Definitive Collection (Electric Light Orchestra album)

Definitive Collection
Greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra
Released	13 April 1999
Recorded	July 1970 - January 1986
Genre	Rock
Length	110:44
Label	Epic/Legacy E3K 85123
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
Light Years (1997) Definitive Collection (1999) Flashback (2000)

The Definitive Collection is a compilation album recorded and produced by Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra. It was released on 13 April 1999 with two discs. Some of the songs include their album version's like Strange Magic and Shine a Little Love, and some tracks include edits seen below.

Compilation edits

Many edits are featured in this album. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" has a small portion of "Eldorado Overture" left off on it, "Above the Clouds" is connected with "Livin' Thing" and is not credited on the track listing, "So Fine" leaves a portion of the fade into "Rockaria!", "Turn to Stone" does not include the full fade in of the synthesizer and guitars, part of the tuning radio on "Mr. Blue Sky" is gone, "Twilight" has a fade in from the previous track (on the Time album), "Prologue", the end of "Twilight" and the intro of "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" are transited, and "Secret Messages" has no fade in and goes straight to the backmasking lyrics.

Cover

The front cover of the Definitive Collection is a collage of many different past ELO covers such as, Face the Music, A New World Record, Out of the Blue, one of the pictures in the booklet of Balance of Power, and mostly Secret Messages.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Jeff Lynne.

Disc one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Showdown"	4:11
2.	"Eldorado Overture"	2:12
3.	"Can't Get It Out of My Head"	4:24
4.	"Evil Woman"	4:17
5.	"Strange Magic"	4:29
6.	"Livin' Thing/Above the Clouds" (Credited as "Livin' Thing")	5:50
7.	"So Fine"	3:55
8.	"Rockaria!"	3:14
9.	"Sweet Talkin' Woman"	3:47
10.	"Turn to Stone"	3:47
11.	"Mr. Blue Sky"	5:04
12.	"Don't Bring Me Down"	4:02
13.	"Shine a Little Love"	4:40
14.	"The Diary of Horace Wimp"	4:17
15.	"All Over the World"	4:03
16.	"Twilight"	3:47
17.	"Rock 'n' Roll Is King"	3:37
18.	"Hold on Tight"	3:04
19.	"Secret Messages"	4:32

Disc two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"10538 Overture"	5:30
2.	"Roll Over Beethoven"	4:34
3.	"Poor Boy (The Greenwood)"	3:00
4.	"Telephone Line"	4:42
5.	"Last Train to London"	4:34
6.	"I'm Alive"	3:46
7.	"Here Is the News"	3:49
8.	"Calling America"	3:28

Personnel

Jeff Lynne - Lead Vocals, Guitar Richard Tandy - Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer Bev Bevan - Drums, Percussion Kelly Groucutt - Backing Vocals, Bass Guitar (CD 1 - tracks 2-18; CD 2 - tracks 4-7) Mik Kaminski - Violin (CD 1 - tracks 1-14, 17; CD 2 - tracks 3-4) Melvyn Gale - Cello (CD 1 - tracks 4-14; CD 2 - track 4) Hugh McDowell - Cello (CD 1 - tracks 4-14; CD 2 - tracks 3-4)

Additional

Mike de Albuquerque - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals Mike Edwards - Cello Wilfred Gibson - Violin Roy Wood - Cello, Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals Colin Walker – Cello