Saturday, April 12, 2025

Poker - Electric Light Orchestra

Poker - Electric Light Orchestra
3:32
Face the Music, 1975
Written by Jeff Lynne

I know very little about ELO; I've barely even paid attention to the big hits.  However, this seems to be one of their harder-rocking moments, a track that rips through the band's glossy orchestral sheen with raw power.  Bass player Kelly Groucutt (a man, it turns out) takes lead vocals, lending an edge to the song lacking in Lynne's typically soft vocals. There's pounding drums and fast guitar rocketing out of the gate, supported by moog‐synth arpeggiations and layered keyboards that give urgency. The contrast between the frenetic verses and the more spacious, melodic bridge is one of its strengths. Lyrically, the song leans into metaphor: gambling, risk, deception, high stakes: "The dream in every player's heart / To win it all not part."  

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