New World Record [LP]

Also available in a 3-pack with FACE THE MUSIC and DISCOVERY.
Electric Light Orchestra: Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan, Richard Tandy, Kelly Groucutt, Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell, Melvyn Gale.
1976's A NEW WORLD RECORD is both a classic of commercial '70s pop and an archetypal ELO album. From the outer-space synths and rich orchestrations that open the album to Jeff Lynne's meticulous production and Beatlesque melodies, A NEW WORLD RECORD is magnificent ear candy. Both ambitious enough to appeal to "serious" rock fans and ultra-catchy enough to sound terrific on Top 40 radio (the plaintively gorgeous, McCartney-like "Telephone Line" and the anthemic "Livin' Thing" were well-deserved smashes), ELO was one of the few '70s bands whose appeal covered both the FM and AM spectrums. The album even resurrects "Do Ya," a classic single by Lynne's former band, the Move, in a splashy new version.
The next ELO album, 1977's elaborate double-album OUT OF THIS WORLD, was probably the band's commercial high point, but A NEW WORLD RECORD is the group's artistic high-water mark.