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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Sorry I avoided this for SO LONG! Jun 30, 2009
ELO's Out of the Blue was THE album that got me thru high school! But the times were changing, and so were my musical tastes, and I abandoned much of my favorite bands for the punk scene. Now that I'm older, I've stepped back to rediscover a lot of my favorite music from my younger days. ELO had lost me initially with Discovery, and then Xanadu. But now, I've fallen in love again with them, enjoying all the post Discovery albums I'd ignored. But even still, Balance of Power eluded me. Eighties pop, drum machines, - it all just seemed so dated. But I finally relented and gave Balance of Power a listen. THERE'S SOME GREAT STUFF ON HERE! The alternate mixes of Secret Lives and Heaven Only Knows give us a glimpse of what might have been a classic ELO album. Sure, the band had been stripped to a trio, utilizing a drum machine and synthesized strings, but it still sounds like classic ELO! (I've been enjoying the alternate mixes in favor of the album mixes, but it's wonderful to have both to choose from!) Sounds cliched, but this album makes me feel young again! It's as if the ELO of my youth has just released a new album, for me anyway!! Take a chance, buy it. You'll be pleasantly surprised!
 Awesome tunes Apr 24, 2009
If you have teenagers who are into music and looking for inspiration, this is a great pick!! My teenage son, loves ELO, and it's fun we enjoy the same type of music. Thank you, we love the CD!! It arrived in perfect shape.
 Wonderful remaster??? Sep 27, 2008
Everybody's reviewing how glad they are with this remaster including the bonus-tracks. Only one writes that it is a wonderful remaster but I don't agree at all! This is a remaster in the worst case. I couldn't believe my ears when the sound comes to a climax (the loudest parts) it's all distortion for example with the Heaven only knows track. I thought I had a bad example. I played it on several CD-players with several and high-end equipments too but I can't deny Joseph M. Palmaccio (who-ever that may be) has some problems with his ears during the mastering or there weren't better tapes in store! By the way in the booklets that come with all of the remasters is written that the tracks are mastered and not that they are remastered. It's a pity!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Wonderful remaster! Feb 27, 2008
While, as many here have pointed out, this isn't the best of Jeff Lynne's efforts, it nonetheless has 3 of my favorite ELO tunes, namely "Heaven Only Knows," "So Serious," and "Getting To The Point." While "Calling America" got a bit of airplay when the album originally was released, I still think the b-side "Destination Unknown" was a much better song.
And while some bemoan the lack of strings on this opus, I have always thought that the liberal use of saxophones more than made up for the missing strings. Of the bonus tracks, "In For The Kill" is new as is "Caught In A Trap." But the alternate version of "Heaven Only Knows" is an interesting treatment of the song, complete with altered lyrics, lead-in, and orchestration.
The sound quality of this remaster is FANTASTIC. If you've only had the LP or the original CD issue, get this CD while you can. I can't recommend that strongly enough!
While I think, as a whole, the album rises above the "last album of ELO" stigma that it has carried for years, I still can only give it 4 stars in deference to better ELO works like "Eldorado," "A New World Record," and "Out of the Blue."
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Lean and strong - and sadly, singular. Feb 03, 2008
While there are some who consider their 70's output to be their peak, for me this album stands as the pinnacle of ELO's career. The only bad thing about it, is that it was a feat the band never repeated.
Much like 90125 from post-70's prog-rockers YES, Balance Of Power takes their famous sound, and trims away the excesses of 70's overproduction, to provide a sharp, clean electronic sound that is precise and to the point. It's a leaner, trimmer ELO than has ever been heard before, and the result is as close to perfection as an album can get.
I just wish there had been more, to come.
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