ON THIS DAY IN 1974 - ELO DISLIKED THE COVER THAT BECAME ONE OF THEIR MOST ICONIC IMAGES

ON THIS DAY IN 1974 — ELO DISLIKED THE COVER THAT BECAME ONE OF THEIR MOST ICONIC IMAGES 💿

When Electric Light Orchestra released Eldorado on September 28, 1974, its sleeve carried a striking image from The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy’s ruby slippers flashing with sparks as the Wicked Witch’s hands recoil.

But the band had initially wanted something completely different.

Designer John Kehe’s first attempt began with an imagined city of gold built from Plexiglas blocks. The model was taken into the California desert and photographed at sunrise — but the concept simply failed to work visually. 🏜️

That left Kehe with only two days to find a replacement before the looming deadline. ⏳

Inspired by Eldorado’s story of a young man searching for a better world, Kehe thought of Dorothy’s journey toward the Emerald City. He cycled to Larry Edmund’s Cinema Books in Hollywood, where boxes of classic-film prints had been cut into 35mm slides. 🚲

Images of the Emerald City felt too cheerful for the album. Then he found the dramatic frame of the ruby slippers sending out sparks beneath the Witch’s grasp. 👠⚡

Kehe believed it was the right image, but ELO disliked it. The band had preferred artwork showing its members descending a giant keyboard staircase. Their manager was puzzled, and the head of United Artists was unconvinced, but Kehe continued to argue for the Oz still.

The label ultimately obtained permission from MGM to use it — and the rejected alternative became the finished Eldorado cover. ✨

A failed desert shoot, a two-day scramble and an unpopular idea combined to create something unforgettable. Sometimes the image nobody wants at first is the one nobody can forget.

#musicOnOff #ElectricLightOrchestra #ELO #Eldorado #AlbumArt #ClassicRock #OnThisDay