Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Alone In The Universe - album review

Download: When I Was A Boy; Love And Rain; Dirty To The Bone

Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Alone In The Universe

The poignant cover tells its own story: a man all alone, waiting to be beamed up again aboard the cosmic pop of another age.

It’s a theme addressed on the opener “When I Was A Boy”, in which Jeff Lynne recalls dreams of escaping the daily grind by becoming a pop star.

For all its nostalgic glow, there’s a downbeatle-ish tone to the song and the whole album.

So although he’s realised his dream, it doesn’t seem to bring him much happiness – things are tinged with regret throughout Alone In The Universe, on which both the title-track and “When The Night Comes” (“…and I’m here all alone”) leave one with the impression of Lynne in his home studio, diligently layering instruments and harmonies on his own.

It’s all sumptuously done, with a kind of amniotic warmth, and with echoes of triumphs like “Showdown”; but it sounds like he needs a visit from Mr Blue Sky.