The premise of this double-disc compilation is simple: various modern pop artists, most of them enjoying cult indie label status (and a few of them refugees from major labels too), revisit the songs of one of their musical heroes, ELO’s Jeff Lynne. Colorado’s own Not Lame Records has been teasing the heck out of this release for months, only to watch it be bogged down by politics (the father/son duo of Randy and Tal Bachman, each of whom were originally slated to contribute a song, pulled out) and delays (a printing error in the first run of liner notes booklets which caused the collection to slip well past its original pre-Christmas 2001 release date). And now that it’s here, was it worth the lengthy wait?

The answer is, in most cases, absolutely. The covers (which don’t limit themselves to ELO material but also cover Lynne’s contributions to the Traveling Wilburys, a 1960s U.K. group known as the Idle Race, and his solitary solo album) vary wildly, ranging from faithful homages to reinterpretations in a completely new style.

Some of the better “near-beer” covers include former R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter’s collaboration with Bobby Sutliff on the first ELO single, “10538 Overture”; Michael Carpenter’s near-carbon-copy of Lynne’s solo single “Every Little Thing”; Jason Falkner’s raw cover of “Do Ya”, a stripped-down, Buddy Holly-ized cover of “Rock ‘N’ Roll Is King” by Walter Clevenger and the Dairy Kings, and an accurate-down-to-the-overmodulation-distortion copy of the Idle Race’s “Morning Sunshine” by Jeremy.

The real triumphs of Lynne Me Your Ears, however, are those artists who took extensive liberties and created something completely new – Ross Rice’s hip-hop-ified cover of “Evil Woman” is both funky and up-to-date, and Tony Visconti (former Move and Moody Blues producer) turns in a tasty new take on “Mr. Blue Sky”, starting out as a rap and then tumbling through every style in the book by the end of the song’s lengthy instrumental coda. Prairie Sons and Daughters transform the eloquence of “One Summer Dream” into a spiky, guitar-drenched masterpiece that also takes a detour into “In Old England Town” from ELO’s second album. That multiple-song-tributes-in-a-single-track trick is repeated masterfully by Rick Altizer, who leaps from the soulful opening guitar solo of “Laredo Tornado” into a thundering modernized version of “Boy Blue”. Former Move vocalist Carl Wayne, ironically, takes the stage-musical feel of “Steppin’ Out” to its logical, grandiose conclusion (it was Wayne who stepped out of the Move in 1970, a departure that made way for Jeff Lynne to join the group). The Shazam squeezes the synths out of “Twilight” and turns it into a wonderful wash of electric guitar work (but keeps the harmonies intact), and “Turn To Stone” gets a similar treatment from Roger Klug. Sparkle*Jets UK turn the dreamy “Above The Clouds” into a cheerful, rockin’ power pop number.

Perhaps the most shocking transformation bestowed upon any of the songs here is “On The Run”, a rapid-fire techno-before-there-was-techno tune from 1979’s Discovery which is rendered here by Sixpence None The Richer as a relaxing acoustic piece with a slow, majestic gait and Leigh Nash’s always pleasant voice. It has to be heard to be believed – this may be the best example on Lynne Me Your Ears of a band taking one of the old ELO chestnuts and making it their own.

There are a small number of misses for all of those hits, however; Peter Holsapple’s cover of the Move’s “No Time” has yet to click with me – the harmonies seem to be a misfire in some places. The Heavy Blinkers’ cover of “You Took My Breath Away”, itself a Roy Orbison tribute penned by Lynne for the second Traveling Wilburys album, lacks the melancholy of the original and comes out sounding a little too sunny. And the “Sweet Is The Night” cover heard here seems to have lost a lot of what made the original so appealing.

Overall, however, a nice treat for ELO/Lynne fans, and hey, your mileage may even vary on which songs worked and which ones didn’t. Highly recommended – and, in the face of Sony’s recent reticence to continue the promised remastering of the entire ELO catalogue, it may be the last ELO related treat we fans get for quite a while. Soak it up slowly and enjoy.

Disc one
1. 10538 Overture – Bobby Sutliff & Mitch Easter (4:35)
2. Ma Ma Ma Belle – Earl Slick (4:05)
3. Telephone Line – Jeffrey Foskett (4:49)
4. Do Ya – Jason Falkner (3:58)
5. Sweet Is The Night – Ben Lee (3:28)
6. Rockaria! – Pat Buchanan (3:49)
7. Every Little Thing – Michael Carpenter (3:52)
8. No Time – Peter Holsapple (3:59)
9. Showdown – Richard Barone (4:26)
10. Handle With Care – Jamie Hoover (3:25)
11. Strange Magic – Mark Helm (3:54)
12. Evil Woman – Ross Rice (4:51)
13. Steppin’ Out – Carl Wayne (4:27)
14. Don’t Bring Me Down – SWAG (3:13)
15. One Summer Dream – Prairie Sons & Daughters (7:16)
16. Can’t Get It Out Of My Head – Doug Powell (4:57)

Disc two
1. Twilight – The Shazam (3:11)
2. Mr. Blue Sky – Tony Visconti (5:02)
3. You Took My Breath Away – The Heavy Blinkers (3:07)
4. Message From The Country – The Balls of France (4:28)
5. The Minister – Ferenzik (4:43)
6. Xanadu – Neilson Hubbard and Venus Hum (3:31)
7. When Time Stood Still – Bill Lloyd (3:27)
8. Above The Clouds – Sparkle*Jets UK (4:00)
9. Rock And Roll Is King – Walter Clevenger and the Dairy Kings (3:14)
10. Morning Sunshine – Jeremy (2:19)
11. Boy Blue – Rick Altizer (3:45)
12. Livin’ Thing – Pray For Rain (3:57)
13. On The Run – Sixpence None The Richer (2:37)
14. Bluebird Is Dead – Todd Rundgren (5:06)
15. Turn To Stone – Ruger Klug (5:11)
16. Eldorado – Fleming and John (6:41)

Released by: Not Lame Records
Release date: 2002
Disc one total running time: 69:04
Disc two total running time: 64:19

In the late 60s, one would’ve been hard-pressed to find a post-Beatles psychedelic power pop outfit more prominent in Britain than The Move. (How prominent? One of their singles was the first song played on BBC Radio 1.) So naturally, the members of the Move would’ve been crazy to knock a sure thing in the head and try something as drastically different as a live rock group with its own string section.

Fortunately for us, Roy Wood and newcomer Jeff Lynne were crazy enough to do just that. Frequently quoted as “picking up where ‘I Am The Walrus’ left off,” Wood and Lynne dared to throw layer after layer of cello on top of Lynne’s latest composition, “10538 Overture”, which was originally slated to be a Move B-side. The result thrilled them enough to continue forging ahead with their neoclassical aspirations in mind, and the songs grew more adventurous from there; “The Battle Of Marston Moor” has no rock elements at all, adding Wood’s historical spoken narrative to a largely baroque backing. “Whisper In The Night” adds layers of cellos and an angelic choir to a fairly simple ballad. Lynne’s “Mr. Radio” strives for an old-time radio sound, featuring no bass whatsoever (but plenty of cellos).

First Light is a 2-CD celebration of the band’s first album, dating back to 1971 (whose original no-frills single-CD release has been reviewed here previously). Remastered from the original session tapes, the original album tracks have never sounded better, and yet the cleaning-up of the material doesn’t strip it of its heady early 70s charm. A new version of the album, brought up to modern specs, would be worth the price of admission alone, but bonus tracks fill out both the CD containing the original album and and entire second CD. Some of the stuff – the incredibly rare live tracks from one of the group’s earliest performances, alternate takes of several songs from the album – is priceless. The live version of a song known only by the title “Jeff’s Boogie No. 2″ (later heard on the group’s second album under the title “In Old England Town”) is particularly fascinating, with wildly different lyrics than what eventually accompanied that music. And the live “Whisper In The Night”, minus the cellos and choir but with a helping hand from the other band members’ more traditional instruments, is also worth a listen. And just for the record, I want to know who on Earth recorded the BBC Radio intros to the second disc’s two different versions of “10538 Overture” – who thought to keep that stuff!?

Both discs included copious liner notes booklets, with comments from Lynne and Wood and tons of photos. The first disc is also filled out with an extensive multimedia CD-ROM section featuring the session logs, the band’s discography, and even the rare promotional video from “10538 Overture”.

Overall, it’s a grand package for those already acquainted with the first album, or those interested in ELO’s beginnings. Sadly, only a few thousand copies of the two-disc Limited Edition have been made, and the title reverts to the first disc only after that. If ELO is up your alley, spring for the deluxe edition while it’s there.

Disc one:
1. 10538 Overture (5:37)
2. Look At Me Now (3:20)
3. Nellie Takes Her Bow (6:02)
4. The Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2nd, 1644) (6:05)
5. First Movement (Jumping Biz) (3:03)
6. Mr. Radio (5:06)
7. Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre) (4:25)
8. Queen Of The Hours (3:25)
9. Whisper In The Night (4:49)
10. The Battle Of Marston Moor – alternate take (1:00)
11. 10538 Overture – alternate take (5:48)

Disc two:
1. Brian Matthews Introduces ELO (0:37)
2. 10538 Overture – acetate version (5:24)
3. Look At Me Now – quadrophonic mix (3:19)
4. Nellie Takes Her Bow – quadrophonic mix (5:59)
5. The Battle Of Marston Moor – quadrophonic mix (5:55)
6. Jeff’s Boogie No. 2 – live (6:58)
7. Whisper In The Night – live (5:45)
8. Great Balls Of Fire – live (5:40)
9. Queen Of The Hours – quadrophonic mix (3:18)
10. Mr. Radio – Take 9 (5:18)
11. 10538 Overture – BBC Sessions version (10:39)
    (includes Whisper In The Night – BBC Sessions version as “hidden track”)

Released by: EMI/Harvest
Release date: 2001
Disc one total running time: 48:40
Disc two total running time: 58:52

Coming off of what could have been a glorious one-off experiment, the Afro-Celts decided to grab for a little more exposure by starting what has now become a tradition in their work: high-profile guest artists. None other than Sinead O’Connor kicks the proceedings off with her compassionate vocal for “Release”, for which she also wrote the anti-violence lyrics (the album is bookended with an instrumental version of “Release” as the last track, and O’Connor’s credit is the only one missing among the songwriters).

If there’s one thing that strikes me upfront about Release, it’s the increase in atmosphere. Songs such as “Èireann”, “Hypnotica” and “Even In My Dreams” are drenched with an almost eerie feel. Most of the tracks top out upward of six and seven minutes, and I’m fine with that – the dense rhythms need time to evolve and develop, else they’d seem a little forced if we were hit over the head with them all at once. But sometimes the atmosphere isn’t about rhythms – it’s about building a tone for the song before the percussion kicks in.

“Release” and “Amber” really win the prize for being this album’s most relaxing songs, while “Big Cat” and “Riding The Waves” prove the Afro-Celts still have the chops necessary to turn out some hyperkinetic heavyweights that wouldn’t be out of place on the dance floor. In all, a very cohesive collection and most enjoyable.

1. Release (7:39)
2. Lovers Of Light (4:03)
3. Èireann (5:12)
4. Urban Aire (2:07)
5. Big Cat (7:47)
6. Even In My Dreams (7:07)
7. Amber (5:27)
8. Hypnotica (7:18)
9. Riding The Waves (6:36)
10. I Think Of… (4:33)
11. Release It (instrumental) (6:26)

Released by: Narada RealWorld
Release date: 1999
Total running time: 64:02

Serving as a bit of a musical mission statement for Afro-Celt Sound System, their debut effort starts off with two numbers which are still among their strongest: “Saor / Free” and “Whirl-y-Reel 1″. “Sure-As-Not / Sure-As-Knot” wears a bit as it throws in samples of children chanting in its second half, though admittedly that’s just my taste speaking there. The two “Whirl-y-Reel” cuts are a preview of the fast-paced, dense percussion dance tracks that will become the Afro-Celts’ specialty in the future, and Sound Magic largely lacks the serene vocals that also become the group’s hallmark in later outings. Still, it’s well worth a listen; recommended tracks include “Whirl-y-Reel 1″, “Inion / Daughter” and “House Of The Ancestors”.

1. Saor / Free / News From Nowhere (8:21)
2. Whirl-y-Reel 1 – Beard And Sandals Mix (7:21)
3. Inion / Daughter (4:15)
4. Sure-As-Not / Sure-As-Knot – Jungle Segue (9:58)
5. Nil Cead Againn Dul Abhaile / We Cannot Go Home (7:20)
6. Dark Moon, High Tide (4:12)
7. Whirl-y-Reel 2 – Folk Police Mix (5:27)
8. House Of The Ancestors (8:01)
9. Eistigh Sealad / Listen To Me / Saor reprise (10:53)

Released by: RealWorld / Virgin
Release date: 1996
Total running time: 65:48