AMG Review of Back to the Story

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

The Idle Race are a beloved band of British psychedelia collectors, because the music was rare, because the band was Jeff Lynne's first significant group, and because the music was, by and large, very good. There is a bit of a relative judgment there -- this is not music that stands among the very best of British pop-psych of the '60s, since it's not as innovative or consistent as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Move, or even Tomorrow, but it's certainly among the best of the second tier, as singles like "Impostors of Life's Magazine," "Big Chief Wooly Bosher," and "Girl at the Window" illustrate. Since this band itself is a collector's item, it only makes sense for collectors to seek out EMI Premier's 1996 collection Back to the Story, which was only available for a brief period (possibly a matter of months) the year of its release. This is the complete Idle Race, containing the three albums (Birthday Party, Idle Race, Time Is), the ten non-album tracks, three previously unreleased alternate versions and two songs from the Nightriders, Lynne's first band. This is a treasure trove for both British psych and ELO fanatics, and while the best of this is on See for Miles' The Best of Idle Race, the hardcore are going to seek this out. But they will pay a price -- just five years after its release, this was going for well over 120 dollars a pop on eBay. Is it worth it? If you have the cash and the inclination -- the pure bloodlust to own this, damn the cost! -- it probably is, but having that crazed collector mentality will is essential to shelling out that price. But if it can be found at an affordable price, by all means get it. [Finally, Back to the Story did show up in a much more affordable Zonophone edition in 2007.]