Wildly Uneven

Review Score: (6/10)
"Discovery" was the last ELO album released in the 1970s, which is fitting because an obvious disco influence had set in with the dancefloor ready "Don't Bring Me Down." The other change was that the band was reduced in size from seven memebers to just a quartet, streamlining their sound a bit. As with any ELO effort, however, leader Jeff Lynne's songwriting holds the key to success, and this time out he came up with a very strangely mixed bag.

The high points on the album soar. In addition to "Down," also first rate are "Shine a Little Love on My Live," the synthesizer heavy "Confusion," and the catchy "Last Train to London." All are among the best ELO songs ever recorded. They are planted, however, among filler material that ranges from bland ("Midnight Blue") to truly awful ("The Diary of Horace Wimp.") The expanded CD version of the album contains three demos of songs that didn't originally make the cut as well as new liner notes from Lynne.

Overall, a wildly uneven album with some soaring highs and plummeting lows. Don't Bring Me Down--indeed!

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