Mix Tape of the Day: January 15, 2015 - Concerto for a Rainy Day

It was a rainy day today, so I was in the mood for that Simon-in-the-sky that is the Electric Light Orchestra.

1. Turn to Stone - Electric Light Orchestra (1977) Part electric rock group/part light orchestra, ELO managed to be exactly what they wanted to be: Different from every other band and awesome at the same time.  You really can't go wrong with any ELO song, as each one takes you on a mini-journey.  For this mix, "Turn to Stone" is just an appetizer before the main course.

2. 10538 Overture - Electric Light Orchestra (1971) Okay, let's actually get things started with ELO's first song ever, which is fittingly an overture.

3. Strange Magic - Electric Light Orchestra (1975) Everyone loves "Strange Magic" because it has a simple message of falling in love backed by sweet musical sounds that grow over the course of the song.  Not everything has to be complicated.

4. Livin' Thing - Electric Light Orchestra (1976) More magic.  Pure magic.  Apparently, people find this to be a guilty pleasure song because of how cheesy it is.  Um, it's just a great song, people!

5. Do Ya - Electric Light Orchestra (1976) Yep, this one's an ELO song.  That's surprised me.  I just assumed it was...someone else this whole time.

6. The Diary of Horace Wimp - Electric Light Orchestra (1979) ELO liked telling stories.  Here's a little ditty about a man who encounters the magic of ELO's extraterrestrial craft.  At least, that's what I can gather from the video.  Whatever, it's cool.

7. Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra (1979) Man, Bruce, why you always gotta bring people down?

8. All Over the World - Electric Light Orchestra (1980) Did ELO ever have a musical featuring their work?  Why yes! They had Xanadu which is everything you'd expect from an ELO/Olvia Newton-John collaboration.  Still, this song is awesome, both in and out of context.

9. Twilight - Electric Light Orchestra (1981) This song can also be found on my "Traveling Into Space" mix.

10. Calling America - Electric Light Orchestra (1986) The latter half of the '70s were definitely ELO's heyday, but they still managed to strike magic every now and again.

11. Can't Get It Out of My Head - John Paul White (2006) This cover of the 1974 classic is included because we needed a little break from the ELO sound.  But I felt this song works really well as a moody piece of background music for The O.C. That is literally my favorite type of music.

12. Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra (1977) Here's what you all came for.  This is the ELO jam.  Every time it comes on at a party, we stop everything and appreciate life for 5 minutes.  It's one of the few songs that makes me want to dance instinctively.

13. Eldorado Instrumental Medley - Electric Light Orchestra (2001) And finally, we end with all the orchestral pieces from the Eldorado concept album, the Overture, Eldorado, and the Finale.  Because ELO's instrumental work is just as strong as the rest of their library.