Discovery | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1 June 1979 [1] | |||
Recorded | March–April 1979 | |||
Studio | Musicland (Munich, Germany) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:53 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Jeff Lynne | |||
Electric Light Orchestra chronology | ||||
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Electric Light Orchestra studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from Discovery | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Smash Hits | 8/10 [9] |
Discovery is the eighth studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released on 1 June 1979 in the United Kingdom by Jet Records,where it topped record charts,and on 8 June in the United States on Jet through Columbia Records distribution. A music video album featuring all the songs being played by the band was then released on VHS in 1979,then re-released as part of the Out of the Blue:Live at Wembley DVD and VHS in 1998.
Discovery was the band's first number 1 album in the UK, [10] entering the chart at that position and staying there for five weeks. [10] The album contained five hit songs in "Shine a Little Love","Don't Bring Me Down","Last Train to London","Confusion" and "The Diary of Horace Wimp",many of which were heavily influenced by disco (in fact,Richard Tandy nicknamed the album,Disco Very). [11] "Don't Bring Me Down" would become one of their only two top three hits in the UK throughout their career ("Xanadu" would be number one in 1980),and also their highest-charting US single at number 4. "The Diary of Horace Wimp" was also a hit single in the UK,not patterned after the disco sound;instead it was closer in its Beatlesque style to the band's earlier hit "Mr. Blue Sky". The album itself was the first ever to generate four top-ten singles (one of which was a Double A-side) from a single LP in the UK and was eventually certified 2×platinum by the RIAA in 1997.
Discovery is notable in that it was the first ELO album not to feature their resident string trio of Mik Kaminski,Hugh McDowell and Melvyn Gale,although they did make an appearance on the Discovery music videos.[ citation needed ]
In one of his earliest jobs,comedian/actor Brad Garrett,dressed in Middle Eastern clothes and turban,appears on the back cover as the menacing palace guard who is drawing his scimitar. [12] [13]
Discovery was remastered as part of the Epic/Legacy remaster series in 2001;among the included bonus tracks was a cover of a Del Shannon classic,"Little Town Flirt",which was started during sessions for the album but never finished until the year the album was reissued.
All tracks composed by Jeff Lynne,except "Little Town Flirt" written by Maron McKenzie and Del Shannon.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Shine a Little Love" | 4:43 |
2. | "Confusion" | 3:42 |
3. | "Need Her Love" | 5:11 |
4. | "The Diary of Horace Wimp" | 4:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
5. | "Last Train to London" | 4:32 |
6. | "Midnight Blue" | 4:19 |
7. | "On the Run" | 3:55 |
8. | "Wishing" | 4:13 |
9. | "Don't Bring Me Down" | 4:02 |
Total length: | 38:53 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "On the Run" (home demo) | 1:01 |
11. | "Second Time Around" (home demo) | 0:43 |
12. | "Little Town Flirt" | 2:53 |
Notes
Additional personnel
Additional music video personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Argentina (CAPIF) [33] | 2× Platinum | 120,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [34] | 4× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [35] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
France (SNEP) [36] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [37] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [38] | Gold | 10,000* |
Netherlands (NVPI) [39] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [40] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Sweden | — | 100,000 [41] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [42] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [43] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangements with futuristic iconography. After Wood's departure in 1972, Lynne became the band's sole leader, arranging and producing every album while writing nearly all of their original material. From this point until their first break-up in 1986, Lynne, Bevan, and keyboardist Richard Tandy were the group's only consistent members.
Face the Music is the fifth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in September 1975 by United Artists Records and on 14 November 1975 in the United Kingdom by Jet Records. The album moves away from the large-scale classical orchestrated sound of the previous album, Eldorado, in favour of more "radio-friendly" pop/rock songs, though the string sections are still very prominent. The new sound proved successful for the group, for Face the Music was the first ELO album to go platinum.
A New World Record is the sixth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released on 15 October 1976 on United Artists Records in the U.S., and on 19 November 1976 on Jet Records in the United Kingdom. A New World Record marked ELO's shift towards shorter pop songs, a trend which would continue across their career.
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 after 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.
Time is the ninth studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra, released in July 1981 on Jet Records. It is a concept album about a man from the 1980s who is taken to the year 2095, where he is confronted by the dichotomy between technological advancement and a longing for past romance. The record topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks, though it attracted mixed reviews for its heavy use of synthesizers and stylistic shift away from the orchestral rock of previous ELO albums. It has since gained a cult following, particularly among retrofuturist enthusiasts.
Secret Messages is the tenth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1983 on Jet Records. It was the last ELO album with bass guitarist Kelly Groucutt, conductor Louis Clark and a full orchestra, and the last ELO album to be released on the Jet label. It was also the final ELO studio album to become a worldwide top 40 hit upon release.
Zoom is the twelfth studio album by British symphonic rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released on 12 June 2001 on Epic Records. It was the first official ELO album since 1986's Balance of Power.
Balance of Power is the eleventh studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in 1986. It is the final album by the band to feature co-founder Bev Bevan on drums, as well as the last album to feature a significant contribution from keyboardist Richard Tandy.
"Livin' Thing" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It appears on ELO's 1976 album A New World Record and was also released as a single. Patti Quatro sang uncredited vocals, particularly the "higher and higher" parts.
ELO's Greatest Hits is a compilation by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released 23 November 1979. Despite being released after the album Discovery, this album omitted the band's most recent hits, "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Shine a Little Love".
"Mr. Blue Sky" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), featured on the band's seventh studio album Out of the Blue (1977). Written and produced by frontman Jeff Lynne, the song forms the fourth and final track of the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" suite on side three of the original double album. "Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single to be taken from Out of the Blue, peaking at number 6 in the UK Singles Chart and number 35 in the US Billboard Charts.
"Sweet Talkin' Woman" is a 1978 single by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) from the album Out of the Blue (1977). Its original title was "Dead End Street", but it was changed during recording. Some words that survived from that version can be heard in the opening of the third verse, "I've been livin' on a dead end street".
"Don't Bring Me Down" is the ninth and final track on the English rock band the Electric Light Orchestra's 1979 album Discovery. It is their highest-charting hit in the United States to date.
"Shine a Little Love" is a song by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released as a single in the US and UK in 1979.
"Last Train to London" is a song from the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), the fifth track from their album Discovery.
ELO's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is an album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1992 as a follow-up to their more successful ELO's Greatest Hits, though it was not issued in the U.S.
Armchair Theatre is the first solo album by Jeff Lynne, released in 1990.
The discography of the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) consists of 15 studio albums, 7 live albums, 40 compilation albums, 13 video albums, 33 music videos, 1 extended play, 50 singles, 1 soundtrack album and 8 box sets. ELO have also sold over 50 million records worldwide.
Eldorado is the fourth studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in the United States in September 1974 by United Artists Records and in the United Kingdom in October 1974 by Warner Bros. Records.
Wembley or Bust is a live album and concert film by Jeff Lynne's ELO. It was recorded during the Alone in the Universe Tour at Wembley Stadium. The album peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and at number 12 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums. The album was also certified silver in the United Kingdom.