Out of the Blue (1977)

Out of the Blue is the seventh studio album by the British rock group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released on 24 October 1977 in the United States and four days later in the UK on 28 October. Written and produced by ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, the double album is among the most commercially successful records in the group's history, selling about 10 million copies worldwide by 2007.

Recording

Jeff Lynne wrote the entire album in three and a half weeks after a sudden burst of creativity while hidden away in his rented chalet in the Swiss Alps. It took a further two months to record in Munich.

Content

Out of the Blue was one of the first pop albums to have an extensive use of the vocoder, and helped to popularize it.

Side one

The opening track, "Turn to Stone", was described by Donald A. Guarisco as "a good example of Electric Light Orchestra's skill for mixing string-laden pop hooks with driving rock and roll", praising the "array of swirling string lines that dart in and out of the mix and some dazzling falsetto harmonies that interact with Lynne's lead vocal in call and response style". The song features a "tongue-twister section" where the song "stops dead", leaving only "slightly phased" vocals punctuated by Bev Bevan's drum hits.

The following track is "It's Over", which takes on what Billboard described as a "classical feel". Cash Box said that it begins "with simple chording which opens to a strumming beat" and that the "strings add panorama" and that "the vocals are characteristically crystalline and soaring."

"Sweet Talkin' Woman" serves as the band's "first real step into the disco sound [...] a string-laden pop tune whose dance-friendly edge helped it become a disco-era hit". AllMusic's Donald A. Guarisco attributed its disco sound to "Bev Bevan's steady drum work" and "pounding piano lines, delirous bursts of swirling strings, and endlessly overdubbed backing vocals [that] mesh seamlessly to form an ornate but driving funhouse of pop hooks". Billboard described the song as a "catchy rocker characterized by semi-classical elements."

"Across the Border" begins with the same "clanging train" sound effect used on the ABBA song "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" and a violin solo by Mik Kaminski. The song itself takes on a "Mexico-infused" style with a verse melody reminiscent of the Beach Boys' song "Heroes and Villains", and Lynne and Groucutt singing in harmony in a "staccato" vocal style.

Side two

Side two begins with "Night in the City", which Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated as ELO's 5th greatest song. Kachejian said that "the song’s chorus and verses, bridge, innovative introductions and ending made for one fun ride." The song begins with an unusual segment where keyboardist Richard Tandy's keyboards emulate "the noise and cacophony of busy traffic", combined with "frenzied" string sections invoking "the oppressive atmosphere of being trapped in a city that never sleeps".

The song "Starlight" was inspired by "the night stars in the mountains of Switzerland". ELO drummer Bev Bevan said that the song was "meant to have a rhythm and blues feeling to it ... something like Al Green." ELO historian Barry Delve describes the song as having a "dreamy night-time vibe".

"Jungle" takes a stylistic left turn, featuring "Tarzan effects, trumpeting elephants, a talking lion, and a Terpsichorean interlude" that Delve describes as part of the song's "unashamed goofiness". The song is divisive among fans, with some seeing it as "an unworthy novelty".

"Believe Me Now" is a short, "dramatic" interlude dominated by piano, orchestra, and vocoder that serves as an introduction to the following song. "Steppin' Out" is a "tender ballad" with lyrics about leaving home. In the final two minutes, the previously stripped-back arrangement is augmented with increasingly large layers of guitars and vocal harmonies, building to a "grand finish". Lynne has said that he regrets his original vocal take on the released song, saying in 2015 "I really messed up the original on Out of the Blue. ... It's just so flimsy."

Side three

Side three of the release is subtitled Concerto for a Rainy Day, a four-track musical suite with common themes of the weather, inspired by the "relentless rain" Lynne experienced in Switzerland while writing the album. Rain and thunder sound effects, recorded in Munich during the recording of the album, appear at the beginning of the suite, and between each song.

"Standin' in the Rain" opens the suite with a simple, "nursery rhyme-like tune" and quiet, distant weather sounds. After a cymbal crash, the orchestra takes prominence, and a heavily distorted voice, manipulated to resemble thunder crackling, voices the words "A concerto for a rainy day". From this point, the song develops into an "exhilarating instrumental workout" that evokes the intensity of a rainstorm.