ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Vinyl & CDs

Review: If you type ELO into Google today the first suggestion is Elon Musk. Sure, he might have cracked, to some extent at least, the mass-marketed electric car, and all the best to him in the space race. Nevertheless, it's disputable whether or not he was ever quite the visionary Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, and Bev Bevan were in the early-mid-1970s. The undisputed heyday of Electric Light Orchestra, fourth album Eldorado was arguably at the peak of their creative force. Already having firmly established their sound - a surreal hybrid of bar rock, soul, blues, and grand strings - this record really sees them explore the possibilities of that abstract brew. Better yet, ears were open enough at the time to ensure they didn't languish in obscurity, sole reserve of the obsessives or deliberately contrary listeners, and instead claimed a spot in the upper echelons of British pop at the time.

Review: Mobile Fidelity have mastered from Electric Light Orchestra's original audio tapes for this hybrid and numbered SACD version of the band's fourth studio album, Eldorado. At the time it came with a concept that follows a Walter Mitty-like character who journeys into fantasy worlds via dreams to get himself away from daily disillusionment. Musically, the album reaches for the sky with bold and imaginative worlds taking you away from the mundanity of the everyday and into a universe of cinematic sounds. This long player is now almost 50 years old but still very much sounds futuristic, which is testament to visionary composer-musician Jeff Lynne's skill.