Secret Messages

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Secret Messages
CD on Amazon.com
Released: 1983, June
Average rating: Based on DM and site visitor ratings
Previous / Next by ELO (Electric Light Orchestra)
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Tracks

  Secret Messages (Lynne) Lyrics
  Loser Gone Wild (Lynne) Lyrics
  Bluebird (Lynne) Lyrics
  Take Me on and on (Lynne) Lyrics
  Time After Time (Lynne) Lyrics
  Four Little Diamonds (Lynne) Lyrics
  Stranger (Lynne) Lyrics
  Danger Ahead (Lynne) Lyrics
  Letter From Spain (Lynne) Lyrics
  10  Train of Gold (Lynne) Lyrics
  11  Rock & Roll Is King (Lynne) Lyrics
All album lyrics on one page 

Credits

Jeff Lynne - Synthesizer, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Guitar (Bass), Keyboards, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Producer, Oberheim
Louis Clark - Conductor
Dave Morgan - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Bev Bevan - Percussion, Drums, Vocals
Bill Bottrell - Engineer
David Costa - Art Direction, Design
Brian Gardner - Mastering
Kelly Groucutt - Guitar (Bass), Vocals (bckgr)
Hag - Photography
Kim & Reggie Harris - Hand Coloring
Brian Jones - Coordination
Mik Kaminski - Violin
Richard Tandy - Synthesizer, Harmonica, Piano, Piano (Electric), Oberheim

Reviews

Site visitor reviews
5/10 B.Wind (August 10, 2004)
After a band hits it creative peak with a theme album, what does it do as a followup? Jeff Lynne tries to overcome the self-induced dead-end by recording a double album, "Secret Messages" -- and when the powers-to-be listened to the master, they suggested to him that there was barely enough quality material for a single LP... and they were right.

To Lynne's credit, he trimmed the fat and released a single album which was a major attempt to maintain ELO's momentum... but it was the worst ELO album since ELO II. It is clear that he was running out of inspiration at this point -- he was borrowing ideas from his earlier efforts. The two singles -- "Rock and Roll Is King" and "Four Little Diamonds" -- were derivatives of earlier hits; "Secret Messages" was "Twilight" redux. "Train of Gold" and "Loser Gone Wild" are also listenable but nothing special... but then again, "listenable but nothing special" also is an apt description of the "Secret Messages" LP/CD.

The decline of ELO has begun. They have only one LP/CD to go before oblivion.

If you know this album you can review it.

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