Was the BBC documentary a good overview of ELO? For argument sake, let's say yes. It was fine.
But why another Greatest Hits CD now? Why raise the band's public profile again now if there's nothing in it for the fans? The attention span of the record buying public is maybe a few weeks at best. The public will file the CD away with all the others once they've gotten their ELO fill. So unless there's an on-going campaign with further ELO releases for everyone to enjoy, what's the point to All Over The World? Why would the general public care enough to buy ELO comps over and over again? To the general public, the comp CDs out there now have done just fine. Again, precious time and energy seems wasted. Meanwhile, the fans who have always got enjoyment out of those songs for so many years, and hope rare or unreleased tracks or a new album get released, are left with essentially nothing. The real people who make the real investment into the band are stranded again.
Oh, right. But, the general public is all that matters.
Does Jeff owe us anything? No and that's not the point. The point is we had clear and almost concise implications that ELO releases of some kind were eminent. That meant there was a plan in place. Did that mean remasters? Did that mean a new album? I don't know. I just can't imagine it could have been another greatest hits compilation. (or could it?)
I think at the very least having a remastered catalog (especially for a band whose sound provokes such a love/hate relationship) is basic record company obligation. They don't have to press a half million of each remaster. But now, there doesn't seem to be a plan anymore and that's what the fans are disappointed at. Sorry, that's the way it appears when you read there's a plan and then all of a sudden, you can't read about the plan anymore. And since worst case scenario has happened over and over again in the past, nobody can expect fans to just say "Oh well" this time.
To the dilemma of whether we should hear about "plans"... I love to hear about plans and I hope it continues. But this time, it was all in the presentation of AOTW. It sounded like a done deal.
Pick up an ICE magazine or surf pauseandplay.com and read the list of catalog re-issues coming out. The more you read, the more you'll be baffled at how ELO is (and always was) kicked to the curb.
4 comments:
I have not paid much attention to Jeff Lynne for quite awhile, until I read awhile back that there would be ELO activity this year. It wasn't spelled out, but it was implied that we should keep our eyes open. Well if it was only to hype yet ANOTHER greatest hits package then boy how sad would that be. Yet, it sure looks like that may be the case. I am willing to give it some more time, but I will have a lot to say (for anyone who cares) if it turns out to be that way.
By the way, this has to be the fourth or fifth compilation. Hasn't it gotten past the ridiculous point? Also, is it being called All over the World because that is the one song that hasn't been on other compilations ? I have always hated greatest hits packages, except for the ones that ONLY contain past recordings and is the only one of its kind in an artists catalog. Putting out a GH disc with new recordings is just looking to bilk long time fans. If you have new music put it on a new CD. OK, I'm done ranting.
Yes it does look like it was all hyped up to sell AOTW, at least the BBC radio documentary before this one was welcoming the new album Zoom. Mind you I was a bit suspicious of this latest one because it was only an hour long, way too short for ELO, although it began fairly well the rest of it, especially the eighties was rushed through. If a new record was on the cards I think a much longer programme would have gone on air. Any kind of new release would have been great, even a solo project of some kind or something different with Rosie Vela or other artists would have been just as exiting as all us fans of Jeff love everything he writes, but to my dismay, there was no mention of anything at all!!
Yes it does look like it was all hyped up to sell AOTW, at least the BBC radio documentary before this one was welcoming the new album Zoom. Mind you I was a bit suspicious of this latest one because it was only an hour long, way too short for ELO, although it began fairly well the rest of it, especially the eighties was rushed through. If a new record was on the cards I think a much longer programme would have gone on air. Any kind of new release would have been great, even a solo project of some kind or something different with Rosie Vela or other artists would have been just as exiting as all us fans of Jeff love everything he writes, but to my dismay, there was no mention of anything at all!!
A TV commercial for "All Over The World" is being shown regularly on British TV, ok, thats great I suppose, maybe a few new fans will be born because of it, but it seems obvious now that it is aimed at a general audience and is not really any sign of anything new to be released, therefore it is of no real interest to the genuine, in depth ELO fan. Of course we were led to believe otherwise.
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