Let's Talk About The Move

What's the deal w/ Wizzard? Hell, what's the deal w/ ELO?

Since no-one's mentioned it yet: "Tonight" is ace.

Wood's melodies on those early tracks were usually spot-on. Sometimes you don't *fix* the melodies for a while with everything going on aroound them, but when you do they're imprinted in your memory for ever. That's one of the tests of a great writer - never too obvious, but always memorable. There are two areas where Wood comes unstuck in the early Move. One is when the melody is slightly forced like on Wild Tiger Woman, and also when the arrangements cross from inspired madness into slightly twee 'of their time-ness'. Flowers In Rain stays just the right side of the line - the woodwind has just enough of a dark edge to keep you off balance, but Here we Go Round The Lemon Tree is slightly too close to The Flowerpot Men for comfort.

Wild Tiger Woman was a sub-standard IMHO, and it's interesting that Joe Public twigged and didn't make it a hit. Does anyone know if it was banned by some radio stations? The 'tied to a bed' lyrics might have offended some prudish old-school DJs, I suppose. Of course they should have flipped the disk and led with the wonderful B-side, Omnibus (Om-er-ni-bus).

I'm not as clued up on late Move but no doubt Marcello will put us straight at some point. Jeff Lynne's 'What'is absolutely fantastic, and I really like what I've heard of The Idle Race, JL's pre-Move band. I know 'Imposter's of Life's Magazine' from Nuggets 2 and 'Knocking Nails into My House' from Rubble 2. I need to track down one of the compilations, pref. the EMI one 'Back To The Story'.

It's sad how Roy Wood just sort of clammed up after Wizzard. Well, not completely, but it feels like it. Has anyone heard his two post-Wizzard solo albums?

But yes, what has he done since then? Super Active Wizzo? The Helicopters? Er....that's it. I'll say it again: this guy needs serious reappraisal.

Dr C's deconstruction of Fire Brigade is one of the best things I've read on this board.

"Looking On" is just out, remastered, extra tracks, etc.

I'm surprised, I actually think it's pretty damn great! Even J.Lynne is bearable!

It's definitely the step towards ELO though. I got the 2CD Harvest ELO set, and wasn't surprised I didn't like ELO2, but ELO1 was also a major disappointment. 10538 is great and always was, but the rest I didn't like much. And the long version of "Roll over B" was, um, wrong. (the single version is right, they could have make an alt: single version with the bits they cut out from the long version and that would have been fine too. But all of it together is a muddle)

The fact that it sounds a bit more like ELO is exactly the best thing about "Looking On". "The Move" and "Birthday Party" remain the best things Wood or Lynne were involved in pre-ELO though.

I knew you were going to say that.

(and it's not often I say that, and be right)...

Basically, "Shazam", "Looking On" and "Wizzard Brew" are a trio of sorts.

Has the redux reissue of Shazam! come out yet? I've not seen it in the shops.

Um, yeah. HMV had/has loads....

I was always unsure about buying those recent Move reissues. After all, I had that Westside 3 CD boxed set with "The Move", "Shazam" and "Looking on", plus singles, the live EP, out-takes and more sprinkled across it, then I got the "Message from the country" reissue and that's all the Move I need really. Am I missing anything vital?

"The Move" has an extra CD of unreleased and/or stereo mixes. Plus singles on the first cd.

"Shazam" has more unreleased studio stuff, plus singles.

"Looking On" with more unreleased studio stuff plus one b-side.

What's off: the "Something Else" e.p. tracks from Shazam plus the other live stuff. I don't know about the other extra tracks from yr box.

The first 2 CDs have d/l links for some other tracks. (Looking On promises more to come as soon as they find some)

Plus, the usual 'better sound' etc. Most notieable on Blackberry Way which always sounded awful on the reprocessed stereo tip.

Thanks Mark. I think I need to check the reissue track listings. The extras on my box are all the singles in glorious mono, plus a few different versions - "Fire brigade" without sound effects, "Vote for me", "Mr Second Class", things like that.

Am I missing anything vital?

Depends on how important it is for you to have as much as possible in stereo.

Julian Cope raves, and rightly....

THE MOVE/DON’T MAKE MY BABY BLUE (1970)
Figuring that you already knew the Move’s primo low-geared chart topper ‘Brontosaurus’, I thought y’all might appreciate hearing what Roy Wood could do to a lovely Cynthia Weill/Barry Mann Brill Building pop song like ‘Don’t Make My Baby Blue’, originally a 1965 hit for the Shadows! Well, we all know what a cunt for a riff Roy Wood was, but it don’t get more convoluted and Expressionist than this lickle babby, as our hero weds the obsessive retard blues of the Beatles’ ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ to Blue Cheer’s insanely over-played ‘Feathers From Your Tree’, then directs drummer Bev Bevan to play as though – with each drum fill – he’s dotting the ‘i’s and crossing the ‘t’s of every single word Wood is singing. Dial 999, there’s a song in there! Hell knows what the songwriters thought of the end result, though by the time Roy’d finished, Mann & Weill might not even have noticed that it was theirs. It’s like Posh and Beckham bought a semi-detached council house and added ballrooms, an entrance staircase, jacuzzis, even turrets. Yup, that tasteful. But, boy, ain’t it exhilarating!

I fucking love these guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo10AvAO5jg

Carl Wayne obviously on his way out of the band and on his way to Batley Variety Club...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bf3H0b90q4w/TdtbI5Wg6WI/AAAAAAAAMTY/IFcIxr0LhTc/s1600/Hendrix-Mayall-Burdon-8973.jpg

... LOL, that's the wrong photograph! There's one where everyone is smiling and laughing and Carl is standing with a face like a wet weekend in Dudley.... you'll just have to imagine it.

Jimi always said good things about The Move

Everybody did! If they saw them live.

Yes.

A couple of Move members sang backup on "You Got Me Floatin'."

Occurs to me that a pretty great feature would cover the period from Lynne joining the band for Looking On thru No Answer and the failed sessions with Wood for the second ELO album. There's a lot of experimentation and transition to be looked into there. And a little A Star Is Born...

yeah, the whole nexus of move/wood/lynee/early ELO is pretty interesting (and for me at least, a little confusing).

I assume all you Move fans are familiar with the footage from Colour Me Pop on YouTube? It's a 30 minute live in the studio set from 1969, I won't post links 'cos it's easy to Google. Cool track listing:

I Can Hear the Grass Grow
Beautiful Daughter (pretty sure this is mimed tbh)
The Christian Life (with Trevor Burton on lead vocals and Carl Wayne on bass!)
Flowers in the Rain
The Last Thing on My Mind
Wild Tiger Woman (the flop single!)
Goin' Back
Fire Brigade
Something
Blackberry Way

Occurs to me that a pretty great feature would cover the period from Lynne joining the band for Looking On thru No Answer and the failed sessions with Wood for the second ELO album. There's a lot of experimentation and transition to be looked into there. And a little A Star Is Born...

Speaking of which there's also some interesting Beat Club footage of the Jeff Lynne line up, 1971 I think, with Richard Tandy and Bill Hunt (later of ELO and Wizzard respectively) also present, songs played: Words of Aaron, Ella James and Down on the Bay.

In that footage, check Trevor Burton's expression during "Blackberry Way".

(He doesn't like it much)

Dreaming of playing 12 bar in the Steve Gibbons Band no doubt. Never really a smiley character, Trevor, at the best of times.