When I was young, very young, I thought ELO was great. Then I gradually started to listen to other bands and other music, then my tastes changed. So be it.
Jump ahead 40 odd years.
I also hear that Jeff Lynne is and has been always considered to be a great producer. Ok.
But why does their music sound so flat. Even on the lps. It just sounds like it was recorded on a simple 4 track and there is no depth to it.
So why the big level of appreciation for what sounds like flat and lifeless music. Am I missing something?
This is because we listen and we like the music itself, not the sound quality. Very good sound quality is just a bonus. As long as the sound quality is not very bad, we can enjoy the music…
From what I’ve seen, in the case of ELO the sound quality is acceptable, but the feeling of flat sound is caused by the fact that their albums have a dynamic somewhere between medium and low.
2 Likes
Look here:
https://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/2/year/asc?artist=electric%20light%20orch&album=
The dynamic range numbers I see suggest their music is not medium to low when it comes to dynamic range. You just need to find the right mastering.
I was an ELO fan back when I was in high school and their music was new. I still listen to them today. What I have does not sound flat or lifeless with no depth.
Again, find the right masterings and I bet you will be pleasantly surprised!
1 Like
40 years ago loudness wasn’t an issue so seek out early examples. But a lot obviously depends on where and how their stuff was recorded and mastered. Being a good producer doesn’t automatically assume best sound quality. It may well sound exactly as he intended if he was going for the ‘wall of sound’ effect (which I hate!)
Jeff is a musical genius. That ELO progressive/classical sound is unlike any other band. I suppose what you are talking about is what equipment he choose or what was at his disposal. Also, like someone stated above, the mastering can have a lot to do with it. As a side note, the Prince ‘Sign of the Times’ LP had a few tracks that sounded flat. Turns out the new board that was delivered to Paisley Park was not fully connected properly yet. Prince, not knowing this, could not stand to wait to record with it. When his engineer heard the tracks the next day she discovered they sounded flat because the board as not hooked up properly yet. Prince liked the sound and kept the few tracks he recored that way for the official release…
1 Like