On the Third Day was the third album released by the band, issued 197311 in the US on United Artists and 197312 in the UK on Warner Brothers (they had previously been contracted to Harvest). It made #52 in the US but did not chart in the UK.
Jeff Lynne produced the record and wrote all of the material with one exception, and you can tell that immediately. I did not think that it was a very good album, but that is just an opinion.
That is not to say that it was a bad album, but I sort of hold a band like ELO to a higher standard. In all fairness, they had some stiff competition, since The Who released Quadrophenia that year, The Rolling Stones released Goat’s Head Soup, and Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon!
The lineup for the band changed from the previous one, and even during the recording of the material for it. Here are band members who contributed to all of the released material:
Mike de Albuquerque on bass
Bev Bevan on drums
Mike Edwards on cello
Jeff Lynne guitar and vocals
Richard Tandy on synthesizer and piano
For performers other than these I shall point them out as we come to them.
The first song on the record is “Ocean Breakup/King of the Universe”, an odd song by even ELO standards. Mik Kaminski played violin on this piece. Note the code that is repeated from time to time, the Morse for “ELO”.
It’s all making me ready
It’s all doing what you gotta do
I know “A”
I see my life come shineGolden sunrise
Tragic day dream
I am so afraid —King of the Universe, Are you King of the Earth
King of the Universe, Are you King of the Sky
King of the Universe, Are you King of the Sky
“Bluebird is Dead” is the next track, and it is pretty much OK, but if taken as symbolic for a person is quite sad. Kaminski also played on this song.
Little Darlin’ of my life
You keep movin’ cross my mind
You gave me a sunny day
Now it looks as if I’ll payWhy do they say — Bluebird is dead?
I can still see her, touch her, my Bluebird
The love that she gave, I don’t believe, No, No, I don’t believeBluebird came to me tonight
Waiting patiently for light
She said I know that you will grieve
But my darlin’ I must leaveWhy do they say — Bluebird is dead?
I can still see her, touch her, my Bluebird
The love that she gave, I don’t believe, No, No, I don’t believeBluebird say it is not so
Please I cannot hear you speak
It must be that you’re so tired
In the darkness of the nightWhy do they say — Bluebird is dead?
I can still see her, touch her, my Bluebird
The love that she gave, I don’t believe, No, No, I don’t believe
The third track, on which Kaminski also played, is “Oh No Not Susan”, sort of more traditional ELO sounding. I actually like it pretty well.
Susan spent the weekend at her stately home
Crying at the lions on the garden wall
And then she’d sigh — sneak away
Look at her style — free the dayOh no not me — I wouldn’t
Oh no not me — I couldn’t
That’s all she says, her money and her place
They just don’t mean a thingSusan met the Lords and Dukes of everywhere
Smiling kissing wishing that they’d go to hell
And then she’d laugh — wonder why
Take a nap — sit and cryOh no not me — I wouldn’t
Oh no not me — I couldn’t
That’s all she says, her money and her place
They just don’t mean a *** thing
The forth song, the last on which Kominski played on the album, is “New World Rising/Ocean Breakup”. It is really pretty good, with more action, for lack of a better word, than the previous tracks.
New Dawn, smiling down the old blue world
Can you feel it, like the first of Spring
The bells are ringing out a little tune for youDaylight, everyone hears the sound
Hey, Goodmornin’, how you doin’, well I’m doin’ fine
It’s nearly nine I must be goneI see no sorrow now
Nobody has a careHey there, why don’t you join me I’ll be glad to know you
Take some time out, would you like to work or play
Or wander slowly through this bright new day
Everyone laughs, can’t believe what’s goin’ on round here
New World Risin’, everybody kicked their blues away
Not for today but evermoreI see no sorrow now
Nobody has a careNew Day, smiling down on the world
Can you feel it, like the first of Spring
The bells are ringing out a little tune for you
The fifth track, “Showdown” was not issued on the UK version because it was recorded whilst the band was still with Harvest Records. It did appear on the US version since the contractual environment was different. This song is well known, and one of the better ones on the record. Wilf Gibson played violin on this song, and Colin Walker joined them on cello. They played on the rest of the album, so I shall not mention personnel any more with two exceptions: Ted Blight played cello (evidently uncredited) on some or all of the tracks. The other exception shall come presently.
I actually like this song very much, since it has the “classic” ELO sound. It was released as a single, and charted at #53 in the US and at #12 in the UK. I think that this is the first song by the band that I remember from the radio. Here is a story about radio in Fort Smith, Arkansas at the time.
In the late 1960s and very early 1970s there was a 100,000 watt FM station called KMAG that played excellent rock music and had good jocks. (If you go to Facebook, look up Bob Ketchum, who has a music series there even now. He was one of the jocks at KMAG). The owners decided to change formats, and then only two AM stations played much rock, KWHN and KFDF. Both were AM, so the sound quality was not nearly as good as KMAG had been. Folks from that era still use the phrase, “When KMAG was really KMAG…” when talking about music radio from those days. Finally a new FM station, KSIR, came on the air and it played rock, and in the early days was essentially a robot because the music and comments from the jocks changed only about once a week. Fred Baker owned it, and it was, although not very good, at least FM and it DID play rock.
It was really low power, and even though I lived only about 10 straight line miles from it, I often had to “go mono” because the stereo separation would fade in and out several times a minute, which was extremely annoying. It turns out that its broadcast antenna was on a pole, like a street light pole, in front of the studio! When I was in Fort Smith the separation was fine, but at Hackett is was not. Since KMAG was not playing rock any more, I must have heard “Showdown” on KISR or one of the AM outlets first. I shall talk about radio more in future installments.
She cried to the southern wind
About a love that was sure to end
Every dream in her heart was gone
Headin’ for a ShowdownBad dreamer, what’s your name
Looks like we’re ridin’ on the same train
Looks as through there’ll be more pain
There’s gonna be a ShowdownAnd it’s rainin’ all over the world
It’s raining all over the world
Tonight, the longest nightShe came to me like a friend
She blew in on a southern wind
Now my heart is turned to stone again
There’s gonna be a ShowdownSave me, oh save me
It’s unreal, the suffering
There’s gonna be a ShowdownAnd it’s rainin’ all over the world
It’s raining all over the world
Tonight, the longest night
“Daybreaker” was the first track on the second side on both the UK and the US releases. It is really a pretty nice instrumental, and I like it fine. It is also a fast mover, and the Moog work is nice.
The second track on the second side is “Ma-Ma-Ma Belle”, another song that I remember from the radio. It is a nice, rocking number with the classic ELO sound. It is noteworthy for another reason: glam rock legend Marc Bolan shared guitar duties with Lynne on this song.
Got love, if that’s what you need
I got three or four babies sittin’ on my knee
I got love waitin’ for you
I come sneakin’ round the corner of the avenueYou gotta Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, or I will get you
You know you gotta Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, before I get youThere’s one thing that’s on my mind
And that’s getting hold of you before I serve my time
I’ll keep on, with my heavy load
Till I see you come a strollin’ down that open roadYou gotta Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, or I will get you
You know you gotta Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, before I get youI love you Ma-Ma-Ma Belle
That’s why I want to get it all well I’m sure you can tell
I got, good soul, runnin’ so deep
Gonna get you in the corner so that I can keep
Can’t you hear me once Ma-Ma-Ma BelleYou gotta Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, or I will get you
You know you gotta Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, before I get you
“Dreaming of 4000” is the third track on the second side, and also features Bolan on guitar. It seems a bit pretentious to me, but it is still not a bad song. Note the tribute to The Beatles at the beginning of the fifth stanza.
Saviour of the night came slowly on the silent river
And the lord of life came following, his sins to be forgiven
While the world sat back and laughed away the hours
Till the dawning of the daybreakI heard them laugh I heard them cry
I saw them praying to the sky
I heard the wind howl in the trees
Down there on bended knee
And I see the light
But I know I must be dreamingFeel the soul, quiet emotion
Sail on by, helpless devotion
If that’s how it feels, it better be realTake care of your woman
Or you’ll never ever see the light
Take heed of the warnin’
Or you know it’s gonna be too lateHere, There, Everywhere
They keep on movin’ without fear
They look me up, they look me down
They press my body to the ground
But I see the light, see the light it’s comin’ shinin’And on a Summers day
When thoughts are drifting far away
And life is good and real to see
My world is saved and I am free
But in the night
Still I know I must be dreaming
The final track is an instrumental, a rendition of the classical composer Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”. This a good cover of a very famous piece, but there is another that I shall provide that I like better.
ELO was not the only band who performed this piece. What do you think of this version?
Yes, indeed, folks, that is really The Who! As much as I like ELO, you just can not beat The Who! Moon is perfect, and the bass line from Entwistle is just great, with him taking the lead in bass from time to time. What a masterpiece!
All in all, I had forgotten how good this album was. One of the joys of writing this series is to listen to things that I have not heard in many years and thus to rediscover things that I had relegated to the dustbin of my memory.
That does it for tonight. I shall check comments from time to time, but have a feeling that I may be occupied with a friend much of the evening. I shall not abandon you, though.
Warmest regards,
Doc, aka Dr. David W. Smith
Crossposted at
Docudharma, and
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a largely forgotten piece of really good music?
Warmest regards,
Doc