ELO Part II
| Electric Light Orchestra Part II | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Years active | 1989–2000 |
| Labels | Scotti Brothers, Volcano, Zomba Label Group, Sony BMG, Curb, Edel Music |
| Associated acts | The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, OrKestra, The Orchestra |
| Past members |
Bev Bevan Louis Clark Eric Troyer Pete Haycock Neil Lockwood Mik Kaminski Kelly Groucutt Hugh McDowell Phil Bates Parthenon Huxley |
ELO Part II were a band formed by Electric Light Orchestra drummer and co-founder Bev Bevan. The band also included former ELO bassist Kelly Groucutt, and violinist Mik Kaminski for most of its career, along with conductor Louis Clark who toured as a guest with ELO in its later years.
After Bevan left the band in late 1999, he sold his half of the rights to the Electric Light Orchestra name back to Jeff Lynne, and the band changed its name to The Orchestra.
In 1988 drummer Bev Bevan approached Jeff Lynne, wanting to record another ELO album. Lynne declined to participate, so Bevan signalled that he intended to continue the band without him. Lynne, however, objected over use of the ELO name, and the final agreement reached between the two resulted in ELO officially disbanding and Bevan forming a new band in 1989 called Electric Light Orchestra Part Two. Original ELO co-founder Roy Wood was approached about joining the band, but declined. Bevan recruited longtime ELO string conductor and co-arranger Louis Clark into his new band, but not as an official member (Clark was never an official member of the original ELO himself either). The first line-up comprised Bevan, plus three musicians completely unrelated to ELO: Eric Troyer (keyboards and vocals), Peter Haycock (guitar and vocals) and Neil Lockwood (guitar and vocals).
ELO Part Two released a self-titled album in 1990 which featured former ELO violinist Mik Kaminski on one track. The album was intended to harken back to ELO's classic sound of the mid-to-late 1970s, but compared to the original ELO being under the creative control of Jeff Lynne, ELO Part II were more democratic in terms of songwriting and lead vocals. The first tour featured the band performing live with The Moscow Symphony Orchestra, (MSO), and was well received in the UK. Approximately two-thirds of the songs performed were ELO hits. The concert in ELO's home town of Birmingham was captured on video and on the live album with the long-winded title Performing ELO's Greatest Hits Live Featuring The Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Kaminski, former ELO cellist Hugh McDowell, and former ELO bassist Kelly Groucutt were part of the live band, with Groucutt sharing lead and backing vocals with Troyer, Haycock and Lockwood. Kaminski, McDowell and Groucutt were initially appearing as guest artists from a band they had formed called OrKestra, itself a vehicle to exploit their past association with ELO, but eventually dissolved it and joined ELO Part Two full-time by 1993. McDowell's tenure with the band was short. Plans to tour the USA with the MSO were cancelled as costs became prohibitive.
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