Back to the Story

• Artist: The Idle Race
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1996
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

The Idle Race are a beloved band of British psychedelia collectors, because the music was rare, because the band was Jeff Lynne's first significant group, and because the music was, by and large, very good. There is a bit of a relative judgment there -- this is not music that stands among the very best of British pop-psych of the '60s, since it's not as innovative or consistent as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Move, or even Tomorrow, but it's certainly among the best of the second tier, as singles like "Impostors of Life's Magazine," "Big Chief Wooly Bosher," and "Girl at the Window" illustrate. Since this band itself is a collector's item, it only makes sense for collectors to seek out EMI Premier's 1996 collection Back to the Story, which was only available for a brief period (possibly a matter of months) the year of its release. This is the complete Idle Race, containing the three albums (Birthday Party, Idle Race, Time Is), the ten non-album tracks, three previously unreleased alternate versions and two songs from the Nightriders, Lynne's first band. This is a treasure trove for both British psych and ELO fanatics, and while the best of this is on See for Miles' The Best of Idle Race, the hardcore are going to seek this out. But they will pay a price -- just five years after its release, this was going for well over 120 dollars a pop on eBay. Is it worth it? If you have the cash and the inclination -- the pure bloodlust to own this, damn the cost! -- it probably is, but having that crazed collector mentality will is essential to shelling out that price. But if it can be found at an affordable price, by all means get it. [Finally, Back to the Story did show up in a much more affordable Zonophone edition in 2007.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Skeleton and the Roundabout	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:26)
Happy Birthday	Mildred Hill, Patty Smith Hill	The Idle Race	(:23)
The Birthday	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:00)
I Like My Toys	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:12)
Morning Sunshine	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(1:48)
Follow Me, Follow	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:48)
Sitting in My Tree	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(1:59)
On with the Show	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:22)
Lucky Man	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:38)
Mrs. Ward	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:14)
Pie in the Sky	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(2:27)
The Lady Who Said She Could Fly	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:22)
End of the Road	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:09)
Come with Me	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:45)
Sea of Dreams	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:13)
Going Home	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:44)
Reminds Me of You	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(2:54)
Mr. Crow and Sir Norman	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:17)
Please No More Sad Songs	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:20)
Girl at the Window	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:44)
Big Chief Wooly Bosher	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(5:15)
Someone Knocking	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(2:56)
A Better Life (The Weatherman Knows)	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:45)
Hurry Up John	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:33)
Lucky Man [#]	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:35)
Follow Man [#]	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(1:56)
Days of the Broken Arrows [#]	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:39)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
(Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree	Roy Wood	The Idle Race	(2:44)
My Father's Son	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(2:15)
Impostors of Life's Magazine	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:21)
Knocking Nails into My House	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(2:27)
Days of the Broken Arrows	Jeff Lynne	The Idle Race	(3:51)
Worn Red Carpet	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(3:03)
In the Summertime		The Idle Race	(2:58)
Told You Twice	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(3:38)
Neanderthal Man		The Idle Race	(3:56)
Victim of Circumstance	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(3:36)
Dancing Flower	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(2:14)
Sad O' Sad	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(3:28)
The Clock	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(3:22)
I Will See You	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(3:11)
By the Sun	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(6:42)
Alcatraz	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(4:02)
And the Rain	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(2:52)
She Sang Hymns Out of Tune	Jesse Lee Kincaid	The Idle Race	(3:07)
Bitter Green	Gordon Lightfoot	The Idle Race	(3:45)
We Want It All	Dave Pritchard	The Idle Race	(4:13)
It's Only the Dog	McCracken, Artie Wayne	The Idle Race	(2:15)
Your Friend		The Idle Race	(3:22)

Credits

Jeff Lynne (Arranger), Noel Walker (Producer), Jeff Lynne (Producer)

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