Jeff Lynne Acoustic: Live from Bungalow Palace

I think he's the consummate record producer.

In that he could write the record, play the record

and record the record.

RICHARD TANDY: We go back as far as 1965,

when our timelines first crossed.

I sort of bumped into him from time to time in Birmingham,

cos everybody knew each other back then.

THEY CHAT AND LAUGH

He had a group called the Idle Race, which was fantastic.

And he turned into the best guitarist I'd seen by then,

so that's the early days.

And then we really started working when ELO was formed.

MUSIC: "Evil Woman"

# You made a fool of me

# But them broken dreams have got to end

# Hey, woman, you got the blues

# Cos you ain't got nobody else to use

# There's an open road that leads nowhere

# So just make some miles between here and there

# There's a hole in my hat where the rain comes in

# You took my body and played to win

# Ha, ha, woman, it's a cryin' shame

# But you ain't got nobody else to blame

# E-evil woman

# E-evil woman

# E-evil woman

# Evil woman

# Rode in from another town

# Hit some gold too hot to settle down

# But a fool and his money soon go separate ways

# You find a fool lying in a daze

# Ha, ha, woman, what you going to do?

# You destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you

# It's so good that you're feeling pain

# But you better get your face on board the very next train

# E-evil woman

# E-evil woman

# E-evil woman

# Evil woman. #

Take it, Richard.

PIANO SOLO

# E-evil woman

# E-evil woman

# E-evil woman

# Evil woman

# E-evil woman

# E-evil woman

# E-evil woman

# Evil woman. #

All right.

'I've always kept a very low profile in that kind of thing.

'I've never liked the kind of...

'the interview circuit and all that kind of stuff, you know?

'I've never wanted to do any of that.

'I just try and let my songs talk for themselves, you know?'

MUSIC: "Showdown"

# She cried to the southern wind

# About a love that was sure to end

# Every dream in her heart was gone

# Heading for a showdown

# Bad dreamer, what's your name?

# Looks like we're riding on the same train

# Looks as though there'll be more pain

# There's going to be a showdown

# And it's raining

# All over the world

# It's raining

# All over the world

# Tonight, the longest night

# She came to me like a friend

# She blew in on the southern wind

# Now my heart has turned to stone again

# There's going to be a showdown Yeah. #

-MAN:

-I think you should do your beautiful environmental song from Armchair Theatre.

-You do?

-I do.

-Oh, blimey.

Acoustic, just because... Not only is it topical,

-but it was beautiful and it closed the record.

-Yeah.

It's topical now and we could find a great use for that.

It's such a great environmental thing.

There are a bunch of records around, like at Amnesty International,

-and it'd be really cool.

-OK. I'll try. I'll have to learn it again.

It's not just a matter of picking it up and playing it.

-Can I throw another thing in there while we throwing in...?

-Cor.

Camera rolling, OK, Jeff.

Here's a little song that I wrote about 20 years ago

about the climate changing.

"Oh, not one of them again(!)"

Here we go.

# One day the Earth woke up and said

# Boy, I feel half dead

# Somebody's churning up the poison

# And it's getting in my head

# Sometimes I wish my guests

# Would move away somewhere

# Cos I'm burning up all over

# I can't even breathe the air

# Save me now

# Save me now

# Come on and save me now

# Save me now

# Save me now

# One day the Earth woke up and said

# Boy, it's getting hot

# And remember all those trees I had?

# Well, now there ain't a lot

# My eyes kept slowly trickling

# Down to where the party's at

# And if everybody's going there

# Well, that's

# The end of that

# Save me now

# Save me now

# Come on and save me now

# Save me now

# Save me now. #

Thank you.

CLAPPING

There might be one bum note in there but it's live.

That's great. It's fantastic.

It was good, so if you ever get the chance to listen to Armchair Theatre,

have a listen.

For example, a song like Telephone Line,

which is one of the big hits, you know?

I mean, that's such a feeling of yearning.

MUSIC: "Telephone Line"

# Hello

# How are you?

# Have you been all right

# Through all those lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely nights?

# That's what I'd say

# I'd tell you everything

# If you'd pick up that telephone

# Yeah

# Hey

# How you feeling?

# Are you still the same?

# Don't you realise the things we did, we did

# Were all for real

# Not a dream?

# I just can't believe

# Have I faded out of view?

# Whoa-oh-oh-oh

# Hey, yeah

# Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-woo-ooh-woo

# Do wop Do-be-do do wop

# Do wah do lang

# Blue days, black nights

# Do wah do lang

# I look into the sky

# The love you need ain't going to see you through

# And I wonder why

# The little things you plant ain't coming through

# Oh, telephone line

# Give me some time

# I'm living in twilight

# Oh, telephone line

# Give me some time

# I'm living in twilight

# OK

# So no-one's answering

# Can't you just let it ring a little longer, longer, longer?

# Whoa-ooh whoa-oh

# I'll just sit tight

# Through shadows of the night

# Let it ring forever more Oh-oh-oh

# Yeah, yeah

# Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-ooh, yeah

# Do wop do-be-do do wop

# Do wah do lang

# Blue days, black nights

# Do wah do lang

# I look into the sky

# The love you need ain't going to see it through

# And I wonder why

# The little things you plant ain't coming through

# Oh, telephone line

# Give me some time

# I'm living in twilight

# Oh, telephone line

# Give me some time

# I'm living in twilight. #

Lovely. Thank you very much.

'Me dad used to, he used to play around on the piano, you know,

'when the radio was on, which is what got me interested.

'I thought, "I'll do some of them one finger tunes."'

BIRDSONG

Everything looks so colourful today.

MUSIC: "Can't Get It Out Of My Head"

# Midnight

# On the water

# I saw

# The ocean's daughter

# Walking on a wave, she came

# Staring as she called my name

# And I can't get it out of my head

# No, I can't get it out of my head

# Now my whole world is gone for dead

# Cos I can't get it out of my head

# Oh, no Breakdown

# On the shoreline

# Can't move

# It's an ebb tide

# Morning don't get here tonight

# Searching for her silver light

# And I can't get it out of my head

# No, I can't get it out of my head

# And my whole world is gone for dead

# Cos I can't get it out of my head

# Oh, no

# Oh, no

# Bank job

# In the city, yeah

# Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot

# They don't envy me, yeah

# Sitting till the sun goes down

# In dreams, the world keeps going round

# And round

# And I can't get it out of my head

# No, I can't get it out of my head

# Now my whole world is gone for dead

# Cos I can't get it out of my head

# Oh, no

# Oh, no. #

-MAN:

-Jolly good show.

-SECOND MAN:

-Very nice, thanks, Jeff.

If we can do the same structure as before - you do the first one

and go, OK, let's go into the second one and wait for Steve?

-OK.

-I'll just keep my mouth shut.

I'll mess up the third verse of the, er, of the, er, fourth one.

-It's all yours.

-Thanks.

MUSIC: "Steppin' Out"

# Pack up all your things

# We're going to be leaving

# Sooner than I thought

# Take the things you bought

# Clouds are gathering

# Say goodbye to all your friends

# We're going to be sorry

# For a while, that's how it goes

# But then again, who knows

# About the rain?

# I'm stepping out

# I'm moving on

# I'm going to see the world

# Like a rolling stone

# I'm stepping out

# I'm going to be somebody

# Ooh, I'm stepping out

# Did you hear what they said?

# They said they sold me down the river

# They thought I, thought I was a fool

# Said the rain would fall

# What did they know?

# Then I saw your face

# Heard the song that you were singing

# Though I thought I knew the words

# The tune was quite absurd

# And out of key

# Doo-da doo-dee

# I'm stepping out

# I'm moving on

# I'm going to see the world

# Like a rolling stone

# I'm stepping out

# I'm going to be somebody

# Ooh, I'm stepping out

# I'm stepping out, I'm stepping out

# I'm stepping out, I'm stepping out

# I'm stepping out, I'm stepping out

# I'm stepping out

# Stepping out

# Stepping out. #

-That's it. I had it there.

-You had it there.

You can suck...stuck that one on the end of that.

I never say "suck it", it's "stuck it".

But I meant "stick it".

OK? Um... Oh, blimey.

PIANO

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-MAN:

-Here we go, from the top.

-WOMAN:

-Are cell phones all off?

On the piano.

Two, three, four.

Sorry.

PLAYS RIFF

-JEFF: Oh, a bluesy one.

-Yeah.

Sorry, loves. Sorry, loves.

You didn't even get started then, did you, before I...?

No, I don't know what's going on, I ain't got headphones.

Sorry, Steve, once again, please.

'I never dreamed, for instance, that Strange Magic was a single,

'and they just put it out in America.

'And it became a platinum single.'

MUSIC: "Strange Magic"

# You're

# Sailing softly through the sun

# In a broken, Stone Age dawn

# You fly

# So high

# I get a

# Strange magic

# Oh, what a

# Strange magic

# Oh, it's a

# Strange magic

# Got a strange magic

# Got a strange magic

# You're

# Walking meadows in my mind

# Making waves across my time

# Oh, no

# Oh, no

# I get a

# Strange magic

# Oh, what a

# Strange magic

# Oh, it's a

# Strange magic

# Got a strange magic

# Got a strange magic

# Oh, I

# Never going to be the same again

# Now I see the way it's got to end

# Sweet dream

# Sweet dream

# Strange magic

# Oh, what a

# Strange magic

# Oh, it's a

# Strange magic

# Got a strange magic

# Got a strange magic

# Got a strange magic

# Got a strange magic. #

-MAN:

-Jolly good show, thank you.

Well played, Richard.

Just everybody wanted to be like the Beatles, you know?

And there were loads of music shops and loads of great musicians.

And it was just...

That's what happened all over England in the '60s.

Every town had its people trying to make it.

And we were lucky enough to make it. A lot of people didn't.

Just to repeat, er, I don't believe Jeff understands

how much emotion comes across from his singing.

You know, it's a beautiful instrument he has.

Of course, he knows how to work it better than anyone.

If Jeff doesn't like something, I would caution anybody

who wants to try to change his mind about it.

-Huh?

-INTERVIEWER: Have you tried to change his mind?

Yeah.

LAUGHTER

I tried.

When and how did you first meet Jeff?

Good question. I can't remember.

In the '60s. In a blur.

# All night and day... #

Well, it's actually a strange story.

Jeff and I served together in the Merchant Marine.

And, er, the ship we were on was torpedoed in the English Channel.

And I got to meet him. We spent...

We got to know each other really well in the lifeboat.

You know, you go to Jeff's house. He's got it really nailed.

If you want to see what's happening here to that,

he's got the button you press that will flip-flop them and let you know.

I'll reach, reach for it. And you'll have a very difficult time editing.

He's got the cup, he hasn't got the cup.

INTERVIEWER LAUGHS

Benny Hill.

I'm getting to the cowbell, it better be...

You'll use that, you know.

Hurry up. Plug it in.

I've tried a couple times to see if I can get him to eat, you know.

But I can't. He's pretty solid.

A pretty solid guy.

God bless. Standing up's the only way out of here.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd