Combining meticulous arrangements with pop-friendly melodies, real string sections with searing synthesizers, ELO created such a bevy of genius '70s tunes that many critics compared them to The Beatles. The trio of Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, and Bev Bevan formed in Birmingham, England. Between 1971 and 1986, they released 11 records, supplying a string of addictive Top 10 hits. As the primary songwriter and producer, Lynne would continue to find success as a sought-after producer and songwriter in the music industry long after ELO went on indefinite hiatus in the late ‘80s.