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 simultaneously with Lynne's cover album Long Wave.
| Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 8 October 2012 (UK) 9 October 2012 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 2001–2012 | |||
| Studio | Bungalow Palace | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 48:51 | |||
| Label | Frontiers | |||
| Producer | Jeff Lynne | |||
| Electric Light Orchestra chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
Jeff 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 that "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
The 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, then also at number 118 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart,[4] at number 29 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart[5] and at number 46 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.[6]
Track listing
All tracks written, produced, and performed by Jeff Lynne.[7]
| 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
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Twilight" (Live from CBS Television City, 2001) | 3:40 |
iTunes Store "Deluxe edition" bonus tracks [8]
| 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
Personnel per album booklet:[7]
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
Chart performance
- #8 UK (UK Albums Chart)[9]
- #2 UK (UK Top Independent Albums Chart)
- #29 US (Billboard Top Independent Albums)[5]
- #46 US (Billboard Top Rock Albums)[6]
- #118 US (Billboard 200)[4]
- #119 Belgium (Flanders)
- #129 Belgium (Wallonia)
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Silver | 60,000 |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- 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.
- "Electric Light Orchestra". Offfical Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "Electric Light Orchestra – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- "Electric Light Orchestra – Chart history: Billboard Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- "Electric Light Orchestra – Chart history: Billboard Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- 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.
- "Electric Light Orchestra | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- "British album certifications – Elo – Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best Of". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 November 2017. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best Of in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
