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"10538 Overture"
Single by the Electric Light Orchestra
from the album The Electric Light Orchestra
B-side
  • "First Movement (Jumping Biz)" (UK)[1]
  • "The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)" (US)[2]
Released
  • 23 June 1972 (1972-06-23)
RecordedJuly 1970
StudioPhilips Studios (London)
Genre
Length
  • 5:32 (album)
  • 4:04 (single)
LabelHarvest
Songwriter(s)Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)
The Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
"10538 Overture"
(1972) 		"Roll Over Beethoven"
(1973)

"10538 Overture" is the debut single by the English band the Electric Light Orchestra.

Background and recording

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Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan in 1973

After seeing an orchestra in the studio during the recording of the Move's debut album, Move (1968), band member Roy Wood conceived the idea of a new rock band that would emphasise orchestral instruments over traditional rock instrumentation. This approach was inspired by George Martin's string arrangements for some of the Beatles' songs, such as "Strawberry Fields Forever".[3] Lynne was also enthusiastic after Wood told him about the idea, and they agreed to work together on the project.[4]

Jeff Lynne first demoed "10538 Overture" in his family home in Birmingham, using a piano stool as a snare drum.[5] Recorded in July 1970[6] during the sessions for the Move's fourth album, Message from the Country (1971),[7] the song was initially intended to be a B-side for one of the band's singles.[6] Bassist Rick Price and drummer Bev Bevan left after recording the song's backing track, while Lynne and Wood stayed behind in the studio.[8] While they were listening back to the recording, Wood, who had purchased and began learning to play a cello two weeks prior,[3] began improvising a Jimi Hendrix-inspired string part over it.[7] Lynne insisted that they record it immediately, and Wood overdubbed the song's string parts that night,[8] creating a sound he described as "some sort of heavy metal mad orchestra thing".[4] This recording became the first song by the Electric Light Orchestra, and it became the blueprint for the musical style of the band's early work.[4] Lynne later cited "10538 Overture" as the first moment in his career that he felt that he could write a hit single.[9]

Composition and lyrics

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"10538 Overture" is a midtempo[10] hard rock song,[6] with influences from psychedelic music.[11] The song is composed in the key of C major in common time, with a measure of 5
4 introduced before each bridge.[10] Its instrumentation consists of drums, bass, guitar, cellos,[8] horns,[12] and woodwinds.[13] Wood and Lynne share lead vocals on the song. It was recorded at Philips Studios, in London.[14]

It opens with a descending,[12] arpeggiated electric guitar riff,[15] before a French horn part and Wood's aggressive, multitracked cello performance are introduced.[16][12] Wood later said that he was playing the string part "not as a cellist, but as a rock guitarist".[16] Mark Beaumont of The Guardian wrote in 2016 that the song "perfected the formula" of the band's goal to bring classical influences into their music, and that it was less progressive than much of the band's other early work.[17] Several contemporary critics compared the song to the works of the Beatles, particularly "I Am the Walrus".[18][19]

Lynne's lyrics for "10538 Overture" were written about an escaped prisoner.[8] Wood recounted in 2001 that Lynne had wanted the song's protagonist to have a number rather than a name, and they decided upon 1053, which was the serial number of the mixing console in the studio.[4] They added an eight later to fit the song's lyrics.[14] Bevan recalled the origins of the song's title differently, saying that it was inspired by a neighbour of Lynne's parents. Bevan stated that "he was a bit lacking in the brains department", and "used to have letters and numbers written across his forehead, and Jeff got the idea from that".[20]

Release and reception

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Roy Wood first announced the Electric Light Orchestra project and "10538 Overture" in late 1970, stating that the song would "be on release in the very near future".[21] It was first released as the opening track on The Electric Light Orchestra[22] on 3 December 1971,[23] and was released as the album's lead single six months later, on 23 June 1972.[8] By the time of its release, Wood had left the Electric Light Orchestra[24] due to disagreements with their management.[25]

There was contention within the band's management over the choice of "10538 Overture" as the band's first single. Don Arden, their manager, objected against it, while A&R representative Nick Mobbs of Harvest Records pushed for its release. Arden was still trying to prevent the single's release only ten days before it was distributed.[26]

"10538 Overture" was received favourably by contemporary music critics, several of whom singled it out as a highlight from the album. Penny Valentine of Sounds wrote that the song was "a splendid piece of wizardry from Wood".[18] Melody Maker's Roy Hollingworth praised the song and its production, dubbing it a "monster of a track".[22] John Peel of Disc and Music Echo called the song "lovely" and compared it to the works of the Beatles, but wrote that the song sounded better as a single, removed from the context of The Electric Light Orchestra.[19]

Retrospective reviews of the song have also been positive. Writing in 2006, Ed Masley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named the song among the most enduring on The Electric Light Orchestra, and praised its "richly textured majesty and yearning hooks".[27]

Additional info to add

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Personnel

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Electric Light Orchestra[13]

  • Jeff Lynne – vocals, piano, guitar, percussion, bass, co-production
  • Roy Wood – vocals, cello, oboe, guitar, bass, bassoon, clarinet, recorder, percussion, co-production
  • Bill Hunt – french horn, hunting horn
  • Steve Woolan – violin
  • Bev Bevan – drums, percussion

Technical[14]

  • Roger Wake – engineering
  • Pete Cliff – engineering

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "10538 Overture"
Chart (1972) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[28] 5
Netherlands (Tipparade)[29] 24
UK Singles (OCC)[30] 9

References

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  1. ^ "Split Due in Move and ELO Set-Up?" (PDF). Sounds. 1 July 1972. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra – 10538 Overture" (PDF). Billboard. June 3, 1972. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Thompson, Dave (2006). "Electric Light Orchestra". Goldmine. Project M Media. p. 14-18.
  4. ^ a b c d Hannon, Neil (presenter); Wood, Roy (interviewee) (2001). Mr Blue Sky: The Jeff Lynne Story. BBC Radio 6 Music (Radio broadcast). BBC.
  5. ^ Irvin, Jim (August 2001). "The Bullring Variations: ELO". Mojo. Bauer Media Group.
  6. ^ a b c Lester, Paul (16 April 2024). ""We never did any TV-throwing – I'd rather nick 'em than throw 'em out the window": Jeff Lynne recalls how easy it was for ELO to take over the 70s". Prog. Future. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b Sharp, Ken (30 September 1994). "Roy Wood: The Wizzard of Rock". Goldmine. Project M Media.
  8. ^ a b c d e Van der Kiste, John (15 August 2015). Jeff Lynne: Electric Light Orchestra: Before and After. Fonthill Media. ISBN 9781781554920.
  9. ^ Lynne, Jeff (16 November 2015). "Jeff Lynne on Reviving ELO: 'It's the Most Fun I Ever Have'". Billboard (Interview). Interviewed by Lynskey, Dorian. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b Electric Light Orchestra • Anthology. United States: United Artists Records. 1999. pp. 140–142.
  11. ^ Reed, Ryan (7 January 2016). "The 10 Best ELO Songs". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Weigel, David (28 April 2006). "ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA: NO ANSWER". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024.
  13. ^ a b Afterglow (Media notes). Electric Light Orchestra. US: Epic Records. 1990.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ a b c Lawson, Dom (2012). The Electric Light Orchestra (Media notes). Electric Light Orchestra. Europe: EMI Records, Harvest Records. 5099995588322. SHVLX 797.
  15. ^ Spicer 2018, p. 112.
  16. ^ a b Kemp, Sam (29 July 2022). "The Story Behind The Song: 50 years of Electric Light Orchestra's '10538 overture'". Far Out Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024.
  17. ^ Beaumont, Mark (30 March 2016). "Electric Light Orchestra – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  18. ^ a b Valentine, Penny (1 July 1972). "Single Reviews by Penny Valentine" (PDF). Sounds. p. 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2024.
  19. ^ a b Peel, John (1972). "Single Reviews by John Peel". Disc and Music Echo.
  20. ^ Bevan, Bev (December 1976). "Talk Talkin' with Bev Bevan". Trouser Press (Interview). No. 17. Interviewed by Dave Schulps; Ira Robbins. pp. 7, 24. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.{{cite interview}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: interviewers list (link)
  21. ^ "Move Again" (PDF). Beat Instrumental. 5 December 1970. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  22. ^ a b Hollingworth, Roy (18 December 1971). "The Electric Light Orchestra: "Magnificent, this is a fascinating album."" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 29. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2024.
  23. ^ Cashmere, Paul (4 December 2021). "Electric Light Orchestra's First Album Turns 50". Noise11. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  24. ^ Barlow, Gary; Lynne, Jeff (18 January 2020). "Jeff Lynne". Gary Barlow – We Write the Songs (Radio broadcast). Series 1. Episode 3. BBC Radio 2. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Roy Wood: Biog". roywood.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  26. ^ Phillips, Paul (26 November 1977). "From Pistols to Rich Kids: The A&R Men – Nick Mobbs of EMI" (PDF). Music Week. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  27. ^ Masley, Ed (30 March 2006). "For the Record: The Electric Light Orchestra – No Answer". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra – 10538 Overture". tsort.info. SNEP. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 42, 1972". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2024.

Sources

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