ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Out of the Blue
Epic
****

Out of the Blue had a staggering four million advance orders racked up before it hit the shelves in November 1977, and it didn't disappoint as it went on to generate four top 20 hit singles - still the only double album to accomplish this. This is very much Jeff Lynne's masterpiece, and contains what the man himself considers to be his finest ever song: the strangely affecting Mr Blue Sky. Couple that with Wild West Hero, Sweet Talkin' Woman and Turn to Stone and you're looking at a high-water mark of 1970s music. For various reasons ELO were never given their full critical dues at the time (they weren't a "cool" band) but a reappraisal of their work is slowly under way, and this deluxe rerelease certainly helps their case. Yes, they were heavily influenced by The Beatles and yes, they did get a bit carried away with the whole "rock orchestra" thing, but this remains a damn fine album from a damn fine band.  - Brian Boyd

NICO
The Frozen Borderline, 1968-1970
Rhino/Elektra
***

Nico was the original Snow Queen, a German-born model and style icon whose luminous good looks inflitrated the demi-monde of 1960s London and New York. It was in the latter locale that she hooked up with Warhol and Velvet Underground, but when VU's High Priest of Angst, Lou Reed, flexed his proprietorial muscles Nico was frozen out. Little did anyone know how much terrific if highly stylised music Nico would go on to make. Pairing her finest albums (The Marble Index and Desertshore, the latter not previously available on CD), The Frozen Borderline highlights a European sensibility that contrasts a musical narcolepsy with gorgeous drone-melodies. Newcomers to Nico's music are best advised to look elsewhere (Innocent & Vain - An Introduction to Nico, is a perfect taster); for fans, their Nico fix is right here.  - Tony Clayton-Lea

CATHERINE HOWE
What a Beautiful Place
Numero
****

Lost in the mists of time until now, What a Beautiful Place is truly extraordinary. Originally released in 1971 on the Reflection label (which collapsed weeks after the album appeared), Catherine Howe's debut is now getting a chance to shine thanks to the efforts of the Numero reissue team. Back in the day, Howe was an innocent 20-year-old drama student and singer paired with maverick American producer and songwriter Bobby Scott, who had previously worked with The Beatles, Marvin Gaye and The Hollies. What emerged from their recording sessions was an album of wide-eyed folky, romantic soul topped and tailed with ethereal orchestrations. Howe's voice is a showstopper, reminding you of Dusty's Memphis purr, Karen Carpenter's melodic tones or Sandy Denny's purity. You will indeed wonder just how songs such as the bracing Up North or the soulful, twisting Words Through a Locked Door remained undiscovered for this long. www.numerogroup.com - Jim Carroll