Jeff Lynne formed the Electric Light Orchestra, or E.L.O., in the 1970 s. The group gradually developed from cult favorites into one of the 70s' leading recording acts, scoring international success with several platinum-selling albums, including _x001c_ A New World Record_x001d_ and _x001c_ Out Of The Blue_x001d_ . Lynne's dual talents as a composer and producer ensured the group's status but, sensing an artistic sterility, he abandoned his creation in 1986. The artist then assumed an increasingly backroom role, but won praise for his production work with George Harrison (_x001c_ Cloud Nine_x001d_ ), Randy Newman (_x001c_ Land Of Dreams_x001d_ ) and Roy Orbison (_x001c_ Mystery Girl_x001d_ ) and he has also contributed his distinctive production qualities to much of Tom Petty s recent output. Lynne's work with Orbison coincided with his position as 'Otis Wilbury' in the Traveling Wilburys, an informal 'supergroup' completed by Orbison, Harrison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. This particularly prolific period was also marked by his work with Brian Wilson on the ex-Beach Boys' first long-awaited solo album. In recent years, Lynne has produced the Beatles lost tapes, notably _x001c_ Free as a Bird_x001d_ and _x001c_ Real Love_x001d_ . He co-produced Paul McCartney's _x001c_ Flaming Pie_x001d_ in 1997.
