Jeff Lynne is saying goodbye to the road with his brand of the Electric Light Orchestra, only a decade after relaunching and just a handful of years after returning to the States.
Lynne’s ELO will begin a trek dubbed “Over and Out” in late August, with more than a dozen shows across America, including a stop at Wells Fargo Center on Sept. 20.
Known as one of the most iconic forces in music history, Lynne brought the Electric Light Orchestra name back in 2014 and to the U.S. in 2018 for the first time in more than 35 years.
Though the runs were somewhat brief, Philly got lucky with dates in both 2018 and 2019, getting the chance to see Lynne rip through orchestral rock pop classics like “Livin’ Thing,” “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Shine a Little Love” and “Turn to Stone.”
Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1970, Electric Light Orchestra saw Beatles-obsessive Lynne turn sugary sweet pop numbers into layered, near classical compositions without losing the radio appeal, even when delving into the more conceptual end of the musical pool.
Though the peak of worldwide success for the group began in the ’70s with LPs like 1974’s “Eldorado” and the 1979 U.K. chart-topper “Discovery,” ELO somehow survived soundtracking the 1980 flop film “Xanadu” by rebounding with “Time” the following year.
Things began to fall apart with “Secret Messages” in 1983, and as the decade wore on, Lynne became more focused on production work for the likes of George Harrison, Brian Wilson, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
ELO came to an end for all intents and purposes in 1986, and Lynne linked up with Harrison, Orbison, Petty and Bob Dylan in the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys. He also co-produced two new Beatles songs in the mid-’90s, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.”
Lynne revived ELO in 2001, with keyboardist Richard Tandy the only other classic lineup member, and was met with a collective shoulder shrug.
A new album, “Zoom,” tanked, while a scheduled 25-date arena tour of the United States was scuttled due to abysmal ticket sales. Simply put, the timing wasn’t right.
Thirteen years later, in 2014, things had changed significantly.
Going by the moniker Jeff Lynne’s ELO, with Tandy again on board, there was a full-on revival as songs by the band appeared in such blockbuster movies as “American Hustle” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and released two well-received studio albums of new material with “Alone in the Universe” in 2015 and “From Out of Nowhere” in 2019.
Once again, and for the final time, Lynne and Tandy are the sole familiar faces of ELO in 2024, but with the former always the leader of the outfit, this is one of those cases where the bandmembers who should be there are.
General on sale for tickets to the Sept. 20 Wells Fargo Center show start March 20 at 10 a.m. There are also tiered VIP packages available.
Vinyl of the Week
Keep an eye on this spot as each week we’ll be looking at new or soon-to-be-released vinyl from a variety of artists. It might be a re-pressing of a landmark recording, special edition or new collection from a legendary act. This week, it’s the second acoustic EP from one of the most renowned acts to come out of the grunge era.
• Alice in Chains, “Jar of Flies: 30th Anniversary”
Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains sounded the grunge alarm the loudest in the early ’90s, and while there will always be debate among music lovers as to who of the four were the best to come out of the era’s Seattle scene, it’s clear which one took the most risks musically.
Alice in Chains members were doing things almost from the get-go that none of their peers were attempting.
While at the peak of their popularity, in 1992 and 1993 respectively, Nirvana and Pearl Jam did the obligatory MTV Unplugged appearance. Yet when MTV finally landed Alice in Chains to take part in the all-acoustic format in 1996, it was a setting they found very familiar.
At that juncture, the foursome had already released two primarily acoustic EPs in 1992’s “Sap” and “Jar of Flies” two years later. Friday will see a multi-format reissue of the latter to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
Released Jan. 25, 1994, “Jar of Flies” made history as the first EP to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of sales.
It was self-produced and further established the band as not just one of the most engaging and unique to come out of the Pacific Northwest, but also of a decade that had become known for seeing a seismic shift in music.
The music was moody, haunting and stripped bare the group led by the dual harmonies of singer Layne Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell in ways other artists would be
petrified to do.
Tracks like “I Stay Away,” “No Excuses” and “Don’t Follow” showcased the range of Alice in Chains, earning the group two Grammy Award nominations.
“I Stay Away” was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance while “Jar of Flies” as a whole was chosen in the category of Best Recording Package, with the first pressing of the compact disc including plastic flies visible in the clear spine of the case.
It was certified four times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2022.
The 30th anniversary edition comes as a standard black 12-inch vinyl release. The band’s official webstore has offered several direct-to-consumer variants of “Jar of Flies,” including tri-colored vinyl, cassette, and, in one of the wildest offerings in recent memory, is a clear variant with real, dead flies embedded in the vinyl.
There’s also a deluxe box set featuring the EP on tri-colored vinyl, a logo-embossed jar with touch-activated red LED and faux flies, a 60-page hardcover book and a double-sided poster, all housed in a screen-printed, UV-coated shadowbox.
At press time, all the options had sold out on the band’s official webstore and were only available via secondary sellers.
Additionally, an exclusive merch capsule collection is available at shop.aliceinchains.com, featuring limited edition apparel, a poker set, a skate deck in collaboration with Welcome Skateboards and — named after the “Jar of Flies” instrumental — a “Whale & Wasp” plush toy set.
Look for “Jar of Flies: 30th Anniversary” online and from all respectable retailers who carry vinyl.
To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to rockmusicmenu@gmail.com. Also, check out his website at thechroniclesofmc.com.
