Time | ||||
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Released | 31 July 1981 [1] | |||
Recorded | Early 1981 | |||
Studio | Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany; Polar Studios, Stockholm, Sweden | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:38 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Jeff Lynne | |||
ELO chronology | ||||
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ELO studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from Time | ||||
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Time is the ninth studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (credited as ELO),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. [7] 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.
Time is a work of synth-pop that combines elements from 1950s music,new wave,reggae,rockabilly,the Beatles,Phil Spector and the Shadows. The album signalled a departure from the band's sound by emphasising electronics over its usual orchestra. It is also the band's second concept album,the first being Eldorado in 1974. [2] The music video created for its lead single,"Hold On Tight",was the most expensive ever made to that point,with a budget of approximately £40,000. [8] Four more singles followed the album's release:"Twilight","Ticket to the Moon" (backed with "Here Is the News"),"Rain Is Falling" and "The Way Life's Meant to Be".
The record is considered the first major concept album devoted to time travel as well as ELO's most influential album. [6] The "Prologue" and "Twilight" tracks were used in the 1983 anime opening animation Daicon IV . In 2001,a CD reissue of Time included three additional tracks that were originally left off the LP.
Time followed the albums Discovery , on which ELO had dispensed with their three-man string section (although orchestration was used on the album), and Xanadu , the soundtrack to the 1980 musical film of the same name, which was met with a mixed reception. [2] On Time, bandleader Jeff Lynne chose to emphasise electronics over the band's orchestral sound. [2] He wrote a collection of songs with a theme that focused on time travel [2] and civilisation in the year 2095. [9] The album's musical style draws from the 1950s, new wave, reggae, rockabilly and the work of artists such as the Beatles, Phil Spector and the Shadows. [4] Writing for PopMatters , Kevin Mathews says that the album reflects Lynne's absorption in the UK synth-pop sound popularised by contemporary artists such as Gary Numan, OMD and Human League. [2]
ELO recorded Time mainly at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany, [4] with some sessions taking place at Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden.[ citation needed ] Three additional songs written in the album's context were recorded, but left off the release: "The Bouncer", "When Time Stood Still" and "Julie Don’t Live Here". These songs were originally going to be on a double album of Time, [10] but they were instead issued as B-sides of later singles after Time was reduced to a single album. [2]
Lynne's comments on the album's concept are as follows: in 1981, a man drifts into a state of twilight ("Twilight"), where he appears to have entered the year 2095, meets a Gynoid ("Yours Truly, 2095"), and reflects on the 1980s, "back when things were so uncomplicated" ("Ticket to the Moon"). Walking down the same street from a hundred years before, he is dismayed by the plastic flowers and ivory towers which have grown on top of it ("The Way Life's Meant to Be"). As he remains in this future period, he looks out his window depressed, watching the world go by ("Rain Is Falling"). He attempts to send a letter in the form of a dream to his girlfriend in the past, but fails ("From the End of the World"). [11]
When asked whether the man's experiences had been a dream all along, Lynne responded: "This is what I'd like to know, because it's baffled me since I wrote it, if he has actually gone [to the future], or if he's just thinking about it. ... It could be real, or it could be a dream... I'm not sure. I'd rather not say, because I don't know either. I'm supposed to, but I don't." [11] Mathews writes: "Like Eldorado, Time contained a prologue and an epilogue ... Although there is hardly any plot to thread the various songs together, the theme remains largely intact ... they embellish, rather than engage." [2] A recurring line that appears in the album's epilogue is: "though you ride on the wheels of tomorrow, you still wander the fields of your sorrow". [4] Rockol's writer says that the protagonist revisits the place he once lived only to find that it has become unrecognisable ("The Way Life's Meant to Be"). Afterwards, he hopes that he may be able to return home with a time machine, "but with all their great inventions and all their good intentions, here I stay" ("Rain Is Falling"). Following his final attempt to return to the past, the protagonist is invited to "hold on" ("Hold On Tight"). [4]
Author Adam Roberts calls Time a "future-set rock opera". [5] According to music journalist Mark Beaumont, it is a concept album about a man who is abducted forward in time to the year 2095, [6] while the web publication Rockol and Stereo Review magazine both recognise Time as being about a man who becomes trapped in the future. [4] [12] The News & Advance 's Ben Cates says it "tells the story of a man living in the year 2095 who glimpses enough of the future to know that he wants to get back to the 1980s". [13]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound | woof! [16] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Time reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart, maintaining the position for two weeks. [19] The change in the band's sound, particularly the lack of orchestral strings, came as a considerable shock to some ELO fans. [2] Noel Coppage of Stereo Review found the band "has slimmed down some and grown out of its twin-electric-cello phase, but it can still give you a case of the grandiosities. You'll find great sweeps of melody and plenty of high and low and loud and soft sounds for your expensive hi-fi equipment to chew on." [12] Coppage remarked of the album's concept: "Ironically, all he [the narrator] does the whole time is whine about how he misses good old 1981 and the girl he left back there. You want to shake him by the shoulders and say, 'Man, have you no sense of adventure?'" [12]
Deborah Frost of Rolling Stone called the storytelling a "superfluous ... thematic conceit" and said that, with the reliance on synthesised sounds, "If ELO's not careful, they're going to end up becoming the kind of cheese that squirts out of an aerosol can." [17] She described the album as a cross between the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the 1960s science fiction television show Star Trek , "yet as long as Jeff Lynne's future-vision Beatlemania comes in near-perfect Top Forty spurts, why moan?" [17] Frank Conte of The Boston Globe opined: "Time doesn't stick together well as a concept but as far as pop sensibilities are concerned, ELO has no worries. Its brand of rock doesn't only sway. It soars." [20]
In his retrospective review for PopMatters, Kevin Mathews says that, despite Lynne's decision to embrace a new, synth-pop sound, "In essence … Time remained a quintessential ELO album." Mathews adds: "Once again, Lynne’s melodic craft, technical expertise, production skills and encyclopaedic pop authority made Time a treasure for all true connoisseurs of classic pop music. Surprisingly, this re-issue reveals an artist ahead of his time as Time stands head-and-shoulders above the hip electro-pop records of the day." [2]
The Quietus ' Joseph Stannard said that Time is a "very good album indeed", highlighting "Twilight" as "the most exciting song ever recorded ... Pulsating, momentous, charged with purpose and overstuffed with hooks, counter-hooks, sub-hooks and semi-hooks, 'Twilight' makes being abducted by time travellers sound like the most fun you can have." [21] Writing in The Guardian , Mark Beaumont listed "Twilight" as the 10th best song of ELO's career "for its space-age cathedral sizzle, warp-speed pacing and the sort of brazen futuristic hooklines that proved they gave that Flash Gordon gig to the wrong band". [6]
AllMusic's James Chrispell assessed the album as less-than-great formulaic work by ELO, noting a resemblance to work by the Alan Parsons Project and Wings rather than Lynne's "fascination with Pepper-era Beatles". [22]
According to Beaumont, Time is the most influential album of ELO's catalogue. [6] The book The Time Traveler's Almanac cites it as the first major concept album devoted entirely to time travel. [7] Rockol states that while Time is not one of the most celebrated ELO albums, it has attracted a cult following from those interested in retrofuturism. Among the album's "unexpected" fans are the Flaming Lips and Daft Punk. [4]
In an early 1980s Rolling Stone magazine interview, Steve Winwood said that ELO's Time had influenced him. Ladyhawke has stated that ELO's Time is one of her five favourite albums. [23]
In 1983, the tracks "Prologue" and "Twilight" were used as the soundtrack for the Daicon IV opening animation, an animated music video created for the 1983 Nihon SF Taikai convention. According to academic Mark W. MacWilliams, the convention would go down as "one of the most famous otaku events of all time". [24] "Hold On Tight" was also used in a post-feature short that showcased the production work of Daicon IV. The song was later featured in Coffee Achievers, [25] a 2008 Honda Accord car ad campaign, [26] and included in the 2011 Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts film Larry Crowne . [27]
The 2010 Apples In Stereo album Travellers In Space and Time was heavily influenced by Time. [28]
All tracks are written by Jeff Lynne
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Prologue" | 1:15 |
2. | "Twilight" | 3:35 |
3. | "Yours Truly, 2095" | 3:15 |
4. | "Ticket to the Moon" | 4:06 |
5. | "The Way Life's Meant to Be" | 4:36 |
6. | "Another Heart Breaks" | 3:46 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Rain Is Falling" | 3:54 |
2. | "From the End of the World" | 3:16 |
3. | "The Lights Go Down" | 3:31 |
4. | "Here Is the News" | 3:49 |
5. | "21st Century Man" | 4:00 |
6. | "Hold On Tight" | 3:05 |
7. | "Epilogue" | 1:30 |
Total length: | 43:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
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14. | "The Bouncer" (B-side to "Four Little Diamonds" single (12 inch version only)) | 3:14 |
15. | "When Time Stood Still" (B-side to "Hold On Tight" single) | 3:33 |
16. | "Julie Don't Live Here" (B-side to "Twilight" single) | 3:42 |
ELO [29]
Additional personnel [29]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia | — | 130,000 [50] |
Germany (BVMI) [51] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [52] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Sweden | — | 100,000 [53] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [54] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [55] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments 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.
Jeffrey Lynne is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder and currently the sole member 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".
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.
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.
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".
All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra is a compilation album by the Electric Light Orchestra, released in 2005.
"Here Is the News" is a 1981 song written by Jeff Lynne and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).
"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.
"Twilight" is a song written by Jeff Lynne for English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), originally released on their 1981 album Time. The lyrics tell of a man who falls asleep while in a twilight state, where he imagines everything in his life that is going to happen to him. They contribute to the album's overarching theme of time travel. ELO writer Barry Delve says that "a cacophony of sound effects...transport us chaotically to the year 2095" to start the album and that the song "doesn't stop or pause for at least 2 minutes," making the song "one of the most exciting experiences ELO ever gave you." Delve suggests that the piano break is influenced by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Billboard said that it was "more intricate" than most ELO songs and that "a grand orchestral build coincides with swirling vocal harmonies for great effect." Record World said that it has "roller-coaster surges of angelic voices and awesome strings." Messenger-Press critic Steve Wosahla said that "Twilight" "indicates that ELO may never get away from Jeff Lynne's accessibly spacey pop pizzaz." Cincinnati Post critic Jerry Stein said that it "is a pounding tune but still has that soaring arrangement favored by the Beatles in so many of their uptempo songs.
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.
Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra 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.
Yeah, they [the songs] wouldn't have ever been on one album, it would have been part of a double album.
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