Juliana Hatfield Has Made An ELO Covers Album - Noise11.com
Juliana Hatfield sings ELO

Juliana Hatfield Has Made An ELO Covers Album

by Paul Cashmere on May 24, 2023

in News

Juliana Hatfield has made another covers album, this time featuring the songs of the Electric Light Orchestra.

The first preview off the album is Juliana’s cover of ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’.

In 2019 she released ‘Juliana Hatfield sings The Police’ and in 2018 she released ‘Juliana Hatfield sings Olivia Newton-John’.

In a statement Juliana Hatfield said, “ELO songs were always coming on the radio when I was growing up. They were a reliable source of pleasure and fascination (except for “Fire On High” which scared the heck out of me). With this album of covers I wanted to get my hands deep into some of the massive ‘70’s hits but I am also shining a light on some of the later work (“Ordinary Dream” from 2001’s “Zoom” album, “Secret Messages” and “’From The End Of The World”, both from the ‘80’s).

Thematically, I identify with the loneliness and alienation and the outerspace-iness in the songs I chose. (I have always felt like I am part alien, not fully belonging to or in this Earth world.) Sonically, ELO recordings are like an amusement park packed with fun musical games with layers and layers of varied, meticulous parts for your ears to explore; production curiosities; huge, gorgeous stacks of awe-inspiring vocal harmony puzzles. My task was to try and break all the things down and reconstruct them subtly until they felt like mine.

Overall, I stuck pretty close to the originals’ structures while figuring out new ways to express or reference the unique and beloved ELO string arrangements. An orchestra would have been difficult or impossible for me to manage to record, nor did I think there was any point in trying to copy those parts as they originally were. Why not try to reimagine them within my zone of limitations? In some cases, I transposed string parts onto guitars, or keyboards, and I even sung some of them (as in “Showdown” and “Bluebird Is Dead”).

Recording the album was a kind of complicated and drawn-out process since I was doing all of my tracks at home in my bedroom (drums and bass were done by Chris Anzalone and Ed Valauskas, respectively [in their own recording spaces]), and I kept running into technology problems that would frustrate me and slow me up. But eventually I got it all done. A labor of love.”

‘Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO’ will be released on 17 November, 2023.

Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO Tracklist:
01. Sweet Is the Night (originally from Out of the Blue, 1978)
02. Can’t Get It Out of My Head (originally from Eldorado, 1974)
03. Showdown (originally from On The Third Day, 1973)
04. Strange Magic (originally from Face The Music, 1975)
05. Don’t Bring Me Down (originally from Discovery, 1979)
06. Telephone Line (originally from A New World Record, 1976)
07. Secret Messages (originally from Secret Messages, 1983)
08. Bluebird Is Dead (originally from On The Third Day, 1973)
09. From the End of the World (originally from Time, 1981)
10. Ordinary Dream (originally from Zoom, 2001)

Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here

Be the first to see NOISE.com’s newest interviews and special features on YOUTUBE and updated regularly. See things first SUBSCRIBE here: Noise11 on YouTube SUBSCRIBE

Noise11.com

Follow Noise11 on Social Media

Noise11 on Instagram

You’ll discover music news first following Noise11 on Twitter

Comment on the news of the day, join Noise11 on Facebook

Related Posts

Kurt Cobain, music news, noise11.com
New Kurt Cobain Documentary Marks 30th Anniversary of His Death

A new BBC documentary aims to "demystify" the tragic death of Kurt Cobain - 30 years after his death rocked the world.

1 day ago
Tim and Neil Finn I See Red rehearsals in LA 2004
Split Enz Fans, Watch The Finn Brothers Rehearse ‘I See Red’

Split Enz/Crowded House archivist Peter Green has offered up another rare fine, Tim and Neil Finn rehearsing their Split Enz classic ‘I See Red’ in Los Angeles in 2004.

2 days ago
Jamiroquai photo by Ros OGorman
There Is Activity In The Jamiroquai Camp

Jamiroquai have reunited to work on their first album in eight years.

3 days ago
Jason Singh
Jason Singh Wins Two Year Taxiride Trade Mark Battle Against Fellow Band Members

Taxiride co-founder Jason Singh has won a two-year legal battle against fellow bandmates Tim Watson and Tim Wild over the Taxiride Trade Mark.

4 days ago
Madonna, Rod Laver Arena Rebel Heart Tour. Photo by Ros O'Gorman
Madonna To End Celebration Tour With Free Concert In Brazil

Madonna is set to end her Celebration Tour with a free concert in Brazil.

4 days ago
Sean Diddy Combs, music news, noise11.com
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Home Raided By Feds

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' homes have been raided by federal agents, and his sons have been handcuffed outside his LA property.

4 days ago
Courtney Love - Photo by Ros O'Gorman.
Courtney Love To Present Championship Women Show For BBC

Courtney Love has landed a series championing women in music for BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Sounds.

4 days ago