Customer Reviews

Live at Wembley 78

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had such incredible anticipation and expectation for LIVE AT WEMBLEY '78. This was to be the ultimate ELO live album, recorded at the ultimate ELO concert at a point in time when ELO was quite possibly the most popular band in the world. Imagine my shock when I played this CD and discovered to my dismay that, unlike the superb LIVE AT WINTERLAND '76, this one sounded like it had been recorded in a tin can. The audio is muddy and uneven. It's like a bootleg, but without any of the charm or energy. Compounding the problem is the fact that ELO used pre-recorded backing tapes on some of these songs. In fact, at times, it seems like those pre-recorded bits are all that is playing. ("Standin' in the Rain" is the worst offender.) "Showdown" is a notable exception, sounding very "live" and fresh, and the band actually jams a bit. "Mr. Blue Sky," "Do Ya," and "Roll Over Beethoven" are great performances, marred again by terrible sound. Tragically, "Livin' Thing" sounds like a karaoke in hell...this song, which is arguably one of the top 5 songs ELO has ever done, is excruciating to listen to on this particular album. How could such an historic concert be so poorly recorded? ELO deserves so much better. The aforementioned LIVE AT WINTERLAND and even the oft-derided THE NIGHT THAT THE LIGHT WENT ON IN LONG BEACH are dramatic improvements over this mess. Don Arden and Eagle Rock Entertainment should be ashamed for presenting ELO in such a poor fashion. I cannot say how much it breaks my heart to have to give such a negative review.

I REMEMBER THE CONCERT TAPE THEY MADE IN 1978. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS DISC. THE MOMENT I PUT IT ON, THE SOUND WAS AWFUL. I COULDN'T ENJOY THIS DISC. BEING A BIG ELO FAN I WOULD RECOMMEND THE WINTERLAND '76 SHOW 5 STARS, AND THE NEWLY REMASTERED "THE NIGHT THE LIGHT WENT ON IN LONG BEACH".

I just picked up ELO's ZOOM, the first ELO release in 15 years, and was so excited about it while I was in the store that I picked up this CD too, anxious to hear classic live ELO at a time when the band was at the peak of its powers. Then I put in this CD and wondered why they bothered recording it. Talk about cruddy sound! I should've just stayed with my "Out of the Blue" CD because that's about all this is, amazed that they must have been lip-synching to it because this CD has that tin-can sound like it was recorded off of some distant PA system.

I'm a big ELO fan but I feel like "I was robbed" on this one. An extreme disappointment.

For those of us hardcore fans that choose to disregard ELO Part II, this is all there is....unless Reprise finally releases Jeff Lynne's 2nd solo album in 1999. Live at Winterland is much better as the band doesn't play against their own backing tapes as on Live at Wembley. These 2 live albums are probably no more than Don Arden's last squeeze of cash out of the ELO legacy.

Suprising to me that so many folks don't know ELO used background tapes during the live shows. It's obvious during the sonic transition from 'Standing In The Rain' to 'Night In The City', when the band starts to actually play live. Tapes are used in varying degrees throughout the performance, blending with live playing, and it's almost impressive how they were able to pull it all off. Their front-of-house sound guy must have been working his tail off mixing all of this! Still, they should have stuck to doing only songs they could actually perform, and they had the talent to do it, since they pulled off Mr. Blue Sky, and Telephone Line, almost entirely live. My biggest gripe is that the cello players are not in the mix at all. The strings are all taped, and these guys are actually playing...! Watch their hands, there's no doubt they know what they're doing!

I remember buying the DVD and ordering the CD at the same time for my collection, I was pumped. Then I was nailed down by standing in the rain. Did they play a tape and lip-synch it? or did they actually sound just like track 10 on Out Of The Blue. The sound quality could've been wayyyyy better. I had fun listening to it and I liked it, but Winterland is more powerful.