Jeff Lynne - Armchair Theatre

Armchair Theatre is the debut solo album recorded by British singer-songwriter Jeff Lynne, originally released in June 1990 via Reprise Records.

Jeff Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who gained fame in the 1970s as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). In 1988, under the pseudonyms Otis Wilbury and Clayton Wilbury, he co-founded the supergroup Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.

After ELO's original disbandment in 1986, Lynne released two solo albums: Armchair Theatre (1990) and Long Wave (2012). In addition, he began producing various artists, with his songwriting and production collaborations with ex-Beatles leading him to co-produce their mid-1990s reunion singles “Free As A Bird” (1995) and “Real Love” (1996).

Armchair Theatre reunited Lynne with Electric Light Orchestra's keyboard player Richard Tandy and featured fellow Traveling Wilburys member George Harrison (both Harrison and the Wilburys were signed to Warner Bros. Records, parent of Reprise Records which released this album). Lynne played majority of the instruments on the album, as he had done so with the later ELO releases. The album was produced by Jeff Lynne.

The songs “Every Little Thing” and “Lift Me Up” were released as singles. The album also features cover versions of two classics: “September Song” and “Stormy Weather”.

Lynne wrote and recorded “Now You're Gone” as a tribute to his late mother, which also features the voice of classical Indian vocalist Ashit Desai. The song “Blown Away” was written by Lynne and fellow Traveling Wilburys member Tom Petty.

Despite positive reviews the album became only a minor hit reaching #24 in the UK Albums charts, #35 in Australia and #83 in the US Albums charts.

This album is a favourite of “The Captain”, and I especially love the song “Now You’re Gone”, which melds South Asian influences into this powerful song. I never grow tired of it. This album is sadly overlooked when compared to his work with ELO and the Traveling Wilburys, but stands the test of time, and is a great solo debut from Jeff Lynne.

This double album 2LP record set is a limited edition reissue (2015) on white coloured vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve, pressed in Europe via Big Trilby Records.