I loved ELO. Still do... Jeff Lynne is a genius. There has never been anything like those mid 70s albums... pristine rock/pop songs performed with both traditional commercial instruments AND a 32-piece string section.
Jeff Lynne got tired of dealing with the orchestra after awhile, but I never got tired of listening to it. Turn the page a few decades, and here I am now working on my own album that will incorporate the same rock and string arrangements. How is that possible? Somehow, I managed to connect with both (a) a multiplatinum record producer and (b) ELO's current string arranger. That's right... the guy who's now overseeing ELO's string arrangements during their current live tours is also creating string arrangements for my forthcoming first album, much like Louis Clark created all of those phenomenal string arrangements for Jeff Lynne back in ELO's heyday. Pretty cool stuff... and the ride is just beginning.
Waking up at 4am tomorrow to begin an 8-day road trip through my local region. Car rental rates have skyrocketed of late due to suppliers having sold off significant portions of their fleets as a result of the pandemic - and there is now no longer adequate supply to meet the growing demand in this post-vaccination age. While that's impacting my ability to schedule profitable trips in remote regions, this rental is from a neighborhood outlet - and those rates, while still elevated, are nowhere near as ridiculous as airport rental rates.
I'm looking forward to getting breakfast on the road at sunrise, just like I would do with my family on vacations as a kid...