Product Details

• Actors: Bev Bevan, Electric Light Orchestra, Kelly Groucutt, Mik Kaminski, Jeff Lynne
• Directors: Mike Mansfield
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Run Time: 62 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004CZHR
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #156,887 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Electric Light Orchestra: 'Out of the Blue' Tour Live at Wembley" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Bombast, Beatles, and big hair are the order of the day on Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley, a 1978 show by Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra at that fabled London arena. This was a charity event with a couple of Royals in attendance, not to mention actor (and renowned music authority) Tony Curtis, who introduces the band as "the most outstanding rock group in the world today." In their dreams, maybe. Still, ELO managed to thrive in an era when the punk movement was obliterating many "dinosaur" bands of their ilk, with a string of hits and a flashy, entertaining stage show (the spaceship set is a trip), all on display throughout this hour-long performance. They cram a full thirteen tunes into that time, focusing on Out of the Blue, a double vinyl album which included the undeniably catchy hits "Turn to Stone" and "Sweet Talkin' Woman"; we also get "Telephone Line," "Showdown," "Do Ya," and an extended "Roll Over Beethoven" to close the show. It's no coincidence that Lynne, who wrote, sang, and produced ELO's material, would go on to produce George Harrison's Cloud Nine and later preside over the mid-'90s reunion that saw Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney complete two "new" John Lennon songs. Lynne and his band were unabashed Beatlemaniacs, and mixed in with their rock-cum-pseudo-classical sound was the almost constant influence of the Fabs ("Mr. Blue Sky," to name just one, bears more than a passing resemblance to the McCartney-penned middle section of "A Day in the Life"). Of course, echoing the Beatles is neither an uncommon nor a bad thing, and Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley, which features digitally remastered sound, is good, dumb fun. The DVD package includes a too-small reproduction of the original tour program. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's about time, June 28, 2006

By	Michael J. Cohen "goldfish_boy" (Queens, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley (DVD)

The original release of this program, first on cable and VHS and then on DVD, featured an altered audio track in which tracks from the "Out Of The Blue" album were dubbed over the live performances. This gave rise to unfair claims that ELO lip-synched their concerts. However, this new remaster restores the live sound as heard at Wembley that night--and proves that the overdubs were unnecessary. Some of the video effects are cheesy by today's standards, and the band does use some pre-recorded effects and string augmentation (NOT vocals or principal instruments), but on the whole, this is a great document of a fine LIVE band at its commercial peak.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally it's done right!, December 12, 2006

By	John "John" (Santa Maria, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley (DVD)

About 20 years ago, I decided to rent the ELO Live at Wembley VHS to which my girlfriend at the time said, "Oh, they lip-synched..." Her proclamation seemed confirmed as I watched Jeff and the boys appear to sync to the studio versions. Why were the crowd so crazy about them? Why would Bev flail at his drumkit with such abandon if he were not, in fact, playing for the audience? I was crushed, and I had a difficult time reconciling those who I considered professional musicians of integrity with folks like Milli Vanilli, etc. -- considering that, the Wembley VHS was a horrible ambassador for ELO as a live band.

This reissue DVD fully clears the band's reputation: They weren't frauds who faked their way through concerts! The original sound has been restored, no dubbing with the studio recordings and the band showed an amazing amount of confidence, power and energy. The band is not as tight as the 2001 Zoom edition, but the 31 year old Jeff Lynne was a lot more energetic that the 54 year old edition. My only regrets are the focus on the Out of the Blue album (that they were supporting) so you don't get too many classic songs from the back catalog, and a poor encore rendition of "Livin' Thing" which sounded insufficiently rehearsed. However, "Do Ya" and some of the older songs sound absolutely awesome. Anyway, I quite enjoyed the concert, and if you ever witnessed the sacrilege of the old Wembley editions, give this one a look. Nice packaging as well!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful trip down memory lane, January 11, 2007

By	Ray Warren (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley (DVD)

The audio is great, the video looks good even after 30 years. This is a must have for any ELO fan!