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ELO biography

Reformation in 2000

Jeff Lynne's comeback with ELO began in 2000 with the release of a retrospective box set, Flashback, containing three CDs of remastered tracks and a handful of outtakes and unfinished works, most notably a new version of ELO's only UK number one hit "Xanadu".

In 2001, Zoom, ELO's first album since 1986, was released. Though billed and marketed as an ELO album, the only returning member other than Jeff Lynne was Richard Tandy, who performed on one track. Zoom took on a more organic sound, with less emphasis on strings and electronic effects. Guest musicians included former Beatles Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Upon completion of the album Lynne reformed the band with completely new members including his then-girlfriend Rosie Vela (who had released her own album "Zazu", in 1986) and announced that ELO would tour again. Former ELO member Richard Tandy rejoined the band a short time afterwards for two television live performances: VH1 Storytellers and a PBS concert shot at CBS Television City, later titled Zoom Tour Live, that was released on DVD. The planned tour was cancelled. Lynne, a close friend of George Harrison, was also terribly affected by Harrison's illness and later death in November 2001. The ELO tour was not rescheduled.

Harvest Records and Epic/Legacy released ELO's back catalogue from 2001-07. Included amongst the remastered album tracks were unreleased songs and outtakes, including 2 new singles "Surrender" which registered on the lower end of the UK Singles Chart at #81, some 30 years after it was written in 1976. Another unreleased recording, "Latitude 88 North," was released as the third bonus track on the 2007 remastered version of their 1977 album Out of the Blue. The song was written in 1977, but existed only as a demo recording of the chorus. Jeff Lynne returned to the song and finished it in preparation for the remastered version of Out of the Blue.

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