From the moment The Beatles ended their reign in the 1960s, their legacy set an impossible standard for any band trying to rise to prominence. While many sought to replicate their success, only one band earned John Lennon’s admiration—he called them “the sons of The Beatles.”
Among the groups inspired by The Beatles, none seemed more directly influenced than Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Lynne’s journey to founding ELO began with a pivotal moment at Abbey Road. In the late 1960s, while still part of The Idle Race, Lynne had the chance to listen to The Beatles work on The White Album.
“I was blown away,” Lynne recalled in an interview with Classic Rock. “Nobody had heard it yet, but there I was in Abbey Road, actually listening to it being made. I stayed for maybe half an hour, then thought it would be polite to leave, because you feel a bit of a dick in that company. So I went back to The Idle Race’s studio, and of course, it didn’t sound quite so good.” That visit solidified Lynne’s vision to carry the spirit of The Beatles into a new direction, focusing on studio experimentation and musical innovation.
In 1970, after his brief stint with The Move, Lynne formed ELO with the mission to push boundaries and keep The Beatles’ legacy alive. This ambition paid off when John Lennon himself praised the band. During a 1974 appearance on New York’s WNEW radio station, Lennon introduced ELO’s ‘Showdown,’ calling it a “great record” and sharing his surprise that it didn’t reach number one.
“I call them ‘Sons of The Beatles,’” Lennon added, impressed with their ability to build on the foundation The Beatles left behind. He also remarked on ELO’s fusion of influences, comparing their sound to Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ and Lou Christie’s ‘Lightning Strikes,’ while noting echoes of I Am The Walrus beneath it all.
Lennon’s admiration wasn’t the only seal of approval ELO received from the Fab Four. George Harrison later became a creative partner of Lynne’s, joining him in the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys. Their collaboration continued after the Wilburys split when Harrison enlisted Lynne to help produce the Anthology project. During this time, Lynne worked on resurrecting lost Lennon recordings, including ‘Free As A Bird,’ which had been recorded by Lennon on a Walkman and later transformed into a Beatles track. Lynne recalled, “The amazing thing is that it even exists. It was recorded on a Walkman on top of a piano, and the voice was so scratchy and thin… it was a real industrial job.”
In the end, Lynne’s initial inspiration at Abbey Road led him on a path to becoming an honorary part of the Beatles’ world. His work with Harrison and the surviving Beatles proved that his mission to carry the torch of the Fab Four had truly come to fruition, earning him a permanent place in rock history.
