After listening to this album, both on LP and then cassette and the orginal CD version, I am happy to say this remastered version easily brings this album to life for me. I had always thought that the original mastering for Balance of Power was a bit flat and lifeless, as digital was pretty new then , both in the studio and for home use. But now with 24 bit converters being used ( dithered down to 16 bit) and a rethink on both the master EQ and compression, this album really shines sonically. I was pleasantly surprised and listen to it often now, especially sounding good on my HD 600 Sennheisers...
As for the album itself, what can I say? It is Jeff Lynne doing what he does best. Writing, playing , singing and producing. While not the overall best ELO album, it is certainly more than worthy and has some really great songs on it. The alternate version of "Heaven Only Knows" was worth the money for me , just by itself.