Critics Who Linked Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and ELO’s ‘Eldorado’ as Kindred Orchestral Concept Albums

By 1974, reviewers had already crowned The Dark Side of the Moon the gold standard for thematic rock albums, so when Electric Light Orchestra released Eldorado a year later, several critics pointed out the similarities—not as a rip-off, but as a companion piece in the “orchestral rock concept album” niche. They noted both were built around a central theme (money/insanity vs. a dreamer’s escape) and both used a full orchestra not as garnish but as structural backbone. Rolling Stone’s review of Eldorado specifically called it “the most coherent ELO album yet,” and compared its suite-like flow to the way Dark Side moved from heartbeat to heartbeat.

But the comparison usually ended with ambition. Critics agreed Pink Floyd’s album felt cold, detached, and lived-in, while Eldorado was warmer, more theatrical—more like a Broadway musical with guitars. A few writers argued that Jeff Lynne was trying to do for orchestral pop what Pink Floyd did for progressive rock, and that Eldorado was the first time he pulled it off without sounding goofy. Nobody called it a copy; they called it a younger sibling who worshiped the same records.