On The Third Day is the best representation of The Electric Light Orchestra’s Symphonic style of Progressive Rock that there is. ELO has never sounded better than this, not even on El Dorado, another highlight of their early, pre-pop discography. This album is an amazing piece of work notable for Jeff Lynne’s compositions, rough vocals and stinging harsh guitar lines which provide a stunningly great counterpoint to the gorgeous beauty of the rest of their music. A lot of what makes The Electric Light Orchestra so great is the wonderful understanding of the use of dynamics and light and shade that Jeff Lynne incorporates into their works. Another big part of this is the ruthless crushing power of underrrated Drummer Bev Bevan. This guy is a wildman! He is so powerful he’d fit in Led Zeppelin or Rush. As it is he totally bashes and overpowers his way though the gorgeous flowing baroque lightness of ELO’s music, providing yet another utterly devastating counterpoint within the music. It is the the beauty and loveliness of the strings and keys set against the ruthless barbarity of Bevan and Lynne that makes ELO so fantastic. —Karl
Being a hardcore fan of this band until they went “Strange Magic” I cannot thank you enough for this review and praise for one of the most underrated bands in the history of 70’s rock. I saw them live in 75 at the SEA Arena and they did the entire Eldorado LP along with most all from their earlier albums. Incredible. Still ranks in the top 10 of my favorite shows of all time, and if you had a list of all the shows I’ve seen in 40+ years of concerts you might be surprised I still remember this one. Oh, BTW, Little Feat opened, but that’s for another day….