A Conversation With Jeff Lynne Of ELO

Jeff Lynne Joseph Cultice/Courtesy Sony Music hide caption

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Joseph Cultice/Courtesy Sony Music

Jeff Lynne has been crafting classic rock songs for more than 50 years. I first heard him as part of The Move, a Beatle-esque British band in the late '60s. That creative outfit morphed into Electric Light Orchestra, taking their guitar, piano, and drum-based pop music and adding strings and synthesizers. ELO became a big band with a giant sound.

The first ELO record was released precisely 48 years ago, on December 3, 1971. Nowadays, Jeff Lynne is ELO. Except for a few helping hands, Jeff Lynne writes, records, sings, plays and arranges everything on his new album, From Out of Nowhere, on his own. And he loves doing it.

In this conversation, we talk about Jeff Lynne's creative process, how the music his father played around the house influenced his early work, and what it was like collaborating with his heroes, including Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and George Harrison.

1. Jeff Lynne's ELO: "From Out of Nowhere" from From Out of Nowhere

2. Jeff Lynne's ELO: "Help Yourself" from From Out of Nowhere

3. Electric Light Orchestra: "Eldorado Overture" from Eldorado

4. Roy Orbison: "You Got It" from Mystery Girl

5. Roy Orbison: "Only the Lonely" from Lonely and Blue

6. Jeff Lynne: "If I Loved You" from Long Wave

7. Jeff Lynne's ELO: "Down Came the Rain" from From Out of Nowhere

8. Tom Petty: "Free Fallin'" from Full Moon Fever

9. Jeff Lynne's ELO: "Time of Our Life" from From Out of Nowhere