ELO ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - LIGHT SHINES ON VOL 2 12" Vinyl LP Album

- HARVEST HERITAGE Records

In the heart of the disco inferno, 1979, while the Bee Gees were strutting their sequined stuff and punk was spitting in the face of the establishment, a curious artifact emerged from the Electric Light Orchestra's vaults. "Light Shines On Vol. 2," a collection of odds and sods from their early years, wasn't just a hodgepodge of B-sides and outtakes; it was a time capsule of a band in flux, a testament to their ambition and, let's face it, their occasional indulgence.

Let's not kid ourselves: this wasn't prime ELO. This was before "Mr. Blue Sky" conquered the airwaves, before Xanadu became a campy cult classic. This was the era of Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood's uneasy alliance, a musical marriage that produced some thrilling highs and some bewildering lows.

"Light Shines On Vol. 2" captures the band in the midst of its metamorphosis, shedding its psychedelic skin and embracing the pomp and circumstance of symphonic rock. You've got the manic energy of "First Movement (Jumping Biz)," a Roy Wood creation that sounds like a circus on amphetamines, followed by the sprawling, prog-infused "Kuiama," a Jeff Lynne composition that clocks in at a whopping 11 minutes. It's a whiplash-inducing experience, a sonic rollercoaster that careens from one extreme to the other.

The album's centerpiece is undoubtedly the full-length version of "10538 Overture," ELO's debut single and a glimpse into the band's early obsession with fusing rock and classical elements. It's a grandiose, over-the-top affair, complete with a choir of cellos and a soaring string section. It's the kind of music that makes you want to raise your lighter in the air and sing along at the top of your lungs, even if you don't know the words. This full-length version, a rarity for fans at the time, was a major selling point for the compilation.

But "Light Shines On Vol. 2" isn't all bombast and bluster. There are moments of genuine tenderness, like the wistful "Nellie Takes Her Bow" and the melancholic "Queen of the Hours." These tracks reveal a band capable of vulnerability, a band willing to explore the darker corners of the human heart. Some fans and critics argue that these deeper cuts offer a more authentic glimpse into the band's songwriting abilities than some of their later, more commercially successful hits.

Of course, no discussion of ELO would be complete without mentioning their penchant for studio wizardry. "Light Shines On Vol. 2" is a sonic playground, a showcase for Lynne's production prowess. The album is awash in reverb, echo, and other sonic embellishments. It's a wall of sound that envelops the listener, a symphony of synthesizers and vocoders that transports you to another dimension. This experimental approach to production was a hallmark of early ELO and remains a point of fascination for audiophiles and music historians.

"Light Shines On Vol. 2" may not be ELO's finest hour, but it's a fascinating glimpse into a band in transition. It's a testament to their ambition, their audacity, and their willingness to take risks. It's a cosmic soup of musical styles and ideas, a sprawling, messy, and ultimately exhilarating journey through the ELO universe. The album's eclectic nature, while perhaps not cohesive, serves as a microcosm of the band's diverse influences and their willingness to experiment with different genres and sounds.