There have been many ELO collections over the years -- some exhaustive, some not -- so it might initially seem that the 2003 collection The Essential Electric Light Orchestra is a little unnecessary, especially since the definitive 1995 double-disc set Strange Magic was still in print at the time of this release.
This line of reasoning conveniently ignores the simple fact that not everybody needs two discs of ELO; some may prefer one career-spanning collection with all the big hits on one disc, which is precisely what this is.
Given its hits-oriented nature, it's inevitable that some great songs are missing and there are, including such early masterworks as "10538 Overture" and "Showdown," as well as fan favorites like "Boy Blue" and "Four Little Diamonds." But, if you care enough to care that these songs are missing, you won't hesitate to buy Strange Magic.
If you just want "Can't Get It Out of My Head," "Livin' Thing," "Mr.
Blue Sky," and "Don't Bring Me Down" along with other big hits, this suits the bill almost perfectly (the one quibble being that it would be nicer to have chronological order instead of this jumble, but this is enjoyable all the same).
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evil WomanJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Do YaJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Mr. Blue SkyJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Strange MagicJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Livin' ThingJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Turn to StoneJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Sweet Talkin' WomanJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Telephone LineJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Shine a Little LoveJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Hold on TightJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:07 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Calling AmericaJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Don't Bring Me DownJeff Lynne | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Roll Over BeethovenChuck Berry | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | Rockaria! | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | The Diary of Horace Wimp | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | Last Train to London | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | Twilight | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 18 | Ticket to the Moon | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 19 | Four Little Diamonds | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 20 | Ma-Ma-Ma Belle | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 21 | Confusion | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 22 | So Serious | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 23 | Secret Messages | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 24 | Wild West Hero | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 25 | I'm Alive | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 26 | All Over the World | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 27 | Showdown | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 28 | The Way Life's Meant to Be | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:38 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 29 | Don't Walk Away | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 30 | Xanadu (2000 version) | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 31 | Rock 'N' Roll Is King | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 03:07 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 32 | It's Over | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 33 | 10538 Overture (7" Edit) | Electric Light Orchestra | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 132 mins | 302 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chuck Berry | Composer |
| 2 | Electric Light Orchestra | Primary Artist |
| 3 | Jeff Lynne | Composer, Producer |
| 4 | Pieter Mazél | Photography |
| 5 | Joseph M. Palmaccio | Mastering |
| 6 | Michael Putland | Photography |
| 7 | Al Quaglieri | Compilation Producer |
| 8 | Jaan Uhelszki | Liner Notes |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |