Review by Doug Cornell

At the risk of revealing my age, let it be known that I was a fan of ELO when they first hit the radio airwaves back in the 1970's.  Their song, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" was a haunting bit of pop brilliance that sounded unlike anything else on the radio. Back in those days, if you wanted to know anything about a band, you got it from magazines.  It wasn't long before ELO was covered by Creem and Hit Parade. 

The next time I heard ELO was as their signature instrumental track, "Fire On High," was played as a musical segue on a local TV station.  The powerful descending acoustic guitar riff was incredibly catchy, and revealed a band that was much more intelligent than the schlocky brand of rock that was coming from artists such as REO Speedwagon, Journey, or Styx.  Not many bands at the time included strings in there songs, yet ELO had strings on every song.  Singer/Guitarist/Producer Jeff Lynn masterminded a sound where cellos and violins were tightly integrated with rock-and-roll piano and guitars, creating a lush audio landscape that was rivaled at the time only by Queen. 

It pains me to explain that both "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and "Fire On High" were left off of this new "Best Of' collection.  Other early tracks, such as "Evil Woman," "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle," and "Strange Magic" are included, but I'd have gladly traded the wimpy "Xanadu" for either missing track.

All Over the World... is a collection of ELO's biggest radio hits and isn't really meant to be a single-disk answer to those who haven't collected their individual recordings.  The current indie-pop trend has exposed a new generation to the song "Mr. Blue Sky" (expertly covered by the Delgados), which opens this album.  "Evil Woman" is 100% ear candy - it's easy to sing along to, and the hooks are tenacious.  The next track, "Don't Bring Me Down," reveals the annoying side to ELO: sometimes their choruses sound as if they were sung by dolphins.  At the very least, the Saturday Night Fever version of the Bee Gees had an influence.  "Sweet Talkin' Woman" introduces another ELO staple: the vocoder.  You'll hear front man Jeff Lynn's voice filtered through this device on at least 4 of the tracks on this 20 track record.

Things tend to get bombastic, as in the ridiculous vocal overdubs in "Shine a Little Love" or in the Beatlesque tale, "The Diary of Horace Wimp."  Jeff Lynn never knew when enough was enough, and he just kept piling on the vocal layers.  But ELO does know how to rock in a 50's sort of way, as demonstrated in "Hold On Tight" and the blues-riffing "Rockaria!"

If you are only interested in the hits, then this collection more than satisfies.  You get "Telephone Line," Strange Magic," "Livin' Thing," and a whole lot more.  ELO leaves a lasting legacy, and fans of The Delgados, Moonbabies, or The Arcade Fire will be surprised to hear just how much of an imprint ELO has made on the modern indie-pop sound.