Produced and arranged by Jeff Lynne
Cy Payne – strings arrangement (going home)
Greg Masters – bass
Jeff Lynne – vocals, guitar
Dave Prichard – rhythm guitar
Roger Spencer – drums
Reviewtrack 2.5, "hurry up john", should've been a heavily-played, major hit single a-side: it's strongly rhythmic, reasonably melodic, and is unlike any other band's music in the manner of its truly weird lyrics and insanely catchy killer guitar riff. the only comparator i've been able to come up with is the jimi hendrix experience's rendition of dylan's "all along the watchtower" - the bands' styles of music differ, greatly, but both are true rock tours-de-force.
three or four more of jeff lynne's songs on the album would've made (or made) passably-commercial single a-sides, and even the more manneredly-sung tracks are interesting and fun: but "hurry up john" was the killer a-side - that never was. . .
for two years or so, the idle race seemed permanently on the brink of making the big time - so much so, that jeff lynne turned down roy wood's first invitation to him to join birmingham's other, poppier and prosperous great rock band, the move; but when it hadn't happened for the "race" and wood repeated the offer a year or so later, with talk of the two of them co-operating on an additional and musically more exciting project (the electric light orchestra), jeff lynne listened - and this time, jumped.