Armchair Theatre

by

Jeff Lynne

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Jeff Lynne is one of those musicians that you can't help but notice after awhile. I loved ELO, particularly the Discovery album. Later, I really got into the soundtrack from Electric Dreams. Then I got into something else and realized that Lynne's name was stamped on all of them.

He is a master of a certain sound and this album showcases it. Some of the songs are reminiscent of ELO to me (Don't Say Goodbye, Every Little Thing, Save Me Now) but mixed with widely differing sounds. Nobody Home is great - has somewhat of an r & b feeling to it. Don't Let Go has a little r&b and maybe a Buddy Holly type tempo. Now Your Gone has piano rifts and Hindu-esque laces like those used in some of the later Beatles music that was almost certainly George Harrison's influence - makes for a beautiful and mournful tune. Then he takes classics like Stormy Weather and September Song and brings them up from the earlier part of this century and makes them young and fresh with his distinctive sound.

Absolutely fantastic - a genuine genuis. All of the songs are good. If you like ELO, this is even better. If you like George Harrison's solo work, you'll probably love this. Overall, it has kind of a synthetic bluesy, jazzy pop tempo kind of sound. Lyrics are fantastic. How do you define genius?

If you're an ELO or Jeff Lynne fan, you may love this. I admit I'm not one.

If, like me, you came here by way of having enjoyed the Traveling Wilburys and/or the Lynne-produced Petty or Harrison CD's that came out at the same time, you may be disappointed. The sound is similar, the songs are of course perfect in melody and production, and that same relaxed fun feel can be found here.

But I just didn't find these songs interesting. They're fun but they're fluff. Without the great singing or songwriting of a Dylan or Petty or Harrison or Orbison, the fun didn't survive a second or third listening for me, and I put this CD away in 1990.