The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach

Last updated

The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach
The Night The Light.jpg
Live album by
Electric Light Orchestra
Released30 May 1974
Recorded12 May 1974
Venue Long Beach Auditorium, Long Beach, California
Genre Progressive rock
Length40:20
Label Warner Bros. (Germany)
Producer Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
On the Third Day
(1973)		The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach
(1974)		 Eldorado
(1974)
Alternative cover
Cd reissue live.jpg
Reissue album cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
MusicHound 2/5 [3]

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.

Contents

Background and limited release

This live album was intended as the follow-up to On the Third Day , but the original recording was marred by technical issues both on and off the stage. The problems started when the truck carrying the band's equipment broke down en route to the venue, and the band did not have enough time to perform a proper soundcheck before the concert. [4]

Initial vinyl pressings of the album were of such poor quality that ELO's management eventually filed a lawsuit against the production company for compensation. The garish gatefold sleeve of the original album, designed by Mick Haggerty, showed a cartoony 1950s-era horror film mob running in terror from an unseen source of light, with the album's title scrawled across the sleeve. The inside held distorted photos of the band performing onstage.

Ultimately, both ELO's UK and US labels decided against issuing The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach. It only achieved "legitimate" release in Germany and a handful of other countries such as Australia, although it was eventually issued in the UK in 1985. It was never released in the US (although it was heavily imported into the US, and sold quite well in the specialty rock music shops around the country). However, in the US, the live version of "10538 Overture" from this recording was later used as the B-side for the ELO single "Evil Woman" from the studio album Face the Music . The live version of "Roll Over Beethoven" from Long Beach saw limited release in the US on the B-side of the alternate version of "Telephone Line" in the CBS Hall of Fame 45 re-issue series.

Restoration

A 1990s CD remastering and reissue corrected the poor sound quality of the original album and restored several songs to their full-length versions. It was discovered that the original LP pressing had been mastered using an inferior copy of the concert (according to the CD's liner notes, the tape used had been marked 'Rough Mix, Do Not Use'), hence its muddy sound. However, the original master tape was discovered in the record company's vault, and the album was restored to its intended sound quality.

The album is notable for being the sole live recording of ELO released during their initial period of activity.

Original track listing

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Daybreaker" Jeff Lynne 5:34
2."Showdown"Lynne6:54
3."Day Tripper" Lennon–McCartney 6:40
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."10538 Overture"Lynne5:44
5."Mik's Solo/Orange Blossom Special" Mik Kaminski/Ervin T. Rouse 2:28
6."In the Hall of the Mountain King/Great Balls of Fire" Edvard Grieg/Jack Hammer, Otis Blackwell 8:35
7."Roll Over Beethoven" Chuck Berry 4:25
Total length:40:20

Personnel

Related Research Articles

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

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, classical arrangements and 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. For their initial tenure, 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 best known as the co-founder of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, he has contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of ELO, including "Evil Woman", "Livin' Thing", "Telephone Line", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Don't Bring Me Down", and "Hold On Tight".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Wood</span> English rock musician (born 1946)

Roy Wood is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of these bands. Altogether he had more than 20 singles in the UK Singles Chart under various guises, including three UK No. 1 hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wizzard</span> British 1970s rock and roll band

Wizzard were an English rock band formed by Roy Wood, former member of the Move and co-founder of the Electric Light Orchestra. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits states, "Wizzard was Roy Wood just as much as Wings was Paul McCartney." They are most famous for their 1973 Christmas single "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", which has been played during every Christmas season in the UK since its release.

<i>Face the Music</i> (Electric Light Orchestra album) 1975 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

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 from 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 as Face the Music was the first ELO album to go platinum.

<i>On the Third Day</i> 1973 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

On the Third Day is the third studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the first to be recorded without input from Roy Wood. It was released in the United States in November 1973 by United Artists Records, and in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1973 by Warner Bros. Records. From this album on, the word The was dropped from the band's name. The album was reissued on 12 September 2006.

<i>ELO 2</i>

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>A New World Record</i> 1976 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

A New World Record is the sixth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in 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.

<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 October 28th, 1977. 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>Zoom</i> (Electric Light Orchestra album) 2001 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

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.

<i>ELOs Greatest Hits</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra

ELO's Greatest Hits is a compilation by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 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".

<i>Flashback</i> (Electric Light Orchestra album) 2000 box set by Electric Light Orchestra

Flashback is the second box set compilation by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in November 2000 in the US and the following month in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10538 Overture</span> Original song written and composed by Jeff Lynne

"10538 Overture" is the debut single by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do Ya (The Move song)</span>

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showdown (Electric Light Orchestra song)</span> 1973 single by Electric Light Orchestra

"Showdown" is a 1973 song written by Jeff Lynne and recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was the band's last contemporary recording to be released on the Harvest label. It was released as a single and reached No 12 in the UK Singles Chart, in the week beginning 28 October, and No 9 on the Norwegian chart VG-lista.

<i>Live at Winterland 76</i> 1998 live album by Electric Light Orchestra

Live at Winterland '76 is a live album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in 1998.

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

ELO Part II were a 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>The Electric Light Orchestra</i> (album)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightrider (song)</span> 1976 single by Electric Light Orchestra

"Nightrider" is a song from Electric Light Orchestra's (ELO) album Face the Music.

References

  1. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "The Night the Lights Went On (In Long Beach) – Electric Light Orchestra: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 915. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide . Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p.  382. ISBN   1-57859-061-2.
  4. ↑ "The Night the Light Went On (In Long Beach) - Electric Light Orchestra - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
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.