Shine A Little Love: Black & White

Photograph: Jerry Palovick [A Jeff Lynne & Related Blog]

#773: Hello ... Hello ... my old friends ... It's great to see you once again! Yours Truly KJS has been a collector of ELO and related vinyl for well over three decades yet my record collection is nowhere near as expansive as that of other ELO fans, such as my good friend Jon Lock over at the excellent ELO Light Years Ahead web site.

Indeed, I've posted some articles here at ELO Beatles Forever [ELOBF] from time to time regarding the Jet Records discography and such legendary ELO/Jet rarities as the original intended "Secret Messages" double album and acetates [#JETDP402], the missing Jet/CBS re-issue of "Turn To Stone" [#SJET103] and the legendary second ELO EP [#ELO2] amongst not a few others.

One of those others is a ELO/Jet rarity which has, to date, sadly escaped my grasp. "Shine A Little Love" b/w "Jungle" [#SJET144] was released in May 1979 as the advance lead single for ELO's "Discovery" album, peaking at #6 in the UK singles chart. Jet released a white vinyl 12" single [#SJET12144] in a die cut company sleeve in significant enough quantities that it can be still bought today at a relatively low price due to its wide availability. But unusually, Jet also pressed a limited edition of the 12" single in normal black vinyl that, as it turns out, is a highly prized collectors item even now.

My own personal tragedy regarding this item is that I tracked down a copy on eBay last year for around £30 only for it to turn up at my house several days later in two pieces after what can only be described as the stupidity of a certain postman trying to fit it through a normal sized letterbox! There are still a few out there that turn up every now and then [at varying prices] but this ELO jewel still eludes my "Discovery" at the "Time" of writing ...

Until next "Time" in the ELO [and related] Universe ... KJS ... 08-Oct-2014