Artist: ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Album: BALLANCE OF POWER REMASTERED (CD)

Release date: 1986/ 2007
EAN/UPS: 827969427927
Media type: CD

Balance of Power was the last studio album by the Electric Light Orchestra for a period of over 15 years (until Zoom was released in 2001). By this time Kelly Groucutt had departed and the group was pared down to a trio, with Jeff Lynne handling bass (in addition to his usual guitar work) and more dabbling with electronic percussion and synthesisers. ELO played some live concerts in the UK and Europe (their last for fifteen years), and in one UK show George Harrison performed as guest guitarist.

The video for the single "Calling America" was shot in Paris, and contains shots of the band playing in front of Centre Georges Pompidou. A video was also made for the single "So Serious." The track "Endless Lies" was intended as an homage to Roy Orbison, and was originally recorded for the pared-down double LP Secret Messages; it reappeared on this album in a slightly reworked and more compact form. A number of "ELO firsts" can be attributed to this album: it was the first ELO album not to feature any strings whatsoever; the first to feature a saxophone solo; and the band's first compact disc issued. The album, in its original form, is also the shortest album in the ELO catalogue.

The singles' B-sides "Caught in a Trap", "A Matter Of Fact" (alternative lyrics), and "ELO Megamix" are among the band's more collectible single tracks; "Destination Unknown" and the standard version of "A Matter Of Fact" were released on the 1990 compilation Afterglow. The remastered version of the album was released on 26 February (UK) and 20 March (US), 2007 as part of the Sony/BMG Music Epic/Legacy series. It includes an extra 21 minutes of music, considerably lengthening what had been the shortest ELO album.

Very first vinyl pressings and tape recordings were labeled with the familiar JET Records label in Europe, some CBS advertisements announced even the CD release on the JET Records label, but until today there is no original CD item known to be existing with the JET Records label. Europe's CD releases were on CDEPC26467 (Epic) in March 1986. The US and Japan releases were on CBS Associated.

Chart Positions, Chart Runs
US: #49 Billboard 200, 15 weeks 
UK: #9 UK Albums Chart, 12 weeks 
AUS: #49 ARIA Albums Chart, 11 weeks 
CAN: #40 RPM Albums Chart, 18 weeks 
GER: #18 Media Control Charts 

All words and music by Jeff Lynne.

TRACKLIST:

"Heaven Only Knows" – 2:52 
"So Serious" – 2:38 
"Getting to the Point" – 4:28 
"Secret Lives" – 3:26 
"Is It Alright" – 3:25 

"Sorrow About To Fall" – 3:59 
"Without Someone" – 3:48 
"Calling America" – 3:26 
"Endless Lies" – 2:55 

"Send It" – 3:04 

2007 Bonus Tracks:

"Opening" - 0:24 
"Heaven Only Knows (Alternate Version)" - 2:32 
"In For The Kill" - 3:13 
"Secret Lives (Alternate Mix)" - 3:24 
"Sorrow About To Fall (Alternate Mix)" - 3:48 
"Caught In A Trap (UK B-side) - 3:44 
"Destination Unknown (UK B-side) - 4:10 

LINE-UP:

Jeff Lynne - Vocals, Electric and Acoustic guitars, Bass guitar, Keyboards, Percussion 
Bev Bevan - Drums, Percussion 
Richard Tandy - Keyboards, Sequence Programming 
Christian Shneider - Saxophone