Get ready for a very long stretch of ELO reviews, for these guys, as you probably well know, are my all-time favorites. This first album of theirs offers few hints of their future sound, and is probably the most atypical ELO album of all. The reasons for this abound, ranging from the crude studio technology available to the band at the time, to the schizophrenic feel of the album resulting from the presence of then-lead singer/musician Roy Wood, who had also fronted the Move. In many ways, ELO's first album sounds much like a Move record - and in many cases the Move's recordings were better engineered. That aside, the music is strikingly different enough to leave a lasting impression. Wood's Whisper in the Night has an almost religious feel, and the early Jeff Lynne tunes Queen of the Hours and Mr. Radio deliver his inimitable gift for composing a good song in the Beatles mold. Other pieces, such as the cello-saturated 10538 Overture and Nellie Takes Her Bow, both of them also Lynne's creations, leave quite a bit to be desired in terms of being able to discern voices, instruments, lyrics, or much of anything else. The final verdict - an uneven but promising collection.

1. 10538 Overture (5:30)
2. Look At Me Now (3:17)
3. Nellie Takes Her Bow (6:01)
4. Battle of Martson Moor / July 2nd, 1644 (6:04)
5. First Movement (3:00)
6. Mr. Radio (5:04)
7. Manhattan Rumble / 49th St. Massacre (4:23)
8. Queen of the Hours (3:23)
9. Whisper in the Night (4:48)

Released by: Jet
Release date: 1971
Total running time: 41:30