I think that the true ELO lies somewhere between the new Jeff Lynne ELO's `Zoom'and ELO part 2's `Moment Of Truth'. Those of you that think that all of ELO is nothing but Jeff Lynne please hear me out. It is true that Jeff Lynne is ELO. It is also true that Bev Bevan, Kelly Groucutt and Richard Tandy are also ELO. Jeff Lynne may be the songwriter and producer of all the classic ELO songs, and he may be more of the spirit of ELO at times, but the songs on `Zoom' seem to be missing something musically that was always present on previous ELO releases, and that is big production and incredible musicianship of all involved in the recording. Since Jeff plays nearly everything on `Zoom' it tends to sound one-sided from time to time. Jeff's musicianship is outstanding, but he is no master of every instrument that he plays. Don't get me wrong, `Zoom' is a great CD, but so is `Moment Of Truth'. If you are able to put both CD's in your player and play them on shuffle mode, or better yet, take the time to methodically mix them together, you will find that you have one hell of an ELO recording. The musicianship and orchestration on `Moment Of Truth' is absolutely incredible. It's better than the first ELO part 2 CD and the songs themselves are fantastic. Old ELO fans must get over the fact that it is not Jeff Lynne's voice on the ELO part 2 songs, as vocals for most fans have historically been most band's biggest defining factor. On `Zoom', it is easier to imagine that you are listening to more of a genuine ELO release because of Jeff's incredible vocals and outstanding songwriting, but it the lacks hugeness and overall power of ELO with all members present. In all fairness, `Zoom' doesn't seem that it was ever intended to sound like old ELO, because it sounds quite a bit stripped down musically. In fact, it sounds quite a bit like Jeff's outstanding `Armchair Theatre' in many ways, and not too many ELO fans consider that to be an ELO release. I highly recommend both `Zoom' and `Moment Of Truth' to all of you fans of ELO, old and new. I think you'll find them both together to be the true continuation of our much loved ELO.
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