Jeff Lynne Documentary

[jp]

Sorry if this has been posted already--I searched but did not find.

This interesting and informative documentary focuses on Jeff Lynne's development as a producer. Check it out free on YT.

 

[DrumBob]

I have never been able to fully warm to Lynne's production style. I feel it's usually too dense, with too many layered guitars, and I never liked his drum sounds.

 

[kitniyatran]

I think he peaked with the Move's Shazam album, not that he was the producer as far as I know. The first post Roy Wood ELO album was pretty good and the Traveling Wilburys' stuff is good

 

[kitniyatran]

I think the Pinnacles of Hard Rock were the original Move versions of Do Ya and Brontosaurus.

 

[Rocky]

I have never been able to fully warm to Lynne's production style. I feel it's usually too dense, with too many layered guitars, and I never liked his drum sounds.

For better or worse, you can always tell Jeff Lynne's production, no matter who/what he's producing.

 

[kitniyatran]

For what it's worth, I was very disappointed with the ELO remake of Do Ya. The Move's original is POWER, with Bev's drums like an Avalanche!
I thought more time went by the more overproduced and boring the ELO music got but I always respected Lynne's abilities as a songwriter singer musician producer and everything but he never matched what he did with Do Ya and Brontosaurus in the Move days

 

[walrus]

I agree with DrumBob and Rocky regarding Lynne's production. His solo stuff, his production of Tom Petty, George Harrison, and the Wilburys, they all have the same sound.

I really liked the first two ELO albums, Eldorado and Face the Music. In an interview with Rolling Stone decades ago, John Lennon casually trashed the group as "son of 'I Am the Walrus,' ". This may explain why I liked them when they first came out! Then it got to be too much of the same thing for me after that. I was working at a record store when "Out of the Blue" came out. It sold a lot of copies, but we didn't really even want to play it.

I saw them live in 1978, with Robin Trower opening. After Trower, they were pretty boring. This was the year they were accused of lip-synching by a promoter.

Lynne is clearly more of a producer than a performer, and he has produced some huge albums, that's for sure.

walrus

 

[twocorgis]

I'm not really a huge fan, but it's pretty hard to argue with his body of work. There's a load of artists that I might only like 40% or less of their work (Billy Joel and even Macca come to mind), but when they stay at it for long enough, it adds up!

 

[DrumBob]

For better or worse, you can always tell Jeff Lynne's production, no matter who/what he's producing.

I'll agree with that. It all comes down to whether you like what he does or not.

 

[DrumBob]

For what it's worth, I was very disappointed with the ELO remake of Do Ya. The Move's original is POWER, with Bev's drums like an Avalanche!
I thought more time went by the more overproduced and boring the ELO music got but I always respected Lynne's abilities as a songwriter singer musician producer and everything but he never matched what he did with Do Ya and Brontosaurus in the Move days

I agree with you. The Move's version was killer. When Lynne joined The Move, I feel like he pulled that band down and exerted too much control coming in as the new guy. Of course, The Move where probably at loose ends when he joined, after Carl Wayne left.

 

[jp]

I learned quite a bit that I didn't know. I really liked the ELO stuff, especially the songwriting, the energy, melodies, and distinctive style. I didn't really know too much about the work he produced for others before seeing this film. I think it was good, too but it never really wowed me as much. Either way, it was an informative film.

I was working at a record store when "Out of the Blue" came out. It sold a lot of copies, but we didn't really even want to play it.

I clearly remember as a kid the stacks and stacks of Out of the Blue cut-outs strapped together with plastic yellow bands. Sales expectations were obviously pretty high.

 

[kitniyatran]

I agree with you. The Move's version was killer. When Lynne joined The Move, I feel like he pulled that band down and exerted too much control coming in as the new guy. Of course, The Move where probably at loose ends when he joined, after Carl Wayne left.

I expect you're right there. I've not really been into anything from Lynne after Shazam all that much except I do like the Traveling Wilburys, but then Roy Orbison is one of my favorite all-around performers, and Jim Keltner's no slouch on drums either