Electric Light Orchestra includes: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, bass), Roy Wood (vocals, guitar), Kelly Groucutt (vocals, bass), Bev Bevan (vocals, drums), Wilf Gibson, Mik Kaminski (violin), Mike Edwards, Colin Walker, Hugh McDowell, Melvyn Gale (cello), Richard Tandy (keyboards, synthesizer), Michael De Albuquerque (bass).

Producers: Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne.

Compilation producer: Bob Irwin.

Includes liner notes by Ira Robbins.

Though Electric Light Orchestra are thought of today mainly as 1970s AM pop staples, it's essential to remember that, initially, their ranks included former Move leader Roy Wood, and their mission was to pick up where the Beatles left off with orchestral pop creations like "Strawberry Fields Forever." While Wood quickly departed, leaving Jeff Lynne solidly in the director's chair, and the latter's pop smarts are undeniable, there was always an ambitious, expansive quality to even E.L.O.'s most commercial outings.

The double-disc STRANGE MAGIC collection does an excellent job of showing both of these sides of the group. Even beyond the groundbreaking melding of contemporary pop-rock with heavy-duty classical-influenced string orchestrations (they were one of the only groups of their day to feature the string section as full band members), E.L.O. was unmistakably a hit machine, cranking out a seemingly endless stream of impossibly infectious chart-climbers. No look back at '70s pop culture would be complete without the likes of "Evil Woman," "Livin' Thing," "Telephone Line," and so on ad infinitum, but as STRANGE MAGIC makes abundantly clear, there was even more to E.L.O than their Top 40 story.

Rolling Stone (8/10/95, p.60) - "...it's hard not to be left at least a little spellbound by the singles collected on [this] double-disc greatest hits package....Credit Jeff Lynne's hook-a-minute approach to songwriting for much of that..."

Q (7/95, p.135) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...There are plenty of more succint and better-looking best-ofs....but if, by some insane quirk, you're only buying one ELO record..."