1 – Bev Bevan is now head of Music at Kidderminster college
2- John Lennon once said that E.L.O were the sons on The Beatles
3- 10538 overture was originally planned as a b side for a single by the Move.
4- Jeff has his own recording studio and is a highly respected producer
5- Time was recorded with no orchestral instruments.
6- When their American record company UA called the UK to find out what the name of their first album would be, no one on the other end answered. So an exec wrote on a piece of paper “ELO No
Answer”, and someone else picked up that note and gave it to the art department. So that’s how that LP got its name!
7- After the spaceship tour which was criticised for being overblown and extravagant, Jeff scaled things back considerably and formed Tin Machine.
8- The final words on Epilogue are: “And he arrived and stayed as always, may the world still remember him?”
9- Jeff Lynne produced The Beatles Free As A Bird
10- Jeff is the half cousin of former Birmingham City centre forward Bob Latchford
11- In terms of bands, ELO has the most top 40 hits without hitting #1 in the US. In terms of singular artists the record holder is James Brown
12- Jeff Lynne doesn’t actually have a beard. He has trained a small hedgehog called Gerald to sit patiently on his face whenever he’s in public to help protect his real identity.
13- Mary Thomas started early doing the opera part of “Rockaria.” On the album (and a karaoke track I found), you can hear it start, then stop abruptly, and she says, “Oops.” Jeff decided to keep that in the recording.
14- Eldorado was recorded with only Jeff, Bev and Richard in the studio from the band
15- Jeff Lynne was really the first man on the moon. He switched places with Neil Armstrong on the launch pad just before the Apollo launch. They switched back just after splashdown. While Jeff was in space Neil Armstrong donned a false beard, wig and glasses and gigged with the rest of ELO. Apparently only Bev Bevan knew this and always threatened to expose the truth. That’s the real reason things went sour between Jeff and Bev in later years. Neil Armstrong took his secret to the grave.
16- Michael DeAlbuquerque was called Albert Turkey
17- I’m sure most folks know this but some may not. The opening of “Fire On High” from “Face The Music” has backward masking on it. When played backwards, it plainly states: “The music is reversible but time is not. Turn back! Turn Back!”