10538 Overture

"10538 Overture" is the debut single by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1972.

History
The song, written by Jeff Lynne, was first recorded as an intended B-side for a single by the Move, Lynne's previous group. Both Roy Wood and Lynne sang on it, as happened later with The Move's "California Man". The song is about an escaped prisoner; Lynne wanted to give the character in the song a number, as opposed to a name, and he chanced upon the number 1053 while looking at the mixing console. Wood suggested adding an "8" to fit the melody better. Although intended to be a song for The Move, after cello parts were added it became the Electric Light Orchestra's first release. It was during the single's chart run that Wood left ELO, emerging later in the year with a new band called Wizzard.

Record World said that "this superb and highly commercial British group will have an American hit sooner or later. This, the opening track from their new concept album, may be the one."

Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as ELO's 8th best song, calling it a "sentimental grooving ballad."

Stereogum contributor Ryan Reed rated it as ELO's 9th best song, saying that "The late-’60s Beatles influence was never more apparent – from the metallic, descending electric guitar riff (shades of 'I Want You') to the Indian-tinted cello lines and disjointed stereo panning."

B-side
The B-side to "10538 Overture" was "First Movement (Jumping Biz)", an instrumental by Wood. The song first appeared on the band's debut album The Electric Light Orchestra in 1971. Wood plays classical guitar, oboe and cello. Wood has apparently acknowledged that "First Movement (Jumping Biz)" was inspired by the 1968 song "Classical Gas".

"10538 Overture" became a B-side itself when a live version from The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach was released as the flip side of "Evil Woman" in 1975; containing elements of "Do Ya", later to become a track in its own right on "A New World Record"

Personnel

 * Jeff Lynne – vocals (unison with Wood), electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
 * Roy Wood – vocals (unison with Lynne), cello, acoustic guitar
 * Bev Bevan – drums, tambourine
 * Bill Hunt – french horn, piccolo trumpet

Jeff Lynne version
Jeff Lynne re-recorded the song in his own home studio. It was released on a compilation album with other re-recorded ELO songs, under the ELO name.

Covers and other uses
The song was covered by Bobby Sutliff and Mitch Easter in 2001 for the Jeff Lynne tribute album Lynne Me Your Ears, by Parthenon Huxley in 2005, and by Def Leppard in 2006 on their cover album Yeah! The song's main guitar riff was also 'sampled' by Paul Weller for his 1995 song "The Changingman". The song was also used in the 2013 film American Hustle.