Three decades ago, ELO was a guilty pleasure for those addicted to Beatles-spawned, baroque electro-pop, with its layered harmonies and Jeff Lynne's catchy songwriting. Out of the Blue represents the height of the band's grandiosity, even if it is not the group's most focused effort (that honor goes to A New World Record). Just re-released with three nondescript bonus cuts, Out of the Blue includes one big hit, "Turn to Stone," a four-song suite of rain-related songs and a handful of unknown gems, including "It's Over" and the haunting, Santo-&-Johnny-inspired slide guitar of "Steppin' Out."
This article appears in Apr 18-24, 2007.