Strange that as long as I’ve loved ELO’s Out of the Blue, I’ve never considered looking into any of their other albums. What a fool I have been! While not as refined as the symphonic pop of Out of the Blue, Face the Music showcases a Jeff Lynne with an absolute mastery of pop songcraft in a variety of genres.

Through much of the album, their chamber pop eyes disco flirtatiously from across the bar, while Down Home Town sees the band putting on cowboy boots and Stetsons. Poker is almost a punk single. But the whole of the album is just blissful pop. Evil Woman is the prized single, but the songs bookending it are just as good. And as always, the arrangements are top notch. Could you really expect less from ELO?