AND THEY'RE RUNNING OUT OF MONEY BECAUSE...

Pitcure if you will, a meeting at Sony BMG Special Marketing. 

"Someone, anyone, come up with a new way other than bundling them up in twos or threes to sell something that's already out there."

"How 'bout we take five albums and bundle them together."

"Brilliant!"

Ho-hum. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Have a very Happy 61st Birthday, Jeff!

MORE PAPER SLEEVE EDITIONS

It appears that a good chunk of Tom Petty's back catalog will be re-issued on SHM-CDs (Super High Material CDs) and in Mini-LP paper sleeves end of February 2009 in Japan only.  The Jeff Lynne-produced Full Moon Fever and Into The Great Wide Open will be among the titles.  This is the first re-issue of any kind for Into The Great Wide Open.

DASHING THROUGH THE AUDIENCE

Arguably the best band on the planet right now just gave ELO a light-hearted plug...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES...

Before I take off for my own personal holiday tour/travel, I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your families and very safe and Happy Holidays and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2009.  Here's hoping it's a productive one in the ELO/related world.

Oh, and if you know anyone who's looking for an A/V timeline editor, I'm on Facebook, LinkedIn and willing to re-locate.  :-)

ELO NEW SAMPLER FOLO-UP

I got a chance to scan over this new EMI Publishing sampler from ELO.  Er, maybe an ELO Sampler from EMI Music Publishing is a better way to put it.  Bottom line: nothing new.  The ELO tracks are pullovers from Afterglow and Lily Allen's cover of Mr. Blue Sky is mp3 quality.  The Evil Woman remix isn't bad, though.

Is it a fake?  I mean, there's not much to the CD and frankly, I could design a better cover using my feet, so I suppose it's possible.  But I've seen similar samplers by other artists sold by reputable dealers.  I just don't think it's worth 50 quid.  Right, eil??!

ABOUT "I'LL GET YOU BACK"

Julianna Raye's I'll Get You Back from 1993 is one of several songs that gets an in-depth analysis in Daniel Levitin's new book The World In Six Songs. Included in that is a rather brief, but glowing mention of the song's producer, Jeff Lynne.

NEW ELO SAMPLER

I've been meaning to post about other ELO and related promos over the last few years, but this one looks to be quite unique.  An EMI Publishing CDR sampler of ELO's music has surfaced in the US with an usual track list.  It starts with (the long forgotten and neglected gem) Building Have Eyes and finishes with Lily Allen's cover of Mr. Blue Sky and remix cover of Evil Woman.

I'd be interested to see if Buildings Have Eyes is of "remastered" quality and not a pull from Afterglow.  If I can nail one down, I'll post an update.

1. Buildings Have Eyes
   
2. Turn To Stone
   
3. When Time Stood Still
   
4. It's Over
   
5. Do Ya
   
6. Strange Magic
   
7. Twilight
   
8. Destination Unknown
   
9. Hold On Tight
   
10. Ma Ma Ma Belle
    
11. Livin' Thing
    
12. Shangri-La
    
13. Don't Bring Me Down
    
14. Easy Money
    
15. Calling America
    
16. Rock'n'Roll Is King
    
17. Can't Get It Out Of My head
    
18. Mr. Blue Sky - Lily Allen
    
19. Evil Woman (Salad Fingers Mix) - The Hamptons
    

DAVID FRICKE IS MOVED

I'm trying to remember if Rolling Stone magazine ever said anything about the Move in all these years.  They've hardly ever mentioned ELO.  Anyway, here's a pretty strong Move recommendation from Rolling Stone's David Fricke. He makes the case for owning the new box set.

ROY ORBISON ON RADIO 2

Saturday will mark 20 years since Roy Orbison's passing. BBC Radio 2 is commemorating it with a four part special on Roy. You can hear the series online for a limited time.

Hat tip: Euan