Out Of The Blue
Released: October 1977
UK Chart Position 4
Single Releases
Turn To Stone - UP36313
UK Chart - 18
Mr Blue Sky - UP36342/Jet 104 - Black & Blue Vinyl
UK Chart - 6
Wild West Hero
Jet 109 & Jet 12 109
Black 7" & Yellow 12"
UK Chart - 6
Sweet Talkin' Woman
Jet 121 & Jet 12 121
Black 7", Purple 7" & 12"
UK Chart - 6
Album Track Listing
Side one
1.Turn to Stone
2.It's Over
3.Sweet Talkin' Woman
4.Across the Border
​
Side two
5.Night in the City
6.Starlight
7.Jungle
8.Believe Me Now
9.Steppin' Out
​
Side three
(Concerto for a Rainy Day)
10.Standin' in the Rain
11.Big Wheels
12.Summer and Lightning
14.Mr. Blue Sky
​
Side four
15.Sweet Is the Night
16.The Whale
17.Birmingham Blues
18.Wild West Hero
Personnel
Jeff Lynne
Bev Bevan
Richard Tandy
Kelly Groucutt
Hugh McDowell
Melvyn Gale
Mik Kaminski
Louis Clark
Re-issue CD Bonus tracks (2007 remaster)
18.Wild West Hero (Alt Version)
19.The Quick and the Daft
20.Latitude 88 North
Latitude 88 North - Download & 500 Ltd-Edition Orange 7" single. From 2007 Remaster CD edition. UK Chart -
Format
Vinyl
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
UAR 100 / UAS 1100 + UAS 2100
Country
UK
1st Original Issue - On Greenish/Blue Jet label with white/yellow light beams. Gatefold sleeve with two inner cardboard lyric sleeves, T-Shirt flyer, poster & press out space ship. Album sleeve is UAR 100, note label difference between UAR 100 & UAS 1100 + UAS 2100 below.
UAR/UAS issues had Out of the Blue above ELO on the record label. Distributed by United Artists.
The UAR/UAS issue's normally have a press / cut out cardboard space-ship insert. Plus the poster has Out Of The Blue in White text.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
UAS 1100 + UAS 2100 / UAR 100
Country
UK
2nd Original Issue (!) - On Greenish/Blue Jet label with white/yellow light beams. Gatefold sleeve with two cardboard inner lyric sleeves, T-Shirt flyer, band poster and the cut out space ship.
Note, album sleeve is UAR 100, but actual vinyl's LP are UAS 1100 & UAS 2100.
UAR/UAS issues had Out of the Blue above ELO on the record label. Distributed by United Artists
Out Of The Blue was originally distributed by United Artists Records (UAR) upon it's 1977 release. However UAR was sold to Capitol Records in 1978. Don Arden (ELO Manager and Jet Records owner) wanted a change away from UAR. CBS Records then paid 11 Million dollars to get ELO on contract with them. Jet and CBS then sued UAR for not paying their royalties.
In retaliation United Artists flooded the UK market with every single copy they had of "Out Of The Blue" at budget prices with a USA issue version with "cut-out slit" in the cover, both UK issues and USA imported issues ended up in bargain bins at the same time as the full priced CBS issue was being sold.
​
So Jet Records came up with the notion to sue UAR for "allegedly selling defective copies“ just to convince the record buyer not to buy the UAR copies.
Jet Records took out a full page advertisement in all of the UK
music papers telling people that if they didn't have a CBS
record then their copy was defective. This was a false claim as
the UAR version was pressed in higher quality than the CBS issue !
​
Jet Records initially continued to use the United Artists printed
sleeves and record labels. They often put Jet catalogue number
stickers over the UAR catalogue number on the album cover.
​
However, there is no single rule as UAR sleeves may contain
Jet DP 400 records, plus UAR/UAS/Jet DP inner LP slip covers
would also be swapped around.
​
1st re-issues used Catalogue Number JETDP 400 / UAR 100
with yellow & white light beams on the label. Early issues had the
LP title above the ELO name.
​
2nd re-issues used used Catalogue Number JETDP 400 with yellow & white light beams on the label.
​
3rd re-issues used used Catalogue Number JETDP 400 with yellow & pink light beams on the label.
​
Thanks to Patrik Guttenbacher - Face The Music German - for help and corrections on this page.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
Jet DP 400 / UAR 100
Re-Issue Year
1978
1st CBS distributed issue - 1978 - On Jet label with white/yellow light beams. Gatefold sleeve with two inner lyric cardboard sleeves & a poster.
The first issue of Jet DP400 / UAR 100 issue. Out of the Blue is still above ELO on the record label & UAR 100 is also listed.
​
UAR sleeves were re-used and a Jet Company sticker listing the new cat number was stuck over the old UAS/UAR cat no.
​
Some came with the band poster and push out space ship model still marked with code UAR 100
Labels can vary in colour from Green to Dark/Ligher Blue, as below.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
Jet DP 400 / UAR 100
Re-Issue Year
1978
Re-issue of the 1st CBS distributed issue on Black Vinyl -- On Jet label with white/yellow light beams. Gatefold sleeve with two inner lyric cardboard sleeves & a poster.
Out of the Blue is now below ELO on the record label & UAR 100 is still listed on UAR style labels.
​
New sleeves were printed with just Jet DP400 on the rear, distributed by CBS.
Some came with the band poster and push out space ship model still marked with code UAR 100.
​
Or sometimes UAR sleeves were re-used and a Jet Company sticker listing the new cat number was stuck over the old UAS/UAR cat no.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
JET DP 400 / UAR 100
Re-Issue Year
Late 1978
1st CBS distributed issue on Special Edition Blue Vinyl - New sleeves were printed with just Jet DP400 on the rear with a small Jet Records logo.
Jet label with white/yellow light beams, gatefold sleeve with two cardboard inner lyric sleeves.
​
Advert flyer for Three Light Years LP box set, a poster with "Out Of The Blue" now in red/pink text with and including the press out space ship both with cat code JEP DP400 printed on them.
​
Or still sometimes UAR sleeves were re-used and a Jet Company sticker listing the new cat number was stuck over the old UAS/UAR cat no.
​
Some releases also used a more basic colour vinyl sticker, as shown below.
There is also a Limited Edition in a Blue "Artic Light" slip case that also has a Three Light Years flyer included. Plus the cut out space ship and band poster. Gatefold sleeve with two cardboard inner lyric sleeves. Same JetDP400 / UAR 100 Blue Vinyl as above.
There is also a VERY rare Orange Vinyl Edition. Only 12 of them are said to exist, pressed as either Promotional Records or Test Pressings.
Came with the cut out space ship, gatefold sleeve with two cardboard inner lyric sleeves.
One sold on eBay in 2020 for nearly £1,000
Format
Vinyl
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
Jet DP 400
Re-Issue Year
Late 1978
2nd CBS distributed issue - On Jet label with white/yellow light beams. Gatefold sleeve with two inner cardboard lyric sleeves & a poster and maybe the space ship model.
​
This issue JUST lists Jet DP400 as cat number, but is still on older style UAR record label.
New sleeves were printed with Jet DP400 on the rear.
​
Or still sometimes UAR sleeves were re-used and a Jet Company sticker listing the new cat number was stuck over the old UAS/UAR cat no.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
Jet DP 400
Re-Issue Year
Late 1978 / Early 1979
2nd CBS distributed issue - Special Edition Blue Vinyl - On Jet label with white/yellow light beams. Gatefold sleeve with two cardboard inner lyric sleeves & a poster with Out Of The Blue in red/pink text.
​
This issue JUST lists JET DP400 as cat number, but is still on older style UAR record label.
New sleeves were printed with Jet DP400 on the rear.
​
This issue may not exist, as so far no complete issue of both LP discs (sides 1, 2, 3 + 4) has been found to have all the labels with just JET DP 400 cat number, just odd sides with the other sides labeled JET DP 400 / UAR 100
Missing From My Collection
Format
Vinyl
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
Jet DP 400
Re-Issue Year
1979/1980
3rd issue on Black Vinyl - On Jet label with yellow/pink light beams. Gatefold sleeve with two paper inner lyric sleeves, a poster nd maybe the model space ship.
​
New CBS distributed covers with a larger Jet logo on the rear cover and brighter record labels with the yellow beam over the top of the pink beam of light from Jet Towers.
Missing From My Collection
Format
Blue Vinyl
Label
Jet
Catalogue
JETDP 400
Notes
3rd issue on Blue Vinyl with Yellow/Pink Light Beams on Jet Label.
Format
Double CD
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
JETCD 400 / CDJET 400
Re-Issue Year
1986
Notes
Rare 2 CDs in fatbox. First rare unique pressing for UK & parts of Europe
The reason for the 2 disc version was probably because the first generation cd-players could not play discs longer then approximately 60 mins.
One year later it was re-issued on one single cd for the UK / Euro market.
​
Manufactured by CBS/Sony in Japan for UK/Europe.
CDs are JET CD 400 & the box is CDJET 400!
Format
CD
Label
Jet Records
Catalogue
JET CD 400
Re-Issue Year
1987
Notes
1st UK / Euro issue in a Single CD format
Format
Vinyl
Label
Epic - Nice Price
Catalogue
Jet DP 400
Re-Issue Year
1987
Notes
RARE Re-issue in 1987, in gatefold double LP sleeve, code DP 400 with large Jet logo on rear cover.
With paper or cardboard inner sleeves.
This was the last Jet DP400 issue, so the pressing/packaging plants would utilise inner sleeves that were left over in stock.
So each one maybe a different style or shade of blue.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Epic - Nice Price
Catalogue
450885
Re-Issue Year
1987
Notes
Re-Issue 1987 - Double LP in a Single cover. With two Nice-Price Inner-sleeves and featured a 4-page 11” lyric insert with black background and white lyrics and stars.
​
There are two versions with different Nice-Price design inner-sleeves, plus the spine text and the rear sleeve info box is in either red or orange. See images below
​
Some copies came without the lyric booklet/sheet.
Format
CD
Label
Epic
Catalogue
450885 9
Re-Issue Year
1998
Notes
Re-issue 1998 - in 3 Tri-Cover fold out digipack, limited edition. No booklet, inside is a information and notes on the album from Rob Caiger.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Simply Vinyl
Catalogue
SVLP 101
Re-Issue Year
1999
Notes
Epic/Simply Vinyl, 180G - Black Vinyl from 1999. Issued in a clear plastic protection cover, including a 4 page lyric booklet with black text on white background.
Came with plain white inner sleeve with a "Simply Vinyl" Catalogue booklet.
​
The first shipped out copies came with a Bob Dylan lyric booklet/sheet by mistake !
Format
CD
Label
Epic
Catalogue
82796942722
Re-Issue Year
Feb 2007
Notes
Re-Master Issue - 30th Anniversary
with bonus tracks in normal CD jewel case and expanded booklet notes and pictures.
​
Rare And Unseen Photographs New Sleeve Notes By Jeff Lynne
Format
CD
Label
Epic
Catalogue
88697053232
Re-Issue Year
Feb 2007
Notes
Re-Issue - ReMaster with bonus tracks - 30th Anniversary Limited Edition packaged in gatefold card sleeve Deluxe 24 Page Booklet... Plus ELO Spaceship!
​
Rare And Unseen Photographs New Sleeve Notes By Jeff Lynne
Format
CD
Label
Epic
Catalogue
88697123162
Re-Issue Year
2007
Notes
Re-Issue of Re-Mastered/Expanded edition, no booklet. Issued in Carbon neutral basic packaging
Format
Vinyl
Label
Epic
Catalogue
MOVLP383
Re-Issue Year
July 2012
Notes
"Classic Album" series re-issue by Epic/Music On Vinyl on 180g vinyl in gatefold sleeve.
The first 1000 came in Ltd Edition Blue Vinyl. Including full colour cardboard inner lyric sleeves and a double side poster.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Epic
Catalogue
MOVLP383
Re-Issue Year
July 2012
Notes
"Classic Album" series re-issue by Epic/Music On Vinyl on 180g vinyl in gatefold sleeve.
Including full colour cardboard inner lyric sleeves and a double side poster.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Epic / Legacy
Catalogue
88875152421
Re-Issue Year
December 2015
Notes
Epic/Legacy Music - Reissue on double 180g Clear vinyl in gatefold sleeve.
Including full colour poster and inner lyric sleeves. Only 5000 made.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Epic / Legacy
Catalogue
88875175261
Re-Issue Year
May 2016
Notes
Epic/Music On Vinyl on 180g vinyl in gatefold sleeve.
​
Including full colour cardboard inner lyric sleeves and a double side poster.
Format
Vinyl
Label
Epic
Catalogue
88985456161
Re-Issue Year
Sept 2017
Notes
Epic/Legacy Music - 40th anniversary reissue on double 180G picture disc in clear sleeve.
