Definitive Collection (Electric Light Orchestra album)

Definitive Collection
Greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra
Released	13 April 1999
Recorded	July 1970–January 1986
Genre	Rock
Length	110:44
Label	Epic/Legacy E3K 85123
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
Live at Winterland '76 (1998) Definitive Collection (1999) Live at the BBC (1999)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Definitive Collection is a compilation album recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and produced by Jeff Lynne. It was released on 13 April 1999 with two discs. Some of the songs include their album versions like "Strange Magic" and "Shine a Little Love", and some tracks include edits seen below.

Compilation edits

Many edits are featured in this album. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" has a small portion of "Eldorado Overture" left off on it, "Above the Clouds" is connected with "Livin' Thing" and is not credited on the track listing, "So Fine" leaves a portion of the fade into "Rockaria!", "Turn to Stone" does not include the full fade in of the synthesizer and guitars, part of the tuning radio on "Mr. Blue Sky" is gone, "Twilight" has a fade in from the previous track (on the Time album), "Prologue", the end of "Twilight" and the intro of "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" are transited, and "Secret Messages" has no fade in and goes straight to the backmasking lyrics.

Cover

The front cover of the Definitive Collection is a collage of many different past ELO covers such as, Face the Music, A New World Record, Out of the Blue, one of the pictures in the booklet of Balance of Power, and mostly Secret Messages.

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Jeff Lynne.

Disc one

1. "Showdown" – 4:11
2. "Eldorado Overture" – 2:12
3. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" – 4:24
4. "Evil Woman" – 4:17
5. "Strange Magic" – :29
6. "Livin' Thing/Above the Clouds" – 5:50

   Credited as "Livin' Thing"

7. "So Fine" – 3:55
8. "Rockaria!" – 3:14
9. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" – 3:47
10. "Turn to Stone" – 3:47
11. "Mr. Blue Sky" – 5:04
12. "Don't Bring Me Down" – 4:02
13. "Shine a Little Love" – 4:40
14. "The Diary of Horace Wimp" – 4:17
15. "All Over the World" – 4:03
16. "Twilight" – 3:47
17. "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" – 3:37
18. "Hold On Tight" – 3:04
19. "Secret Messages" – 4:32

Disc two

1. "10538 Overture" – 5:30
2. "Roll Over Beethoven" – 4:34
3. "Poor Boy (The Greenwood)" – 3:00
4. "Telephone Line" – 4:42
5. "Last Train to London" – 4:34
6. "I'm Alive" – 3:46
7. "Here Is the News" – 3:49
8. "Calling America" – 3:28

Personnel

• Jeff Lynne – Lead Vocals, Guitar
• Richard Tandy – Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer
• Bev Bevan – Drums, Percussion
• Kelly Groucutt – Backing Vocals, Bass Guitar (CD 1 - tracks 2–18; CD 2 - tracks 4–7)
• Mik Kaminski – Violin (CD 1 - tracks 1–14, 17; CD 2 - tracks 3–4)
• Melvyn Gale – Cello (CD 1 - tracks 4–14; CD 2 - track 4)
• Hugh McDowell – Cello (CD 1 - tracks 4–14; CD 2 - tracks 3–4)

Additional

• Mike de Albuquerque – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Mike Edwards – Cello
• Wilfred Gibson – Violin
• Roy Wood – Cello, Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Colin Walker – Cello

References