Eldorado was not only my first Electric Light Orchestra record, it was also the first rock album I ever owned (the first I heard was Cosmo’s Factory, but it was never officially mine). Even today, I marvel at it. It’s no less amazing than when I first had it. Even though I like a lot of ELO’s other recordings, everything else pales in comparison to Eldorado. It’s a concept album, where all the songs are about what happens in a dream world. It’s also arguably a rock-opera, as at the end, the dreamer wakes up to reality and realizes he likes his dream world better and tries to return to Eldorado. This album affected my way of thinking permanently. I constantly have little daydreams where I’m an all-conquering hero like in some of those songs, and I like my dream world better than the real world. Thanks, ELO!
Eldorado Overture: My mum got me the album and she put it on in the car. She said, “Just listen, you’ll like it.” I was skeptical. The narration was a little weird, but then…THE ORCHESTRA! OH! I will never forget the moment I first heard all those violins and cellos and everything! It was incredible! Thus was I hooked on rock for life.
Can’t Get it Out of My Head: This is pretty much the album’s only hit, but that’s okay. (I like albums that only had one or no hits.) It also describes very well what I thought of the album after listening to it. I simply could not get this out of my head. I read the lyrics and I realized what they meant; he meets someone from his dream world, and she tries to lead him into his own little world. And his real life is so darn boring, and he just can’t get her out of his head. It’s so simple yet complex.
Boy Blue: This one starts off great, and it’s basically about an all-conquering hero warrior type, and everybody loves him and he has great adventures. I like to think that the hero is really the Dreamer, except he’s in a dream world taking on the persona of one of his dream characters.
Laredo Tornado: I don’t see how this one fits in with the rest of the album, as it doesn’t seem to have much to do with the Dreamer’s story. As Jeff Lynne says: “It’s sort of a protest dream against the proliferation of concrete.” I see. And need we say more?
Poor Boy (The Greenwood): This was one of the tracks that stood out to me when I listened to the album first. Don’t get me wrong, all the songs are great on this record, but this is one of my bigger favorites. It’s about Robin Hood, who lives in the Dreamer’s dream world. By extension, I guess it could also be the Dreamer himself, because earlier, he says something to the effect of he wishes he were the characters in the stories he read. If you’re in a dream world, why can’t you become them? That’s what I love about this album. You can put your own meaning to it and as long as you have a dream world, it’s all meaningful to you.
Mister Kingdom: I put this on for a friend once. She said: “Oh, I know this song. Across the Universe. By the Beatles.” I said, “No, it’s Mister Kingdom, by ELO.” Her: “But it’s still the Beatles, right?” Me: “No…” Her: “They’re doing Across the Universe, though.” Me: “Uh, no…” I’ve never heard Across the Universe so I can’t compare them. But I still like this song. It makes me feel like I’m floating around in my own little world and I don’t even need to return to reality. If only I could be that way all the time.
Nobody’s Child: This is a darker song on the album. It’s about a woman seducing a boy (in a dream world). I don’t much care for it. I mean, the tune’s alright and everything, except I don’t care for the subject matter. In the story of the Dreamer’s dream world, I guess it could be about him learning that sometimes, in dream worlds, not everything goes perfectly and he finds the darker side of escapism.
Illusions in G Minor: No, this song isn’t in G Minor. Actually, it’s in G Major. It doesn’t seem to fit in with the story of the Dreamer, but that’s okay (ELO never actually had such a story written; I made it up to fit what I was hearing). It’s about a rock-and-roller who has dreams of rock bands coming and singing to him. In other words, he gets a free concert in his dream world. Lucky! It’s pretty cool, and I like it because parts of it are almost about me (I have dreams where rockers give me concerts).
Eldorado: This is probably the most escapist song I’ve ever heard. The Dreamer wakes up to reality and decides he likes the dream world better, so he tries to get back to it instead of living in the world. I like it. It really makes me feel like somebody who’s trying to return to a dream world after having lived in the real world.
Eldorado Finale: It’s basically like the same thing as the Overture, but it’s different somehow. What a fitting conclusion to one of the best albums I know.
Best Tracks: Can't Get it Out of my Head, Poor Boy (The Greenwood), Mister Kingdom, and Eldorado.
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