According to The Washington Post, Jeff Lynne is one of the top five best producers of all time. The Briton was already known as an ambitious sound wizard during his successful period with The Electric Light Orchestra (1970-1986) and could then work as a producer anywhere. He did his most impressive jobs for George Harrison. Lynne left a big mark on his (posthumous) solo work, the albums of his
… supergroup The Traveling Wilburys and the latest Beatles singles Free As A Bird and Real Love. As a performing musician, however, Lynne rarely makes herself heard. His second solo album Long Wave follows 22 years after his first and is just a collection of covers. Like friend Paul McCartney on Kisses On The Bottom (2011), he pays tribute to the songs he used to hear as a child. Where that record made a fairly standard impression, Lynne sounds particularly enthusiastic on the songs of Charles Aznavour, Charlie Chaplin and Chuck Berry, among others. Especially his beautiful vocals with a lot of overdubs sound like a clock. Lynne also takes care of almost all instruments. Long Wave is such an interesting piece of work full of ingenuity, as befits a legendary producer. (JE)more
