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Discovery (Audio CD)

Ive heard critics and fans alike dismiss this album as being "blatantly commercial" and it kind of confuses me. It seems unfair that if a piece of music becomes incredibly popular it's branded as "commercial", kind of like what happened to Nirvana. Any hoo...after re-listening to my ELO catalog recently (after being untouched for a few years) this album sounded the most fresh and consistant. Every song has well crafted melodies and is enjoyable, which is something the other records lack. Mostly every ELO album is about the same, killer opening 2 tracks, followed by slower numbers, a decent side 2 opener, more slow tunes, and then a slam bang finale. This album falls into that pattern as well, but the "filler" songs are much higher quality than the average ELO album (with the exception of New World Record). I also think its unfair that others have labeled this a disco album. It's really not. Shine a Little Love and Last Train to London have disco-esque bass lines for sure, but the rest of the album is straight up, standard ELO. I really enjoy this album and would recommend this as one of the first ELO albums to buy if you are new to the group. Dont Bring Me Down, ELO's best single ever (in my opinion anyway) justifies owning this album.