"Mister Kingdom" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Electric Light Orchestra | ||||
from the album Eldorado | ||||
A-side | "Turn to Stone" | |||
Released | 1974 1977 (single version) | |||
Genre | Symphonic rock | |||
Length | 5:29 | |||
Label | Jet | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jeff Lynne | |||
Producer(s) | Jeff Lynne | |||
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology | ||||
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Eldorado track listing | ||||
10 tracks
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"Mister Kingdom" is a song in the symphonic rock genre written by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).
The song first appeared as the opening track of side 2, track number 6 from their 1974 album, Eldorado . It was the B-side to the 1977 hit "Turn to Stone", found on their album Out of the Blue .
On the single version, the solo slowly fades from 5:05 all the way to the very end at 5:29. On the Flashback boxset, the solo fades about 16 seconds earlier than the LP version, also cutting the small orchestra intro.
Rolling Stone critic Ken Barnes remarked that "Mister Kingdom" "pleasantly evokes The Beatles' 'Across the Universe'". [1] Other critics have also commented on the song's similarity to "Across the Universe". The song features an extended orchestral playout starting from 4:16 to 5:29, transitioning into Nobody's Child.
Phonograph Record critic Michael Davis said that in "Mister Kingdom" Lynne "displays a feel for melody...that would make a Bee Gee blush in envy." [2]
Jeff Lynne has said the following about the song and its subject:
This guy's always looking for a pot of gold.
— Eldorado remaster
God knows what this is about, but I like the sound.
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. During their first run from 1970 to 1986, Lynne and Bevan were the group's only consistent members.
Jeffrey Lynne is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder, and latterly the sole member, of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970, and has written all of the band's music since 1972. This includes hits such as "Evil Woman", "Livin' Thing", "Telephone Line", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Don't Bring Me Down", and "Hold On Tight". He also has had a solo career, with two albums: Armchair Theatre (1990) and Long Wave (2012).
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.
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.
"Can't Get It Out of My Head" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and originally recorded by Electric Light Orchestra.
"10538 Overture" is the debut single by the English band the Electric Light Orchestra. It was released on 23 June 1972 as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album (1971). It is a hard rock song influenced by psychedelic music, with cello instrumentation and lyrics about an escaped prisoner. Originally written by co-founder Jeff Lynne for his and Roy Wood's previous band, the Move, it became the first recording by the Electric Light Orchestra after Wood added orchestral instruments to the song.
"Do Ya" is a song written by Jeff Lynne, that was originally recorded by The Move, which became a hit for the Electric Light Orchestra in 1977.
"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.
"Illusions in G Major" is a song recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and is track eight on the band's 1974 album Eldorado.
"Eldorado" is the title track from the 1974 album of the same name by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).
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.
"Boy Blue" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and performed by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) which first appeared as track number 3 from their 1974 album Eldorado.
"Poor Boy (The Greenwood)" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).
"One Summer Dream" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and performed by the rock group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) which made its first appearance on the band's fifth album, Face the Music, as the last track off the album. It also appeared on the box sets, Afterglow and Flashback.
Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, also known as Mr. Blue Sky, is an album of re-recordings by Jeff Lynne of hits by Electric Light Orchestra. It was issued in 2012 by Frontiers Music simultaneously with Lynne's cover album Long Wave.
Alone in the Universe is the thirteenth studio album by British rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the first credited to Jeff Lynne's ELO. The moniker came out from Lynne as a response to ELO tribute and imitation bands, who repeatedly used ELO for promoting their own tours. Released on 13 November 2015, the album is the first of new original material credited to the group since Zoom in 2001, and the second since the group's original disbandment in 1986.
From Out of Nowhere is the fourteenth studio album by British rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the second credited to Jeff Lynne's ELO. The band's first studio album in four years, it was released on 1 November 2019 through Big Trilby and Columbia Records. The title track was released as the lead single on 26 September 2019. Lynne played most instruments on the album. Keyboardist Richard Tandy returned to play on one track, prior to his death in 2024.
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.
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