CLASSIC ROCK BAND THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (ELO), INCLUDES REGGAE SONG “WHEN THE NIGHT COMES” IN NEW ALBUM “ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE!”

October 16th, 2015 | Add a Comment

Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)

Jeff Lynne proves he can still craft a hook with latest ‘Alone in the Universe’ single—-

BY DANIEL KREPS—

Nine months after Electric Light Orchestra staged their triumphant return at the Grammys with a mini-medley featuring Ed Sheeran, Jeff Lynne’s ELO will release Alone in the Universe, the group’s first LP in 14 years, on November 13th. On Thursday, the group shared the spacey, reggae-tinged joint “When the Night Comes” from their first album since 2001’s Zoom.

Throughout Lynne’s career — from the studio wizard’s work with Traveling Wilburys to Tom Petty and his own ELO — his impeccable, layered production has remained a constant. “When the Night Comes” is just as sharp, mounting strings atop a ska beat to lend the track a laid-back vibe.

Nearly 45 years after the first ELO album, Lynne still knows how to write a wallop of a hook, and he delivers that knockout punch with an irresistible chorus where he sings, “When the night comes / And everybody’s gone / When the night comes / And I’m here all alone / Every night, that’s when I think of you.”

Lynne recorded Alone in the Universe following the success of ELO’s September 2014 comeback concert at London’s Hyde Park, a sold-out event in front of 50,000 fans and nearly a million people watching via livestream. Like previous ELO releases – like Eldorado, one of Rolling Stone‘s 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time – Lynne serves Alone in the Universe‘s main producer, songwriter, arranger, lead singer and guitarist. While the current Electric Light Orchestra lineup differs greatly from previous incarnations, longtime keyboardist Richard Tandy is also aboard for ELO’s latest LP.