As a kid, ELO was one of my favourite bands. Although, I can’t exactly place my finger on what it was I liked the most about them. Maybe it was the fact that my parents listened to them, the combination of classical and modern compositions to produce a grandiose sound or just the amazing artwork that accompanied albums like Out Of The Blue.

Over the last year I’ve gotten back into Electric Light Orchestra and all things Jeff Lynne big time. Of the ELO catalogue, I’ve been spending a great deal of time listening to “New World Record,” “Out Of The Blue,” and the recently released “Zoom.” These days, much like when I was a kid, I’m into the wonderful, harmonised vocals, warm acoustics, great artwork, progressive song structures and arguably some of the best use of “strings (I’m always a sucker for the timely use of strings)” in contemporary rock.