Now discontinued by Eagle Records, a small label which has unleashed a small slew of ELO live albums in recent years, this two-disc set is a compilation of live cuts as originally broadcast on BBC Radio’s In Concert series.
The first disc kicks off with an extended jam built around what would appear to be an early version of “Boogie #1: From The Sun To The World” from ELO’s second album. The lyrics are wildly different, as are large portions of the lengthy solos, some of which sound like they were kept in mind during the making of On The Third Day. Moog synths and the glorious sound of the group’s early (pre-Mik Kaminski) string section battle it out for prominence. Kuiama turns into a surprisingly relaxed jam, with the three-piece string section shining once more until just before the end of the song (at which point they go hideously out of key). “In The Hall Of The Mountain King” suffers a similar fate – starts out strong, becomes a great chugging Russian dance of sorts, and then falls apart right before the end. By the time “Roll Over Beethoven” rolls around, the group has gotten the hint – it doesn’t last as long as the other numbers, and doesn’t outstay its welcome.
Then we travel forward in time by about a year with a nice rendition of “Ocean Breakup / King Of The Universe”, the indecipherable opening medley from ELO’s third album, On The Third Day. Following the album’s running order, this segues into a low-key (and on-key) “Bluebird Is Dead” and “Oh No, Not Susan” (the latter complete with non-radio-friendly F-word in its lyrics!). Jeff Lynne’s vocals during this live set start out very much in the background, often overshadowed by the instruments, but his performance becomes much more assured by the time “New World Rising” arrives. By this point, Mik Kaminski has joined the band, and after the Third Day medley and a brief introduction of the band members, he takes center stage with his self-penned classical hoedown solo. Another performance of “Mountain King” proves to be a little more polished, and leaps abruptly into a rumbling cover “Great Balls Of Fire”.
The second disc leapfrogs past Eldorado and starts with “Fire On High”, the chugging instrumental which inaugurated 1975’s Face The Music LP. The hard-rocking “Poker” is next up, though this rendition seems to be dominated more by synths than electric guitars. But it’s not until “Nightrider” that the band really starts to shine. The excellence carries over to the band’s second crack at a Third Day medley, with even the between-song interludes from the album spreading out into a luxurious jam highlighting the abilities of the string trio. That portion of the band continues to carry things along into “Bluebird Is Dead” and “Showdown” (and I’ll still take live Showdown over the album version any day). A pre-recorded “Eldorado Overture” leads into a fair reading of “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (though I still question the need to insult the listener’s intelligence – or waste his time – by not editing pre-recorded bits out of live albums). “Poor Boy (The Greenwood)” fares much better on stage, though its string parts – arranged for a full orchestra – seem to be a little more than the group’s live string trio can handle. One of my favorites from Eldorado, “Illusions In G Major”, relies much less on the string section and turns out to be the best number in the Eldorado set. After Bev Bevan tries to rouse a seemingly lethargic audience, the band launches into “Strange Magic” – in which Bev’s bass backing vocals can be heard much louder than Lynne’s lead! The audience finally wakes up and claps along to “Evil Woman” before Bev even picked up his sticks, and audience participation night continues into the final number, a killer “Ma-Ma-Ma Belle” jam.
This two-disc document of early live ELO is bound to be of interest to ardent fans as well as collectors, now that it has been discontinued from the Eagle Records catalogue. But it’s not the rollicking, polished live set one hears on Live At Winterland – and, thankfully, nor is it the over-polished, largely pre-recorded, uninspiring set from the Live At Wembley CD and DVD. If nothing else, Live At The 
BBC helps one gain a greater appreciation for drummer Bev Bevan and the three-part string section that represented ELO’s orchestral ambitions on stage, both before and after the orchestra became a literal one on the group’s albums. But more casual listeners, and even some fans, may be appalled by the string section’s misfires in the earlier material. Perhaps this one could have been pared down to the second disc by itself.
Disc one
- From The Sun To The World (11:39)
- Kuiama (10:26)
- In The Hall Of The Mountain King (8:10)
- Roll Over Beethoven (5:09)
- King Of The Universe (4:54)
- Bluebird Is Dead (4:09)
- Oh No Not Susan (2:43)
- New World Rising (6:39)
- Mik’s Violin Solo / Orange Blossom Special (2:37)
- In The Hall Of The Mountain King (4:56)
- Great Balls Of Fire (3:25)
Disc two
- Fire On High (5:35)
- Poker (4:20)
- Nightrider (4:59)
- On The Third Day medley (13:14)
- Showdown (4:45)
- Eldorado (6:05)
- Poor Boy (The Greenwood) (2:43)
- Illusions In G Major (3:39)
- Strange Magic (3:37)
- Evil Woman (5:19)
- Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (5:32)
Released by: Eagle / Edel
Release date: 1999
Disc one total running time: 64:49
Disc two total running time: 59:50
