Balance of Power (album)
Balance of Power | ||||
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Studio album by Electric Light Orchestra | ||||
Released |
17 February 1986 (US) 3 March 1986 (UK) | |||
Recorded | Mid 1984 – early 1985 | |||
Studio | Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; Hartmann Digital Untertrubach, Germany | |||
Genre | Rock, pop rock, synth-pop | |||
Length | 34:18 | |||
Label | Epic, Jet, CBS | |||
Producer | Jeff Lynne | |||
Electric Light Orchestra chronology | ||||
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Electric Light Orchestra studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from Balance of Power | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
The Music Box | |
MusicHound | woof![4] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
Balance of Power is the eleventh studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) released in 1986. It is the final album by the band to feature co-founder Bev Bevan on drums, as well as the last album to feature keyboardist Richard Tandy in an official capacity.
Overview
Balance of Power was the last studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra before their disbanding (the band would later reform in 2000). By this time Kelly Groucutt had departed and the group was pared down to a trio[6] of Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy, and Bev Bevan. Recording for the album began in 1984, with a planned release in spring 1985. The addition of several synthesizer tracks to the album caused its release to be pushed back to early 1986. ELO played some live concerts in the UK and Europe (their last for fifteen years), and for one UK show George Harrison performed as guest guitarist.
The video for the single "Calling America" was shot in Paris, and contains shots of the band playing in front of Centre Georges Pompidou. A video was also made for the single "So Serious." The track "Endless Lies" was intended as an homage to Roy Orbison, and was originally recorded for the double LP version of Secret Messages; it reappeared on this album in a slightly reworked and more compact form.
The remastered version of the album was released on 26 February (UK) and 20 March (US) 2007 as part of the Sony/BMG Music Epic/Legacy series.
Europe's CD releases were on CDEPC26467 (Epic) in March 1986. The US (ZK40048) and Japan (32DP407) CD releases were on CBS Associated.
Track listing
All songs written by Jeff Lynne.
Side One | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Heaven Only Knows" | 2:52 |
2. | "So Serious" | 2:38 |
3. | "Getting to the Point" | 4:28 |
4. | "Secret Lives" | 3:26 |
5. | "Is It Alright" | 3:25 |
Side Two | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
6. | "Sorrow About to Fall" | 3:59 |
7. | "Without Someone" | 3:48 |
8. | "Calling America" | 3:26 |
9. | "Endless Lies" | 2:55 |
10. | "Send It" | 3:04 |
2007 CD Bonus Tracks | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
11. | "Opening" (intro for track 12) | 0:24 |
12. | "Heaven Only Knows" (alternate version) | 2:32 |
13. | "In for the Kill" (alternate lyrics to "Caught in a Trap") | 3:13 |
14. | "Secret Lives" (alternate take) | 3:24 |
15. | "Sorrow About to Fall" (alternate mix) | 3:48 |
16. | "Caught in a Trap" (UK B-Side to Calling America single) | 3:44 |
17. | "Destination Unknown" (UK B-Side to Calling America and So Serious singles) | 4:10 |
Personnel
- Jeff Lynne – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, Synclavier II computer synthesizer, bass guitar, keyboards, percussion, producer
- Bev Bevan – drums, percussion
- Richard Tandy – keyboards, sequence programming
- Additional personnel
- Christian Schneider – saxophone
- Bill Bottrell – engineer
- Mack – engineer
Tour line-up
- Jeff Lynne – lead vocals, electric guitar
- Bev Bevan – drums
- Richard Tandy – keyboards
- Louis Clark – string synthesizer
- Mik Kaminski – violin, synthesizer
- Dave Morgan – backing vocals, acoustic guitar, vocoder
- Martin Smith - bass guitar
Chart performance
Country | Peak |
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Australia Album Chart[7] | 49 |
Austria Ö3 Austria Top 40[8] | 29 |
Canada RPM Singles Chart[9] | 46 |
Germany Media Control Charts[10][11] | 18 |
Japan Oricon[12] | 16 |
Norway VG-lista[13] | 4 |
Sweden Sverigetopplistan[14] | 3 |
Switzerland Music Charts[15] | 10 |
UK Album Chart[16] | 9 |
US Billboard 200[17] | 49 |
References
- ↑ Chrispell, James. "Balance of Power – Electric Light Orchestra : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (ed.) (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 915. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ↑ Metzger, John. "Electric Light Orchestra [ELO] – Balance of Power (Album Review)". Musicbox-online.com.
- ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 382. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 274. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/beyond-buffalo-springfield-a-history-of-short-lived-reunions-20120614/electric-light-orchestra-0694196
- ↑ "chartelo". Members.iinet.net.au. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Electric Light Orchestra – Balance of Power". austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012.
- ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
- ↑ "charts.de". charts.de.
- ↑ "Charts Electric Light Orchestra LP – ELO-Wiki" (in German). Jansoppart.de. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012.
- ↑ "Oricon Style". Oricon.co.jp.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Electric Light Orchestra - Balance Of Power". Norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Electric Light Orchestra – Balance of Power". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012.
- ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Electric Light Orchestra – Balance of Power". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012.
- ↑ "Electric Light Orchestra". Offfical Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ↑ "Balance of Power – Electric Light Orchestra : Awards". AllMusic.