BQRH #9: Two for the price of one - "The Diary Of Horace Wimp" + "Need Her Love" (Electric Light Orchestra)

Dear readers,

Tonight, I have posted two viddies together, so that you can enjoy and comment. Also, I would like to shamelessly plug my non-musical blog http://randomwalksdowncollegeave.blogspot.com, much more personal and randomly built, if you want. Not everything in life can be music.

Well, tonight we are enjoying two songs from a British band from England called The Electric Light Orchestra. These songs come from their 1979 elpee, "Discovery", their only album to top the charts in their homeland.

The first song here is called "The Diary Of Horace Wimp". I have been thinking that I had the unconscious idea that I was going to become at a certain point some variety of Horace Wimp, when the girl of my dreams would arrive. You know, the guy is pretty quick: he meets the girl on Wednesday, dates her on Thursday, proposes on Friday, and then they marry on Sunday. But, in my case, we first dated one Saturday, began our relationship that Tuesday, and kept going until she dumped me on Wednesday ten days later. In the end, it was as similarly rushed, but clearly not quite as successful.

The apparent cheesiness of the arrangement really contributes in my opinion to the success of the song. And it is cute to think of Mr. Wimp as a romantic who still believes that love and marriage are two things that should go together. Certainly he wasn't afraid of commitment. He found the girl, and made her his wife (for the rest of his life, as the song makes clear). Awesome. Horace is one of those many heroes who deserve recognition for their bravery and fighting for their beliefs, despite the fact it happens during a poppy and syrupy song. Go, Wimp!



The second song is one of those romantic ballads that at the same time maligned this band and their undisputed leader/songwriter/vocalist/guitarist/producer, Jeff Lynne, and also became their signature. "Need Her Love" has all those elements that make these kind of tracks the musical equivalent of eating a spoonful of honey. I am quite happy I can enjoy so much honey every now and then. The same holds true musically speaking.

The band: Jeff Lynne (lead vocals/guitars/synths), Richard Tandy (assorted keyboards), Bev Bevan (drums), Kelly Groucutt (bass/backing vocals), plus the string section miming along (as they were not part of the band when the album was recorded): Mik Kaminski (violin), Hugh McDowell (cello), Melvyn Gale (cello). Strings were arranged by Lynne, Tandy and conductor Louis Clarke. Both tracks were written and produced by Jeff Lynne.

Comments and requests are welcome as always.

Love (is real), BQ