ELO Live at the BBC

[rickawakeman]

I was not a fan of ELO during the '70s, like many put off by their multitude of hits. My prog bud turned me onto their earlier works a few years back, which prompted me to pick the "Early Years" (or some such ) DVD a couple of years back and I've been enamored of their early (through '76) works ever since. I was delighted to find a copy of this double live disc of three BBC recordings ('73, '74, '76) at Mystery Train, a great little used disc store in Amherst (MA). I brought it home and went to Amazon where I not only read some stellar reviews but gasped at the price...yes, you can buy this new for $250 or used for $175 ( I paid $13). It's a great set, but do people really pay such prices for OOP discs? I'd consider burning myself a copy and selling it!

[Rufus]

I was not a fan of ELO during the '70s, like many put off by their multitude of hits. My prog bud turned me onto their earlier works a few years back, which prompted me to pick the "Early Years" (or some such ) DVD a couple of years back and I've been enamored of their early (through '76) works ever since. I was delighted to find a copy of this double live disc of three BBC recordings ('73, '74, '76) at Mystery Train, a great little used disc store in Amherst (MA). I brought it home and went to Amazon where I not only read some stellar reviews but gasped at the price...yes, you can buy this new for $250 or used for $175 ( I paid $13). It's a great set, but do people really pay such prices for OOP discs? I'd consider burning myself a copy and selling it!

Wouldn't mind that disc myself but not at that price. Is it an official release & on what label. Most bands have had the BBC treatment Zep, Lizzy, Alex Harvey, UFO , Queen etc but can never recall an official ELO release ?

[Rufus]

Just found this review on Amazon !

3.0 out of 5 stars A patchy collection of BBC recordings 13 Nov 2005
By Mr. Thomas Birch
Format:Audio CDThis album is now deleted at the request of ELO main man Jeff Lynne and it's easy to see why. A number of the tracks on this CD, such as the version of 'Kuiama', are taken straight from the studio albums they came from, with only minor alterations in the mix (for example, 'Kuiama' lacks its introduction). They are not alternate takes or rarities in any way. But some of the numbers, such as 'Momma...' and 'Roll Over Beethoven' are entirely different takes, recorded in the BBC studios exclusively for broadcast. They certainly aren't 'live' as the sleeve notes suggest, nor is this 'a UK counterpart to the 'The Night the Light Went on in Long Beach' live album' as the author of the sleeve notes goes on to claim. If you're an ELO completist you will want to own this album for what does differ from the studio albums (the alternate material is excellent in itself), but everyone else should avoid this CD.

[rickawakeman]

That's the wrong disc... That's a review for "BBC Sessions", not "Live at the BBC", which was released on Eagle.

Here's the correct disc with stellar reviews and "out-of-this-world" prices to match!

http://www.amazon.com/Live-at-BBC-El...ive+at+the+bbc

[Fracktured]

I picked this up brand new when it came out because I had these recorded on cassette from the radio shows and wanted better quality recordings. The one show is missing a solo cello spot which led into the flight of the bumble bee which was really neat, but unfortunately due to time restraints it wasn't put on the disc set. I think I paid $15 for it. It was deleted shortly after release due to legalities I presume. It is a nice set of early live ELO though. Well worht the $13 you paid and I'm very surprised you even found a copy. I don't think they are easy to find, that's why these morons think they are going to get $100's of dollars for their copies.

Rick

[GuitarGeek]

How do the cellists sound on this? I remember watching a video of ELO doing Hall Of The Mountain Grill on, I think, Midnight Special, where they sounded horrendous, but that was down to the fact that the cellists were goofing around onstage, apparently putting more effort into "the show" than into playing in tune.

[rickawakeman]

The cellists sound a little "loose" on the earlier recordings ('73, '74), more polished on the '76 concert.

[GuitarGeek]

The cellists sound a little "loose" on the earlier recordings ('73, '74), more polished on the '76 concert.

I can't remember if it was Jeff Lynne or Bev Bevan who once said that Richard Tandy used to have cover for the cellists, because they were bouncing around the stage so much it made accurate intonation unlikely if not impossible. Then there's the tapes they played along to on the hamburger bun tour, which I think was also related to that issue (and the inability to recreate all the mega overdubs onstage).