The Inner Light

I never noticed this song until I saw Jeff Lynne and Ms. Shankar
performing it at the CFG. It has a nice tune, very simple & effective
lyrics. George went to great lengths to orchestrate the song.

I never thought much of Jeff Lynne as he produces things in such a
plastic, commercial way. He has a way of making vocals sound fuzzy,
like in ELO. He basically ruined Brian Wilson's first solo album. But
his singing was nice in CFG.

jambay53...

Yep, Jeff's production/writing certainly went that way from the late
'70s onward.

But if you ever get a chance to hear ELO's 1975 album 'Face The Music',
I think you'd be impressed. :) It's got a darkness about it that's
surprising to folks who've only heard the "very poppy hit singles".

Also, the two albums he made with The Idle Race in '68/'69 were
exceptional, as was The Move's final album, 'Message From The Country'
(which Jeff contributed strongly to).

But you've hit on a good argument: Jeff's *singing* is really his
strong point.

But yeah, he sadly succumbed to very bland composing/producing
techniques in the late '70s.

Dale Houstman...

And I still think that album is Brian's best solo project, containing
much of his signature comlexity and showing that he can produce great
harmony arrangments without the Beach Boys. Until "Smile" his other
albums - although more than enjoyable - seem a bit more conservative.

In fact, CFG made me appreciate lots of George's songs more. Like If I
Needed Someone and I Want To Tell You.

Lookingglass...

This is a lovely song... one of my favorites... //:^)

dave (...you can know all things in heaven...)
Head (strong) Cheerleader

DanKaye...

I remember when The Inner Light came out as a b-side single, and I
always liked it, though it was never exactly a favorite.

I agree with you 100% on Jeff Lynne. I could never stand anything ELO
did, I think Lynne ruined many of George's albums...
and yet I love what he did on Concert For George.

I think Brian Wilson's first solo album was his best before "Smile".
But apparently Lynne had little to do with that.