The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
EssentialELOalbumcover.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Electric Light Orchestra
Released1 April 2003
RecordedSeptember 1972 – January 1986
GenreRock
Length1:00:58
LabelEpic
ProducerJeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
ELO 2
(First Light Series)
(2003) 		The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
(2003) 		All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
(2005)
Playlist: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
Playlist 2008 Electric Light Orchestra album cover.jpg
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Music Box[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

The Essential Electric Light Orchestra is a single CD, US-only compilation album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 2003. It is part of Sony Music's The Essential series.

On 2 September 2008 an eco-friendly repackage of this album called Playlist: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra was released and included a multimedia section on the CD with photos, credits and two new wallpapers.[citation needed]

A third re-release in 2011 expanded the original album to include a second disc and also rearranged the entire track order.[4] This is the third ELO compilation that presents a chronological run-through of ELO's singles/songs, it was preceded by US compilations Olé ELO in 1976 and Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra in 1995. The original artwork has been slightly altered as well to differentiate from the single CD release.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jeff Lynne, with the exception of Roll Over Beethoven by Chuck Berry

Original Edition

No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."Evil Woman" (Single edit)Face the Music4:19
2."Do Ya"A New World Record3:47
3."Can't Get It Out of My Head"Eldorado4:26
4."Mr. Blue Sky"Out of the Blue5:08
5."Strange Magic" (UK single edit)Face the Music4:07
6."Livin' Thing"A New World Record3:33
7."Turn to Stone"Out of the Blue3:48
8."Sweet Talkin' Woman"Out of the Blue3:49
9."Telephone Line"A New World Record4:40
10."Shine a Little Love"Discovery4:42
11."Hold on Tight"Time3:08
12."Calling America"Balance of Power3:28
13."Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (Edited version)Secret Messages3:17
14."Don't Bring Me Down"Discovery4:04
15."Roll Over Beethoven" (Single edit)ELO 24:33
Total length:1:00:58

2011 Edition

2011 Edition
The Essential Electric Light Orchestra 2011 US album cover.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Electric Light Orchestra
Released10 October 2011 (UK/Europe), 24 October 2011 (US)
Recorded1970–2007
GenreRock
LabelEpic, Legacy, Sony Music
ProducerJeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
Ticket to the Moon: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2
(2007) 		2011 Edition
(2011) 		Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
(2012)
UK alternate album cover
The Essential Electric Light Orchestra 2011 UK album cover.jpg
Disc one
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."10538 Overture" (7" edit)The Electric Light Orchestra4:05
2."Roll Over Beethoven" (Single edit)ELO 24:33
3."Showdown"On the Third Day4:10
4."Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" (Single edit)On the Third Day3:38
5."Can't Get It Out of My Head" (7" edit)Eldorado3:08
6."Evil Woman" (Single edit)Face the Music4:13
7."Nightrider" (7" edit)Face the Music3:43
8."Strange Magic" (Single edit)Face the Music4:08
9."Livin' Thing"A New World Record3:33
10."Do Ya"A New World Record3:46
11."Rockaria!"A New World Record3:13
12."Telephone Line"A New World Record4:41
13."Turn to Stone"Out of the Blue3:50
14."Mr. Blue Sky"Out of the Blue5:04
15."Sweet Talkin' Woman"Out of the Blue3:49
16."Wild West Hero"Out of the Blue4:43
17."It's Over"Out of the Blue4:10
18."Shine a Little Love"Discovery4:11
Disc two
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."Don't Bring Me Down"Discovery4:04
2."The Diary of Horace Wimp"Discovery4:17
3."Confusion"Discovery3:40
4."Last Train to London"Discovery4:32
5."I'm Alive"Xanadu3:44
6."Xanadu"Flashback/Xanadu3:22
7."All Over the World"Xanadu4:03
8."Don't Walk Away"Xanadu4:47
9."Hold on Tight"Time3:08
10."Twilight"Time3:45
11."Ticket to the Moon"Time4:08
12."The Way Life's Meant to Be"Time4:40
13."Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (Single edit)Secret Messages3:08
14."Secret Messages"Secret Messages4:45
15."Four Little Diamonds"Secret Messages4:07
16."Calling America"Balance of Power3:31
17."So Serious"Balance of Power2:44
18."Surrender"A New World Record (2006 remaster)2:33
19."Latitude 88 North"Out of the Blue (30th Anniversary Edition)3:23

Charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Switzerland Swiss Hitparade[5] 58

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Silver 60,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ The Essential Electric Light Orchestra at AllMusic
  2. ^ Metzger, John (May 2003). "Electric Light Orchestra The Essential Electric Light Orchestra". The Music Box. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 275. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. ^ Electric Light Orchestra - The Essential Electric Light Orchestra at JB Hi-Fi
  5. ^ Switzerland Charts – Electric Light Orchestra – The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
  6. ^ "British album certifications – Elo – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
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