Lynne first became known as a member of a band called The Idle Race. He taught himself about recording with a simple reel-to-reel tape recorder at home, using "sound on sound" to build up the sound of his own music. He later joined The Move, which then re-formed as Electric Light Orchestra. Lynne did not collaborate with ELO's members, as much as he directed how each member should play and sound. His work with ELO was often compared to music by The Beatles. Even John Lennon, the Beatles's founder, called ELO a "Son of Beatles" kind of band, before his death in 1980. Lynne also performed music for two movie soundtracks, "All This and World War II" and "Electric Dreams".