Face the Music (Electric Light Orchestra album)



Face the Music is the fifth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and features a different line-up from their previous studio album Eldorado.

Overview
ELO's fifth studio LP was released in 1975 (see 1975 in music) and was their first to be recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich. A new line-up of the band was featured, with bassist Kelly Groucutt and cellist Melvyn Gale replacing Mike de Albuquerque and Mike Edwards respectively. New member Groucutt sang lead vocals on "Poker" and "Down Home Town" (while Lynne sang harmony) as well as one of the verses in "Nightrider". (Usually, Lynne sang all lead vocals.)

The back cover of the record sleeve shows the members of the band with their faces pressed against a glass panel, supposedly watching the "electrocution" depicted on the front cover. The band member who is looking away is Richard Tandy, who didn't like the idea and didn't want to participate. The back cover image was the inspiration for an advertising campaign for the 2004 horror comedy film Shaun of the Dead.

Backmasking
"Fire on High" contains a backwards message in the beginning. When the song is played backwards, drummer Bev Bevan can be heard saying "The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back, turn back, turn back, turn back...". This was ostensibly Jeff Lynne's response to accusations that the song "Eldorado" contained Satanic messages that could be heard when played backwards. "Down Home Town" begins with the chorus of "Waterfall" played backwards. A portion of the string crescendo from "Nightrider" was used backwards on "Evil Woman".

Release
The singles "Evil Woman" and "Strange Magic" were the most commercial songs they had recorded up to that point. "Evil Woman" was a big hit in the UK and the US, embracing disco rhythms while still embodying ELO's classic sound. Lynne wrote the chords and melody of this song in only six minutes, making it his fastest feat of composition.

"Nightrider" became the third single from the album; despite an appearance on the UK chart television program Top of the Pops, it failed to chart.

Notwithstanding the success of the singles, the LP failed to chart in the UK. The album was remastered and released in September 2006 with bonus tracks.

Track listing
All songs written by Jeff Lynne.


 * Bonus tracks (2006 remaster)
 * 1) "Fire on High Intro" (Early alternate mix) – 3:23
 * 2) "Evil Woman" (Stripped down mix) – 5:00
 * 3) "Strange Magic" (US single edit) – 3:27
 * 4) "Waterfall" (Instrumental mix) – 4:15

Personnel

 * Jeff Lynne – lead vocals, guitars, producer
 * Bev Bevan – drums, percussion, spoken intro (backwards), backing vocals
 * Richard Tandy – piano, clavinet, Moog, guitar, Wurlitzer electric piano, tack piano
 * Kelly Groucutt – vocals, bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Poker" and "Down Home Town"
 * Mik Kaminski – violin
 * Hugh McDowell – cello
 * Melvyn Gale – cello


 * Additional personnel
 * Ellie Greenwich – uncredited vocals
 * Susan Collins – uncredited vocals
 * Nancy O'Neill – uncredited vocals
 * Margaret Raymond – uncredited vocals
 * Mack – engineer
 * Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy and Louis Clark – Orchestral and choral arrangements
 * Orchestra conducted by Louis Clark
 * Although Greenwich, Collins, O'Neill and Raymond are not credited as vocalists, the liner notes indicated 'special thanks' to them.

Chart positions

 * US: number 13 CashBox; number 8 Billboard 200; Billboard Year-End: number 11 (1976); RIAA certification: Gold
 * UK: did not chart on its own when first released, but reached number 38 in 1978 as part of the 3-LP box-set Three Light Years.
 * AUS: number 30 ARIA Albums Chart
 * CAN: number 31 RPM Albums Chart