Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra
Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, also known as Mr. Blue Sky, is an album of re-recordings by Jeff Lynne of hits by Electric Light Orchestra. It was issued in 2012 by Frontiers Music simultaneously with Lynne's cover album Long Wave.
| Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 October 2012 | |||
| Studio | Bungalow Palace | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 48:51 | |||
| Label | Frontiers | |||
| Producer | Jeff Lynne | |||
| Jeff Lynne chronology | ||||
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Background
editJeff Lynne told Rolling Stone magazine that the idea came from him listening to the original Electric Light Orchestra recordings, and thinking that he could produce a better result having since had a long career as a record producer.[1] Lynne decided to re-record a number of songs from scratch, and began with "Mr. Blue Sky". He told Rolling Stone: "I enjoyed doing that a lot, and when I listened back to it and compared it to the old one, I really liked it much better."[1] It was suggested by his manager that Lynne record a few more versions of Electric Light Orchestra songs, the results being recordings of "Evil Woman" and "Strange Magic". Lynne also liked these versions, so he continued by producing a full album of re-recordings.[1]
Release and content
editThe album features all new recordings of some of the group's hits,[2] as well as two bonus tracks: a new song, "Point of No Return", and a live recording of "Twilight" on Japanese releases. The album debuted at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart[3] and at number 2 on the UK Top 40 Independent Albums Chart,[4] then also at number 118 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart,[5] at number 29 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart[6] and at number 46 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.[7]
Track listing
editAll tracks written, produced, and performed by Jeff Lynne.[8]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mr. Blue Sky" | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Evil Woman" | 4:30 |
| 3. | "Strange Magic" | 3:53 |
| 4. | "Don't Bring Me Down" | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Turn to Stone" | 3:46 |
| 6. | "Showdown" | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Telephone Line" | 4:30 |
| 8. | "Livin' Thing" | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Do Ya" | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Can't Get It Out of My Head" | 4:35 |
| 11. | "10538 Overture" (40th anniversary version) | 4:44 |
| 12. | "Point of No Return" (Previously unreleased) | 3:14 |
| Total length: | 48:51 | |
Japanese bonus track
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Twilight" (Live from CBS Television City, 2001) | 3:40 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" | 3:52 |
| 15. | "Rockaria!" | 3:13 |
| 16. | "Steppin' Out" (Live from Bungalow Palace) | 3:23 |
| 17. | "Can't Get It Out of My Head" (Live from Bungalow Palace) | 4:11 |
Personnel
editPersonnel per album booklet:[8]
Musicians
- Jeff Lynne – lead vocals, background vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, piano, bass, drums, keyboards, vocoder, cowbell, production, mixing, engineering
- Marc Mann – string arrangements, Minimoog ("Turn to Stone"), engineering
- Laura Lynne – background vocals ("Evil Woman", "Strange Magic", "Showdown", "Livin' Thing")
- Steve Jay – shakers, tambourine, mixing, engineering
- Ryan Ulyate – piano solo ("Evil Woman"), engineering
- Howie Weinberg – mastering engineer
- Dan Gerbarg – mastering engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10] | 119 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[11] | 129 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] | 78 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[3] | 8 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[4] | 29 |
| US Billboard 200[5] | 118 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[6] | 29 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[7] | 46 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c Prato, Greg (21 September 2012). "Premiere: Jeff Lynne Covers Soul Nugget 'Mercy, Mercy'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ "Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne and ELO Coming To TV". Anti Music. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ a b Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra liner notes
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Mr. Blue Sky – The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (Deluxe Edition) by Electric Light Orchestra". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky - The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky - The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky - The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "British album certifications – Elo – Mr Blue Sky - The Very Best Of". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 January 2021.