Electric Light Orchestra - Hello My Old Friend

[harlesslee]

Throughout history, musicians have used similar chord progressions in music. Look at the blues. Look at early Memphis rock and roll. The Beatles copied blues music and early Memphis rock, early in their careers, so we've had quite enough of all of the "This is a copy of the Beatles". Nobody cares. We like this song as much as we like the early blues sound-alikes that The Beatles recorded and built their careers around. It's excellent music, Sit back and enjoy it.

[endrizo]

MANDALAY the other forgotten gem w.youtube.com/watch?v=Msh_OYKc­eNo

[endrizo]

this one and Mandalay are two forgotten gems, so cool to see so many elo -jeff fans here,a hug for all,see ya.

[missyc13]

I've heard thins song on a tv program in holland today, LOVE IT!!!

[gremlynne]

great local band obviously jeff influenced by the beatles. news for jeff lynne. who's john lennon. jeff lynne is a genius without the notoriety he deserves. elo blow the beatles out the water. if i've offended any beatles fans .... good

[payday1963]

This sounds suspiciously like "I Am The Walrus" goo goo ga joob !

[SheriffTankStoner]

This song reminds me of my hometown of Scranton PA (which is a lot like B-ham).

[87DecadeRider]

man, this sounds like " I am the Walrus "...

[DawnRainWasHere]

@87DecadeRider •The Electric Light Orchestra's original said intention upon forming was "to pick up where 'I Am The Walrus' left off."

[FinnMove]

The life is full of miracles. This gem wasn´t released when it was brand new. But life is mystery, isn´ t it ?

[frozenpianos]

I'm more of a punk fan, But damn, the man knew how to write some pop hooks!

[mrmjb1960]

Imagine if CBS/SONY had let Jeff do a Double Lp of "Secret Messages",with this! I believe it would've been a Billion-Seller!

[AndyKing69]

Jeff Lynne's music has acted as a soundtrack to my life (I'm 44 now). Everytime I think I've heard everything he's done I discover another great posting (thank God for YouTube).

This track, along with 'Beatles Forever' are quite possibly two of the best songs never to appear on an official ELO album (notwithstanding compilations). I would absolutely love to see Secret Messages in its original double LP format released - what a thrill that would be!

[chessic4]

Love the song and your vid, as well. Thanks for uploading.

[SheriffTankStoner]

@tjrtherocksponge While (in an artistic sense at least) I can't say anything Michael Jackson. ELO was far superior to Men-At-Work (who in their own right had 6 hits but disappeared from the spotlight after only being there for 2 years). Don't know much about Toto outside of 'Africa' and 'Rosanna'.

[ROVINATO]

Awful drums....terrible song

[raywise]

@ROVINATO

Ummm, doesn't matter, you simply wouldn't understand. :)

[dixie11]

@raywise lol thats all we can say to a bunch of soul-less teenagers who cant appreciate fine music, sometimes i began writing replies to folks like rovinato and then im like fuck it my 2 cents wont change the make-up of his brain lol if you cant appreciate this you can appreciate Queen, Beatles, Pink Floyd..why even listen to a song like this if you have no ears

[Urs4life1]

This sounds like I am the walrus by The beatles ??

But i still love elo and the beatles even though they elo are very much like them..

[smasher1138]

forget the "like" button - where's the 'I fucking love this" button?

[ThePSROFL]

I Am The Walrus

Goo Go Cu Judd

[david1leigh]

Must have been asleep for the last 25 years cause this is the first time i have heard this. What a great song. Thanks for posting it.

[arthurjw]

Loves it... but only me here or there massive Beatles influence here?

[lonstar70]

@arthurjw Well duh. He has all but said ELO was meant to take up where the Beetles left off. John Lennon loved them.

[71tarheelfan]

One of the more underrated songs they did...I love this song.

[AudioAndroid]

if this isnt MEGA MAN i dont know what is

[MICKJAC08]

Always a band that all my friends and I could not wait for their next release. So inventive.So magical. ELO FOREVER !!!!!

[richwilke36]

this was supposed to be the closing track of the Secret Messages double album. You can kinda hear Jeff Lynne saying goodbye to ELO with this.

Where oh where is the full version of SM? C'mon Sony-get it out! You own it........

[lonstar70]

@richwilke36 Goodbye? They released "Balance of Power" just a couple of years later.

[richwilke36]

@lonstar70-I know, I know. I meant that Jeff was saying goodbye to the old ELO 'sound and style', as BOP is a completely different animal from,say,Out Of The Blue or Face The Music.

[lonstar70]

@richwilke36 Well, I see what you mean, but DISCOVERY was the album that I thought they go away from their old style. Or maybe TIME. With DISCOVERY, they became a four piece band.

[no1elofaniknow]

@lonstar70 Yeah, I think definitely TIME was the big move away from the old ELO sound. Of course, Xanadu was like a segue into the new ELO sound.

[lonstar70]

@no1elofaniknow

I agree. However, I like all their styles. I thought their second album was especially experimental and cool.

But I honestly wasn't crazy about "Zoom". It was all Jeff Lynne basically, which showed me that the "other" members of ELO had more influence and brought more musicality to the table than they got credit for (specifically Kelly Groucutt).

[no1elofaniknow]

@lonstar70 I like all styles of ELO too (how could one not?).

Yes, the other members brought their own little flourishes with them into the music (heck, ALL musicians have their own sound), but not to the extent that it influenced the stucture, chords, or melody (tune) of the songs. Hardly enough for a songwriting credit. While I don't believe that Jeff ruled ELO with an iron fist, I think he certainly had his reasons for not sharing the task of songwriting with any of the members. (2 B cont.

[no1elofaniknow]

@lonstar70 Reason 1) Jeff is a perfectionist - to the hilt. It seems to me that he firmly believes in the old saying "if you want something done right, do it yourself". Some might even say that he's a control freak, and maybe he is. Who really knows?

Reason 2) Ever since the debut album, maybe Jeff just really didn't want to risk there becoming another situation like the conflict that occurred between himself and Roy Wood. That conflict almost destroyed ELO in its infancy.

[Scott06096]

I love this song... don't know why it didn't make original production!

[Nessthegreat]

CooCooKaChu?

[PracticalTheorist]

Sounds a lot like "Dear Prudence" by the Beatles at the start. and I love that song. This one too.

[SheriffTankStoner]

P8ss on CBS Records for not making Secret Messages a double-album.

[xtrastage]

2:56 is Oh No Not Susan.

[JBofBrisbane]

Hey, I bought TWO Afterglow box sets circa 1991 - one for me, one for a friend either for his birthday or Christmas. I'm guessing they were imports.

[driski90]

Whoever voted down for this video should get beat up by the rest of us!

[nohaymasquever]

Great Walrus Cover :-P

[myryckyz]

The influential of Magical mystery Tour of The Beatles sounds evident to me in this Jeff's song,,,

[blitzman64]

The song Birmingham Blues is about Birmingham City Football Club,

they are called "The Blues".

[soco13466]

Rather "Beatle-esque" sounding, but actually i think it improves on the Beatles, within the style. I listen to this over and over again. Hello My Old Friend.

[soco13466]

He could have sung this about the Great Late Detroit.

[no1elofaniknow]

The secret message at 4:13 - 4:16 is something recorded backward.

[no1elofaniknow]

Yeah, this video pretty much displays that the city of Birmingham is not very attractive. But even Jeff Lynne wrote in Birmingham Blues: "It may be kind of homely, but it sure is sweet. Industrial Revolution put it on its feet!"

[norwind]

I can see Malcolms ..its all flattened now

[CapLockFreak]

I thought that I read on Wikipedia that "Secret Messages" was going to be released as a special Legacy double CD with the normal CD version on disc 1 and disc 2 would be the full double album as it was originally imagined. If this is so, I can't wait for it. Bring it on!

[ScouseMikelMouse]

This is one of their best songs nd this video is great... well done!!

[TheSmartalexShow]

Well Jeff is the '6th Beatle' (;

[shatowboy]

Why does it remind me so much of I am the walrus by the beatles

[bunchie1966]

Very Lennon-ish. Great.

[FinnMove]

I think the best artists are always to be found. The expression "underrated" is only a mask. If you understand real art that is for you. Remember the treasure is to be found as "unknown" for those who are worth for your art. Common people don´t understand you. Maybe the best ELO song not yet released in some collection except Afterglow.

[Shocksund]

this song sounds soo spooky, yet so brilliant

[yoyichero]

my son is just 6 y/o and love drums line

[pantaruja]

All is moving in the world:

electricity. light, organization.

The time change, the changes of our lifes but... one thing is invariable: the music of ELO.

It's fantastic

[Viznel137]

Pure genius from a master of rock!

[schulzcreative]

Nice song...thematically, it actually sounds like an outtake from Time. Imagine it with REAL drums in the first half...

[petie71]

I was in Birmingham this past summer (August 2009). Amazing time! The Mailbox is fab spot for dining and drinking. I couldn't get over all the 2 for 1 deals on booze in England. Made for some very interesting afternoons/evenings! Lol. x

[DaveInBridport]

Why this was ever left off an album I will never know... OK, it's very Beatle-y but then so are Oasis. Fantastic music and a change from the standard ELO tune structure.

[colin7709]

NICE TUNE,AS ALWAYS!!

[pappabagge]

Couldn't agree more with FarFromZero - thanks for those comments. This is truly Lennonesque - I can hear bits of 'Walrus' and 'Strawberry Fields' in there.... superb piece of music by a master craftsman. Peace and luv.

[Parrambusties]

Hypnotic, beautiful song

. .-.. ---

[FarFromZero]

One of the most underrated songs of all time, truly a masterpiece of Jeff Lynne. This song is psychedelic, progressive and combines classic and modern music just as harmonic and disharmonic melodies. Some day people will see Jeff Lynne in the hall of fame of the most talented composers ever.

[FinnMove]

The byrocracy said the rules those days.

All was commercial, no matter the quality of the music. The idiots who didn´t know the music att all ruled. That´s why it did happened. Not the best songs to the album or not to release the brilliant double album.

[cradlehawkmain]

What a song, Jeff Lynne is truely the greatest musical genius on earth. The man never ceases to amaze me with his music.

[banjgoboy24]

So apt now, full of feeling, love it, needs to be a sound track for a real hand made movie. Timeless.

[Viznel137]

I Heard hearing"I am The Walrus"Gave Jeff the idea for ELO!

[tweezey]

damnnn howw sick is this song

[rayflute]

Well sick bruv! ;)

[mcainiac]

Same chord progression as "I am the Walrus" by the Beatles

[endrizo]

this one and Mandalay are real jewels.

there are still some great songs to see the light

jeff kept and keeps some songs in the closet,hope someday they be released.

can´t wait to buy that collection for die hard fans .

a hug for all ELO friends.

[JBofBrisbane]

I can't help thinking that the first three verses up to the wierd break was meant to lead into the track "Secret Messages", and the last verse was meant to conclude the album after "Rock 'N' Roll Is King". Anyone else agree?

[FinnMove]

A song which has a great backround also if you want to write your memories of your homelands. I think if Jeff Lynne will ever release the double Secret Messages.

That was it what it was meant to be. I think this was a decision of someone else to drop off the double. Bad memories may come if dig these things.

I think.

[SuperOcall]

It would be great if they re-released Secret Messages as a FULL album (vinyl and CD) including all the tracks that were dropped by Jeff, It would probably do quite well if advertised, music is leaning back towards a more 80's retro sound, which is exactly what Secret Messages has! Great song!

[MrSkelly71]

the double album idea was dropped by the label not Jeff.Again it comes down to money not what the fan or the artist wants.ELO the best band in the world!!!!!

[SuperOcall]

True, its a shame that that's how record companies work, more intrested in their wallets than delivering good music.... they killed ELO by turning Jeff down after all the money he had made for them, it really got to him, sad times... ELO still the greatest band ever though !!

[c15art]

I agree , actually Secret Messages deserve to be released as a double album

[cradlehawkmain]

It just goes to show the talent of Jeff Lynne that this song wasnt even released. Id love to be able to write a song half as good as this.

[TheJohnstephenson]

this song should have been included in the secret messages, its possibly one of the best songs recorded for the sessions!

[SheriffTankStoner]

@TheJohnstephenson Secret Messages should've been the double album it was originally intended to be.

[FinnMove]

What about the release the planned double Secret Messages album ?

I think it would be a huge success.

[jlbengry23]

I AM THE WALRUS

[midnighttilldawn]

I AM THE EGG MAN

[SupremeSunday]

GOO GOO GA JOOB

[TyleRisLoose]

goo goo g'joob

[underlondonskies]

Always makes me think of driving on the M6 through Birmingham myself, where you actually see the gas works, chimneys, etc., and pass very close to Shard End itself where Mr Lynne was brought up. A video filmed from a car doing that trip could be a suitable alternative accompaniment to this :-)

[davekm43]

Why does the US get things the UK doesnt, after all ELO are an English band

[Olie1377]

I remember the first time I heard this song on the Afterglow collection it literally blew my mind away. I agree with everyone else they should have released Secret Messages as a Double Album on the remaster.

[amichmusic]

Jeff Lynne is my ultimate musical hero, there is not a single song of his I wouldnt class as a complete and utter work of genius.

[poolboyinla]

Looks like something from WKRP in Cincinatti. I mean that in a good way though.

[ecozombie]

sound like Lennon..you can tell who produced the Beatles last two songs

[FinnMove]

Absolutely ELO´s best song in the 1980´s.

I like also I´m Alive, Twilight, Mandalay,

Heaven only Knows, Getting to the Point

and Caught in a Trap.

And what about Jeff Lynne solo single

Video. Great.

[ELOfan1982]

Nice song line-up. Not very many people know about the song Caught In A Trap. I was lucky enough to find it on .45. Still can't find it on C.D.

[FinnMove]

Caught in a Trap on CD ?

Balance of Power remastered.

[davekm43]

No I've never heard this before, great track, if this was a ditched track, all I can say is Y?

[kolk5145]

Oasis would be quite at home with this track.

[hehehecolors123]

he is not the walrus

[mca19580]

Secret Messages SHOULD have been a double album. This is a great tune!

[FinnMove]

Yes, it would have been absolutely the greatest ELO album in the 1980´s.

[johnlemon23]

i think it sounds more as the beatles' i am the walrus

[ilis]

it does...almsot the same orchestra work...different words and tempo...no wonder Jeff Lynne is sometimes referred to as the 6th Beatle

[robschulz]

Wow, I can't believe how similar this sounds to Green Day's "Brain Stew." I'm an ELO fan (of course!), not Green Day one; the opening and first minute sound VERY close, but with different pacing. I don't want to say they ripped off ELO..but you know how it goes...

[cotojabee]

Its the same bass line from Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" I think Greenday even admitted they used that bass line for brainstew

[stretchmark8]

I agree with elohead i don't know why this was left off secret messages it is at least as good as anything on there

[locojets]

Electric light with the orchestra.

[FinnMove]

I wonder what has been in Jeff´s mind

referring the absence of this song of ELO records except that extreme rare Afterglow 3CD- box...

Whose choice was to leave off this song

from an ordinary ELO album ?

[shleml]

The record company were acting like full blown wankers at this stage after all Jeff had done for them up to this stage! This caused Jeff to lose interest in ELO and rush out BOP. Shame the way a genius can be treated by grey suited bufoons.

[FinnMove]

Shame, I have never visited Birmingham.

I could UNDERSTAND the lyrics better

with this great music.

[raflo56]

I remember sitting in a friends bed room along with 3 other buddies, with the radio blasting. It was 1974. 18 yrs of age I was.Here comes this song on the airwaves that just blows me away-Daybreaker from " On the Third Day " album. A fan from that point forward.I played them so much, my friends wanred to throw out of the car.

[hbdywtk]

@ ralflo56 - you talk like Yoda.

"18 yrs of age I was."

[doobiewonkanooby]

What a beautiful song!! I feel lucky to have found it!! I wish I could find a copy of it!! Thnks Jeff for another master!!

[elohead]

How this was kept off the Secret Meeages album remains a complete mystery to me - what a travesty! Quite possibly ELO's finest Eighites track and one of their best ever!

A lot of people who've heard 'Beatles Forever' (another Secret Messages outtake) quote that song as being amazing.but I've heard that too and it doesn't come close to this.

I think if Hello My Old Friend was released today it would still storm the charts!!

[lumabi25]

I absolutely loved this song when I first heard it and I still do. Thanks Jeff.

[dvfmliv]

Easily Jeff Lynne's last truly great song. Should've been a fitting end to ELO.

[dickie3110]

Dont know if im gonna get slated here but this sounds exactly like a slowed down version of I am the Walrus?

[FinnMove]

This song is the highlight of ELO- music

in 1980´s without doubt.

[stretchmark8]

I consider myself to be a die hard ELO fan but i am evidently not! what a brilliant song,jeff is a genious no doubt about it long live jeff lynne.

[thomasblais]

At the end of the song when Jeff is calling out, "Which way!" it sounds very much like being lost in a nightmare. Very effective vocals as the melody dissolves into chaos. I like it a lot!

[swarlock]

It probably was when he came back to visit and decided that you can't go home again. I know how he feels.

[FinnMove]

If this is Birmingham it´ s not exactly

a beautiful city.

But it gave a birth to one of the most

beautiful pop- music.

[numberstation]

It's beautiful to us who live here.This was written when Birmingham still bore all the signs of it's industrial heritage. We were the workshop of the world once,and proud of it.Jeff grew up with it,and must have felt the same way as many other Brummies,watching it slip away......

[FinnMove]

Why does this kind of GREAT song is only heard in YouTube ?

Hello My Old Friend is in my list top 10 ELO best songs ever.

[cinnapaz]

So soothing and peaceful. Wish there were a video of him singing this one...

[NinaTriha]

My favourite song.

[AdamStabelli666]

I love Jeff's voice here.

[maggiemcgill]

Googoo ga joob

[BonelessSausage]

Thanks never heard it. Good solemn video. Ed

[VIDEOFREAK076]

nice work. I love this song too

[endrizo]

this is a rarely and specially magical sounding tune by the great jeff the other one is mandalay.two obscure jewels

thanks and a hug my friend.

[meikelkorleone]

Don't forget CLOUD NINE and BRAINWASHED

by George Harrison.

[CentralNervous]

Cloud Nine was, in my humble opinion, the best thing Jeff Lynne ever worked on - and I was once a monster ELO fan.

[gnieob777]

It's no secret Jeff is a hugh Beatles fan. Yes this sond sounds like "I am the Walrus", but it's a fantastic song in it's own right. No wonder he was asked to produce "Real Love" and " Free as a Bird" on the Anthology project. Imagine if Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Lynne had had a chance to write and record an album!

[QueenGoofy]

We came close with The Traveling Wilburys of course. That was Jeff and George... and of course Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison. :)

[TheDrunkMunk]

sounds like i am the walrus but not as good.

[ELONut]

no it doesn't! clean your bloody ears out

[rayflute]

To quote Roy Wood! ;)

[TheDrunkMunk]

dude it sounds exacly like i am the warleus but changed lyrics a bit slower and differant instruments.

[QueenGoofy]

I can't believe I forgot to add. I bought Afterglow the first week it was released in my town (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). I still have the original discs and cases, but not the box with three little jewel case sized cutouts in the cardboard where the three discs lay face forward to read E L O or the reading materials. But those aren't as important as the music anyways. Thanks again for posting this. It's really made my day.

[QueenGoofy]

Wow rayflute. I can't tell you how great this video is. I love this video. I love 90% of what ELO did and can still happily listen to the other 10%. The best part of this video? It's exactly what I imagined whenever I heard the song. I didn't want a cartoon, or concert scene. I wanted to see Birmingham as he might have when writing the song. This is the greatest thing ever! Thank you so much for posting it. It's been favorited and endeared.

[ELONut]

This song is by FAR! the greatest song on Secret Messages, and then it gets axed!! go figure lol

[norwind]

I play this when driving along the M6

through Birmingham

Fits very well especially Bromford tower blocks!

[rayflute]

It should be compulsory to do so! ;)

[BebopCoIa]

this song reminds me of i am the walrus if the music was sped up it sounds like it (not the lyrics of course)

[laineycrusoe]

This is my favourite ELO song. I just can't get enough of it! I bought the Afterglow box set from America not long ago and it is amazing!

By the way, if you reverse the intro to the Secret Messages album, you will realise that the background music of it is exactly the same as the bit at 4:23-5:10 of this song. And there is a 'message' at 4:13-4:16. I'm not sure exactly what it says, but it says that something "is gonna be fun"...

[mountaineseiceblink]

thanx a lot :-)

[trap0001]

What spec is your PC? I only ask as I use WMM to very good effect and some of my vids are quite complex (see Twilight which has eased images, video effects including rapid frame change etc). Perhaps your XP has gone unstable.

[rayflute]

PIt's an Athlon XP1700+ with 768MB of RAM. I get messages like "Unable to complete command due to insufficient space", despite a generous drive and no other programs running. Possible an XP issue like you said. ;)

[lgbpop]

"Insufficient space" refers either to the RAM or the size of the page file on the hard drive, or both. 1GB RAM is the sweet spot for XP, and if you're doing anything graphics-intensive 2GB is advisable. (Imagine moving two chairs around in a crowded room, then again in a much larger room.)

[trap0001]

I only realised this was Brum at 1:25 when Alpha Tower came into view. Still a bit of a hole though, aint it, Brum. You should've perhaps travelled about and took some shots of the rest of the city.

[rayflute]

I had many scenes of Birmingham to include in the video, however my program kept throwing up error messages whenever I placed a third or fourth clip onto the timeline. :( In the name of simplicity, I stuck with one! If I find a more suitable program, then rest assured I will do better! ;)