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Eldorado (subtitled A Symphony by the Electric Light Orchestra) is the fourth studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in the United States in September 1974 by United Artists Records and in the United Kingdom in October 1974 by Warner Bros. Records.

Eldorado
Studio album by Electric Light Orchestra
Released	28 September 1974
Recorded	February–August 1974
Studio	De Lane Lea Studios, London
Genre	Progressive pop[1] progressive rock[1]
Length	38:42
Label	Warner Bros., United Artists
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach (1974) Eldorado (1974) Showdown (1974)
Electric Light Orchestra studio album chronology
On the Third Day (1973) Eldorado (1974) Face the Music (1975)
Singles from Eldorado
"Can't Get It Out of My Head" Released: November 1974 "Boy Blue" Released: April 1975

Concept

Eldorado is the first complete ELO concept album; bandleader Jeff Lynne conceived the storyline before he wrote any music.[2] The plot follows a Walter Mitty-like character who journeys into fantasy worlds via dreams, to escape the disillusionment of his mundane reality. Lynne began to write the album in response to criticisms from his father, a classical music lover, who said that Electric Light Orchestra's repertoire "had no tune".[3]^{[self-published source?]} The influence of The Beatles is prevalent, especially in the melody of the verse of "Mister Kingdom" which to some degree resembles the Beatles' "Across the Universe".^{[citation needed]}

Recording

Eldorado marks the first album on which Jeff Lynne hired an orchestra; on previous albums, he would overdub the strings.[2] Louis Clark co-arranged, with Lynne (and keyboardist Richard Tandy), and conducted the strings. The group's three resident string players continued to perform on recordings, however, and can be heard most prominently on the songs "Boy Blue" and "Laredo Tornado". Mike de Albuquerque departed early on in the recording process, as touring made him feel separated from his family. Lynne plays most of, if not all, the bass tracks and backing vocals for the album, but de Albuquerque still featured on the final release as well as getting credited. Kelly Groucutt replaced him for the subsequent tour, when cellist Melvyn Gale also joined (replacing the departing Mike Edwards). "Eldorado Finale" is heavily orchestrated, much like "Eldorado Overture". Jeff Lynne said of the song, "I like the heavy chords and the slightly daft ending, where you hear the double bass players packing up their basses, because they wouldn't play another millisecond past the allotted moment."[2]^{[verification needed]}

Release, reception and aftermath

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
MusicHound	3/5[6]
Music Story	[7]
Rolling Stone	(favourable)[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]

"Can't Get It Out of My Head" was released as a single (with "Illusions in G Major" as the B-side) and was a success in the US.[10] An edited version of "Boy Blue" was released as the album's second single, but failed to make any commercial impact. The album was certified Gold in the United States soon after its release. The album and singles, however, failed to find a wide audience in the band's native United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

In 1978, the filmmaker Kenneth Anger re-released his 1954 film Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome, using Eldorado as the soundtrack.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2010, the album was named one of Classic Rock magazine's "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock".[11]

On 17 June 2015, the album was ranked #43 on Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time"[12]

Track listing

Personnel

• Jeff Lynne – lead & backing vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, bass, Moog, production, orchestra & choral arrangements
• Bev Bevan – drums, percussion
• Richard Tandy – piano, Moog, clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano, guitar, backing vocals, orchestra & choral arrangements
• Mike de Albuquerque – bass & backing vocals (credited; departed during the recording of the album)
• Mike Edwards – cello
• Mik Kaminski – violin
• Hugh McDowell – cello

Additional personnel

• Peter Forbes-Robertson – spoken word
• Louis Clark – orchestra and choral arrangements and conducting
• Al Quaglieri – reissue producer (2001)

Charts and certifications

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[21]	Platinum	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[22]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

На других языках

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[de] Eldorado (Album)

Eldorado (vollständiger Titel: „Eldorado – A Symphony By The Electric Light Orchestra“) ist das vierte Studioalbum der britischen Band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).

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- [en] Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra album)

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[es] Eldorado (álbum)

Eldorado es el cuarto álbum de estudio de la banda británica Electric Light Orchestra, publicado por la compañía discográfica Jet Records en septiembre de 1974.

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[ru] Eldorado (альбом Electric Light Orchestra)

Eldorado (подзаголовок: A Symphony by the Electric Light Orchestra) — четвёртый студийный альбом британской группы Electric Light Orchestra, вышедший осенью 1974 года. Альбом был ремастирован и переиздан в 2001 году с добавлением двух бонус-треков.

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