Electric Light Orchestra-No Answer (1971)

Electric Light Orchestra's debut album, "No Answer", is the most experimental album recorded by the band led by Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood. It blends conventional pop-rock with Lynne's Beatles influences, alongside Wood's avant-garde and progressive experimentation. Despite ELO's subsequent string of hits, what we have here is essentially a disjointed and pretentious album, constructed with musical structures that are not easily accessible to the general public, though quite interesting for fans of classic progressive rock. Songs like the innovative "10538 Overture", the sweeping "The Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2nd, 1644)", the magnificent acoustic recital of "First Movement (Jumpin' Biz)", the pop inclination of "Mr. Radio", the symphony of "Queen of the Hours" or the progressive "Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)", make up a brilliant collection of compositions that are among the most unique and progressive in the entire long history of the Electric Light Orchestra.