George Harrison is my favorite Beatle, Tom Petty is my favorite musician of all time, Roy Orbison has one of my favorite voices ever, and Bob Dylan? He’s a legend (and I’ve seen him live!), and the Wilburys were my proper introduction to him. I knew who all of these musicians were before discovering the Wilburys, but it was because I discovered the Wilburys that I found a love for each of these musicians, and it is because of ELO that I discovered the Wilburys. It’s also worth mentioning the ELO - Traveling Wilburys – Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan pipeline. That’s not to say that every artist everywhere was inspired by ELO, ELO was after all heavily influenced by The Beatles, but it's such fun to pick out those similar sounds in modern music. I hear elements from their music everywhere. Whether you agree or disagree with me on that, and I’m sure several people disagree, the point is that I can hear ELO everywhere I go. The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears” is reminiscent of Time to me if a few more elements were added, just a little more production done, it could be on that record. I was fairly skeptical, but as soon as that chorus came in, I thought that song would’ve fit right in on Out of the Blue. Thad Cockrell was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with his song “Swingin,” and I very distinctly remember Jimmy himself talking about how much he thought the song sounded like ELO. I always love picking out songs in the Top 40 that sound like ELO too, and every time I find one, every bone in my body wishes I could ask the artist what influenced that sound. They sparked that love, that obsession, and now I can’t get enough. There is no song on this earth that strings cannot improve, I am convinced, and it was ELO that convinced me. I am always the most obnoxious person in the comment section when one of my favorite bands uses strings or string sounds in their newest releases, just hollering about how much I love it. I am obsessed with strings and string sounds in non-classical music. Strings in non-classical music is like magic in its purest form. The ”orchestra” part of the Electric Light Orchestra has always been one of my favorite things about them. Who could have predicted the ELO to bluegrass pipeline? Bluegrass music could not possibly be any more different from the classic ELO sound, yet it is because of the classic ELO sound that I love bluegrass music. Breaking Grass is a unique example when it comes to harmonies. It is arguably because of ELO that I fell in love with Queen when I was 12, or The Last Bandoleros when I was 17, or Breaking Grass when I was 19. Most of my favorite bands focus heavily on harmonies in their music. My entire life I’ve been drawn to music that is very harmony-centric. More than with any other band, I have found myself drawn to music that employs the same big elements you’ll find in ELO’s discography. The sounds they’ve created are unique and innovative – they were always doing something wild and interesting. ELO’s music has always been harmony-centric, sonically interesting, and different from the music of their peers. ELO will forever be one of my favorite bands, and to celebrate their 50 years of making magic, I want to share with you what ELO means to me.ĮLO was THE band that single-handedly shaped my taste in music. All the time I spent in the car as a child, for so much of it I had my peace sign headphones on listening to Secret Messages and Balance of Power, or my dad was playing “Jungle” or “Telephone Line” out loud in the car for my brother and I and we were goofily singing along and laughing. I have so many memories of my childhood with ELO playing in the background. They’ve been a part of the soundtrack to my life for as long as I can remember. Where do I even begin?Ģ021 marks 50 years of the band’s existence as ELO, and despite a name change in 2015, the band and its music live on.
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