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It's such a shame that this release did not do any better when it came out. There are some really, really great tracks on it. I sought out this specific original Japanese release CD to get the bonus track Long Black Road, which is probably my favorite ELO/Jeff Lynne song of the now three albums he's done this millennium. It's available only on this version of the CD, or on the American Hustle soundtrack (which would also be an excellent choice!). If you ever liked any ELO song, get this. If you ever liked any '70s rock, get this. If you feel there is probably some better music offerings out there than whatever is popular these days, GET ZOOM!!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Zoom is a great album. It's significantly better than the 1986 album Balance of Power. There is a great debate as to whether this is a Jeff Lynne solo album, or a true ELO album. The fact that Jeff Lynne plays pretty much all the instruments is a good argument, but die-hard ELO fans have always known that Jeff played the majority of the instruments on most of the previous ELO albums as well. Not to mention, since the first ELO album, Jeff has been the sole songwriter and the bands only producer. Even on the first album, Jeff wrote 5 of the 9 songs and was one of two co-producers along with Roy Wood. But in all actuality, Jeff is NOT the only musician on this album. His guest list on Zoom reads as follows: Personnel Jeff Lynne – Vocals, Backing Vocals, Electric Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Cello, Drums. Guest musicians Richard Tandy – Keyboards ("Alright") George Harrison – Slide Guitar ("A Long Time Gone" and "All She Wanted") Ringo Starr – Drums ("Moment in Paradise" and "Easy Money") Marc Mann – Rhythm Guitar ("Moment in Paradise"), String arrangements ("In My Own Time" and "Melting in the Sun") Suzie Katayama – Cello ("Just for Love", "Stranger on a Quiet Street" and "All She Wanted") Roger Lebow – Cello ("Lonesome Lullaby") Dave Boruff – Saxophone ("A Long Time Gone") Laura Lynne – Backing Vocals ("All She Wanted") Rosie Vela – Backing Vocals ("Alright", "All She Wanted"), Spoken Parts and Tap dancing ("In My Own Time") Kris Wilkinson – String arrangements ("Ordinary Dream") Sure, the older members (such as Bev Bevan, Kelly Groucutt, Mik Kaminski, etc) are gone and no longer associated with ELO, but at least Richard Tandy appears on one song on piano. Personally, I consider this to be a true ELO album. I would have liked to have had Tandy been involved in all the songs as he used to be on earlier ELO albums, but still...my argument is this... Since Jeff writes all the songs, is the lead vocalist, the guitarist (and multi-instrumentalist), and also the sole producer of ELO album...if he calls an album an ELO album, then it is, because quite frankly Jeff Lynne IS ELO. This album has a lot of great tracks on it. The first track, "Alright", was the first single from the album, and is a fine track, but there are many other greater tracks on the album. "Moment In Paradise", "State Of Mind", "Stranger on a Quiet Street", "Ordinary Dream", "Lonesome Lullaby", and the Japanese version bonus track "Long Black Road" are all quite excellent songs and continue the ELO heritage seamlessly. I definitely recommend getting the Japanese version for "Long Black Road" if you can find it, because that song is worth the price alone. There are not nearly as many "strings" on this album as most previous ELO albums, but hey...Jeff Lynne has changed over the years. Everybody changes. The man doesn't want to do the same things now that he did back in 1977, and I completely understand. ZOOM is a progression from the past...not a harking back. If you're expecting this album to sound like "Face The Music", "A New World Record", "Out Of The Blue", etc...then you are going to be disappointed. But if you have enjoyed the music Jeff's been involved with since ELO's breakup after the "Balance Of Power" album, then you'll probably love it. This album has shades of the Traveling Wilburys (of which Jeff was the curly headed guy with sunglasses that most people didn't know, because he personally isn't as famous as George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan). It also has bits and pieces of the countless other people he's worked with over the years. And the simple fact that Harrison and Ringo Starr appear on the album, is worth the price of the album as well. If you like ELO...I mean truly like (read:love) ELO, you WILL like this album...no doubt about it. I also think even the casual ELO fan will find songs among the 13 (on standard album), or 14 (on the japanese import), to love.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
I bought this for the bonus track that was not available on the U.S. release of the disc. A great addition to my collection. It is a shame that this cd is out of print. It's not even available as a download on the legal download purchase sites.
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