The Beatles have been an inescapable reference since the founding of Electric Light Orchestra in 1971. Founder and sole surviving band member Jeff Lynne (67) has never hidden his admiration for the Fab Four. Conversely, John Lennon has repeatedly proclaimed that if The Beatles had moved on into the 1970s, they would have sounded like ELO. Lynne also produced albums by Paul McCartney, George Harrison,
… Ringo Starr and the reunion recordings Free As A Bird and Real Love by The Beatles themselves. In short, if anyone has every right to start on the first new ELO album since 2001 with a piano song that immediately reminds one of Lennon's Imagine, then it is the man from Birmingham. What follows is a short but very enjoyable trip down memory lane, whereby not only Liverpool is visited. Stronger songs like Dirty To The Bone and Ain't It A Drag also refer to The Travellling Wilburys, the supergroup that Lynne founded in the late 80s with… George Harrison. (RME)more
