"Air Studios was a great place to record, you felt you were at the centre of things, on the top floor right in the middle of Oxford Circus. Watching all the crowds battle their way across the streets down below made you feel sort of privileged." Jeff Lynne, 2006

ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN & TELL TCHAIKOVSKY THE NEWS: ELO 1972 - 1973

The unanimous critical acclaim that greeted the Electric Light Orchestra's debut album was welcome but totally unexpected by the band. It did, however, focus Jeff Lynne's attention on getting back into Phillips Studios to record a follow up. A planned concept album entitled 'The Lost Planet' was quietly abandoned and sessions for the second LP proper began during May 1972. Two new Lynne songs, 'From The Sun To The World' and 'In Old England Town' were the first to be recorded and included Roy Wood on bass guitar and cello, but in little more than a month, the co-founder of the ELO concept had left the group to form Wizzard. Instead of splitting up as the media expected, Jeff Lynne took over the leadership of ELO and began auditions for new members.

Though Lynne had yet to fully develop his all-conquering ELO sound, the pioneering experiments of 'ELO 2' coupled with the chart success of 'Roll Over Beethoven' in the UK and US (both originally released in 1973) started the Electric Light Orchestra on the path to worldwide fame.

The US edition of 'ELO II' is different to EMI's 2003 UK release with selected songs newly remastered, four bonus tracks and new commentary written by Jeff Lynne. The booklet is repackaged and in full-colour and includes in-depth sleeve notes by ELO archivist Rob Caiger.