{"id":332358,"date":"2025-12-05T16:45:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/332358\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:45:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:45:08","slug":"the-complete-list-of-jeff-lynnes-15-favourite-albums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/332358\/","title":{"rendered":"The complete list of Jeff Lynne\u2019s 15 favourite albums"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jeff<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Jeff Lynne)<\/p>\n

Fri 5 December 2025 15:44, UK <\/p>\n

Across the last six decades, despite being 90% hair, Jeff Lynne<\/a> has built an impressive career, selling in excess of 50 million records with Electric Light Orchestra, collaborating with the likes of Brian Wilson and Alice Cooper, and receiving an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He is music\u2019s Swiss army knife, but that doesn\u2019t mean he hasn\u2019t mastered the many trades he applies himself to. In fact, he brings flair and originality in awe-inspiring abundance. As Benmont Tench put it, \u201cHe\u2019s brilliant at what he does, and you know it\u2019s Jeff Lynne.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of purity pours out of him. \u201cTo me, making records isn\u2019t work,\u201d he once happily proclaimed. While doing it for love is one thing, when a young, working-class Lynne was growing up in Birmingham, it would\u2019ve been beyond his wildest dreams that he would go on to work with The Beatles, form a supergroup with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison, write 33 charting hits of his own with ELO, and be dubbed by John Lennon as the artist carrying on \u201cfrom where The Beatles left off\u201d.<\/p>\n

He even wrote the band\u2019s big breakthrough single, \u2018Showdown\u2019, in his parents\u2019 front room. \u201cI made the riff up and I was thrilled with it. I knew it was going to be a hit even after I had just done a few notes of it. When we cut it the engineer said, \u2018This is a classic\u2019. I was thrilled to bits,\u201d he recalled. The rest is history.<\/p>\n

After forming in 1970, the progressive pop group ELO rose to acclaim with a run of albums towards the middle of the decade, culminating with Out of the Blue in 1977 and Discovery in 1979. Their futuristic pop popularised the use of the vocoder and brought a fun, lighthearted sound to a decade often dominated by heavier genres and artists who desperately wanted to seem cool.<\/p>\n

\"Electric<\/a>Jeff Lynne on stage with ELO. (Credits: Far Out \/ Helge \u00d8ver\u00e5s)<\/p>\n

Out of the Blue spawned ELO\u2019s defining hit, \u2018Mr. Blue Sky\u2019, which gained them a place in the UK top ten and has retained cultural relevance ever since. The track has cemented itself as a crucial part of popular culture, even being used across film and television, from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. <\/p>\n

Lynne and ELO\u2019s eclectic approach came from a desire to emulate the Beatles\u2019 rock sound with a focus on orchestral instrumentation. ELO experimented with sound and genre to create a new kind of pop. Accordingly, Jeff Lynne\u2019s favourite albums span a wide range of artists, too, including two Beatles records, modern anti-folk, and 1960s doo-wop. <\/p>\n

These records have infused into his own distinct style. So, we\u2019ve compiled his picks from an interview with The Quietus, his own personal favourite ELO record from a chat Record Collector, and the projects he\u2019s been most touched by from a discussion with Rock Cellar, to present the complete collection of classics that the fuzzy-haired fellow adores. <\/p>\n

But without one of them, he might never have been in the position he now finds himself in. Speaking about his origins, he commented, \u201cOh, the first time I ever heard \u2018Only The Lonely\u2019 on the radio was\u2026 I couldn\u2019t believe it. My mum and my auntie said, \u2018Ooh, he\u2019s so sexy, he is!\u2019 I said, \u2018Don\u2019t be ridiculous\u2019. Not that I knew anything about it \u2013 I was 12 or 13. They\u2019re going, \u2018Ooh, but he\u2019s too sexy\u2026 I don\u2019t like it\u2019. And I went, \u2018That\u2019s the best thing I\u2019ve ever heard in my life\u2019. And it was. Probably still is. Pure magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

From that moment of \u201cpure\u201d inspiration, it seemed the fickle fingers of fate began to weave his future into place. So, it\u2019s no surprise that his hero pops up in the collection. Lynne, naturally, names Roy Orbison\u2019s Greatest Hits as one of his favourites, gushing, \u201cWhat a beautiful guy. He was so sweet.\u201d <\/p>\n

Continuing, \u201cI mean, every song he\u2019s done is my favourite. You can\u2019t go wrong with them.\u201d Lynne also reminisces on the time he was able to be Orbison\u2019s \u201cpal and producer\u201d when he worked with him on the 1989 posthumous hit \u2018You Got It\u2019. <\/p>\n

He also shares the joy he took from contributing to Orbison\u2019s first hit in 20 years, stating: \u201cWe\u2019d done it together, and that was a great, marvellous feeling.\u201d But Lynee speaks more on his admiration for the man than the music, adding, \u201cAnd he\u2019s got this enormous and most infectious giggle you\u2019ve ever heard, and we\u2019d all be giggling like schoolgirls after a minute or two and all fucking fall about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lynne also includes collaborator Regina Spektor\u2019s 2009 album Far on the list. Though even he admits that the two were \u201cnot an obvious pairing\u201d, he was blown away by Spektor\u2019s voice, pitch, and drumming. Lynne states, \u201cI just love her voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beatles, perhaps expectedly, take two spots on Lynne\u2019s list. The first goes to Revolver, which he recalls sounded better than anything else back in 1966: \u201cIt stood out like a sore thumb, really. It was so tight and beautiful and punchy. It was the punchiest thing around. It was, like, powerful and, it seemed to me, majestic.\u201d He also picks out Please Please Me, calling \u2018I Saw Her Standing There\u2019 \u201cprobably the greatest ever English rock \u2018n\u2019 roll song\u201d.<\/p>\n

Alongside the Fab Four, Lynne includes their biggest competition, The Beach Boys, on the list. He suggests that Pet Sounds might be the \u201cultimate in production\u201d. He said: \u201cI remember it was \u201966, and in some parts, it sounds like an old dance band. I\u2019d think, \u2018Wow!\u2019 That\u2019s so old-fashioned yet so brand new at the same time.\u201d <\/p>\n

Lynne also worked with frontman Brian Wilson<\/a> on a track called \u2018Let It Shine\u2019 for Wilson\u2019s self-titled album in 1989. He was wary about the daunting experience of producing \u201cthe best producer in the world\u201d, but he relished the chance of working with a \u201cgenius\u201d all the same, and the \u201ccomplex\u201d chord structures they mustered left him brimming with pride.<\/p>\n

However, that\u2019s not the only thing he\u2019s been proud to have a hand in. While he might have crowned Full Moon Fever his favourite project that he\u2019s even been part of, on a less selfless note, he\u2019s also picked out Out of the Blue and On the Third Day as his favourite ELO records.<\/p>\n

Lynne rounds out the list with picks that include a Beatles solo album, a compilation by The Who, and Sophisticated Soul by Motown girl band The Marvelettes. Check out the full list of Jeff Lynne\u2019s favourite albums below.<\/p>\n

Jeff Lynne\u2019s favourite albums:Travelling Wilburys \u2013 Volume 1George Harrison \u2013 Cloud NineTom Petty \u2013 Full Moon FeverDel Shannon \u2013 Hats Off To Del ShannonRoy Orbison \u2013 Greatest HitsRegina Spektor \u2013 FarThe Beatles \u2013 RevolverThe Beatles \u2013 Please Please MeThe Who \u2013 Meaty Beaty Big and BouncyThe Zombies \u2013 Odyssey and OracleThe Beach Boys \u2013 Pet SoundsDon Covay And The Goodtimers \u2013 MercyThe Marvelettes \u2013 Sophisticated Soul<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Credits: Far Out \/ Jeff Lynne) Fri 5 December 2025 15:44, UK Across the last six decades, despite…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332359,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[168207,88,7070,216],"class_list":{"0":"post-332358","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-electric-light-orchestra","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-jeff-lynne","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}