JDIZZY's 365 # 24: Mr. Blue Sky

Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra (1978)

Long before his days as a member of the Traveling Wilburys, Jeff Lynne made exquisite pop music with The Idle Race, The Move, and, in a cosmic fusion of rock and classical, ELO. While initially derided as lightweight prog, ELO has moved into the realm of Wings as two of the most perfect pop groups to ever come out of the 70's. Out Of The Blue was their 2LP Magnum Opus, and "Mr. Blue Sky" is the greatest single the band ever released. Riding a martial drum beat, anvil clangs, and those ELO strings, you can practically imagine what was going on in Panic At The Disco's head when they aped it almost verbatim for Nine In The Afternoon ("There's no way our emo kid fans have heard this fossil", they seem to say. But at least one had...ha ha!). It is the perfect end piece for the "Concerto For A Rainy Day", a side-long epic that, though having fallen out of vogue in 1978, was one of the best of its kind. It's so good in fact, that I believe I will go cue it up right now. Classical Pop Perfection!!!