"Face the Music is the first platinum ELO album. We'd do TV shows and I'd see groups being awarded platinum albums and I used to think to myself 'wow, what would that be like to get one of them!' Well thanks to you, now I know what it's like to have quite a few of them." Jeff Lynne, 2006

'Face The Music' established Jeff Lynne's classic ELO sound and was their first-ever platinum album. It contains the classic 'Evil Woman', ELO's first worldwide Top 10 hit single plus 'Strange Magic' and 'Nightrider'.

While 'Eldorado' saw sweeping use of a symphony orchestra instead of merely overdubbing the group's two cellos and violin as previous albums had done, 'Face The Music' featured the band more prominently, while the 30-piece orchestra plus choir and four female backing singers were used more concisely, with ELO's string section providing some of the solos. Lynne was also taking the ELO away from grand, concept-orientated themes to "a collection of tunes", all memorable and hook-laden.

Lynne's arrangements, worked out with keyboard wizard Richard Tandy and orchestrated by conductor Louis Clark, added depth and space to the new songs and at last saw the honing of Lynne's definitive "ELO sound" - immaculately produced, perfectly orchestrated rock songs with infectious melodies.

It seemed fitting that by the time the album was released in the UK on November 14 1975, ELO's fifth album was already no.8 in the American charts. The band, led by songwriter, producer, lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jeff Lynne, were fast on their way to becoming superstars in the USA…

Digitally remastered by Jeff Lynne with Jeff Magid, the definitive edition of 'Face The Music' has been expanded to over 50 minutes with four bonus tracks and over 15 minutes of previously unreleased material, including the full-length version of 'Evil Woman'.

16-page full-colour booklet features rare and previously unpublished photos, memorabilia from around the world plus new liner notes by both Jeff Lynne and ELO archivist Rob Caiger.