Balance of Power (album)

Balance of Power
Studio album by Electric Light Orchestra
Released	17 February 1986 (US) 3 March 1986 (UK)
Recorded	ca. Mid 1984 – Early 1985 Remix: Mid 1985 - January 1986 Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas Hartmann Digital Untertrubach, Germany
Genre	Rock, pop rock, synthpop
Length	34:18
Label	Epic (UK) Jet Records (First Batch) (EU) Columbia CBS Associated (US)
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
Secret Messages (1983) Balance of Power (1986) Afterglow (1990)
Electric Light Orchestra studio album chronology
Secret Messages (1983) Balance of Power (1986) Zoom (2001)
Singles from Balance of Power
"Calling America" Released: January 1986 (US), February 1986 (Europe) "So Serious" Released: April 1986 (US), May 1986 (Europe) "Getting to the Point" Released: July 1986

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Music Box	[2]

Balance of Power is the eleventh studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) released in 1986. It is the final album by the band to feature co-founder Bev Bevan on drums; as well as the last album to feature keyboardist Richard Tandy in an official capacity.

Overview

Balance of Power was the last studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra before their disbanding (the band would later reform in 2000). By this time Kelly Groucutt had departed and the group was pared down to a trio^[3] of Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy, and Bev Bevan. Recording for the album began in 1984, with a planned release in spring 1985. The addition of several synthesizer tracks to the album caused its release to be pushed back to early 1986. ELO played some live concerts in the UK and Europe (their last for fifteen years), and for one UK show George Harrison performed as guest guitarist.

The video for the single "Calling America" was shot in Paris, and contains shots of the band playing in front of Centre Georges Pompidou. A video was also made for the single "So Serious." The track "Endless Lies" was intended as an homage to Roy Orbison, and was originally recorded for the never-released double LP version of Secret Messages; it reappeared on this album in a slightly reworked and more compact form.

The remastered version of the album was released on 26 February (UK) and 20 March (US) 2007 as part of the Sony/BMG Music Epic/Legacy series.

Europe's CD releases were on CDEPC26467 (Epic) in March 1986. The US (ZK40048) and Japan (32DP407) CD releases were on CBS Associated.

Track listing

All songs written by Jeff Lynne.

Side one

1. "Heaven Only Knows" – 2:52
2. "So Serious" – 2:38
3. "Getting to the Point" – 4:28
4. "Secret Lives" – 3:26
5. "Is It Alright" – 3:25

Side two

6. "Sorrow About to Fall" – 3:59
7. "Without Someone" – 3:48
8. "Calling America" – 3:26
9. "Endless Lies" – 2:55
10. "Send It" – 3:04

2007 bonus tracks

11. "Opening" – 0:24
12. "Heaven Only Knows" (Alternate version) – 2:32
13. "In for the Kill" – 3:13
14. "Secret Lives" (Alternate take) – 3:24
15. "Sorrow About to Fall" (Alternate mix) – 3:48
16. "Caught in a Trap" (UK B-side) – 3:44
17. "Destination Unknown" (UK B-side) – 4:10

Personnel

• Jeff Lynne – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, Synclavier II computer synthesizer, bass guitar, keyboards, percussion, producer
• Bev Bevan – drums, percussion
• Richard Tandy – keyboards, sequence programming

Additional personnel

• Christian Schneider – saxophone
• Bill Bottrell – engineer
• Mack – engineer

Tour line-up

• Jeff Lynne – lead vocals, electric guitar
• Bev Bevan – drums
• Richard Tandy – keyboards
• Louis Clark – string synthesizer
• Mik Kaminski – violin, synthesizer
• Dave Morgan – backing vocals, acoustic guitar, vocoder

Chart performance

References