Electric Light Orchestra

The Electric Light Orchestra (Or known as ELO) is a band that features a string trio with rock instruments. Starting in 1970 as The Move, Roy Wood invited Jeff Lynne of The Idle Race to provide lead vocals after Carl Wayne left due to creativity disagreements. Wood wanted to "pick up where The Beatles left off" and by 1971, The Move changed their name to The Electric Light Orchestra. By that time, ELO would release their first album called No Answer, but by the end of the year Roy Wood left because of frustrations with the orchestral instruments sounding faint and disagreements with their manager Don Arden.

Once Roy Wood formed Wizzard in 1973, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan would reform ELO with Richard Tandy and a string trio. It wasn't until 1974 when ELO released Eldorado that they'd have a cultural impact with "Boy Blue" and "Can't get it out of my Head". And up until Out of the Blue, ELO kept the string trio. By 1979, ELO would no longer use strings in most of their albums or songs and relied on disco, especially with Discovery.

In 1980, ELO provided the music to the film Xanadu featuring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. Around that time, ELO would go into synth pop and synth rock, particularly with Time. After the 1986 album Balance of Power, ELO was disbanded and Jeff Lynne would pursue a solo career working with George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Brian Wilson, and Tom Petty. In 2001, ELO would be recreated with Jeff Lynne as the only member from the first line-up(s) with the album Zoom.