Electric Light Orchestra

Strange Magic: The Very Best of The Electric Light Orchestra (1995)

 

Disc One  
  1. 10538 Overture
  2. Roll Over Beethoven
  3. Showdown
  4. Daybreaker
  5. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
  6. Can't Get it Out of My Head
  7. Boy Blue
  8. Evil Woman
  9. Strange Magic
  10.Livin' Thing
  11.Do Ya
  12.Telephone Line
  13.Rockaria!
  
Disc Two
  1. Turn to Stone
  2. Sweet Talkin' Woman
  3. Mr. Blue Sky
  4. It's Over
  5. Shine a Little Love
  6. Don't Bring Me Down
  7. Confusion
  8. Last Train to London
  9. Hold on Tight
  10.Twilight
  11.Rain is Falling
  12.Rock & Roll is King
  13.Four Little Diamonds
  14.Stranger
  15.Calling America
  16.So Serious
  
  

  
  

By the mid-1990s, Electric Light Orchestra’s legacy had become entangled in a web of reissues, rebrandings, and retrospective confusion. For the uninitiated (and increasingly, even for the loyal), the task of selecting a definitive “best of” compilation became something of a fool’s errand. ELO were far from the only victims — virtually every legacy act of the 1970s and ’80s suffered a similar fate as the record industry scrambled, not to create, but to repackage. Why fund new material when the back catalogue could be recycled for a fraction of the cost?

To further complicate matters, the 1990s saw a splintering of the ELO name itself. With Jeff Lynne declining repeated invitations to revive the group, former members pushed forward under the legally modified moniker Electric Light Orchestra Part II. This incarnation released two largely forgotten studio albums before pivoting to a series of increasingly redundant live recordings — many of which, confusingly, bore the original band’s name in large typeface. For completists and collectors, the waters became very muddy, very quickly.

Amid the noise, Strange Magic: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra offered a relatively clear and credible alternative. A two-disc set — and crucially, not a sprawling box — this release positioned itself as the streamlined option for listeners who wanted more than a casual sampler but less than a career-spanning archive. The track selection, mostly chronological, traces the arc from early symphonic experiments to the polished pop of the late period, though it pointedly omits anything from Xanadu (a decision that might raise an eyebrow, though not many protests).

As anthologies go, Strange Magic: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra is one of the more judiciously curated. It doesn’t attempt to rewrite history, nor does it overextend into rarities or trivia. The focus remains on the band’s most recognisable and enduring work, and the sequencing avoids the haphazard feel that mars many similar collections. While it stops short of perfection — no retrospective ever quite satisfies every listener’s ideal — it comes remarkably close.

Given the glut of ELO “best of” packages in circulation, many of them of questionable provenance or puzzling content, this one stands out as the most reliable distillation of the band’s official output. Those seeking a sensible, compact summary of ELO’s journey — from art rock ensemble to polished hit machine — could do far worse. In fact, they often have.

Go back to the main page
Go To Next Review