Vinyl LP pressing. Time is the ninth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra. It was released in 1981. It topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks. Time is a concept album written about a man from the 1980s who is taken to the year 2095, where he is confronted by the dichotomy between technological advancement and a longing for past romance. Time is a work of synth-pop that combines elements from 1950s music, new wave, reggae, rockabilly, the Beatles, Phil Spector and the Shadows. The album signaled a departure from the band's sound by emphasizing electronics over it's usual orchestra. It is also the band's second concept album, the first being Eldorado in 1974. The music video created for it's lead single, "Hold On Tight", was the most expensive ever made to that point, with a budget of approximately £40,000.