Discovery is a 1979 album by Electric Light Orchestra.
Discovery was the band's first No. 1 album in the UK, entering the chart at that position and staying there for five weeks. The LP contained five hit songs in "Shine a Little Love," "Don't Bring Me Down," "Last Train to London", "Confusion" and "The Diary of Horace Wimp", many of which were heavily influenced by disco (in fact, Richard Tandy came up with its well known nickname, Disco Very). "Don't Bring Me Down" would become one of their only two top three hits in the UK throughout their career (Xanadú will be number One in 1980), and also their highest-charting US single at #4. "The Diary of Horace Wimp" was also a hit single in the UK, although it was not patterned after the disco sound; instead it was closer in style to the band's earlier hit "Mr. Blue Sky." The album itself was the first ever to generate four top-ten singles (one of which was a Double A-side) from a single LP in the UK and was eventually certified 2x platinum by the RIAA in 1997.
Discovery is notable in that it was the first ELO album not to feature their resident string trio of Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell and Melvyn Gale, although they did make an appearance on the Discovery music videos that were created as a substitute for a live concert tour. Shortly afterwards, leader Jeff Lynne deemed the string section superfluous to his requirements and he decided to dismiss them (although Kaminski did return for the Time Tour in 1981-82, and as a performer on the 1983 album Secret Messages).
In one of his earliest jobs, comedian/actor Brad Garrett, dressed in middle eastern clothes and turban, appears on the back cover as the menacing palace guard who is drawing his scimitar.
Discovery was remastered as part of the Epic/Legacy remaster series in 2001; among the included bonus tracks was a cover of a Del Shannon classic, "Little Town Flirt." (This track was started on the Discovery sessions as a tribute to Del Shannon. He was my first musical hero. It was never finished until now ....Jeff Lynne)Discovery is a 1979 album by Electric Light Orchestra.
Discovery was the band's first No. 1 album in the UK, entering the chart at that position and staying there for five weeks. The LP contained five hit songs in "Shine a Little Love," "Don't Bring Me Down," "Last Train to London", "Confusion" and "The Diary of Horace Wimp", many of which were heavily influenced by disco (in fact, Richard Tandy came up with its well known nickname, Disco Very). "Don't Bring Me Down" would become one of their only two top three hits in the UK throughout their career (Xanadú will be number One in 1980), and also their highest-charting US single at #4. "The Diary of Horace Wimp" was also a hit single in the UK, although it was not patterned after the disco sound; instead it was closer in style to the band's earlier hit "Mr. Blue Sky." The album itself was the first ever to generate four top-ten singles (one of which was a Double A-side) from a single LP in the UK and was eventually certified 2x platinum by the RIAA in 1997.
Discovery is notable in that it was the first ELO album not to feature their resident string trio of Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell and Melvyn Gale, although they did make an appearance on the Discovery music videos that were created as a substitute for a live concert tour. Shortly afterwards, leader Jeff Lynne deemed the string section superfluous to his requirements and he decided to dismiss them (although Kaminski did return for the Time Tour in 1981-82, and as a performer on the 1983 album Secret Messages).
In one of his earliest jobs, comedian/actor Brad Garrett, dressed in middle eastern clothes and turban, appears on the back cover as the menacing palace guard who is drawing his scimitar.
Discovery was remastered as part of the Epic/Legacy remaster series in 2001; among the included bonus tracks was a cover of a Del Shannon classic, "Little Town Flirt." (This track was started on the Discovery sessions as a tribute to Del Shannon. He was my first musical hero. It was never finished until now ....Jeff Lynne)false2022-12-20 21:14:18Discovery7.519951995-08-151995-08-1539Art RockDiscoPopPop RockRockSymphonic RockProgressive Pop111736211811619f8336b-dcf9-4476-8bd3-3aaeff0606ae0c502791-4ee9-4c5f-9696-0602b721ff3be4f25e55-94d2-3037-a826-b3610490ea2d/media/data/media5/Music/Electric Light Orchestra/Discovery (1979)/folder.jpgElectric Light OrchestraAlbumArtistElectric Light OrchestraArtistElectric Light OrchestraElectric Light OrchestraThe Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangements with futuristic iconography. After Wood's departure in 1972, Lynne became the band's sole leader, arranging and producing every album while writing nearly all of their original material. From this point until their first break-up in 1986, Lynne, Bevan, and keyboardist Richard Tandy were the group's only consistent members.
The group's name is a pun that references both electric light and "light orchestral music", a popular style featured in places such as the BBC Light Programme between the 1940s and 1960s. ELO was formed out of Lynne's and Wood's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical influences. It derived as an offshoot of Wood's previous band, the Move, of which Lynne and Bevan were also members. During the 1970s and 1980s, ELO released a string of top 10 albums and singles, including the band's most commercially successful album, the double album Out of the Blue (1977). Two ELO albums reached the top of the British charts: the disco-inspired Discovery (1979) and the science-fiction-themed concept album Time (1981). In 1986 Lynne lost interest in the band and disbanded the group. Bevan responded by forming his own band, ELO Part II, which later became The Orchestra. Apart from a brief reunion in the early 2000s, ELO remained largely inactive until 2014, when Lynne re-formed the band with Tandy as Jeff Lynne's ELO. Tandy died in May 2024.
During ELO's original 13-year period of active recording and touring, they sold over 50 million records worldwide. They collected 19 CRIA, 21 RIAA, and 38 BPI awards. From 1972 to 1986 ELO accumulated 27 Top 40 songs on the UK Singles Chart, and fifteen Top 20 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100. The band also holds the record for having the most Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits (20) without a number one. In 2017, four key members of ELO (Wood, Lynne, Bevan, and Tandy) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.