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Out of the Blue 1977
Album · by Electric Light Orchestra ↗ View artist

Out of the Blue

When Jeff Lynne was struck by a wave of inspiration, he retreated to a rented chalet in the Swiss Alps. In just three and a half weeks, he shaped an entire album, which would later be recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich during May and August 1977. The result was Out of the Blue, a double album that would become one of Electric Light Orchestra's most successful works, achieving worldwide sales of approximately 10 million copies by 2007. This work stood out for being one of the first to extensively use the vocoder, helping to popularize this sound effect.

Year
1977
Songs
17
Duration
70 min 12 seg

17 song|s

Song list

# Title Available ⏱
01

Turn to Stone

coming soon

3:42
02

It’s Over

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4:08
03

Sweet Talkin’ Woman

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3:48
04

Across the Border

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3:52
05

Night in the City

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4:02
06

Starlight

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4:30
07

Jungle

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3:51
08

Believe Me Now

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1:21
09

Steppin’ Out

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4:38
10

Standin’ in the Rain

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4:20
11

Big Wheels

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5:10
12

Summer and Lightning

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4:13
13

Mr. Blue Sky

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5:05
14

Sweet Is the Night

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3:26
15

The Whale

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5:05
16

Birmingham Blues

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4:21
17

Wild West Hero

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4:40

About the album

Out of the Blue, according to DoReSol

The album opens with Turn to Stone, a piece that combines pop hooks with strings and a powerful rock foundation. The song features a peculiar moment where the music abruptly stops, leaving only the vocals with a slight effect and the drum beats of Bev Bevan. It is followed by It’s Over, which evokes a classic feeling, with simple chords giving way to a marked rhythm and strings that add an enveloping atmosphere, all enhanced by crystalline and ascending vocals. Sweet Talkin’ Woman marks an approach to the disco sound, a melody with strings that, thanks to its danceable rhythm and Bevan's percussion, became a hit of the era.

Across the Border begins with a sound similar to a moving train, akin to that used in an ABBA song, and features a violin solo by Mik Kaminski. The song adopts a style with Mexican influences, with a vocal melody reminiscent of the Beach Boys, and the voices of Lynne and Groucutt intertwining in a staccato style. On the second side, Night in the City starts with keyboards imitating traffic noise, accompanied by frantic string sections that create an intense urban atmosphere. Starlight, inspired by starry nights in Switzerland, aimed for a rhythm and blues feel, similar to Al Green, according to Bev Bevan. On the other hand, Jungle takes an unexpected turn, incorporating animal sound effects and a dance interlude, described by some as an eccentricity of the album.