The Night the Light Went On (In Long Beach)
Encyclopedia
The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach is a 1974 live album by the Electric Light Orchestra
recorded at the Long Beach Auditorium
on the evening of 12 May 1974 Long Beach, California
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=10544 and its title lampoons The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
by Vicki Lawrence
from '73.
, the original recording was marred by technical issues both on and off the stage. The problems started when the truck carrying the band's equipment broke down en-route to the venue, and the band did not have enough time to perform a proper sound check before the concert.
Initial vinyl pressings of the album were of such poor quality that ELO's management eventually filed a lawsuit against the production company for compensation. The garish gatefold sleeve of the original album, designed by Mick Haggerty, showed a cartoony 50's-era horror film mob running in terror from an unseen source of light, with the album's title scrawled across the sleeve. The inside held distorted photos of the band performing onstage.
Ultimately, both ELO's UK and US labels decided against issuing The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach. It only achieved "legitimate" release in Germany and a handful of other countries, although it was eventually issued in the UK in 1985. It was never released in the US (although it was heavily imported into the US as an import and sold quite well in the specialty rock shops around the country). However, in the US, the live version of "10538 Overture
" from this recording was later used as the B-side for the ELO single "Evil Woman
" from the studio LP Face The Music.
The album remains one of the few official live recordings of the classic ELO line-up.
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
recorded at the Long Beach Auditorium
Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center
The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a convention center located in Long Beach, California. It was built on the site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium beginning in 1962. The primary venues of the complex include:-Long Beach Arena:...
on the evening of 12 May 1974 Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=10544 and its title lampoons The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is a Southern Gothic song written by songwriter Bobby Russell and performed in 1972 by his then-wife Vicki Lawrence...
by Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedienne, and Billboard Hot 100 #1 singer, who was frequently a game show panelist in the 1970s and 1980s...
from '73.
History
Although this live album was intended as the follow-up to On the Third DayOn the Third Day
On the Third Day is the third studio LP by Electric Light Orchestra and the first to be recorded without any input from Roy Wood.-Overview:...
, the original recording was marred by technical issues both on and off the stage. The problems started when the truck carrying the band's equipment broke down en-route to the venue, and the band did not have enough time to perform a proper sound check before the concert.
Initial vinyl pressings of the album were of such poor quality that ELO's management eventually filed a lawsuit against the production company for compensation. The garish gatefold sleeve of the original album, designed by Mick Haggerty, showed a cartoony 50's-era horror film mob running in terror from an unseen source of light, with the album's title scrawled across the sleeve. The inside held distorted photos of the band performing onstage.
Ultimately, both ELO's UK and US labels decided against issuing The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach. It only achieved "legitimate" release in Germany and a handful of other countries, although it was eventually issued in the UK in 1985. It was never released in the US (although it was heavily imported into the US as an import and sold quite well in the specialty rock shops around the country). However, in the US, the live version of "10538 Overture
10538 Overture
-Song history:The song, written by Jeff Lynne, was intended to be a B-side on one of The Move's singles. Rick Price of The Move played bass on the track originally but was never credited, apparently with all the overdubs and layers that were added to the track the bass line 'got lost' in the mix...
" from this recording was later used as the B-side for the ELO single "Evil Woman
Evil Woman (Electric Light Orchestra song)
"Evil Woman" is a song written by lead vocalist Jeff Lynne and recorded by Electric Light Orchestra.First released on the band's fifth album, 1975's Face the Music. Released as a single in late-1975, the song became the band's first worldwide hit...
" from the studio LP Face The Music.
Restoration
A 1990s CD remastering and reissue corrected the poor sound quality of the original album and restored several songs to their full-length versions. It was discovered that the original LP pressing had been mastered using an inferior copy of the concert (according to the CD's liner notes, the tape used had been marked 'Rough Mix, Do Not Use'), hence the muddy sound. However, the original master tape was discovered in the record company's vault and the album was restored to its intended sound quality.The album remains one of the few official live recordings of the classic ELO line-up.
Side 1
- "DaybreakerMa-Ma-Ma Belle"Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" is a song recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra.It was taken from the 1973 album On the Third Day. In the UK, the single version had a slightly different mix from the album original featuring a descending string crescendo and was edited in length.Marc Bolan plays twin lead...
" (Jeff LynneJeff LynneJeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
) – 5:34 - "ShowdownShowdown (Electric Light Orchestra song)"Showdown" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra.It was the band's last contemporary recording to be released on the Harvest label....
" (Lynne) – 6:54 - "Day TripperDay Tripper"Day Tripper" is a song by The Beatles, released as a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out". Both songs were recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul album...
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) – 6:40
Side 2
- "10538 Overture10538 Overture-Song history:The song, written by Jeff Lynne, was intended to be a B-side on one of The Move's singles. Rick Price of The Move played bass on the track originally but was never credited, apparently with all the overdubs and layers that were added to the track the bass line 'got lost' in the mix...
" (Lynne) – 5:44 - "Mik's Solo/Orange Blossom SpecialOrange Blossom Special (song)The fiddle tune "Orange Blossom Special", about the passenger train of the same name, was written by Ervin T. Rouse in 1938. The original recording was created by Ervin and Gordon Rouse in 1939. It is considered the best known fiddle tune of the twentieth century and is often called simply The...
" (Mik KaminskiMik KaminskiMik Kaminski is best known for playing violin in the Electric Light Orchestra between 1973 and 1979.-Biography:...
/E. T. Rouse) – 2:28 - "In The Hall Of The Mountain KingIn the Hall of the Mountain KingIn the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876....
"/"Great Balls of Fire" (Edvard GriegEdvard GriegEdvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
/Jack Hammer, Otis BlackwellOtis BlackwellOtis Blackwell was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist, whose work significantly influenced rock 'n' roll...
) – 8:35 - "Roll Over Beethoven" (Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
) – 4:25
Personnel
- Jeff LynneJeff LynneJeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
- vocals, guitar - Bev BevanBev BevanBev Bevan is an English rock musician, who was the drummer and one of the original members of The Move and Electric Light Orchestra...
- drums - Richard TandyRichard TandyRichard Tandy , is best known as the keyboard player in the rock band, Electric Light Orchestra...
- keyboards - Mike de Albuquerque - bass, backing vocals
- Mik KaminskiMik KaminskiMik Kaminski is best known for playing violin in the Electric Light Orchestra between 1973 and 1979.-Biography:...
- violin - Hugh McDowellHugh McDowellHugh McDowell is an English cellist best known for his membership in Electric Light Orchestra and related acts.-Career:...
- cello - Mike EdwardsMike Edwards (musician)Mike Edwards , known as Swami Deva Pramada or simply Pramada, was an English cellist and music teacher. His wide-ranging career was most widely notable for his membership of the Electric Light Orchestra.-Early life:...
- cello