View source for ELO 2

{{Short description|1973 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra}}
{{Redirect|Electric Light Orchestra II|the offshoot of the original ELO band|ELO Part II}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = ELO 2
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[The Electric Light Orchestra]]
| cover      = ELO 2 UK album cover.jpg
| alt        = An illustration of a lightbulb floating in space marked with the words "ELO 2"; the artist name appears in the upper right corner.
| caption    = UK cover
| released   = March 1973
| recorded   = May–October 1972
| venue      =
| studio     = [[AIR Oxford Circus|AIR Studios]], London
| genre      = [[Progressive rock]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Bruce Eder |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/elo-ii-mw0000468889 |title=Electric Light Orchestra II - Electric Light Orchestra &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2016-01-14}}</ref>
| length     = 41:48
| label      = [[Harvest Records|Harvest]], [[United Artists Records|United Artists]]
| producer   = [[Jeff Lynne]]
| prev_title = [[The Electric Light Orchestra (album)|The Electric Light Orchestra]]
| prev_year  = 1971
| next_title = [[On the Third Day]]
| next_year  = 1973
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = ELO 2
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Roll Over Beethoven#Electric Light Orchestra|Roll Over Beethoven]]
 | single1date = 12 January 1973
}}
{{Extra album cover
 | header  = US cover
 | type    = studio
 | cover   = ELO ELO2 album cover.jpg
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption =
}}
}}

'''''ELO 2''''' is the second studio album by [[Electric Light Orchestra|the Electric Light Orchestra]] (ELO), released in 1973. In the US, the album was released as '''''Electric Light Orchestra II'''''. It was the band's last album to be released by the [[Harvest Records|Harvest]] label, the last (in the UK) on which the band used the definite article ''The'' in their name, and the one that introduced their abbreviated name 'ELO'.

==Background and recording==
The album was originally to be titled ''The Lost Planet'', but that concept was quietly dropped. During the initial recording sessions, [[Roy Wood]] left the band and formed [[Wizzard]] in June 1972, taking [[Bill Hunt (musician)|Bill Hunt]] and touring cellist [[Hugh McDowell]] with him.<ref name=ftmusic>{{cite web |last=Caiger |first=Rob |url=http://www.ftmusic.com/elo2/index.html |title=ELO Remaster Series - ELO 2 - INTRO |publisher=Ftmusic.com |access-date=8 March 2013}}</ref> Although uncredited at the time, Wood performed on two tracks, playing cello and bass on "In Old England Town" and "From the Sun to the World".<ref name=ftmusic/> Classically trained cellist [[Colin Walker (cellist)|Colin Walker]] replaced Wood, and [[Wilfred Gibson]] played violin. [[Richard Tandy]] made his ELO studio debut on this album, playing keyboards; he had earlier performed live with the original lineup alongside Wood, Gibson, co-frontman [[Jeff Lynne]], drummer [[Bev Bevan]] and cellist [[Mike Edwards (musician)|Mike Edwards]], playing bass (and in TV appearances with [[the Move]] playing guitar). Bassist and vocalist [[Mike de Albuquerque]] also made his ELO studio debut on the album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://planetradio.co.uk/tay-2/entertainment/music/elo-electric-light-orchestra/|title=ELO through the years: How the Electric Light Orchestra has changed over time}}</ref> All five pieces are longer than standard rock songs, and feature multi-layered orchestral instruments that create a dense, complex sound.

== Critical reception ==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 =[[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Eder |first=Bruce |title=Electric Light Orchestra Electric Light Orchestra II review |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/electric-light-orchestra-ii-r6687/review |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
|rev2Score = C+<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: E|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=E&bk=70|access-date=February 24, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies}}</ref>
| rev3 =''[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book | last = Hotten | first = Jon | author-link1= Jon Hotten |title = Classic Rock | chapter = Electric Light Orchestra 'ELO2' | volume = 76 | publisher = [[Future plc|Future Publishing Ltd]] | date = February 2005 | location = London | page = 102 | title-link = Classic Rock (magazine)}}</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
|rev4Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor-first=Colin|editor-last=Larkin|year=2011|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music ''(5th edn)''|location=London|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|page=915}}</ref>
|rev6 = [[MusicHound]]
|rev6score = 2.5/5<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/383 383]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/383}}</ref>
|rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
|rev8score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Brackett|editor-first1=Nathan|editor-last2=Hoard|editor-first2=Christian|year=2004|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide'' (4th edn)''|location=New York, NY|publisher=Fireside/Simon & Schuster|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/274 274]|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/274}}</ref>
| noprose = yes
| rev9 = The Daily Vault
| rev9Score = A<ref name=vault>{{cite web |url= http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=3475 |title=The Daily Vault Music Reviews : ELO II |first=Eric |last=E5S16 |work=dailyvault.com |year=2019 |access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref>
}}
''ELO 2'' received mixed reviews from critics. AllMusic`s Bruce Eder says "the album holds up well, and it and the single did go a long way toward getting them the beginnings of an audience in America."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eder |first=Bruce |title=Electric Light Orchestra II Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/electric-light-orchestra-ii-mw0000468889 |website=AllMusic}}</ref> The Daily Vault says "After hearing ELO II, not only would some of these rock fans take another look at ELO's music in another sense, they just might do the same for Classical Music as well."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Electric Light Orchestra II; REVIEW BY: Eric E5S16 |url=https://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=3475}}</ref>

==Release==
Harvest released ''ELO 2'' in March 1973. Along with its [[The Electric Light Orchestra (album)|predecessor]], ''ELO 2'' is the least commercial-sounding album the band released, although it reached the British Top 40 album chart, whereas its more concise follow-up, ''[[On the Third Day]]'', did not.

One song from the album was released as a single, their cover of [[Chuck Berry]]`s "[[Roll Over Beethoven]]". The edit of that song (4:32) was a top 10 hit in Britain, and also received radio airplay in America. The song is also a concert staple.

The British and American sleeves differed, as did the title; in the UK it was released in a gatefold sleeve titled ''ELO 2'' with a painting of a light bulb travelling through space with the wording 'ELO2' on the base of the bulb, while in the US the cover featured a more ornate light bulb against a night sky and was titled ''Electric Light Orchestra II''. For reasons unknown, "Roll Over Beethoven" was slightly edited in length compared with its US counterpart. Track 2 "Momma" was Americanized to "Mama" for the US release. An instrumental version of "In Old England Town", the opening track, became the [[B-side]] to the single "[[Showdown (Electric Light Orchestra song)|Showdown]]". The album contains the band's longest track, the [[anti-war]] song "[[Kuiama]]".

In 2006 the album was remastered and expanded in the US, with a slightly different running order to the UK 2003 [[EMI]] version,<ref name="ftmusic" /> with both versions sharing the same [[Hipgnosis]] album art for the first time.

==Original track listing==
{{Tracklist
| all_writing = [[Jeff Lynne]], unless otherwise noted
| headline = Side one
| title1 = In Old England Town (Boogie No. 2)
| length1 = 6:56
| title2 = Momma
| note2 = retitled "Mama" on US edition
| length2 = 7:03
| title3 = [[Roll Over Beethoven#Electric Light Orchestra|Roll Over Beethoven]]
| note3 = [[Chuck Berry]] cover
| writer3 = Chuck Berry, [[Ludwig van Beethoven]]
| length3 = 8:09<br>{{#tag:ref|In the UK and Japanese releases it lasts 7:03|group="nb"}}
}}

{{Tracklist
| headline = Side two
| title4 = From the Sun to the World (Boogie No. 1)
| length4 = 8:20
| title5 = [[Kuiama]]
| length5 = 11:19
| total_length = 41:47
}}
{{Tracklist
| headline = US 2006 reissue bonus tracks
| title6 = In Old England Town (Instrumental)
| note6 = B-side to the [[Showdown (Electric Light Orchestra song)|Showdown]] single
| length6 = 2:43
| title7 = Baby, I Apologise
| note7 = session outtake
| length7 = 3:43
| title8 = In Old England Town
| note8 = take 1, alternate mix
| length8 = 6:56
| title9 = Roll Over Beethoven
| note9 = take 1
| writer9 = Berry
| length9 = 8:15
}}

== ELO 2 (First Light Series) ==
{{Infobox album
| name         = ELO 2 (First Light Series)
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Electric Light Orchestra]]
| cover        = ELO - ELO 2 (First Light Series).jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = 2003
| recorded     = 1972–73
| studio       = [[AIR Oxford Circus|AIR Studios]], London
| genre        = [[Progressive rock]], [[symphonic rock]]
| length       = 02:04:07
| label        = Harvest, [[EMI]]
| producer     = Jeff Lynne
| prev_title   = [[The Electric Light Orchestra (album)#The Electric Light Orchestra (First Light Series)|The Electric Light Orchestra (First Light Series)]]
| prev_year    = 2001
| next_title   = [[The Essential Electric Light Orchestra]]
| next_year    = 2003
}}
{{Album reviews
|rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/elo-iithe-lost-planet-r637385/review | title = Electric Light Orchestra ELO II/The Lost Planet review | access-date = 7 December 2011 | last = Eder | first = Bruce | work = [[Allmusic]] | publisher = [[Rovi Corporation]]}}</ref>
| noprose = yes
}}
'''''ELO 2 (First light Series)''''' is an expanded 30th Anniversary edition of Electric Light Orchestra's second album.

The second in the [[EMI]] ''First Light Series'' released in 2003 to mark the album's 30th anniversary. The first five tracks comprise the original ''ELO 2'' album. After ELO had completed and released ELO 2, the band began recording new material for the third album. Tracks 6-8 on disc two were recorded in February 1973, and features original [[The Move|Move]] lead singer [[Carl Wayne]]. Tracks 9–12 on disc one were recorded in April 1973 and features [[glam rock]] superstar [[Marc Bolan]], who was also recording at AIR Studios at that time, on double lead guitar on tracks 10–12. The band re-recorded two of these songs for the third album because of ELO's label change in the UK before it was released. Tracks 6-8 on disc one and track 5 on disc two were recorded in June 1973, with track 6 becoming a hit single in the UK. The second disc utilises the original album's working title ''The Lost Planet'', and features various live recordings, outtakes and rarities, in addition to the songs recorded with Carl Wayne.

All songs written by [[Jeff Lynne]] except where noted.

{{Tracklist
| headline = Disc one — ''ELO 2''
| title1 = In Old England Town (Boogie No. 2)
| length1 = 6:56
| title2 = Momma...
| length2 = 7:03
| title3 = Roll Over Beethoven
| writer3 = Berry
| length3 = 8:09
| title4 = From the Sun to the World (Boogie No. 1)
| length4 = 8:20
| title5 = Kuiama
| length5 = 11:19
}}
{{Tracklist
| headline = Bonus tracks
| title6 = Showdown
| length6 = 4:11
| title7 = In Old England Town (Instrumental)
| note7 = B-side of "Showdown" single
| length7 = 2:43
| title8 = Baby I Apologise
| note8 = session outtake, 1 June 1973
| length8 = 3:42
| title9 = Auntie
| note9 = (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 1)
| length9 = 1:19
| title10 = Auntie
| note10 = (Ma-Ma-Ma Belle Take 2)
| length10 = 4:03
| title11 = Mambo
| note11 = Dreaming of 4000 Take 1
| length11 = 5:02
| title12 = Everyone's Born to Die
| length12 = 4:40
| title13 = Roll Over Beethoven
| note13 = Take 1
| writer13 = Berry
| length13 = 8:15
}}
*Tracks 9-13 previously unreleased.
{{Tracklist
| headline = Disc two — ''The Lost Planet''
| title1 = [[Brian Matthew]] Introduces ELO
| length1 = 0:22
| title2 = From the Sun to the World (Boogie No. 1)
| note2 = [[BBC]] Session
| length2 = 7:25
| title3 = Momma
| note3 = BBC Session
| length3 = 6:57
| title4 = Roll Over Beethoven
| note4 = single version
| writer4 = Berry
| length4 = 4:35
| title5 = Showdown
| note5 = Take 1
| length5 = 4:14
| title6 = Your World
| note6 = Take 2
| length6 = 4:55
| title7 = Get a Hold of Myself
| note7 = Take 2
| length7 = 4:43
| title8 = Mama
| note8 = Take 1
| length8 = 4:59
| title9 = Wilf's Solo
| note9 = instrumental
| writer9 = [[Wilfred Gibson]]
| length9 = 3:39
| title10 = Roll Over Beethoven
| note10 = BBC Session
| writer10 = Berry
| length10 = 7:40
}}
*Lead vocals on tracks 6-8 by [[Carl Wayne]].
*BBC Session material recorded at BBC Langham Studio 1, 1 November 1972.

==Personnel==
Personnel according to the [[gatefold]].<ref>{{Cite AV media notes|url=http://www.45worlds.com/i/1d7ff3b57e1ca7ef263|title=ELO 2|type=gatefold|others=[[Electric Light Orchestra]]|publisher=[[United Artists Records|United Artists]]|year=1973}}</ref>
*[[Jeff Lynne]] – [[lead vocals]], [[guitars]], Moog synthesizer
*[[Bev Bevan]] – [[drum kit|drums]], [[percussion]]
*[[Richard Tandy]] – [[piano]], [[harmonium]], [[Moog synthesizer]], guitar, [[backing vocals]]
*[[Mike de Albuquerque]] – [[bass guitar|bass]] and backing vocals (on “Momma”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, and “Kuiama”)
*[[Mike Edwards (musician)|Mike Edwards]] – [[cello]]
*[[Wilf Gibson]] – [[violin]]
*[[Colin Walker (cellist)|Colin Walker]] – cello (on “Momma”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, and “Kuiama”)
*[[Roy Wood]] – bass and cello (on “In Old England Town (Boogie No. 2)” and “From the Sun to the World (Boogie No. 1)”)<ref name=ftmusic/> 

;Unconfirmed musicians
*[[Hugh McDowell]] – possible cello (on “In Old England Town (Boogie No. 2)” and “From the Sun to the World (Boogie No. 1)”){{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
*[[Bill Hunt (musician)|Bill Hunt]] – [[French horn]] (on “From the Sun to the World (Boogie No. 1)”) and possible keyboards (on “In Old England Town (Boogie No. 2)”){{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

;Additional personnel
*[[Marc Bolan]] – guitar on ''ELO 2'' tracks 10–12
*[[Carl Wayne]] – lead vocals on ''The Lost Planet'' tracks 6–8

;Production
*[[Jeff Lynne]] – producer
*Marty Evans – photography
*Al Vandenburg – photography
*[[Mike Salisbury]] – art direction
*[[Lloyd Ziff]] – design

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col"|Chart (1973)
! scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{Album chart|Canada|17|artist=Electric Light Orchestra|album=ELO 2|rowheader=true|chartid=4869|access-date=February 28, 2024}}
|-
{{Album chart|UK2|35|date=19730325|rowheader=true|access-date=February 28, 2024}}
|-
{{Album chart|Billboard200|62|artist=Electric Light Orchestra|rowheader=true|access-date=February 28, 2024}}
|-
!scope="row"|US ''[[Cashbox magazine|CashBox]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|date=August 4, 1973|title=CashBox Top 100 Albums|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1973/Cash-Box-1973-08-04.pdf#page=39|magazine=CashBox|location=United States|volume=XXXV #7|page=39|access-date=December 25, 2020}}</ref>
| align="center"| 53
|}

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Region
! Date
! Version
|-
| United Kingdom
| {{start date|df=yes|1973|3}}
| Original vinyl
|-
| United States
| {{start date|df=yes|1973|3}}
| Original vinyl
|-
| United Kingdom
| {{start date|df=yes|2003|1}}
| 30th Anniversary edition
|-
| United States
| {{start date|2006|3|28|df=yes}}
| Expanded remaster
|}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="nb"}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Electric Light Orchestra}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Electric Light Orchestra albums]]
[[Category:1973 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Jeff Lynne]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis]]
[[Category:Harvest Records albums]]
[[Category:United Artists Records albums]]
[[Category:Jet Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at AIR Studios]]