This ELO splinter group’s Clog Dance reached the Top 20 early in 1979. Before the year was out, the associated album No Cause For Alarm managed a milder market ripple, but it was a ripple all the same. After a second collection, 1980’s Stop Cloning About, died a death, that was the end for Violinski as far as the general public were concerned.
Supplemented by an engrossing booklet essay by Rob Caiger (who mentions a forthcoming musical hinged on Clog Dance, now a brass band set-work) this 20-track retrospective contains the hit, the Save Me follow-up, seven other previously issued pieces, and a majority of surprisingly entertaining alternate takes, rough mixes and demos. It’s a mixture of tightly arranged instrumentals and, tellingly, vocal items that might not have been out of place in the ELO repertoire. Therefore, while The Very Best Of may be a misnomer, this release must surely represent some sort of Holy Grail for both Violinski stragglers and all ELO completists.
