Iconic Band's 1978 Record Sold 10 Million But a CREEPY B-Side TRANSFIXED Fans MORE-Professor of Rock

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  • Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
  • Coming up. Let’s dive into the bizarre and sensational era of the Satanic Panic, a time when songs were accused of harboring "evil" hidden messages, and bands faced relentless scrutiny as alleged corruptors of society. While heavy metal bands were the primary targets, even the likes of today’s squeaky clean band ELO, the Electric Light Orchestra, found themselves entangled in the fanatical crusade. Today we break down the hidden messages in ELO’s music including the doubled-sided hit Sweet Talkin’ Woman and Fire On Hight. We unravel the stories behind these cryptic songs, their secret messages, and the mysterious woman who cast her spell on an unsuspecting rock star named Jeff Lynne and how Fire On Hight might be the most bizarre and creepy B side of the entire 70s… NEXT on Professor of Rock.
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    Jeff Lynne was on a quest to find the elusive “Sweet Talkin’ Woman,” with all her alluring beauty and charm…but when he found her…his life turned upside down As the old saying from Aeosop’s Fables goes….be careful what you wish for. Beneath an appealing exterior, there may lurk hidden dangers that, once uncovered, compel an immediate instinct to flee. What looks good on the surface may have something dangerous lurking on the inside, and when you find it… all you want to do is RUN. RUN!!
    Today we are covering their A-side Sweet Talking Woman and its strange B-side Fire on High. "Sweet Talkin' Woman" by Electric Light Orchestra, is a song written by Jeff Lynne. It was released in ’78 as the 4th single from the ELO album "Out of the Blue." The lyrics of "Sweet Talkin' Woman" tell the story of a man addressing a woman who is charming, but…. manipulative. The man is cautious and aware that her “sweet talkin’ ways” might not be genuine, but he is still drawn to her. The song showcases ELO’s distinctive blend of rock, pop, and classical elements, with ELO's signature, pulsating, orchestral sound:
    The single became the third top hit from Out of the Blue- shooting to #6 in the UK, and #17 on the Hot 100. The b-side for the UK single was the ballad “Bluebird is Dead,” featuring an eerie guitar solo entirely engineered as a backward recording. Jeff Lynne established a reputation for backward masking very early in his career.
    Because of his deep admiration of the Beatles, and his sly, humorous nature, Jeff Lynne loved to incorporate backward masking with secret messages in the ELO recordings. He started embedding cryptic messages in his music as far back as 1968 with the debut album Idle Race. Almost every album he’s produced since then features a track with concealed, and somewhat enigmatic meanings. As with many other innovations, the Fab Four popularized backward masking and dazzled listeners with hidden stuff

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,8 тис.

  • @ProfessorofRock
    @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +69

    Poll: What is the freakiest song of the rock era? One that scares you silly?

    • @witchy6978
      @witchy6978 6 місяців тому +41

      Tiny Bubbles Don Ho

    • @catherine6653
      @catherine6653 6 місяців тому +11

      Blasphemous Rumors, Depeche Mode
      Season of the Witch , Donovan

    • @Lam_3-22-23
      @Lam_3-22-23 6 місяців тому +3

      No Exit -- Blondie (w/ Coolio)
      The Song Remains the Same- Led Zeppelin ( supposedly written in the former home of Aleister Crowley)

    • @SPak-rt2gb
      @SPak-rt2gb 6 місяців тому +2

      Damien by Iced Earth. It's based on the movie The Omen. Wicked song.

    • @peterd.9978
      @peterd.9978 6 місяців тому +33

      When I was a kid, just the Vincent Price vocal part in "Thriller."

  • @eightiesmusic1984
    @eightiesmusic1984 6 місяців тому +437

    Jeff Lynne is a bona fide genius. Modest too, unlike many of his contemporaries without even half his talent. One of the all time greats.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +12

      Exactly!

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +6

      Amen!@@ph5832

    • @matcoffidis1135
      @matcoffidis1135 6 місяців тому +19

      Agreed! I love ELO. Extremely catchy hooks, the blend of classical/rock influences
      ...what's not to love? ❤❤

    • @jeffalbillar7625
      @jeffalbillar7625 6 місяців тому +5

      For sure

    • @4Mr.Crowley2
      @4Mr.Crowley2 6 місяців тому +17

      I’m an aging Gen Xer, and I love this channel so much just to enjoy the nostalgia but it also hurts seeing our idols aging and leaving us…I still get teary eyed thinking of Bowie as I idolized Bowie for so many years and saw him in concert three times. His presence was just amazing - such a great performer, such a creative force - I also cried like an ugly baby when George “Dark Horse” Harrison died in 2001. I was a “kid” starting grad school, and I thought that would be the worst thing that year…sigh…

  • @steveturner3999
    @steveturner3999 6 місяців тому +127

    I was an ELO fan from the moment I first heard "Can’t Get It Out of My Head" in 1974. I had a black tee shirt with the ELO logo on it back in the day. I love all my ELO albums. Thanks Professor!

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +6

      I know what you mean!

    • @qmnnvrdyz8965
      @qmnnvrdyz8965 6 місяців тому +9

      Same song got me hooked on ELO, when I was 12...lol.

    • @RobinBarton-fh1ts
      @RobinBarton-fh1ts 6 місяців тому +7

      My revelation was also in '74...Roll over Beethoven ( Hopin I spelled the name correctly ) !!!

    • @BeeWhistler
      @BeeWhistler 6 місяців тому +5

      I once had that song stuck in my head for three days. I couldn’t deny there was a certain cosmic humor to it…

    • @marcvalero1347
      @marcvalero1347 6 місяців тому +8

      I still have my Ruby slippers/Eldorado T-shirt. Saw ELO twice in mid 70s. Fire on High was good tune. Jeff's Do Ya with The Move really rocks.

  • @jeffjohnson1302
    @jeffjohnson1302 6 місяців тому +52

    What do you get when you play country music backwards. You get your wife, dog house and truck back.

    • @joetheman74
      @joetheman74 4 місяці тому +2

      Oldie but a goodie.

    • @martins.7060
      @martins.7060 4 місяці тому +4

      Actually what happens is your wife comes home, your dog comes back to life and your truck gets fixed

    • @Sunifriliac
      @Sunifriliac 4 місяці тому

      25 ?

    • @drothberg3
      @drothberg3 4 місяці тому +3

      And you get out of prison.

    • @FreddyKurganNimmo
      @FreddyKurganNimmo 4 місяці тому +2

      Your former boss hires you back, and you quit drinking.

  • @deborahwhittington8032
    @deborahwhittington8032 6 місяців тому +65

    I’ve always been a huge fan of Jeff Lynne and Electric Light Orchestra. His productions are so rich and lush with a blending of genres, that I can easily listen to his albums for weeks at a time without getting bored or tired of his songs. And “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” is definitely one of my many favorites.

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +6

      The orchestral parts of their songs are always a delight.

    • @LaManteca76
      @LaManteca76 6 місяців тому +4

      I have to sing Sweet Talking Woman every time it comes on. 😁

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 5 місяців тому

      @@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Hi Lilly. Always? You mean you also think the last five instrumental minutes of "The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)" are delightful, despite the subject matter? Anyway I think Electric Light Orchestra's whole career is great. :-)

  • @eggsngritstn
    @eggsngritstn 6 місяців тому +91

    “Fire On High” is one of my favorite ELO songs. Great instrumental work.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +8

      So good!

    • @DrTabio
      @DrTabio 6 місяців тому +6

      @@ProfessorofRock Fire on High was the CBS Sports theme from 76-78. ELO's Out of the Blue tour was my first concert. September of 78.

    • @RebelScum312
      @RebelScum312 6 місяців тому +3

      @@DrTabio Thank you! Knew I used to hear this on tv all the time when I was a kid but hadn't placed it other than remembering hearing it before NFL games, legendary riff!

    • @flavellinator
      @flavellinator 6 місяців тому +3

      Jim Hill, sportscaster in LA, used it back then for Sunday Sports Finale ...

    • @bigal1863
      @bigal1863 6 місяців тому +3

      Still raises goosebumps when I listen to it

  • @spanishpeaches2930
    @spanishpeaches2930 6 місяців тому +66

    A New World Record was the first album i was ever truly mad about. I don't know why it appealed to my 15 year old self, at the time, but i just loved it and played it obsessively. Saw them in 78 with a good school friend who, very sadly, was killed in a road traffic accident a couple of years later. So i always have a regretful smile when i hear them . Out of the Blue was great too.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +9

      Thanks for sharing!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +7

      Sorry to hear that. At least you reveled together in the music.

    • @magneto7930
      @magneto7930 6 місяців тому +8

      A New World Record was the first ELO album that I ever bought. There were too many good songs on there to pass it up. Then when Out of the Blue came out, I snatched it immediately.

    • @PantheraOnca60
      @PantheraOnca60 6 місяців тому +7

      A New World Record is one of the greatest albums of the Rock 'n' Roll Era.

    • @terryparkin6121
      @terryparkin6121 6 місяців тому +5

      A new world record is still my favorite record of all time.Sheer ELO brilliance

  • @CrosscutFilmsSask
    @CrosscutFilmsSask 6 місяців тому +38

    The back masking part of this reminded me of the tail out groove (the groove that goes from the last song to the center groove on vinyl) on Tom Petty's "Full Moon Fever" album - just one line reversed.
    When you spun the record backwards, it was Tom's voice simply saying, "You're ruining your needle"
    😂😂😂

    • @theboyisnotright6312
      @theboyisnotright6312 4 місяці тому +1

      Attention CD listeners 😂😂😂

    • @jeffreyphillips8474
      @jeffreyphillips8474 4 місяці тому +7

      My favorite instance of backward masking is from The Waitresses. A bold starburst sticker on the album cover screams, "Warning: This record contains background masking which, when played backward, will reveal a secret message." (Or something like that). I found it on side two, went to extremes to play it backward and heard, ""Anyone who believes in backwards masking is a fool." I loved them for that alone.

    • @georgehays4908
      @georgehays4908 4 місяці тому

      Satan is real . If you hear , in any song ....., she , her , or woman......., just change those words and insert Satan . He does use the female form . You all will find out in 1 of the 2 judgements . ​@@jeffreyphillips8474

    • @JeffSherlock
      @JeffSherlock 4 місяці тому

      There is no such thing as 'back masking'

  • @Gerisheng
    @Gerisheng 6 місяців тому +28

    What always blows me away about Sweet Talkin' Woman is the pre-chorus breakdown, the part where they sing "She's gone so long...what can I do..." The layered vocals and musical elements of those few seconds show more musical effort than an entire current day Spotify top 10. I miss the era when music composition really mattered in rock music, and Out Of The Blue is a masterpiece.

  • @lepoetress
    @lepoetress 6 місяців тому +96

    I remember those days. They claimed if you played Another One Bites The Dust backwards, it enougraged the listeners to "smoke marijuana". Stairway To Heaven played backwards allegedly said, "Here's to my sweet Satan". That whole era was ridiculous!!

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +9

      Yes. Yes it was!

    • @debbie4503
      @debbie4503 6 місяців тому +2

      Totally agree

    • @seandevine3695
      @seandevine3695 6 місяців тому +15

      You really want to have a wild time, try playing Stairway to Heaven forwards while playing Dungeons and Dragons backwards.

    • @Whitecamry-jn5wn
      @Whitecamry-jn5wn 6 місяців тому +9

      Today's no better. Nobody backmasks anymore, but in this era of universal stupidity who needs to?

    • @mattjohn4731
      @mattjohn4731 6 місяців тому +2

      Those two were not intentional but there were some intentional ones that amuse me

  • @lizvin5
    @lizvin5 5 місяців тому +11

    I have so many stories involving ELO.. First time I heard them was January 1975.. I was in my friends car and we were smoking a joint and doing spin outs on the ice at Orchard beach parking lot (bronx).My friend slipped this 8 track into his 8 track player and asked me what i thought of this album. As soon as I heard the Overture of Eldorado I said wow this sounds like the Wizard of Oz..My friend freaked out and showed me the cover on the 8 track.. We were both like Whoa…!!! but again we were pretty high… The song Fire on High was my favorite headphones song.. I would be in my room, lights shut, door closed…. listen to this song and freak myself out.. I must have turned around to look at my door 20-30 times.. but my favorite ELO song is One Summer Dream.. This song is so haunting to me.. It’s like.. so familiar.. I feel like this song reaches something familiar in my soul… just love it.. Saw Jeff Lynne’s ELO live and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Amy Langley (cello player) and her sister Rosie ( violin ) both so gorgeous

  • @mikestanshillporter4425
    @mikestanshillporter4425 6 місяців тому +31

    Thanks for covering the Electric Light Orchestra and Jeff Lynne.

  • @danielwolf1673
    @danielwolf1673 6 місяців тому +17

    I was one of those kids riding the Gyrosphere - the scrambler ride in Seabreeze - in the 1980s with "Fire on High" blasting from the speakers, and the light show flashing as we were flung around through the darkness - it was one of my favorite memories, and every time I hear the song, I remember it all over again. Thanks for for shout out, Professor! ELO was my first favorite band, and they have been my favorite throughout the years. No matter how many times I hear "Sweet Talkin' Woman," I never get tired of it, and that is the genius of Jeff Lynn. Also thanks for the episode - that opening of Fire on High has always given me the shivers, but I never knew what they were really saying.😄

  • @stephenhanft1226
    @stephenhanft1226 6 місяців тому +41

    ELO is one of my favorite 70's bands. They had a great, unique sound and style all of their own. I have the Out Of The Blue album which contains both of these songs. Never heard this story before. Thanks, Professor.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +7

      Agreed. Time to bust out the record!

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +2

      ​@@ProfessorofRock Well, Professor, you wrote "the record" as if there is only one version. If viewers wish to hear the spookiest stuff you were referencing most, with the backwards message, in Electric Light Orchestra's amazing "Fire On High," they'll need to forget about hunting for that 45 and just play the start of the "Face The Music" album. You never pointed out that the "Sweet Talkin' Woman" B side's edit removes the first minute and a half, including the backwards message.

  • @zmistere3
    @zmistere3 5 місяців тому +7

    ELO's TIME is one of the great concept albums of all time. Ticket to the Moon haunts me to this day. I love it.

    • @rebeccamcdaniel1033
      @rebeccamcdaniel1033 3 місяці тому

      Find the story about the Russian Cosmonaut who had to stay on the MIR space station a lot longer than he should have. The Soviet Union had collapsed, their space agency was low on funds, and he wasn't sure he was going to come home anytime.

    • @leavingitblank9363
      @leavingitblank9363 Місяць тому

      I remember reading a review trashing the album as being too robotic and mechanical. It was so disappointing that a professional reviewer would so completely miss the point.

  • @bruni2711
    @bruni2711 6 місяців тому +30

    Yes to a future episode featuring the great album ‘Secret Messages’ - particularly its story as a double album reduced to a single by the record company, casting aside Lynne’s best latter day track “Hello, My Old Friend” and still missing Beatles tribute song “Beatles Forever”.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +13

      Will do! THanks for commenting!

    • @j69buckjumper
      @j69buckjumper 4 місяці тому +1

      Exactly my thoughts too, but luckily this album has now been released as a double with all the missing songs reinstated, and it's great!!

    • @RebeccaTurner-ny1xx
      @RebeccaTurner-ny1xx 4 місяці тому

      There might have been a good reason for not including 'Beatles Forever' once you hear it... and indeed it is pretty dire.

    • @davgabe08
      @davgabe08 4 місяці тому

      Secret Messages is the last of the really good ELO. I never knew there was a second disc so now I have to go find it! I would love to hear the stories about this album!

  • @flavellinator
    @flavellinator 6 місяців тому +29

    Oh, you did it now Professor... Fire on High is my favorite headphone song of all time! So much going on there, it's incredible... Listened to it endlessly in my sixth grade year and still go big time air guitar when I hear it!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому

      Just a magical experience with headphones!

    • @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398
      @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 6 місяців тому

      OU2IC! Well, except for the headphones - but I'll have to try that - that intro is EPIC!!!!!

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +1

      @@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 Good thing the "Face The Music" album is easier to find than the 'Sweet Talkin' Woman" 45, whose B side omits the intro!

    • @flavellinator
      @flavellinator 6 місяців тому

      @@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 Yeah I should've been a little more clear... Headphones back then, earbuds now 😂

    • @Wychwood
      @Wychwood 6 місяців тому +3

      I totally agree with you! Another good song IMHO for immersive listening is The Moody Blues "The Voice" off of "Long Distance Voyager".

  • @gordonspond
    @gordonspond 6 місяців тому +24

    GO ELO! First album I EVER bought was Discovery by ELO. I still have it... 45 years later.

    • @stevenhubbard8445
      @stevenhubbard8445 6 місяців тому +2

      Ah, Disco Very. Big departure in sound, but still really good.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +2

      @@stevenhubbard8445 Disco mostly at the starts of the two sides, moreso on "Last Train To London." The ballads, and "Don't Bring Me Down" and "The Diary Of Horace Wimp" sure weren't disco. I think Electric Light Orchestra's first, fifth and latest albums sound musically like three different bands, all great.

  • @ruthzamarripa6058
    @ruthzamarripa6058 6 місяців тому +20

    Wow. Mind blown about “Do you believe in love.” No wonder it’s 1 of 3 of my favorite Huey Lewis songs. Saw Jeff Lynne in concert right before pandemic, one of the best concerts I’ve seen.

  • @susanbotts3383
    @susanbotts3383 6 місяців тому +23

    We watch your show all the time and really enjoy it. Just wanted to let you know that ELO's Fire on High was the theme song on CBS Sports Spectacular and not ABC's Wide World of Sports. Thanks for your great shows and interviews!

    • @CarlMonday69
      @CarlMonday69 6 місяців тому +4

      Thank you! I was shocked by that error myself. I was waiting for the CBS mention, but when he said ABC? I was floored.

    • @FilkusNM
      @FilkusNM 6 місяців тому +2

      @professorofrock Did you catch that?

    • @leavingitblank9363
      @leavingitblank9363 Місяць тому

      And then the clip he played didn't even have the song-- I wondered what was up with that.

  • @indyspotes3310
    @indyspotes3310 6 місяців тому +33

    ELO were so good, I never could understand how they weren't more popular than groups
    with half of their talent all over the charts.

    • @peterhendricksen6946
      @peterhendricksen6946 6 місяців тому +5

      That's how Jeff wanted it ,low key

    • @MrAdomus
      @MrAdomus 6 місяців тому +3

      It's the double edged sword in the music industry. Do you want 10 million people to love your music, or do you want 100 million people to like your music?

    • @peterhendricksen6946
      @peterhendricksen6946 6 місяців тому +2

      @@MrAdomus I don't think it was ever about fame or fortune with Jeff it was the love of music and working with his heros everything else was an extra

    • @MrAdomus
      @MrAdomus 6 місяців тому +4

      @raulbeck3722 you make a good point but I counter with those 100 million may only give you a dollar once, but those 10 million who love your music will give you a dollar again and again and again

    • @garydrewlevine
      @garydrewlevine 6 місяців тому +4

      But they were popular, I think between 1972 and 1986, if I remember correctly, and am not gonna look it up, they had more combined USA and UK top 40 hits than any other band in the world.

  • @baliluke2364
    @baliluke2364 6 місяців тому +89

    Beavis and Butthead summed it up the best, talking over a Take That video. "Is this one of those satanic records?" " Yeah if you play it backwards, its says 'this sucks" 😂

    • @lananiella
      @lananiella 6 місяців тому +11

      Bloom County had a great comic strip on this. Milo as a reporter is listening to a track from Deathtongue, Bill the Cat's metal band looking for hidden messages. He finds one. It was "Gooo to churrrch. Sayy youuur prayers. Tithe! Tithe!". He says "I don't think we have a story here". Indeed. If only the gullible back then had known that.
      Also, did it occur to anyone else that the Arkansas bill passed UNANIMOUSLY but failed to override a veto?? That should be impossible. That means over a third of the lawmakers changed their votes and realized how dumb this was. That is significant.

    • @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398
      @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 6 місяців тому +2

      Well the government held them to it. They should have realized it before the pushed for it in the first place. Now they have to live with it.
      @@lananiella

    • @AnalEyesAnalyzeAnalLies
      @AnalEyesAnalyzeAnalLies 6 місяців тому

      Amazing lol

    • @cowboyhoyt1554
      @cowboyhoyt1554 6 місяців тому

      Hahahahahahahah!!!! Classic

    • @SirOliverNorwell
      @SirOliverNorwell 6 місяців тому +1

      Very funny because Gary Barlow is a huge ELO and Jeff Lynne fan and Jeff even wrote a song for Take That entitled Fall Down At Your Feet. Barlow even said sth along the lines that all he was trying to do was writing an ELO song.
      ua-cam.com/video/HdantHj2HlM/v-deo.htmlsi=SNGV7mbARLN5UoIn

  • @darlawrence9295
    @darlawrence9295 6 місяців тому +22

    I swear Mutt Lange has to be one of the most important influencers of music alive. He has been winning Grammys and producing hits in five different decades. The artists he has recorded with is a who's who of the greatest of all time!

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +12

      So true. I need an interview!

    • @ponzo1967
      @ponzo1967 6 місяців тому +3

      ​@@ProfessorofRockit's difficult to even get a picture of him so that would be quite the achievement.

    • @darlawrence9295
      @darlawrence9295 6 місяців тому +6

      @@ProfessorofRock Mutt is a Legend! But at 75 he's not getting any younger.
      POR you are much more than a UA-camr. You are a rock historian. You have captured so many magic moments with some of the greatest names in Rock.
      An interview with Mutt would be like an interview with Thomas Jefferson talking about the Constitution. It would be priceless.
      Thank you POR for the service you provided.
      I can't imagine what it would be like sitting across from the man who made the greatest names in Rock even better.
      YOU HAVE AN AWESOME JOB!!!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +2

      Def Leppard, Huey Lewis, you name it!

    • @darlawrence9295
      @darlawrence9295 6 місяців тому +3

      @@ProfessorofRock here's a little research to get you started.
      Mutt has made his presence felt in Canada, America, and Europe. He is known and respected throughout the world! Here is a partial list of some of the Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum selling artists that Mutt Lange has worked with:
      AC/DC
      *Highway To Hell (1979)
      *Back In Black (1980)
      *For Those About To Rock (1981)
      *Who Made Who (1986)
      Bryan Adams
      *Waking Up the Neighbors (1991)
      *18 Til I Die (1996)
      *The Best Of Me (1999)
      *11 (2008)
      *Anthology (2005)
      Michael Bolton
      *The One Thing (1993)
      The Cars
      *Heartbeat City (1984)
      The Corrs
      *In Blue (2000)
      Def Leppard
      *High 'n' Dry (1981)
      *Pyromania (1983)
      *Hysteria (1987)
      Celine Dion
      *All The Way (1999)
      *A New Day Has Come (2002)
      Foreigner
      *4 (1981)
      Lady Gaga
      *Born This Way (2011)
      Heart
      *All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You (1990)
      Lewis and the News
      *Do You Believe In Love (1982)
      *Mutt also produced 2 albums in the 70s for Clover, which was Huey's previous band.
      Maroon 5
      *Hands All Over (2010)
      Muse
      *Drones (2015)
      Nickelback
      *Dark Horse (2008)
      Billy Ocean
      *Tear Down These Walls (1988)
      Britney Spears
      *Oops I Did It Again (2000)
      Shania Twain
      *The Woman In Me (1995)
      *Come On Over (1997)
      *Up (2002)
      Mutt Lange has also won 5 Grammy Awards:
      1991 - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" - Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
      1995 - The Woman in Me - Best Country Album
      1998 - "You're Still the One" - Best Country Song
      1999 - "Come on Over" - Best Country Song
      2016 - Drones - Best Rock Album

  • @haljalykakik2384
    @haljalykakik2384 6 місяців тому +6

    I bought the 45rpm of this single on clear purple vinyl when I was 9 years old. I still own it. I was entranced by "Fire on High" when I flipped over to the B side. I must have listened to it a hundred times in a row when I first heard it. It's still a stunning track all these years later. Jeff Lynne is an amazing writer, musician and producer. The world is a better place because of him.

  • @gregplaxton2682
    @gregplaxton2682 6 місяців тому +11

    My first ELO album was Eldorado, wore it out. Out of the blue was phenomenal. I finally saw Jeff Lynne's ELO IN 2018, ELO was on my bucket list 😊

    • @tumbleddry2887
      @tumbleddry2887 6 місяців тому +2

      Saw them in Chicago (Actually in Rosemont) in 2018....best time I've probably ever had with my wife and 12 of my closet buddies (who all hadn't been together in one place since high school) Most of us were just tipping into our 50's and everyone of us huge ELO fans. Tried to see them a few years later in Glasgow when my wife and I went to Scotland, but the whole trip got cancelled due to Covid...we were bummed. Did eventually go to Scotland, but ELO wasn't touring (at least there). Would have loved to see them in Europe. Hoping Jeff has at least one more tour in him....

  • @coprolite62
    @coprolite62 6 місяців тому +17

    ‘Secret Messages’ is well worth its own show, probably the last of the great ELO albums following on the heels of ‘Time’ (my favourite). The ‘Balance of Power’ album comes across as a compilation of songs that never made the cut. After that ELO was really no longer.

    • @tumbleddry2887
      @tumbleddry2887 6 місяців тому +2

      Agreed....with every statement you made....right down to Time being my favorite; but I love them all in some way

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому

      Are you talking about the original released version of the 'Secret Messages" album or the 2 record set version?

  • @charleshullett8830
    @charleshullett8830 6 місяців тому +6

    The guitar portion of Fire On High was used extensively as background music for several local sports highlights and score shows, not just Wide World of Sports. Great recap, professor!

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 5 місяців тому +1

      Not at all "Wide Would Of Sports." You are thinking of "CBS Sports Spectacular" etc.

  • @billycranston
    @billycranston 6 місяців тому +20

    Another reason why out of the blue is one of my favorite albums of all time. Also both songs remind me why I can never figure out what my favorite ELO song is. They just have too many good songs.

  • @roncougar1
    @roncougar1 6 місяців тому +6

    ELO was mystic, their music has an incredible effect bringing memories from the past up. They were Outliers, like the Wizard of Oz movie, decades ahead of their time, a great anomaly.

  • @HarrierMan99
    @HarrierMan99 6 місяців тому +7

    My favorite artist. Electric Light Orchestra were so far ahead of their time that you can still hear their influence on music that was recorded decades later. I do remember spinning Fire on High backwards to hear "the music is reversible, but time isn't" bit. Probably did some damage to my turntable in the process, but it was worth it.

  • @dinwiddie69
    @dinwiddie69 6 місяців тому +7

    Please do an episode on secret messages. ELO is one of my all time favorites!

  • @dhmoss75
    @dhmoss75 6 місяців тому +33

    It still hasn’t changed. People can be scared so easily. My 68 year old dad was FURIOUS when he read my lyrics to Motley Crue’s Wild Side in 1987. He told me the other day, “I’ve always loved Motley Crue.” I was thinking … bullsh!t!

    • @gordonspond
      @gordonspond 6 місяців тому +5

      Luckily my dad never bothered looking at my record collection... 😁

    • @DanieVargas
      @DanieVargas 6 місяців тому

      My MOM was the resident Music Nazi… She tried to control EVERY ASPECT IN MY LIFE!! I finally told her to “F*CK OFF” and left home when I was 17! I remember telling my mother “Have some faith in what you taught me growing up and let me LIVE MY LIFE!” Yet ANOTHER bored housewife… 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷‍♀️

    • @BigTimeRushFan2112
      @BigTimeRushFan2112 6 місяців тому +8

      I remember a dust up in 1983 on my school bus when a classmate (very religious) went nuts at me when I played (loudly) In The Beginning/Shout at the Devil from my cassette boom box. Never mind the fact she didn't wanna hear me explain the lyrics was NOT about being for or with the devil but against him and evil. I'm a veteran of the Satanic Panic Era, I've got stripes and all gave some but some gave all! LOL

    • @dhmoss75
      @dhmoss75 6 місяців тому +3

      @@BigTimeRushFan2112 I’ll bet we could trade stories until we got bored! Good times!!!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +1

      I bet he was like, “but you let me down!”

  • @chronomatt6990
    @chronomatt6990 6 місяців тому +29

    Thanks for the recent attention you’ve given to Jeff Lynne. It’s well deserved as he is being re-evaluated as a musical genius, even by his harshest 1970s critics. I hope you get to interview him someday.
    One correction: Fire On High was used as the CBS Sports Spectacular’s theme song not Wide World Of Sports.

    • @ziggystardust4627
      @ziggystardust4627 6 місяців тому +2

      Correct. I've also offered that correction to this video. Otherwise quite good.

  • @bronsonluksza1298
    @bronsonluksza1298 6 місяців тому +4

    I just saw Jeff in San Diego for vets aide! I flew from Ohio to California. It was worth it ELO has been my favorite band since I was a kid and I'm only 24 so it was a once in a lifetime thing. I love all their songs I can sing them all.
    Thanks for a great episode

  • @philspear73
    @philspear73 6 місяців тому +5

    "Turn to Stone" was one that was played a ton by my older siblings. I was only like 5 or 6 but that one especially left an impact.

  • @Ssnowcrash
    @Ssnowcrash 6 місяців тому +2

    Thank you; I stumbled over this episode and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can still recall the first time I heard "Fire on High" because my friend was showing off his new, pricey speakers. It was so clean and penetrating that I believe it formed a permanent groove in my brain.

  • @emeraldknight143
    @emeraldknight143 6 місяців тому +11

    Sweet talking woman is such a great song, one of the first that properly got me into ELO. It’s got so many of the best parts of their other great songs all rolled into one.

  • @stephanieredden8861
    @stephanieredden8861 5 місяців тому +3

    Fire on High received airplay where I grew especially late at night, and it creeped me out. So did the Beatles Revolution 9.

  • @JT_O4
    @JT_O4 6 місяців тому +2

    It was about 1979. My uncle, knowing I am a Queen fan, said “You have to listen to this” and pulled out an album from his collection, dusted it off, and played it. Mystifying sounds came out of the speakers along with the spoken words: “The dreamer, the unwoken fool…” The first 30 seconds of ELO’s Eldorado album, along with its mythological and medieval themes mixed with symphonic Chuck Berry rock, had me hooked for a lifetime.
    BTW, I asked my Uncle if I could borrow the album and he happily loaned it to me…I finally returned it last year🫣. Sorry, Uncle Tom and thank you for a lifetime of musical influence!

  • @azcoder
    @azcoder 6 місяців тому +26

    I had a friend that believed the controversy and kind of panicked when he learned I was an ELO fan. Later I started playing certain tracks backwards just to hear the silly messages.

    • @debbie4503
      @debbie4503 6 місяців тому +7

      Yep. My Nephew had a DVD of Nazareth. My Sister and her (coughdirtbagcough) husband were going to throw it away. I got a hold of it first. Stuck it in my purse. Next time I saw my Nephew, I gave it back to him.

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +1

      And did that work?

    • @LaManteca76
      @LaManteca76 6 місяців тому +1

      @@debbie4503 You're a good aunt. 😀

  • @fl6stringer
    @fl6stringer 5 місяців тому +3

    Funny, the government accusing rock bands of evil psyops...

  • @guycleveland3897
    @guycleveland3897 6 місяців тому +5

    Best album ever. And do cover Secret Messages.
    I spent many days listening to that album over and over since it was released. Nice to see new generations finding it and appreciating it.

  • @wlmrtdrvr6729
    @wlmrtdrvr6729 6 місяців тому +15

    My dad was a Baptist preacher in the south during all the satanic panic. I remember him bringing guest in to talk to us kids about the dangers of Rock and Roll. I also remember sitting in the back snickering at them when they talked about it influencing us subliminally. It only served to make us more interested in listening to those songs.

    • @michaelwills1926
      @michaelwills1926 6 місяців тому +1

      Ironically, they were right. Mark Devlan talks about this stuff. Couldn’t have told me a thing at the time and probably not till the last 2 years or so, but they were right about all of it

    • @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398
      @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 6 місяців тому

      Oh how funny it would be to play one of those hymns bazzackward and hear something... uh... sexy or sinister. It would be something like Google maps revealing that a church building resembled a.... Uh..... just look up "Dixon Church in Chicago", even the name is kinda suggestive............. You'll mean what I know when you look it up.

    • @LewisShieldsUS
      @LewisShieldsUS 6 місяців тому

      Being crazy ain't just secular ​@@michaelwills1926

    • @1e0s
      @1e0s 6 місяців тому +1

      I felt exactly the same ~ A real eye opener to realise he was right

    • @rebeccamcdaniel1033
      @rebeccamcdaniel1033 3 місяці тому

      I always wondered why anybody would want to ruin an album by playing it backwards to start with. A few people have told me over the years, they wanted to play a few of mine backwards. I told them go ahead if they could do it with 2 broke arms..

  • @chuckhutton5087
    @chuckhutton5087 6 місяців тому +6

    Jeff Lynne’s genius created in my opinion the best concept album since Pink Floyd’s “ DSOTM” with “ Time”. Time travel and how relationships are affected. Absolutely brilliant and one of my top ten all-timers.

    • @jenx5870
      @jenx5870 4 місяці тому

      Neither Dark Side of the Moon, nor the song Time, have anything to do with time travel. It's about realizing that you have gotten older while you were wasting your youth on silly pursuits. There is no mention of time travel in the song. They are simply singing about becoming older, and how it feels to wake up one day and feel you've done nothing, and the knowledge that death comes for all. At the end, he appreciates the small things. The concept of the album was greed, money, the passage of time, and Syd's deteriorating mental health. In essence, about their early years as a band.

    • @chuckhutton5087
      @chuckhutton5087 4 місяці тому +4

      @@jenx5870 You misunderstood my statement . I was referring to Jeff Lynne and ELO’s classic concept album titled “ Time” as being the greatest concept album since PF ‘s Dark Side of the Moon”.

    • @rebeccamcdaniel1033
      @rebeccamcdaniel1033 Місяць тому

      Go to Playbooks and install Yours Truly 2095 into your library. It's main character, a guy named Jeff Blue, (catchy name), is from 1981 but he time travels to 2095, meets a woman (AI) and he can't decide if he wants to stay in the future or go back to his time. I'm reading it now. There are so many lines from ELOs songs throughout the book. It's interesting.

    • @chuckhutton5087
      @chuckhutton5087 Місяць тому

      @@rebeccamcdaniel1033 Thanks Rebecca, but I am not familiar with Playbooks. Is it a special type of app? I am not very technologically astute. The “ Time” album has been a fascination of mine since it’s release in ‘81 and when my Air Force roommate wore the LP out on a great turntable throughout 1982 in our barracks room in Alaska.

    • @rebeccamcdaniel1033
      @rebeccamcdaniel1033 29 днів тому +1

      @@chuckhutton5087 I was going to tell you thanks for your service also, but my fingers decided they wanted to hit a different key.

  • @billkeithchannel
    @billkeithchannel 6 місяців тому +5

    I was a huge fan of the "Time" album so when _Stranger_ started to get radio airplay I bought "Secret Messages" from the Columbia House club. I love it and it is a masterpiece of music. I am so thankful that the US version includes _Time After Time_ at the end of side 1 to lead into _Four Little Diamonds_ on Side 2.

    • @shauneden4229
      @shauneden4229 3 місяці тому +1

      Danger Ahead always struck me as the best track. Amazed it wasn't released.

    • @billkeithchannel
      @billkeithchannel 3 місяці тому +1

      @@shauneden4229 Yes! Phenomenal deep cut. Lots of Secret Messages in that one.

  • @tedbecker4051
    @tedbecker4051 6 місяців тому +34

    I was in elementary school when the satanic panic began. In my area of California, both "Hotel California" and "Stairway to Heaven" were rumored to be satanic, not only when played backwards, but also when played forward. However, their popularity still was off the charts. All the talk about satanic messages didn't do anything to persuade anyone I knew not to purchase the backwards masking songs and albums. Instead, it increased sales as most of us became more fascinated by the rumors. At that age, we enjoyed scary movies, scary stories, and scary rumors about our favorite music and bands. While I believe some of the satanic panic was stoked by televangelists, I think some of the marketing agents jumped on board when they saw profits could be made. Interesting episode, Professor.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +9

      It increased record sales by a lot!

    • @Sherwoody
      @Sherwoody 6 місяців тому +9

      I always remember George Carlin saying that if you play Stairway to Heaven backwards it will f**k up your needle.

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +4

      That’s exactly what I thought it would do, increase the sales.

    • @BeeWhistler
      @BeeWhistler 6 місяців тому +5

      @@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980Makes sense to me. All publicity is good publicity, right? I remember it being spoofed in Bloom County. Some censor guy playing Billy Joel songs backwards and hearing messages like, “I snort the nose, Lucifer! Banana! Banana!” and the punchline was a song played backwards revealing the message, “No matter how you slice it, it’s still baloney.” Classic.

    • @oldiesgeek454
      @oldiesgeek454 6 місяців тому +2

      ​@@ProfessorofRockI just thought I'd mention, that this song was used during "commercials" for a sports show called "CBS Sports Spectacular" in the late 70s. (The part where the song kicks into gear after the strange intro). 😊

  • @tnrodgers
    @tnrodgers 6 місяців тому +13

    Everyone meets a Sweet Talkin’ Woman and red flags are mixed with caution lights, but it’s hard to turn away. Jeff nailed the lyrics. Fire seemed creepy and edgy, but rather than scare me, it reminded me of my faith. Thanks Adam, feel better quick!

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +6

      So true! Thanks!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +1

      On fire means you’re flying high!

    • @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398
      @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 6 місяців тому +2

      I didn't think it was creepy or scary but somber but with some sort of anticipation. It also had a cinematic feel to it.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому

      The lyrics are not about the woman exploiting the guy with sweet talk. The sweet talk was how she broke up with him, which didn't soothe his disappointment of losing her because he was basically obsessed with her. I'm not sure what you mean by writing that Jeff nailed the lyrics, but he and Electric Light Orchestra are great..

    • @tnrodgers
      @tnrodgers 6 місяців тому +2

      @@bobdavis4848 “Jeff nailed the lyrics” (He got the lyrics right.” Maybe you need a class on euphemisms?

  • @rjkral
    @rjkral 6 місяців тому +2

    Fantastic video Professor! Awesome info and a lot of background I wasn't aware of. ELO has always been one of my absolute favorite bands, with TIME being my favorite album I feel doesn't get talked about enough. Any chance of a video of that one? Particularly the incredible energy of "TWILIGHT" still amazes me to this day! So glad I got to see Jeff Lynne perform (ELO) just a few years ago in LA, he and the band all sounded absolutely top notch incredible!

  • @tezzvids1
    @tezzvids1 6 місяців тому +3

    I'm a fan of ELO and have many of their albums. Christian rock banks also copped a lot of flak over their style of music. Petra included a backward message at the beginning of one of their songs which went along the lines of," why are you looking for the devil when you oughta be looking for the Lord." I attended two of their concerts back in the '80s and not only put on a brilliant show, but invited people to come up and give their hearts to Jesus.

  • @HNXMedia
    @HNXMedia 6 місяців тому +29

    The Satanic Panic was something to live through. My 5th grade Social Studies teacher nearly got fired for allowing kids to play D&D in her classroom during recess. It was a very weird big deal.

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +1

      That is freaky!

    • @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398
      @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 6 місяців тому

      The Satanic Panic are creepy and any America who bought into it should be ashamed of themselves.

    • @evelynwaugh4053
      @evelynwaugh4053 6 місяців тому +4

      Mass hysteria.

    • @philhogan5623
      @philhogan5623 6 місяців тому +2

      The whole satanic panic thing just made heavy metal seem even more badass and became more popular.

    • @user-kx4cq3lh6x
      @user-kx4cq3lh6x 6 місяців тому

      Some MAGA cult members are doing it again...and surprise surprise some of the same states and assorted loons...

  • @MyName-pl7zn
    @MyName-pl7zn 6 місяців тому +7

    Actually Fire on High is one of my favorite ELO tracks, so eerie and trippy. I thought Jeff was just having some fun with the backward masking crowd for kicks. I always felt this track was like if Elton John collaborated with Pink Floyd but in an ELO style and intentionally meant to cause a stir. I never made the connection between Sweet talking women and Do You Believe in Love but definitely is true. Great episode professor, now im going to play this episode backwards and see what secret message you had, lol

  • @claudiobeachball
    @claudiobeachball 6 місяців тому +4

    I heard Fire on High decades ago as a kid in the early 90s and loved it. I was a bit weird and loved older music even as a kid. Anyway, I recorded part of it on cassette tape, but I had no idea what it was called…until watching this video. Awesome video!

  • @dgarve
    @dgarve 6 місяців тому +6

    Sweet Talkin' Woman was my favorite ELO song as a kid in the '70s, and Out of the Blue is definitely Lynne's masterpiece (although I think ANWR, FTM and Time are also really strong). With the exception of 'Jungle' every song is a melodic feast, and he could've released another ten songs on it that would've been hits. My favorites are Steppin Out, Wild West Hero, STW, It's Over and Standing in the Rain. I was lucky enough to see Lynne's ELO at the small Irving Plaza in NYC in 2015, and also at the Prudential Center in Newark in 2019. For the latter, they did Wild West Hero and Standing in the Rain, which were amazing. Hope they're not done with their touring days just yet! Thanks and feel better! - Dave

  • @HolyCrap-cz6vs
    @HolyCrap-cz6vs 6 місяців тому +5

    I love listening to ELO with a good set of headphones. There is just so much there to enjoy - years later I actually realize just how great they were.

  • @unclemarksdiyauto
    @unclemarksdiyauto 6 місяців тому +1

    I had forgotten this was supposedly a thing when I was growing up. Queen had one of those songs I remember trying this with as another way to be entertained back in the day. Thanks for this episode.

  • @nortymoo7246
    @nortymoo7246 6 місяців тому +1

    The introduction music to Fire on High originally went by the working title 'The Nightmare'. Jeff Lynne asked the long time orchestral arranger Louis Clark to compose a piece to sound like a nightmare. Clark used techniques found in much contemporary classical music such as the composers Shoenberg, Webern, Berg and Stravinsky.
    Bet none of you knew that!!

    • @shauneden4229
      @shauneden4229 3 місяці тому

      You're right. I certainly didn't.

  • @ericbgordon1575
    @ericbgordon1575 6 місяців тому +8

    I've always liked Electric Light Orchestra's music to one extent or another since I was about 4 years old and first recall hearing "Strange Magic" (not bad for a first ELO tune, considering today's topic). I'm totally there with regard to how Jeff's tongue went in his cheek over how unhinged the backlash against "secret messages" in music was.
    "Sweet Talkin' Woman" isn't a song I was familiar with growing up, but I came to dig it as an adult. I have occasionally wondered if he was trying to reflect both on the Beach Boys catalog and (their own) "Living Thing". I have commented before about the synonimity with "Do You Believe in Love".
    Kelly - that guy should've been better featured in ELO. He should've been as instantly recognizable in that context as Jeff.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +2

      Thanks Eric! Great comment.

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +1

      Strange Magic is a great start Eric.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +1

      Check out Kelly Groucutt's solo album "Kelly"'s single "Am I A Dreamer"; it sounds like a big ELO hit!

  • @michaelrochester48
    @michaelrochester48 6 місяців тому +19

    Fire On High is one of my favorite instrumentals ever!

  • @mapo69
    @mapo69 6 місяців тому +2

    "Fire on High " is a track with great acoustic guitars. The rhythmn is really fantastic. It brings me back when my brother and I would listen to ELO on my dad's turntable in the living room.

  • @sirkat344
    @sirkat344 6 місяців тому +3

    Fire On High was a Jeff Lynne master stroke of genius. Still a favorite all these years later. Awesome, awesome track

  • @flavellinator
    @flavellinator 6 місяців тому +7

    "Where did you go?"... Love that opening line!

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +1

      Same! What' your favorite ELO song Flave?

    • @flavellinator
      @flavellinator 6 місяців тому

      Fire on High and Sweet Talkin' Woman... You hit the bullseye today, sir!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому

      Great way to start a song.

    • @embee5557
      @embee5557 6 місяців тому

      Yes!!!

  • @MrAdomus
    @MrAdomus 6 місяців тому +1

    Fire On High is one of my absolute favorite ELO tracks! I love the explosive intro, those absolutely haunting strings, the sudden tempo jumps, it's absolutely insane and I bloody love it! I played it to a friend of mine who spent 4 years studying music in university and it left him speechless! He said there was so much going on it blew him away how seamlessly it all fitted and flowed together

  • @dianewilliams1125
    @dianewilliams1125 6 місяців тому +2

    Im 66 ,lived thru all the great 70s music and concerts. I remember all the "paul is dead" stuff,but i never heard of all the other back tracking. I have all the ELO albums some on 8 track and saw them in concert a few times. I suppose with all that was going on, i missed this info. Now i have to dust off my album and start listening more closely. Love this site! Professor you wake me up to so many things that got passed me! Keep up the great work! PEACE!

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +1

      Where'd you see them?

    • @dianewilliams1125
      @dianewilliams1125 6 місяців тому

      @@ProfessorofRock Most concerts I saw were either MSG,Philadelphia or Long Island. I lived in New Jersey and all it took was take the train into Grand central and MSG was close by! Literally saw dozens of concerts,mainly because they were close and affordable! Gotta say out of all of them my favorite was BTO at a smaller venue on the 🏝.

    • @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398
      @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 6 місяців тому +1

      8-track, it's would be you luck the best songs on the album are the ones that go "KA-CHUNK" in the middle of play.

    • @marktait2371
      @marktait2371 6 місяців тому

      ​@@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398haha was telling other pof we had piles if 70s 8tracks in friend older bros 64 valient wish we had those today wed be rocking acdc bto tull bowie cachunk.still.today

    • @marktait2371
      @marktait2371 6 місяців тому +1

      we still
      laugh about even today feat be my dixie chicken i just a few days on the radio singing along driving to school cachunk haha

  • @gregwasserman2635
    @gregwasserman2635 6 місяців тому +20

    I always like ELO growing up. I think my favorite song was "Evil Woman" (Eeeeeevil Wooman). Jeff Lynne was such a great, yet underrated, lead singer. As for backmasking, I was part of a study as an undergrad regarding subliminal messages. I was, but some chance, part of two classes that were randomly selected from all the classes at the university. And, by chance, I was unknowingly part of the test group in one and the control group in the other. To make a long story short, while backmasking did exist (some artists put it in purposefully), it did not affect one because the brain could not decipher it. As an example, if someone plays a song backwards, you probably won't hear the backmasking if you are not told what to hear or the "message" is not printed as the song is playing if you are watching a video.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +6

      Very cool Greg!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +3

      That’s fascinating! How did you find out about the study?

    • @gregwasserman2635
      @gregwasserman2635 6 місяців тому +2

      @@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980, it was explained to us afrer the fact. I was a little puzzle when I took the "test" the second time and the instructions seemed a bit different, but I was an undergrad and had a lot of sinfo going through my head. I just figured I remembered things wrong and just went on. It's been nearly 40 years since that happened so a lot of the specifics are now quite foggy.

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +1

      @@gregwasserman2635 I would have felt that way too. I’m on my way to undergrad.

    • @terrybeavan4264
      @terrybeavan4264 6 місяців тому +4

      I remember in marketing class (longer ago than I'd care to admit LOL) the teacher on being asked by a fellow student about stuff like backwards masking and subliminal messaging he just laughed and told us this stuff was worthless! And went on to say it's hard enough getting people's attention and remembering your ads when you're direct! So forget anything subtle, you hit people right between the eyes! And went on to name as an example a company that GEEZ to this very day has those annoying TV commercials for their product for our tummy troubles including nausea, heartburn, upset stomach, and well by now you know the rest and are probably hearing that terrible God-forsaken jingle in your head!!! Sorry for taking you away from the great Jeff Lynne music.... :D

  • @stephanlandshuter5237
    @stephanlandshuter5237 6 місяців тому +7

    What an audacious starter for an album! Really eerie. Listen with headphones. E.L.O. is one of my all time fav bands since I was 14 in 1982. I never tire of that sound.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +1

      No kidding!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому

      What’s your favorite ELO song?

    • @stephanlandshuter5237
      @stephanlandshuter5237 6 місяців тому

      @@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 That depends on the day you're asking. I have a pool of around 30 songs which I adore. 80% of Out Of The Blue are 10/10 songs. Then there are Twilight, Secret Messages, Livin' Thing, All Over The World, Tightrope. And also some b-sides are fantastic, f.e. When Time Stood Still.

  • @willammunny5589
    @willammunny5589 6 місяців тому +1

    I didn’t have the appreciation for ELO back in the day but recently, after watching some of their concert videos, I’ve grown to enjoy them.

  • @thatonedude1003
    @thatonedude1003 5 місяців тому +1

    My dad sat me down as a child…he gave me the album cover for “Face the Music” which has an electric chair on the front, and a CREEPY picture of the band on the back. He dropped the needle on song #1 of the record, “Fire on High”. The song started with the creepiest backmasking I’d ever heard…and that…mixed with the creepy cover terrified me.
    It is one of my favorite songs of all time…

  • @SmithFamilyUTuber
    @SmithFamilyUTuber 6 місяців тому +5

    It's the Electric "Light Orchestra," not the "Electric Light" Orchestra. They were not a FULL orchestra, they were a LIGHT orchestra, with ELECTRIC instruments. If you didn't know before, now you do!

    • @tRumphate
      @tRumphate 4 місяці тому

      GO AWAY

    • @mbvideoselection
      @mbvideoselection 4 місяці тому +1

      Shall we ignore the huge electric light bulb on the cover of their first album?!

    • @tRumphate
      @tRumphate 4 місяці тому

      @mbvideoselection yeah, if he's right, someone f'ed up in the art department.

  • @allengray5748
    @allengray5748 6 місяців тому +4

    Finally a mention of one of my favorite Rock instrumentals. FIRE ON HIGH is awesome and AWESOMER very LOUD!! So how is SOOOOO many people don't get the message if they read it or even SCREAMED into their Face but a mumble garbled accidental audio can mess your life up and cause you to warship the Devil!!??? Humans!! Thanks to a couple smart ones we made it out of the CAVE!! Thanks Professor!! Peace 🕊️☮️♾️😎

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +2

      THanks!

    • @johantrenier1685
      @johantrenier1685 6 місяців тому +2

      Also known as the “CBS Sports Spectacular” intro.

    • @flavellinator
      @flavellinator 6 місяців тому

      Agree! Cranked it all the way up for otherworldly experience!

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +1

      It is so ridiculous. I do not hear that at all when I spin the record backwards.

    • @allengray5748
      @allengray5748 6 місяців тому

      @@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Yep! Talk about a desperate cry for attention 🤗 Probably late bed wetting men! ☮️

  • @CManinLa
    @CManinLa 6 місяців тому +1

    I worked for a 10W College Radio Station in 1975. We played alternate music & had the freedom to play non mainstream music. Loved Fire on High & the allure it created. I used the track as the opening for my daily show. Love your stories & content. Keep up the good work.

  • @tgorycki6825
    @tgorycki6825 6 місяців тому +2

    Out of the Blue and A New World Record are my favorite ELO albums. It blows me away to think that the bulk of Out of the Blue, a double album, was written on a piano in a Swiss chalet. Pure genius!

  • @woodchuck70
    @woodchuck70 6 місяців тому +3

    The Fire On High song was also used on an indoor Scrambler ride at a small amusement park called Fun Town USA, in Saco, ME. My understanding is it was a special shortened version for the ride. I remember being just blown away by that song, and trying to find out the name and who did it. It was one of my earliest quests for a song title - long before Sound Hound and Shazam.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому

      Cool story! Was the shortened version the same as the four minute single B side edit version that omits the backwards message and spookiest music of it?

  • @Zhixalom
    @Zhixalom 6 місяців тому +3

    Are you kidding? - of course we want you to cover Secret Messages. In fact, don't be afraid to do a deep dive on that album, or indeed any of the upcoming ELO / Jeff Lynn albums.
    - I'm really looking forward to the Discovery video. Simply because that album was my first encounter with (or "discovery" 😉of) ELO in my early teens. I got absolutely drawn in and lost in the gorgeous album art. Both the insides and outsides. When the "Time" album came around, I was very into the Valerian comic books and that album was almost on constant repeat, when reading those comics. So, when ever I hear anything from "Time" my head instantly gets filled with all that strange and eerie Valerian comics space imagery.
    - Fun fact... Daft Punk "borrowed" a lot of samples from ELO's Discovery album, for their album of the same name (as a tribute to ELO). Which obviously was turned into a full length manga music video movie by Leiji Matsumoto, Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Hirotoshi Rissen, and Daisuke Nishio named "Interstella 5555". It is also a bit of a strange space oddity movie, much like those French Valerian comics, with genuinely the sweetest plot twist of all, at the very end.
    - Funny enough, Daft Punk's Discovery Album (and consequentially Interstella 5555) is pretty much the only thing by them, which is able to catch my attention and imagination.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +1

      Daft Punk sampled ELO's "Evil Woman" in "Face To Face." Cool comment details and two great bands! :-)

  • @chriscorman734
    @chriscorman734 6 місяців тому +1

    Just love " Out of the Blue" as a 12 year old sneaking into my older brothers room when he wasn't around this was a regular. A number of years later having secured a copy myself i play it frequently on my turntable. As always thank you for the post Professor. I hope someday i pass the audition

  • @witeskyn7
    @witeskyn7 6 місяців тому +1

    I was very much into ELO as a 14 year old kid.
    As an adult pushing 60 years old....I still like them and
    I still have the Sweet Talkin' Woman 45 rpm single record (Clear Purple vinyl)
    with Fire On High as B-Side in the original mini-sleeve.
    This video put a smile on my face, Professor.

  • @JanesDough855
    @JanesDough855 6 місяців тому +9

    I always loved this band, their music was so unique. My favorite is "Can't Get It Out Of My Head". I am fortunate to have seen them once in concert.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +2

      Where'd you see them? When?

    • @JanesDough855
      @JanesDough855 6 місяців тому +3

      @@ProfessorofRock Milwaukee Arena. It had to be in the late 70s. A great time to go to concerts.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +2

      Very coo!@@JanesDough855

    • @JanesDough855
      @JanesDough855 6 місяців тому +1

      @@ProfessorofRock I always thought Jeff Lynne was very brilliant.

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому

      When did you see them?

  • @GaryWayneHill64
    @GaryWayneHill64 6 місяців тому +5

    You should absolutely cover the Secret Messages album, very underrated (as was the case with most ELO material strangely, although it would seem people are finally catching on now), it has some classic tracks, Four Little Diamonds being my personal favourite, but Bluebird, Stranger, Danger Ahead, and of course the title track are classic tunes also, but there is not a bad song on the entire album, just out of this world tunes and excellent ones.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому +4

      Will do!

    • @GaryWayneHill64
      @GaryWayneHill64 6 місяців тому

      I look forward to it my friend, keep up the great work@@ProfessorofRock

    • @SirOliverNorwell
      @SirOliverNorwell 6 місяців тому +1

      I find Danger Ahead to be absolutely irresistible. I thought it would become a massive hit in the summer of '83, but it wasn't released as a single

    • @shauneden4229
      @shauneden4229 3 місяці тому +1

      ​@@SirOliverNorwell💯 One of life's great mysteries why Danger Ahead never became a single.

  • @rogerbanderson
    @rogerbanderson 6 місяців тому +1

    I love ELO. Theyre my top band. A friend turned me on to "Time" and i remember buying Secret Messages with my hard earned lawnmowing money. I love that album. I didnt think anyone else really liked it. Thanks for mentioning it and being so awesome Adam.

  • @ericolson326
    @ericolson326 6 місяців тому +2

    "Fire on High" contains my favorite single note in all music, around 4 minutes in when the guitar melody just barely goes into feedback before the choir comes back in.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому

      Yes, that is cool; the single version is only 4 minutes total! I know you mean the "Face The Music" LP version.

  • @haroldbrooks9821
    @haroldbrooks9821 6 місяців тому +12

    Fire on High wasn't the theme song for ABC Wide World of Sports. It was the theme for CBS Sports Special (or Spectacular) from 1976-1978, which was CBS's version of Wide World of Sports in the 70s. It was replaced by a version of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" that was modelled after the Emerson, Lake, and Palmer version.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +2

      Thanks for pointing that out! Also "Idle Race" was not a debut album title of ELO but Jeff Lynne's first major band.

  • @rogerdeahl9629
    @rogerdeahl9629 6 місяців тому +5

    ❤🎉
    Yeah, the Satanic Panic. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
    Always loved ELO.
    Great tunes for a 10 year period....... then Jeff Lynne became an extraordinary producer.
    Thanks Professor!
    Great start to the week.

  • @jasonsadventures64
    @jasonsadventures64 6 місяців тому +1

    I grew up through the satanic panic. I was not allowed to have any kind of rock music in the house. A guy came to the church and he did play that ELO backmasking track and it scared all of us.

  • @williamcadle3288
    @williamcadle3288 6 місяців тому +1

    Thanks for highlighting one of the greatest bands in the history of music. I remember buying this album on 8 track. It was discounted because it had the United Artist label on it. This was during Jeff Lynne's fued with the record label, which would make for an interesting segment.

  • @cottage6988
    @cottage6988 6 місяців тому +4

    For me as a kid Xanandu was the apex of ELO. Saw that movie with my Dad and never forgot. Wonderful memories with a wonderful band. I also remember he went to see ELO in concert and I was too young to go with him. I'm still mad about that. Lol

    • @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398
      @istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 6 місяців тому

      The Big Band Meets Hard Rock drove me nuts!

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому

      @@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398 Fee Waybill of The Tubes was describing how he used to get aggravated when clueless fans would ask them to perform "Got Some Dancin' To Do" at a Tubes concert. They seemed absolutely unclear on the concept that it was a movie scene! Plus it's not like the Tubes could snap their fingers and there would appear Olivia Newton-John and big band musicians at a Tubes concert, haha. But I loved the "Xanadu" movie!

    • @jenx5870
      @jenx5870 4 місяці тому

      I think I was 8 or 9 yrs old when Xanadu came out. Fantastic soundtrack, horrible movie. Definitely not the apex of ELO, but Jeff Lynne really doesn't write a bad song, does he?

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 4 місяці тому

      @@jenx5870 No, I like all Jeff Lynne written songs. "Xanadu" is one of my favorite movies ever; what about it did you not like?

    • @shauneden4229
      @shauneden4229 3 місяці тому

      ​@@bobdavis4848Apparently it's Jeff's favourite too. ONJ sounded as good as she looked RIP.

  • @thetitleisours1
    @thetitleisours1 6 місяців тому +4

    Oh man, I am going to enjoy this one!!! :)

  • @comiskey2005
    @comiskey2005 6 місяців тому +1

    Saw ELO in 1979 which was the Out of the Blue Tour. They emerged from the album cover’s space ship on stage, which blew my 16-year old mind! Saw them again a few years ago, and Jeff and the band (with Richard Tandy - keyboardist, as the only other original member) were as fresh as ever!

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому

      1979 was the "Discovery" tour. 1977 was the "Out Of The Blue" tour. Richard Tandy was not an original Electric Light Orchestra member; he was not on the first album "No Answer." The spaceship tour you described was the tour that included the first concert I ever went to.

  • @jamesbrowne6351
    @jamesbrowne6351 4 місяці тому +1

    Loved this entire album. My Grandma was a Colombia House Record member and would bring these records to us grandkids because she didn't want them. She wanted the Nat King Cole and Perry Como stuff and when she'd get The Doors, The Who, and Led Zeplin albums she'd give them to us. As a result, eight and nine year old kids are walking around the house singing Whiskey Bar and Black Dog. Out of the Blue was one of them and I still have it.

    • @Judith-wq2jp
      @Judith-wq2jp 4 місяці тому

      A group of us, college-attending parents of young (pre-school age) kids, formed a DayCare Co-op in the early 70s. We rented an old two story house and rented out the top floor to help keep the costs down. We all shared doing the day care as well as lunches and snacks. I was on duty the day a huge box of records was delivered from Columbia Records Club to the guy who lived upstairs, and who had joined the club to get the free records, as MORTIMER SNERD.
      I still can't believe they shipped him those records...

  • @debbie4503
    @debbie4503 6 місяців тому +5

    Jeff Lynne is one of my all time favorites. Especially when he was with The Traveling Wilburys. I love ELO too! That's rich! 😂 Televangelist (95%) were the biggest crooks of all.

  • @DukesMusic84
    @DukesMusic84 6 місяців тому +4

    Jeff Lynne is basically the fifth Beatle, all the Fab Four comeback songs were because of his masterful production.

    • @Sherwoody
      @Sherwoody 6 місяців тому +1

      Loved Jeff Lynne’s contribution to the Travelling Wilburys. I wish they had carried on.

    • @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
      @xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 6 місяців тому +2

      Yes!

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +1

      Don't you mean the sixth Beatle, after Pete Best?

    • @DukesMusic84
      @DukesMusic84 6 місяців тому

      @@bobdavis4848 True! Yes he was.

    • @leopoldbluesky
      @leopoldbluesky 5 місяців тому

      ​@@DukesMusic84 Ringo was the sixth Beatle after John, George, Paul, Pete and Stu. Billy Preston could possibly count at a push, and many would consider George Martin to be an honorary Beatle. Not too take anything away from Jeff but he is definitely not 5th!

  • @garavin
    @garavin 6 місяців тому +1

    The postscript to "Nights in White Satin" used to creep me out as a child. As an adult I appreciated the message, but that "Moody" instrumental lead-in to the spoken conclusion of the song was frightening to a 9 or 10 year old me.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +1

      That's the "Late Lament" portion... I know what you mean about going from the eerie music and the talk after the Moody Blues' main "Nights InWhite Satin" part.

  • @LTurbide
    @LTurbide 6 місяців тому +2

    "The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back! Turn back! Turn back! Turn back! "

  • @toms5951
    @toms5951 6 місяців тому +8

    Weird Al also had to parody back masking.
    "Wow, you must have a lot of free time on your hands" from I Remember Larry
    "Satan loves cheese whiz" From Nature Trail to hell

  • @jessehayes486
    @jessehayes486 6 місяців тому +3

    Fire on High....play, reverse, play, reverse....repeat, repeat....dang, tape player ate the tape! Just trying to figure out was said.

  • @kevinpatrickmacnutt
    @kevinpatrickmacnutt 6 місяців тому +1

    Fire On High is the track that got me into ELO after hearing the single version on a classic rock station in the mid 80s.
    The self titled Idle Race album is the second album. The debut was called "The Birthday Party".

  • @seanvigue4549
    @seanvigue4549 6 місяців тому +2

    I live in Maine, and we have an amusement park called FunTown. There's a ride called the Astro Sphere that is s big inflatable dome that blasts Fire on High in the dark! I'm 37 and and have been to this amusement park so many times and I get to bring my boys there as well and share this ride and song with them! Love your vids POR!

  • @gaylehenderson603
    @gaylehenderson603 6 місяців тому +4

    Here's a group from the past Climax 'precious n few' this song was used on the intro to Mary Tyler Moore show.

    • @ProfessorofRock
      @ProfessorofRock  6 місяців тому

      Love that song. Takes me back!

    • @rogervondrasek5677
      @rogervondrasek5677 6 місяців тому +3

      Love is all around by Sonny Curtis was the theme from M.T.M. They do sound similar.

    • @gaylehenderson603
      @gaylehenderson603 6 місяців тому

      @@rogervondrasek5677 oh ok I'm glad you told me, thank you. 😀🌹

  • @andyshelton4889
    @andyshelton4889 6 місяців тому +3

    Was “ Fire On High”used in Wide World Of Sports?😀❤️🎼

    • @JustaKubrickFan
      @JustaKubrickFan 6 місяців тому +1

      Confirming CBS NFL games used this at the beginning of their shows. CBS owns the rights to ELO's music.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 6 місяців тому +5

      No. On "CBS Sports Spectacular."

    • @chronomatt6990
      @chronomatt6990 6 місяців тому +1

      @@bobdavis4848
      Correct. It’s a common mistake, unfortunately.

    • @dculp9284
      @dculp9284 5 місяців тому +1

      Of course CBS never used the creepy intro - just the catchy acoustic strum refrain.

    • @bobdavis4848
      @bobdavis4848 5 місяців тому +1

      ​@@dculp9284 I know what you mean by "creepy intro." Unfortunately, through this whole video, Professor Of Rock conflated the two versions, as if both were equally creepy. The edited B side of "Sweet Talkin' Woman'" did not contain the creepiest part, with the backwards message and unusual sounds. The four minute edited B-side version starts right after the dramatic strings, and begins a minute and a half in, where the drums kick in. Then there is a slower part (some might call slightly creepy) which has non lyrical background vocals before the catchy acoustic strum refrain used.
      By the way, to answer POR's question nine videos before this post, about creepiest song of the rock era, my other account shiroibasketshoes was the one who mentioned Electric Light Orchestra's "Fire On High." While that is not proof I inspired the song choice for this episode, it did make me wonder.

  • @williammeyer4674
    @williammeyer4674 6 місяців тому +2

    Jeff Lynn and ELO...perfection! My favorite rock group since hearing the vinyl masterpieces Eldorado and A New World Record when I was a lad in Junior High. Lynn is an amazing writer, singer and musician with incredible range...from ELO to Traveling Wilbury's.

  • @S3TCC
    @S3TCC 6 місяців тому +1

    Great Band, Great Album, Great Songs, Kudos for knowing the Scrambler played Fire On High at Sea Breeze Park in Irondequoit, NY. It was placed into a building and the lights were turned off. When the music began there were multi-colored strobe lights on. They played the entire song during the ride.

  • @witchy6978
    @witchy6978 6 місяців тому +3

    Hi Satan