"ELO's Greatest Hits" is a compilation album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released on November 23, 1979. The album features some of the band's most popular tracks from the 1973–1978 period, showcasing their unique blend of rock, orchestral, and electronic elements that helped define their sound. Despite being released after the band's 1979 album Discovery, the compilation notably omitted some of their recent hits, such as "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Shine a Little Love," which were big singles from Discovery.
The tracklisting includes some of their most enduring classics, like "Mr. Blue Sky," "Evil Woman," "Livin' Thing," "Telephone Line," and "Showdown." These tracks highlight the band's commercial peak during the mid-to-late '70s, when ELO was at the forefront of blending symphonic arrangements with rock and pop music.
The album's artwork features a letter written by the band's co-founder and leader Jeff Lynne. In this letter, Lynne reflects on the band's journey from 1973 to 1978, offering insights into the recording process and the creation of each song included in the compilation. This personal touch provided fans with a deeper understanding of the band's evolution and the creative process behind some of their most iconic tracks.
While the album covers a significant period in ELO's career, it notably omits two of their biggest hits from Discovery—"Don't Bring Me Down" and "Shine a Little Love." These omissions have been a point of discussion, as they were some of the band's most commercially successful tracks at the time.
ELO's Greatest Hits became one of the band's most successful albums, solidifying ELO's place in pop and rock history. It provided both longtime fans and new listeners a concise look at the band's peak years, helping to cement their legacy in the late '70s and beyond. Despite the exclusion of a few hits from Discovery, the compilation is considered one of the definitive introductions to ELO's work, capturing their innovative approach to music production and their ability to merge orchestral grandeur with rock hooks.
