Electric Light Orchestra - Showdown (1973) lyrics

Описание: Album: On the Third Day
Release date: November 1973

"Showdown" is a 1973 song written by Jeff Lynne and recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was the band's last contemporary recording to be released on the Harvest label. It was released as a single and reached No 12 in the UK Singles Chart, in the week beginning 28 October, and No 9 on the Norwegian chart VG-lista.

In the US the song was included on the album On the Third Day (1973), while in the UK the song was omitted from that album but featured a year later on the band's first compilation album, also entitled Showdown. In 2006 the remastered issue of On the Third Day would feature the song on the album in both countries for the first time.

The song showed a change of style for ELO, with a funkier backbeat beneath the band's trademark sweeping strings, and the inclusion of a clavinet. The record was a favourite of John Lennon's at the time, who dubbed the band "Son of Beatles" in a US radio interview. Lennon described the song as "a beautiful combination” of Marvin Gaye’s 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' and Lou Christie’s 'Lightnin' Strikes,' with a little ['I Am The Walrus'] underneath."

Marc Bolan of T. Rex was at the session where the song was recorded and played on several of the band's tracks at that time, but did not play on "Showdown" itself. Instead, Jeff Lynne borrowed Bolan's Gibson Firebird guitar to play over the instrumental break.

Cash Box said the song "can almost be termed 'classical blues' and sheds a new light on the group that most folks will immediately be attracted to." Record World called it "a Jeff Lynne original that's bound to click on AM and FM alike."

Stereogum contributor Ryan Reed rated it as ELO's 6th best song.

Jeff Lynne – vocals, guitars
Bev Bevan – drums, percussion
Richard Tandy – piano, Moog, clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano
Mike de Albuquerque – bass, backing vocals
Mike Edwards – cello
Wilf Gibson – violin
Colin Walker – cello