Classic ELO album for Harrogate Vinyl Sessions event

Vocoders on stun! Harrogate’s Vinyl Sessions will offer a rare example at its next event of a double album that turned out to be a famous band’s commercial peak.
Harrogate event - The front cover of ELO's Out of the Blue album.Harrogate event - The front cover of ELO's Out of the Blue album.
Harrogate event - The front cover of ELO's Out of the Blue album.

After A New World Record hit the top ten both the USA and the UK in 1976 thanks to singles such as Livin’ Thing and Telephone Line, few would have predicted that ELO would follow that a year later with a double album which would prove the band’s biggest-ever seller.

Released in 1977 , the grandiose but poppy Out of the Blue flew even higher in the charts, quickly going multi-platinum at the height of punk.

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Now all 17 of its memorable tracks will be played back in glorious analogue at Starling Independent Bar-Café on Friday, December 27.

It will be the final Vinyl Sessions fundraiser of the year for the Friends of Harrogate Hospital charity.

From symphonic rock to Beatlesque pop, sci fi fantasies to wild west nostalgia, classic tracks including Mr Blue Sky (with its heavily vocoded voice singing "Mr. Blue Sky), Sweet Talking Woman and Turn To Stone will be played on full on vintage hi-fi equipment. Presented as always by Vinyl Sessions founder Colin Paine, it’s the perfect time to reappraise the glory of ELO.

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Jeff Lynne’ recent revival of the band has not proved box office gold on tour, he’s even returned to the studio to record and release well-received new albums.

That journey will be retold and reassessed by Vinyl Sessions’ regular speaker, Graham Chalmers of the Harrogate Advertiser.

To spice things up a little, hi fi aficiando Colin Paine has accepted a challenge to put together a vintage system for the night for just £100 capable of sounding amazing.

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