ELO'S Greatest Hits

Thanks to the pop songwriting genius of Jeff Lynne and a dazzling sound that mixed classical strings and driving rock'n'roll, ELO dominated the charts for much of the '70s with tunes like the 11 on this original best-of collection.

You can't make a meal of bubblegum, but it sure can be a delicious distraction. ELO's Greatest Hits is filled with gooey, chewy delights--sonic kitsch like "I Can't Get It Out of My Head" (Lennon on Lithium), "Telephone Line" (Kool & The Gang with violins), and the irresistible "Turn to Stone" (Wagner in spandex)--cultural guideposts, whether you want to admit it or not. ELO combined classical elements with electronic rock and their influence can still be heard in new Turk bands playing with Moogs--for all their Beatles-in-space trappings, the group was also pretty damn catchy. Early ELO was spotty, with flavorful items like "Strange Magic" popping out of the lab nevertheless. By the late '70s, producer-songwriter-singer Jeff Lynne had his electronic pop chamber-group machine oiled to perfection, and this package contains a heavy dose of those longer-lasting-flavor years, with well-chosen dabs of essential chewing pleasure. --Don Harrison