Out of the Blue

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Out of the Blue · Jeff Lynne wrote this entire double album in three and a half weeks, after withdrawing to a rented chalet in the Swiss Alps. Recording in Munich took another two months. It was Electric Light Orchestra's seventh studio album, and Lynne wrote and produced everything himself.

The record was one of the first pop albums to make extensive use of the vocoder. The third side is a suite about the weather, Concerto for a Rainy Day, inspired by the endless rain in Switzerland. Rain and thunder sound between the tracks. The suite ends with Mr. Blue Sky, which Lynne wrote on the day the sun finally broke through after bad weather. A blow on a fire extinguisher produces the bell-like sound in the performance. Worldwide, about ten million copies were sold.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Turn to Stone3:49Apple Music ↗
2. 2It's Over4:08Apple Music ↗
3. 3Sweet Talkin' Woman3:50Apple Music ↗
4. 4Across the Border3:53Apple Music ↗
5. 5Night in the City4:02Apple Music ↗
6. 6Starlight4:31Apple Music ↗
7. 7Jungle3:53Apple Music ↗
8. 8Believe Me Now1:21Apple Music ↗
9. 9Steppin' Out4:40Apple Music ↗
10. 10Standin' in the Rain4:21Apple Music ↗
11. 11Big Wheels5:09Apple Music ↗
12. 12Summer and Lightning4:15Apple Music ↗
13. 13Mr. Blue Sky5:04Apple Music ↗
14. 14Sweet Is the Night3:28Apple Music ↗
15. 15The Whale5:07Apple Music ↗
16. 16Birmingham Blues4:23Apple Music ↗
17. 17Wild West Hero4:41Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗