
#1,534: In the three year hinterland between the release of the
ELO studio albums
"Secret Messages" (1983) and
"Balance Of Power" (1986), fans of the
Electric Light Orchestra were left largely looking to see what
Jeff Lynne was up to, whether as a solo artiste in his own right or whether he was twiddling his knobs behind the production desk. June 1984 revealed the
ELO maestro's involvement in the soundtrack of the aptly named film
"Electric Dreams" wherein he contributed two songs
(ably assisted by long time ELO cohort Richard Tandy) in
"Video!" and
"Let It Run", the former being released as a single
(Virgin #VS695) which peaked at a modest
#87 in the
Official UK Singles Chart and the latter allegedly pencilled in as a single too should
"Video!" have shifted significantly more copies. His writing and production work with
Dave Edmunds and
The Everly Brothers was also ongoing during this period
(the subject of a forthcoming elobf article!) so avid fans and collectors were pleased when two early
ELO classic hits were re-released as part of EMI's
Golden 45's series.

Whereas EMI and Harvest had reaped the benefit of their early career with multiple compilations and two reissues of
"Roll Over Beethoven" backed by
"Showdown" (see this previous elobf article on that very subject), it was noteworthy that
"10538 Overture" and
"Roll Over Beethoven" (#G45 22) were the tracks selected in this case, ensuring that not only was
Roy Wood's crucial role in
ELO's formation acknowledged but also that both of
ELO's Top 10 UK hits were included
(the former peaking at #9 and the latter at #6 whereas "Showdown" managed #12). Initial copies were printed on a light blue backed version of the familiar Harvest label with rarer, more collectable editions following in black/silver or as
an injection moulding. This was essentially a record for
ELO completists yet is still a valued part of many collections
(including that of this writer) - especially if replete with a solid centre!
Related articles from the elobf archives Reaping the Harvest: Showdown & Roll Over Beethoven
HAR5077: Solid Centre Showdown Jeff Lynne: The Solo Singles
Singled Out: The Battle Of Marston Moor
HAR5063: The Massacre of Manhattan Rumble
The Fame Game: The Electric Light Orchestra & ELO 2
*** Until next "Time" in the ELOBF Universe ... KJS ... 04-Oct-2020 ***
Another fab insight
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