Search - Elo :: No Answer

Move morphs into orchestral vision

Dr. Emil "Tom" Shuffhausen | Central Gulf Coast | 11/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thus began ELO...a vision...two Birmingham, England buddies, Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, wanted to "pick up where the Beatles left off on 'Strawberry Fields' and 'I Am the Walrus.'" Roy was the leader of the amazingly popular band, The Move, while Jeff was the leader of an up-and-coming group called Idle Race. When personnel problems created an opening in The Move, Roy invited Jeff to join he and drummer Bev Bevan. Jeff consented, provided that he and Roy could work on their side "orchestra rock" project. In 1971, the Electric Light Orchestra was birthed out of The Move with a lumbering single called "10538 Overture," which quickly ascended the charts in England. Little did they know then that the accompanying album, NO ANSWER, would be the herald of one of rock and roll's most enduring success stories. "10538" is essentially a Move single, and as such is wonderfully quirky, melodic, and somewhat disturbing. "Look At Me Now" is a very nice Roy Wood ballad, with an interesting arrangement and instrumental curios. "Nellie Takes Her Bow" sounds like Jeff Lynne gone vaudeville, and is very effective, though overly long. The martial instrumental break might have fit better in the following cut..."The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644). The "Battle" cut earns ELO points for trying, but is not, at the end of the day, extraordinarily listenable. Wood's "1st Movement" on the other hand, is a wonderful pastiche of guitar and string quartet, not unlike "Classical Gas." "Mr. Radio" is very evocative and well-written, and highlights Jeff's great talent for pathos, even at an early age. It's perhaps the closest thing to the later ELO sound on this album. "Manhattan Rumble (49th St. Massacre)" is a fine Jeff Lynne piano instrumental that indeed rumbles along like some eerie 1930s mob film. "Queen of the Hours" is another nice Lynne ballad, thrown a bit by the jarring string intro, though it does remind one of the Beatles circa 1968. "Whisper in the Night" is sweet and stirring. Basically, it's Roy, a guitar, and a few strings, and a prayer. It's a nice benediction for this album. I would love to start a campaign for Roy and Jeff to do more work together. Until then, I'll give this CD and all of my Move stuff some more spins. If you're expecting the polished power pop of A NEW WORLD RECORD or OUT OF THE BLUE, you'll be surprised and maybe disappointed. But, if you approach this CD with an open mind, and a little patience, you'll find it to be ultimately a richly rewarding experience."

Hello, Mr. Radio!

Henry R. Kujawa | 03/28/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It began as a vision...two Birmingham, England buddies, Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, wanted to "pick up where the Beatles left off on 'Strawberry Fields' and 'I Am the Walrus.'" Roy was the leader of the amazingly popular band, The Move, while Jeff was the leader of an up-and-coming group called Idle Race. When personnel problems created an opening in The Move, Roy invited Jeff to join he and drummer Bev Bevan. Jeff consented, provided that he and Roy could work on their side "orchestra rock" project. In 1971, the Electric Light Orchestra was birthed out of The Move with a lumbering single called "10538 Overture," which quickly ascended the charts in England. Little did they know then that the accompanying album, NO ANSWER, would be the herald of one of rock and roll's most enduring success stories. "10538" is essentially a Move single, and as such is wonderfully quirky, melodic, and somewhat disturbing. "Look At Me Now" is a very nice Roy Wood ballad, with an interesting arrangement and instrumental curios. "Nellie Takes Her Bow" sounds like Jeff Lynne gone vaudeville, and is very effective, though overly long. The martial instrumental break might have fit better in the following cut..."The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644). The "Battle" cut earns ELO points for trying, but is not, at the end of the day, extraordinarily listenable. Wood's "1st Movement" on the other hand, is a wonderful pastiche of guitar and string quartet, not unlike "Classical Gas." "Mr. Radio" is very evocative and well-written, and highlights Jeff's great talent for pathos, even at an early age. It's perhaps the closest thing to the later ELO sound on this album. "Manhattan Rumble (49th St. Massacre)" is a fine Jeff Lynne piano instrumental that indeed rumbles along like some eerie 1930s mob film. "Queen of the Hours" is another nice Lynne ballad, thrown a bit by the jarring string intro, though it does remind one of the Beatles circa 1968. "Whisper in the Night" is sweet and stirring. Basically, it's Roy, a guitar, and a few strings, and a prayer. It's a nice benediction for this album. I would love to start a campaign for Roy and Jeff to do more work together. Until then, I'll give this CD and all of my Move stuff some more spins."

A good start

Stephen F Mulcahy | United States | 10/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this is a fine beginning. who would have guessed that e.l.o would eventually become one of the world's biggest groups? the battle of marston moor is frightfully pretentious and wholly alien to the rest of the unpretentious wood's repertoire.it is the only real blight on this solid disc.lynne's tracks are very beatles influenced and quite impressive, if not up to the standard of his excellent pre-move band the idle race.wood's look at me now and whisper in the night are very somber , whisper in the night in particular is a beautifully sad hymn. bev bevan is in fine form as always, especially on lynne's fine track entitled nellie takes her bow. 10538 overture flat out rocks and is an excellent beatles like number that is probably the heaviest thing on the album: great guitar on the cut, and some great cello from wood and french horn as well. queen of the hours features strong vocals from lynne.the instrumentals are also superb, manhattan rumble is an excellent track that sounds like something out of a thirties gangster flick. overall this is a very impressive fusion of classical music with early 70's rock , too bad lynne and wood didn't stick together. i guess there was too much talent in the band."