On the Third Day

For other uses, see The Third Day (disambiguation).

"Bluebird Is Dead" redirects here. For the television episode, see My Lady Jane § Episodes.

All tracks are written by Jeff Lynne, except where noted.

On the Third Day
Studio album by Electric Light Orchestra
Released	November 1973
Recorded	April–May, August [1] 1973
Studio	De Lane Lea Studios, London AIR Studios, London
Genre	Progressive rock progressive pop
Length	39:34
Label	Warner Bros. (U.K.) United Artists (U.S.)
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
ELO 2 (1973) On the Third Day (1973) The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach (1974)
Electric Light Orchestra studio album chronology
ELO 2 (1973) On the Third Day (1973) Eldorado (1974)

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Ocean Breakup / King of the Universe"	4:05
2.	"Bluebird Is Dead"	4:25
3.	"Oh No Not Susan"	2:52
4.	"New World Rising / Ocean Breakup (Reprise)"	4:40
5.	"Showdown" (only on the original US release and subsequent reissues)	4:15

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Daybreaker"		3:50
7.	"Ma-Ma-Ma Belle"		3:52
8.	"Dreaming of 4000" (listed as "I'm Only Dreaming" on the cassette tape version [10] )		5:00
9.	"In the Hall of the Mountain King"	Edvard Grieg	6:35
Total length:			39:34

Bonus tracks on 2006 reissue

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Auntie" (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 1)	1:19
11.	"Auntie" (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 2)	4:05
12.	"Mambo" (Dreaming of 4000 Take 1)	5:05
13.	"Everyone's Born to Die"	3:43
14.	"Interludes"	3:40

Personnel

• Jeff Lynne – vocals, guitars
• Bev Bevan – drums, percussion
• Richard Tandy – piano, Moog, clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano
• Mike de Albuquerque – bass, backing vocals
• Mike Edwards – cello
• Mik Kaminski – violin (on tracks 1–4)
• Ted Blight – cello ^[11] (credited on the UK pressing, but said to be a figment of Lynne's imagination) ^{[12] [13]}

Additional personnel

• Wilf Gibson – violin (on tracks 5–14)
• Colin Walker – cello (on tracks 5–14)
• Marc Bolan – co-lead guitar ("Ma Ma Ma Belle", ^[14] "Dreaming of 4000", ^[15] "Everyone's Born to Die" ^[16] )

Charts

Chart (1974)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [17]	46
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [18]	40
US Billboard 200 [8]	52
US CashBox [19]	31

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [20]	289 [A]

Notes

• A ^ Peaked the week of 20 October 2006 when Epic Records Japan released the remastered CD.

References

1. "Jeff Lynne Song Database - 1970s Songs". Jefflynnesongs.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
2. On the Third Day at AllMusic
3. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 915. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
4. "Electric Light Orchestra - On the Third Day (Album Review)". Musicbox-online.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
5. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p.  383. ISBN   1-57859-061-2.
6. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 25 August 2007.
7. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p.  274. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
8. "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
9. "ACHOF Interview with designer and illustrator John Kehe". Album Cover Hall of Fame.com. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
10. "Electric Light Orchestra - On The Third Day". Discogs.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
11. Electric Light Orchestra - On The Third Day , retrieved 20 August 2022
12. Kiste, John Van der (19 August 2017). "Electric Light Orchestra: Song by Song". Fonthill Media. Retrieved 11 May 2019– via Google Books.
13. "Jeff Lynne Song Database - Exposing the Secrets!". Jefflynnesongs.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
14. "On the Third Day - Electric Light Orchestra | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
15. Campbell, Irving (2007). A Guide to the Outtakes of Marc Bolan (1st ed.). Wellington: Great Horse. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-473-12076-4.
16. Sinclair, Keith J. "Everyone's Born To Die".
17. "Australian Album Chart Positions". Kent Music Report . Retrieved 28 February 2024. On The Third Day.
18. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4968a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
19. "CashBox Top 100 Albums" (PDF). CashBox. Vol. XXXV #44. United States. 16 March 1974. p. 33. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
20. "第三世界の曙". Oricon . 20 October 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2021.

External links

• On the Third Day Remastered Info at ftmusic