ELO Albums in Order: 15 Albums and 56 Credited Musicians, 1971 to 2019
The ELO albums in order run to 15 records, from The Electric Light Orchestra in 1971 to From Out of Nowhere in 2019, a span of 48 years. My research sheet carries 56 credited musicians across them. On the map each album is a station and each musician is a line, so the string section arriving and leaving is something you see rather than read.
The 15 ELO Albums in Order of Release, 1971 to 2019
- The Electric Light Orchestra (1971)
- ELO 2 (1973)
- On the Third Day (1973)
- Eldorado (1974)
- Face the Music (1975)
- A New World Record (1976)
- Out of the Blue (1977)
- Discovery (1979)
- Xanadu (1980), the soundtrack with Olivia Newton-John
- Time (1981)
- Secret Messages (1983)
- Balance of Power (1986)
- Zoom (2001)
- Alone in the Universe (2015), credited as Jeff Lynne's ELO
- From Out of Nowhere (2019), credited as Jeff Lynne's ELO
One thing to flag straight away, because it is the single decision that shapes this map. Xanadu is a soundtrack rather than a studio record, and it is the one release on the print that breaks my usual studio-records-only rule. It is also drawn as two stations, one for Olivia Newton-John's side and one for ELO's, which is why 15 albums produce 16 stations. The map stops at From Out of Nowhere in 2019, so anything released after the artwork was drawn is not on it.
The ELO Discography Has One Unbroken Line and Almost Nothing Else
Jeff Lynne is credited on 15 of the 16 stations. The only one he misses is Olivia Newton-John's half of Xanadu, a record with his name on the cover. Nobody else on the map comes close to that.
Richard Tandy is second, on 13 of the 15 albums. He is not on the 1971 debut, joining at ELO 2 in 1973, and then his line runs almost unbroken for four decades. Bev Bevan is third, on 12: the debut through Balance of Power in 1986, and then nothing. When Lynne revived the name for Zoom in 2001, the founding drummer was not on it.
That is the shape of the ELO discography in three numbers: one line the length of the map, one just behind it, one that stops two thirds of the way along, and 53 names that come and go.
Richard Tandy Missed One Album in Forty-Six Years
On Out of the Blue alone, Tandy's credit on my sheet runs to eleven instruments, among them a Yamaha CS-80, an ARP Odyssey, a Polymoog, a Mellotron M400 and a Gibson SG Custom. It is one of the longest single credits I have transcribed for any map.
Then in 2015 he is not on Alone in the Universe at all, and his line stops. It picks up again in 2019 on From Out of Nowhere, where the entire credit is a piano solo on "One More Time". Tandy died in May 2024, which makes that last short entry the quietest thing on the print.
The String Section Leaves All at Once, and Discovery Is Where You See It
The strings are what most people mean when they say ELO, and on the map they vanish between two stations. Mik Kaminski on violin, Hugh McDowell on cello and Melvyn Gale on cello all take their final classic-era credit on Out of the Blue in 1977. Mike Edwards had already gone after Eldorado, and Colin Walker after On the Third Day.
The next station is Discovery in 1979, and my sheet gives it four credited names with not one in-band string player among them. Louis Clark stays on for the orchestral and choral arrangements, but the players who sat in the band are gone. Kaminski comes back exactly once, six years later, for a violin part on "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" on Secret Messages in 1983. On the print that return is a single spur reaching back in, and it is the first thing a fan who owns Out of the Blue on vinyl will point at.
Roy Wood's Line Is Two Stations Long
Roy Wood co-founded the band, and on the 1971 debut his credit reads: vocals, cello, bass, double bass, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, recorder, slide guitar, bass clarinet, krumhorn, and drums on "The Battle of Marston Moor".
By ELO 2 he is down to bass and cello on two tracks, and then his line ends. He left to form Wizzard, and Bill Hunt, who played French horn, hunting horn and piccolo trumpet on the debut, went with him. Steve Woolam, the violinist on the debut, appears at that one station and nowhere else on the map.
There is a stranger one on the next album. On the Third Day carries a cello credit for Ted Blight, and my source note records that the name appears on the UK pressing but is said to be a figment of Lynne's imagination. I have drawn him as a branch line anyway, because the credit is what the record says, and correcting the sleeve is not my job.
Xanadu Is the Busiest Station on the Map
Sixteen names appear on my ELO map at Xanadu and nowhere else. Gene Kelly takes co-lead vocals on "Whenever You're Away from Me". Cliff Richard shares the lead on "Suddenly". Four members of The Tubes, Fee Waybill, Roger Steen, Bill Spooner and Michael Cotten, play "Dancin'" between them. Lou Halmy is credited for whistling.
Those are branch lines in the truest sense, spurs that come off the network, serve one station and stop. It is the single densest point on the print, and it is a soundtrack.
Two Beatles Play on Zoom
Zoom, in 2001, is usually written off as the album nobody bought. On the map it is one of the richest stations on the network.
George Harrison plays slide guitar on "A Long Time Gone" and "All She Wanted". Ringo Starr drums on "Moment in Paradise" and "Easy Money". Rosie Vela is credited for backing vocals, spoken parts and tap dancing, which I read twice before typing it into the sheet. Richard Tandy is there for keyboards on "Alright", and Jeff Lynne carries vocals, backing vocals, electric guitars, bass, keyboards, drums and cello on "Melting in the Sun".
The Last Two Stations Carry Three Names Each
Alone in the Universe in 2015 and From Out of Nowhere in 2019 each carry three credited contributors on my sheet. Set that against the sixteen one-off names crowding Xanadu and the map does something a tracklist cannot. It shows a band contracting to one man and a couple of trusted hands, in a shape you read in a second.
"Brilliant idea" Billy Bragg
"Very cool and smart" Susan Rogers, producer for Prince
Sizes and Print Detail
The ELO discography art print is a Giclée on 230gsm premium acid-free matte fine art paper, in A2 (420 x 594mm, 23 x 16in) and A1 (594 x 841mm, 33 x 23in), with 24 x 18in and 36 x 24in offered for the US as separate formats rather than conversions. Unframed or ready to hang in a black wood frame, from £45.00.
A1 is the size I would point most people at here, because at that size the sixteen one-off names at Xanadu separate out properly and you can follow Tandy's gap without hunting for it. Full details are on the specification page.
15 albums drawn as 16 stations, with all 56 credited musicians running as named lines and one-off contributors as branch lines. A2 and A1 plus two US inch formats, unframed or in a black wood frame.
Related Music Maps
George Harrison plays on Zoom, so the George Harrison albums in order post shares a station with this one. For the same run of layered, arranged pop with a small core and a large supporting cast, the ABBA albums in order post is the natural companion. Browse the whole range in the music wall art prints collection.
ELO Discography Questions
How many albums did ELO make?
Fifteen, from The Electric Light Orchestra in 1971 to From Out of Nowhere in 2019. All 15 are on my map, drawn as 16 stations because Xanadu is split in two.
What was ELO's last album?
From Out of Nowhere, released in 2019 and credited as Jeff Lynne's ELO. It is the final station on the print.
Who played on all 15 ELO albums?
Jeff Lynne, and only Jeff Lynne. He is credited on 15 of the 16 stations, missing only Olivia Newton-John's side of the Xanadu soundtrack.
Is Xanadu on the ELO map?
Yes, and it is the one release on the print that is not a studio album. It is drawn as a split station, one side for Olivia Newton-John and one for ELO, and it is the only station treated that way.
How many musicians are on the ELO map?
Fifty-six credited musicians, counted from my research sheet. That includes band members, session players, orchestral arrangers and one-off guests, each drawn as their own line.
Are producers included as lines?
Only when they are also credited with playing something. Jeff Lynne produces and plays, so he gets a line for the playing, not the desk.
What is not on this map?
Live albums and compilations, and anything released after From Out of Nowhere in 2019. Track-level roles are not shown either: each line tells you which albums a musician is credited on, and only my Rolling Stones Goats Head Soup album map goes down to individual tracks.
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