Out of the Blue [Picture Disc] [2xLP]
Jeff Lynne's high-water mark-- a ridiculously heady orchestral pop record, with nods to disco and art-rock-- is given a deluxe reissue.
Considering how record companies love to sell you the same album multiple times ... In some cases, the cleaned-up sound and snazzier packaging of these records corrects lazy, negligent editions released in the CD's early days, but more often it's just a case of shaking loose change out of the couch cushions.
That's not the case with Electric Light Orchestra, subjects of a lengthy restoration project that has reached Out of the Blue in time for its 30th anniversary. ELO may not immediately seem like an essential part of music history, but there's no denying they're a band well served by the fancy frills that accompany a reissue. For starters, ELO records hearken back to an era where album art meant Awesome Fucking Spaceships, and Out of the Blue has an especially fine one that resembles a cross between a jukebox and the old Simon games. It's a disservice to shrink such a cover down to CD-size packaging, but the reissue compensates by including a build-it-yourself punch-out space needle thingy and pictures of the band's ridiculous spaceship stage-set.