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The Essential Electric Light Orchestra

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The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
Greatest hits album by
Electric Light Orchestra
Released1 April 2003
RecordedSeptember 1972 – January 1986
GenreRock
Length60:58
LabelEpic
ProducerJeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
ELO 2
(First Light Series)
(2003) 		The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
(2003) 		All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
(2005)
Playlist: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Music Box[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

The Essential Electric Light Orchestra is a 15-track, single-CD, US-only compilation album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 2003. It is part of Sony Music's The Essential series.

On 2 September 2008, an eco-friendly repackaging of the album, retitled Playlist: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, was released. This edition includes a multimedia section on the CD that features photos, credits, and two wallpapers.[citation needed]

A third edition of the album was released in 2011. This version features 37 tracks on two discs, arranged in chronological order.[4] It was the third ELO compilation to present the songs in chronological order, preceded by the US releases Olé ELO in 1976 and Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra in 1995.

Each edition of the album features a different cover.

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Jeff Lynne, except "Roll Over Beethoven", which was written by Chuck Berry.

Original Edition

[edit]
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."Evil Woman" (UK Single Edit)Face the Music (1975)4:19
2."Do Ya"A New World Record (1976)3:47
3."Can't Get It Out of My Head"Eldorado (1974)4:26
4."Mr. Blue Sky"Out of the Blue (1977)5:08
5."Strange Magic" (UK Single Edit)Face the Music (1975)4:07
6."Livin' Thing"A New World Record (1976)3:33
7."Turn to Stone"Out of the Blue (1977)3:48
8."Sweet Talkin' Woman"Out of the Blue (1977)3:49
9."Telephone Line"A New World Record (1976)4:40
10."Shine a Little Love"Discovery (1979)4:42
11."Hold on Tight"Time (1981)3:08
12."Calling America"Balance of Power (1986)3:28
13."Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (Edit)Secret Messages (1983)3:17
14."Don't Bring Me Down"Discovery (1979)4:04
15."Roll Over Beethoven" (Single Edit)ELO 2 (1973)4:33
Total length:60:58

2011 edition

[edit]
Essential Electric Light Orchestra 2CD
Greatest hits album by
Electric Light Orchestra
Released10 October 2011 (UK/Europe), 24 October 2011 (US)
Recorded1970–2007
GenreRock
Length144:56
LabelEpic, Legacy, Sony Music
ProducerJeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
Ticket to the Moon: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2
(2007) 		Essential Electric Light Orchestra 2CD
(2011) 		Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
(2012)
2-Disc Edition UK album cover
Disc one
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."10538 Overture" (Single Edit)The Electric Light Orchestra (1971)4:05
2."Roll Over Beethoven" (Single Edit)ELO 2 (1973)4:33
3."Showdown"On the Third Day (1973)4:10
4."Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" (Single Edit)On the Third Day (1973)3:38
5."Can't Get It Out of My Head" (Single Edit)Eldorado (1974)3:08
6."Evil Woman" (UK Single Edit)Face the Music (1975)4:13
7."Nightrider" (Single Edit)Face the Music (1975)3:43
8."Strange Magic" (UK Single Edit)Face the Music (1975)4:08
9."Livin' Thing"A New World Record (1976)3:33
10."Do Ya"A New World Record (1976)3:46
11."Rockaria!"A New World Record (1976)3:13
12."Telephone Line"A New World Record (1976)4:41
13."Turn to Stone"Out of the Blue (1977)3:50
14."Mr. Blue Sky"Out of the Blue (1977)5:04
15."Sweet Talkin' Woman"Out of the Blue (1977)3:49
16."Wild West Hero"Out of the Blue (1977)4:43
17."It's Over"Out of the Blue (1977)4:10
18."Shine a Little Love" (Single Edit)Discovery (1979)4:11
Total length:72:36
Disc two
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."Don't Bring Me Down"Discovery (1979)4:04
2."The Diary of Horace Wimp"Discovery (1979)4:17
3."Confusion"Discovery (1979)3:40
4."Last Train to London"Discovery (1979)4:32
5."I'm Alive"Xanadu (1980)3:44
6."Xanadu (New Version)"Flashback (2000)3:22
7."All Over the World"Xanadu (1980)4:03
8."Don't Walk Away"Xanadu (1980)4:47
9."Hold on Tight"Time (1981)3:08
10."Twilight"Time (1981)3:45
11."Ticket to the Moon"Time (1981)4:08
12."The Way Life's Meant to Be"Time (1981)4:40
13."Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (Single Edit)Secret Messages (1983)3:08
14."Secret Messages"Secret Messages (1983)4:45
15."Four Little Diamonds"Secret Messages (1983)4:07
16."Calling America"Balance of Power (1986)3:31
17."So Serious"Balance of Power (1986)2:44
18."Surrender"A New World Record: 30th Anniversary Edition (2006)2:33
19."Latitude 88 North"Out of the Blue: 30th Anniversary Edition (2007)3:23
Total length:72:20

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2003) Peak
position
Switzerland Swiss Hitparade[5] 58

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ The Essential Electric Light Orchestra at AllMusic
  2. ^ Metzger, John (May 2003). "Electric Light Orchestra The Essential Electric Light Orchestra". The Music Box. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 275. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. ^ Electric Light Orchestra - The Essential Electric Light Orchestra at JB Hi-Fi
  5. ^ Switzerland Charts – Electric Light Orchestra – The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
  6. ^ "British album certifications – Elo – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
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