Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley

Last updated

Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley
Out of the Blue- Live at Wembley.jpg
Video by
Electric Light Orchestra
Released1980 (VHS, Betamax, Laserdisc)
1989 (VHS)
1998 (VHS, DVD)
2006 (DVD)
2015 (Blu-ray)
RecordedJune 1978
Genre Rock
Label An MGM/CBS Home Video Presentation (VHS)
Eagle Rock Entertainment (DVD)
Director Mike Mansfield
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
Discovery
(1979)		Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley
(1980)		 Fusion – Live in London
(1980)

Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley is a concert film by the Electric Light Orchestra.

Contents

In 1978 the band played the Wembley Arena for a record eight appearances. The opening night (a charity Gala event) was filmed in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the band were introduced by US actor Tony Curtis. [1]

The stage was a huge flying saucer with hydraulic lifts, the 'roof' would open up to reveal the band. The concert was one of the first examples of lasers used at a live rock concert. Due to the nature of the sound acoustics on the huge metal and fiberglass flying saucer shaped stage, the band had difficulty hearing their monitors and keeping time, so backing tapes were used that only the band were supposed to hear. The original TV broadcast edit in mono sound was poorly mixed from the concert and used some of the backing tapes used by the band pushed high in the mix which appeared to make the band look like they were lip-synching. [2]

The Out of the Blue Tour or Big Night tour as it was known in the United States, became the highest-grossing concert tour of 1978, with the North American leg of the tour breaking many attendance and sales records. This concert, along with The Face the Music Tour 1976, were released as live compact discs in 1998.

Video releases

It has also been released previously on VHS, Betamax and Laserdisc in 1980, VHS again in '89, then in '98 as a DVD and VHS coupled with their music video album produced for the Discovery album (for which the band never toured). As previously mentioned, the sound quality of the Wembley concert contained in some of these early releases is relatively poor, and elevates the prominence of the studio backing tapes on many tracks. In 2006, the concert master tapes were obtained and properly remixed, hence restoring the sound originally intended for the video and presented in DTS sound, at last resembling the sound that was heard by the audience. However, due to "bleed-through" some tracks like "Standin' in the Rain", "Night in the City" and "Turn To Stone", the pre-recorded backing tapes are still present, but much better subdued. A new DVD release of the concert has been scheduled with bonus material and new packaging according to the ftmusic website. A Blu-ray of the concert was released in March 2015 and featured bonus footage of various performances from other concerts.

Full concert song list

1978 Out of the Blue Tour Oslo Elo 27041978 04 800.jpg
1978 Out of the Blue Tour Oslo

Below is the entire set from the concert. Tracks 5–7, 11, 13, 17, and 21 from that night have never been released on video or compact disc, the rest have appeared on the DVD.

  1. "Introduction Theme"
  2. "Standin' in the Rain"
  3. "Night in the City"
  4. "Turn to Stone"
  5. "Eldorado Overture"
  6. "Can't Get It Out of My Head"
  7. "Hugh's Solo / Flight of the Bumblebee"
  8. "Tightrope"
  9. "Telephone Line"
  10. "Rockaria!"
  11. "Mik's Solo"/"In the Hall of the Mountain King"/"Hungarian Dance No. 5"
  12. "Wild West Hero"
  13. "Strange Magic"
  14. "Showdown"
  15. 1 Minute Talk
  16. "Sweet Talkin' Woman"
  17. "Evil Woman"
  18. "Mr. Blue Sky"
  19. "Do Ya"
  20. "Livin' Thing"
  21. "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle"
  22. "Roll Over Beethoven"
    • Electric Light Orchestra Outroduction Theme

The 2015 Blu-ray edition contains Bonus videos featuring the following

Brunel University 1973

Rockpalast 1974

Fusion 1976

Discovery 1979

Personnel

Certifications

Certifications for 2006 remastered DVD
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [3] Gold25,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Light Orchestra</span> English rock band

The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) is 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Lynne</span> English musician (born 1947)

Jeffrey Lynne is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder and leader of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970, and as a songwriter has written most of the band's hits, including "Evil Woman", "Livin' Thing", "Telephone Line", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Hold On Tight".

<i>ELO 2</i> 1973 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

ELO 2 is the second studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1973. In the US, the album was released as Electric Light Orchestra II. It was the band's last album to be released by the Harvest label, the last on which the band used the definite article The in their name, and the one that introduced their abbreviated name 'ELO'.

<i>Out of the Blue</i> (Electric Light Orchestra album) 1977 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

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.

<i>Discovery</i> (Electric Light Orchestra album) 1979 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Groucutt</span> British bassist (1945–2009)

Kelly Groucutt was an English musician, best known as the bassist and occasional vocalist for the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) between 1974 and 1982.

Wilfred Gibson was an English violinist, session musician, and early member of the Electric Light Orchestra.

<i>Afterglow</i> (Electric Light Orchestra album) 1990 box set by Electric Light Orchestra

Afterglow is the third box set compilation by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in 1990 with liner notes by music critic and editor Ira Robbins of Trouser Press. A different two-CD compilation with identical artwork was issued simultaneously under the title The Very Best of The Electric Light Orchestra.

<i>Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra</i> 1995 greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra

Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra is a compilation album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1995 only in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ELO Part II</span> English rock/pop band

The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) Part II was a British-American rock band formed by Electric Light Orchestra drummer and co-founder Bev Bevan. The band also included former ELO bassist and vocalist Kelly Groucutt, and violinist Mik Kaminski for most of its career, along with conductor Louis Clark who toured as a guest with ELO in its later years.

<i>Live at Wembley 78</i> 1998 live album by Electric Light Orchestra

Live at Wembley '78 is a live recording by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Edited in length as was the VHS/DVD version.

<i>Zoom Tour Live</i> Live album by Electric Light Orchestra

Zoom Tour Live was a one-off concert performed by the Electric Light Orchestra recorded originally for television, later released as a film.

<i>Fusion – Live in London</i> 1990 video by Electric Light Orchestra

Fusion – Live in London is a concert film by Electric Light Orchestra, recorded at the New Victoria Theatre in London on 20 June 1976. The concert was a part of the band's Face the Music tour. It was released in VHS format in 1990.

<i>The Electric Light Orchestra</i> (album) 1971 debut album by Electric Light Orchestra

The Electric Light Orchestra is the debut studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in December 1971 in the United Kingdom by Harvest Records. In the United States, the album was released in March 1972 as No Answer, after a misunderstood telephone message made by a United Artists Records executive asking about the album name; the caller, having failed to reach the ELO contact, wrote down "no answer" in his notes, and this was misconstrued to be the name of the album.

<i>Live: The Early Years</i> 2010 video by Electric Light Orchestra

Live: The Early Years is a UK DVD compilation of three Electric Light Orchestra concerts from the 1970s that includes Fusion – Live in London (1976) along with two other never before released live performances at Brunel University (1973) and on a German television programme Rockpalast (1974), Eagle Rock Entertainment released it on 9 August 2010. The US had a slightly edited release on 24 August 2010.

<i>The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach</i> 1974 live album by Electric Light Orchestra

The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach is a 1974 live album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) recorded on the evening of 12 May 1974 at the Long Beach Auditorium in Long Beach, California; its title lampoons "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence.

<i>Jeff Lynnes ELO: Live in Hyde Park</i> 2015 video by Jeff Lynnes ELO

Jeff Lynne's ELO: Live in Hyde Park is a concert film by Jeff Lynne's ELO.

Jeff Lynne's ELO Tour 2019 was a concert tour by British band Jeff Lynne's ELO. It is the group's second tour in North America since 1981, following their tour from the previous year. Dhani Harrison was the opening act for the tour.

<i>Wembley or Bust</i> 2017 live album and concert film by Jeff Lynnes ELO

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Tony Curtis introduces Electric Light Orchestra (Wembley – 1978)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  2. ↑ Jeff Lynne Song Database – Electric Light Orchestra – Out Of The Blue / The Big Night Tour
  3. ↑ "British video certifications – Electric Light Orchestra – Out Of The Blue: Live At Wembley". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 8 January 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.