In this, Jeff Lynne's musical memoir of youthful influences, old songs are recast in new lights: "She" features Beatle-esque harmonies, "Smile" has a lollopy cowboy charm, "Let It Rock" becomes a lazily galloping boogie, and "Beyond the Sea" replaces Bobby Darin's glide with a languid swagger that works well.
Covers of Roy Orbison's "Running Scared" and The Everly Brothers' "So Sad" employ impressive vocal arrangements. Best of all is a version of Don Covay's "Mercy, Mercy" on which Lynne simulates the Midlands beat-boom attack of a misspent youth when he was in The Idle Race.
Download: Mercy, Mercy; Beyond The Sea; At Last
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies