The Essential Electric Light Orchestra

The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
Greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra
Released	1 April 2003
Recorded	September 1972 – January 1986
Genre	Rock
Length	60:58
Label	Epic
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
ELO 2 (First Light Series) (2003) The Essential Electric Light Orchestra (2003) All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (2005)
Playlist: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (2008)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Music Box	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

The Essential Electric Light Orchestra is a 15-track, single-CD, US-only compilation album by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 2003. It is part of Sony Music's The Essential series.

On 2 September 2008, an eco-friendly repackaging of the album, retitled Playlist: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, was released. This edition includes a multimedia section on the CD that features photos, credits, and two wallpapers.^{[citation needed]}

A third edition of the album was released in 2011. This version features 37 tracks on two discs, arranged in chronological order.^[4] It was the third ELO compilation to present the songs in chronological order, preceded by the US releases Olé ELO in 1976 and Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra in 1995.

Each edition of the album features a different cover.