Electric Light Orchestra-Secret Messages (1983)

The successor to the futuristic and seminal "Time" was Electric Light Orchestra's tenth album, "Secret Messages", which became another splendid work brimming with the sophistication and class characteristic of leader Jeff Lynne's compositions. Recorded with the same lineup as their previous albums (Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy, Bev Bevan, and Kelly Groucutt), plus the addition of Louis Clark, Dave Morgan, and Mik Kaminski, Lynne chose recording studios in the Netherlands, specifically in the city of Hilversum, in the north of the country. Unlike the previous album, which was saturated with synthesizer sounds that underpinned its conceptual story, this release features guitar-driven pop-rock melodies under excellent production, where the elegantly executed music becomes captivating and evocative. There they are to corroborate it, from beautiful ballads like "Take Me On and On", "Stranger" or "Letter From Spain", to galloping rock pieces like "Danger Ahead", "Four Little Diamonds" or "Rock 'n' Roll is King", passing through captivating songs like "Train Of God" or "Loser Gone Wild".