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On the Third Day
Studio album by Electric Light Orchestra
Released	November 1973
Recorded	April–May, August 1973
Studio	De Lane Lea Studios, London; AIR Studios, London
Genre	Progressive rock progressive pop
Length	39:34
Label	Warner Bros. (U.K.) United Artists (U.S.)
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
ELO 2 (1973) On the Third Day (1973) The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach (1974)
Electric Light Orchestra studio album chronology
ELO 2 (1973) On the Third Day (1973) Eldorado (1974)
Singles from On the Third Day
"Showdown" Released: 14 September 1973 "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" Released: February 1974
US cover

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Music Box
MusicHound	3/5
Rolling Stone	(unfavourable)
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

On the Third Day is the third studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the first to be recorded without input from Roy Wood. It was released in the United States in November 1973 by United Artists Records, and in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1973 by Warner Bros. Records. From this album on, the word The was dropped from the band's name (other than The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach which was one of their live albums). The album was reissued on 12 September 2006.

Release

On the Third Day was released in 1973 and failed to enter the UK charts at the time, although it did reach the US charts at number 52. Side two of the album was recorded during or shortly after the sessions for ELO's second album ELO 2. On The Third Day contains shorter tracks than its predecessor, but the four songs on side one of the album were linked into a continuous suite. Violinist Mik Kaminski made his debut on side one of this album, replacing Wilfred Gibson, although Gibson plays on side two (plus the bonus tracks). Also, cellist Colin Walker left the line up around the same time, leaving Mike Edwards as lone cellist.

"Showdown" was originally intended to be released only as a single, and, because it was on a different label (Harvest) than the UK album, "Showdown" did not appear on the Warner Bros. Records issue. It was, however, included on the U.S. version of the album, because the band remained on United Artists Records in the U.S. Some copies of On the Third Day from this period had "Showdown" as the last track on side one. Although he didn't record on the album, Hugh McDowell did appear on this front cover of the U.S. album seen at right, which was an unusual photograph taken by photographer Richard Avedon that had ELO displaying their navels.

Track listing

Original track listing

All tracks are written by Jeff Lynne, except where noted

Personnel

• 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
• Mik Kaminski – violin (on tracks 1–4)
• Ted Blight – cello (credited on the UK pressing, but said to be a figment of Lynne's imagination)

Additional personnel

• Wilf Gibson – violin (on tracks 5–14)
• Colin Walker – cello (on tracks 5–14)
• Marc Bolan - co-lead guitar ("Ma Ma Ma Belle", "Dreaming of 4000", "Everyone's Born to Die")

Charts

Notes

• A Peaked the week of 20 October 2006 when Epic Records Japan released the remastered CD.

References

1. "Jeff Lynne Song Database - 1970s Songs". Jefflynnesongs.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
2. On the Third Day at AllMusic
3. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 915. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
4. "Electric Light Orchestra - On the Third Day (Album Review)". Musicbox-online.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
5. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 383. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
6. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007.
7. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 274. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
8. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
9. "ACHOF Interview with designer and illustrator John Kehe". Album Cover Hall of Fame.com. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
10. "Electric Light Orchestra - On The Third Day". Discogs.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
11. Electric Light Orchestra - On The Third Day, retrieved 20 August 2022
12. Kiste, John Van der (19 August 2017). "Electric Light Orchestra: Song by Song". Fonthill Media. Retrieved 11 May 2019 – via Google Books.
13. "Jeff Lynne Song Database - Exposing the Secrets!". Jefflynnesongs.com. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
14. "On the Third Day - Electric Light Orchestra | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
15. Campbell, Irving (2007). A Guide to the Outtakes of Marc Bolan (1st ed.). Wellington: Great Horse. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-473-12076-4.
16. Sinclair, Keith J. "Everyone's Born To Die".
17. "Australian Album Chart Positions". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 28 February 2024. On The Third Day.
18. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4968a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
19. "第三世界の曙". Oricon. 20 October 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
20. "CashBox Top 100 Albums" (PDF). CashBox. Vol. XXXV #44. United States. 16 March 1974. p. 33. Retrieved 26 December 2020.

External links

• On the Third Day Remastered Info at ftmusic

• Electric Light Orchestra albums
• Albums produced by Jeff Lynne
• Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis
• Warner Records albums
• United Artists Records albums
• Jet Records albums
• 1973 albums
• Albums recorded at AIR Studios