stonefish9's Full Review: No Answer by Electric Light Orchestra
When people think of the Electric Light Orchestra, people think of the string-heavy orchestral pop/rock they did in the late 70s. Well, at first they were a quirky progressive-rock act that incorporated cellos, violins, and whatever orchestral instruments they cared to put into their music.
ELO rose from the ashes of the Move, which at that time consisted of singer/guitarists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, plus Bev Bevan. Roy came up with the idea of having a rock group with orchestra player, but having them as band members rather as sidemen. He talked about this idea with Jeff, who was keen to have a go at it. After issuing two more Move albums (Looking On and Message From The Country , both from 1971), Roy, Bev, and Jeff set about making perhaps one of the most interesting debut albums I've ever heard.
Originally released by United Artists Records in early 1972, No Answer (The album got that title when a U.A. rep called their manager to find out what the debut album was titled; he got no answer, so that's why it's titled that in the U.S.-otherwise it's known everywhere else in the world as ELO I) is a pop/rock album with a strong baroque classical influence. Here Jeff, Roy, and Bev are joined by two additional players: violinist Steve Woolam and horn player Bill Hunt. Beside their usual roles of playing guitars and singing Roy and Jeff also play additional instruments too. Jeff plays piano and bass, while Roy plays cello, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, recorder, and bass.
Side one starts off with "10538 Overture". Written and sung by Jeff (with Roy singing a few verses in the chorus), this is song about a convicted murderer being executed and his life flashing before him. Musically, this is a straight hard-rocker with a twist: It's got screaming guitars with aggressive cellos, plus snatches of French horn and Trumpet. When I heard this, I was floored at how hard-hitting at how this sounded with classical instrumentation at the forefront! This was also a British top 10 hit (#9 U.K., 1972).
Next, we have "Look At Me Now". Written and sung by Roy Wood, this is a song about the lament of a deceased loved one. Musically, this is straight classical piece with Roy blaring away on guitar, but he is brilliant on oboe and cello playing vibrant melodies. It also sounds like the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", but with different lyrics.
Next, we have the song "Nellie Takes Her Bow". Written and sung by Jeff, this song is about a dance and her lonely life in show business. It starts out as a plaintive ballad with Jeff on piano and Steve on violin. However, (after a brief drum roll from Bev) then you hear an avant-garde mid-section with interplay between the strings and French horn with dark, brooding minor chords. Then, Steve plays a haunting violin solo that sounds like a gypsy on Angel Dust before Jeff takes the rest of the song out with a soulful vocal. I found it quite interesting to hear a pop song with an avant-garde midsection. Go figure.
Closing out side one is an all-out classical piece entitled "The Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)". Apparently inspired by Calvinist Oliver Cromwell's battle against King Charles I, this piece is reportedly the band's "1812 Overture". Aside from a spoken word intro from Roy himself, this is totally instrumental and rich with acoustic guitars, strings, woodwinds, French Horn, trumpet, and tympani, all played by Roy, Bill, Steve Jeff, and Bev. How they managed to pull off such a complex piece in six minutes is beyond me.
Side two starts off "First Movement (Jumpin' Biz)". Written by Roy (apparently inspired by Mason Williams' "Classical Gas"), this is another instrumental driven by his acoustic guitar playing, with cellos and oboes popping up here and there throughout the song. It's also one of my favorite instrumentals I've ever heard, because the melodies on here sound bright and sunny.
Next, we have "Mr. Radio". Written and sung by Jeff, about a man whose wife left him who passes his time away by listening to the radio. Musically, this is a Beatles-style piano ballad with cellos, violin and French horn, but it has a slight British Music-Hall influence to keep it from sounding like a silly Beatles rip-off.
Next, we have "Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)". Apparently inspired by a gangster shootout that happened there sometime in the 20s or 30s (I don't know exactly when), this is a piano-driven instrumental. I like how starts out as march-like, and then it has a ragtime-influenced mid-section with Jeff playing piano as if he were Scott Joplin reincarnated. I didn't like this instrumental when I heard it at first, because it sounded a little too weird to me. But when I started listening to ragtime players like Eubie Blake and Scott Joplin, I learned to appreciate this piece more.
Next, we have the track, "Queen Of The Hours". Written and sung by Jeff, this is a song about a Queen who was just to her people throughout her life and was mourned when she was gone. Musically, it's a thoughtful ballad with scratchy cellos and weepy violin playing from Steve. There's also some oboes and bassoons that sound very nasal on this track. Despite this, this is another favorite track of mine on this record because of its sublime quality.
Closing out side two is the track "Whisper In The Night". Written and sung by Roy, this is a song that's really a solemn prayer for peace and forgiveness. This is another piece driven by acoustic guitars and cello, but it's more direct without any avant-garde leanings at all. It closes out the album rather nicely.
On the CD reissue, there are alternate takes of 10538 Overture, Nellie Takes Her Bow, Mr. Radio, and Battle Of Martson. These are basically works-in-progress or alternate mix tracks, and they don't really add nothing to the original album.
Sadly, this would be the only album to feature Roy. Following a U.K. tour to promote the LP, Roy left ELO to form Wizzard, taking Bill with him. Steve also disappeared without a trace, never to be heard from again. Jeff and Bev recruited new members for ELO and went on to greater success, but that's another story we'll discuss later on.
No Answer was more than a footnote in ELO's history. It showed the beginnings of a group who wanted to play rock and roll but ground it with the moodiness of classical music, and they managed to pull it off.
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