Roy Wood, solo/Wizzard: S/D, C/D?

I've still got Boulders laying around someplace. That's pretty good, tho I haven't played it in years. Loved the bits where he imitates a dying lovestruck computer or an old lady playing banjo. (Hated the attempt to rhyme "locomotive" with "promoted" however.)

Lotsa ILMers far more qualified than myself to say more.

love his andrews sisters pastiches

"indiana rainbow" is quite lovely as well

there's a great bit in the Joe Boyd book about how he really thought the Move were fantastic--and they were. I frankly only listen these days to one song on the pretty nifty Boulders, and that's "Rock Medley" with the second part, "She's Too Good for Me," being the greatest, drollest, funniest Everly Brothers rip ever. Genius in its way, so completely deadpan, I never fail to laugh when Roy Wood hits that high note beginning "Man, I was glad she came, now I feel the shame, must be losing her/Now, I can shout or laugh, got a telegraph, she's too good for me." Now that's lyric-writing.

But I dunno, I once owned Eddy and the Falcons and to be honest the only great tune was a Spector pastiche, complete with parenthetical aside, "This Is the Story of My Love (Baby)," which is pretty cool. Maybe it needs a remastering for the 47 people in the world who want it, but that record always sounded terrible to me, and Wizzard's Brew was just plain (really caco-)phony, jumbled crazed drums smashing around and Wood's challenged sax playing, just a mess. Some of the singles, like "Ball Park Incident," are nice, but I no longer own The Roy Wood Story either, nor do I have what is basically his solo record with the beauteous chick from Renaisssance, Annie Haslam, Annie in Wonderland, which is also just plain strange. But the Move stuff is deathless, these days I still get off on "Flowers in the Rain" and "Wild Tiger Woman" and "Wave Your Flag and Stop the Train" and "Tonight" and even the fake-heaviness of Looking On and actually conceptually brilliant and perhaps prescient, or perhaps it is just a joke on rock and roll that didn't take, Shazam, which is also one strange fucking record. But the Move doing "Hello Susie" is sort of classic, better than when the Amen Corner did it. The New Seekers, believe it or not, did "Tonight" by the Move, and it's weird too.

My five-year-old thoughts (scroll down).

I bought this second-hand after not having it for years! Long enough to have forgotten most of it, mainly "She's too good for me" which then became embedded in t' brane.

(Hated the attempt to rhyme "locomotive" with "promoted" however.)

-- Myonga Vön Bontee, Saturday, 7 July 2007 18:40 (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

Ah, it's "locomotion"/"Promotion", still bad but at least it rhymes.

Just read Marcello's piece. Mostly true (never heard Rattlesnake Roll, it's not on Eddy/Falcons)

Will have to track down "Mustard" again, and the post "Jet" stuff I never had.

(ounk happened, you know...)

punk ,even

Weird to see this thread, I just bought the "boulders" LP on ebay with 2 7"'s of non-LP singles.

Amazing album. Mustard is decent too, but I prefer "Boulders".

Wizzard are good too, though I havent really gotten into the Wizzo Band yet, or Hellacopters, etc.

The man's a genius though

Ah, it's "locomotion"/"Promotion", still bad but at least it rhymes.

Indeed it does. Thanks for the correction.

how could i live all this time without listening to this amazing record (boulders)?
i just cant get it out of my head.
this record is the best parody record ever recorded.(maybe cause most of the time it's better than the original)
"rock down low",the Stones ripoff is my favourite,but overall,it's a masterpiece.

i LOVE the andrews sisters sounding stuff but i really need to pull this out again and give it another shot.

always been very very partial to wizzard's brew (especially on LP, cranked way the hell up, after 3 or so beers)

i think,as for roy wood solo carrer, boulders is the one and the only must.
'mustard' is ok to, but it doesnt rich the peaks of 'boulders'

anyway,anyone who admire todd rundgren (like myself) and harry nilsson shouldnt miss this record.
it stands at the best of the beatles pastiche ever recorded/arranged (with all sorts of guitars)/produced.

Yeah.

I wish he continued with the "cut loose madness" of Wizzard Brew, etc.

I have to track down "Main Street" I guess.

is there a mix of the first wizzard album that doesn't sound like it was recorded by daleks? or is there just nothing there underneath the ring modulator and phasing?

It's so awesome

Hi,

I know what you mean, and yes: The latest remaster is miles better. And I have cloth ears for 'improved sound' usually, so it must be better!

is that the 2006 version, or is there a later one? anyway call me a philistine but what i'd really like to hear is a _re-mix_, just to understand what it would sound like without all the, er, roy wood-isms! honestly i'd be very curious to hear what someone like steven wilson would do with it...

Boulders gets all the love, but Mustard is where it's at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J7vJlaIU3o

The 2006 one, yes. I have the 1999 one as well, and that's much like the original LP, i.e. Murky.

I've just recently started heavily listening to Wizzard's Wizzard Brew. I found it unlistenable at first. The production is insane. I didn't get it. Maybe there isn't anything to get?

Then one night I was sitting in a dark study just minding my own business, 'Meet Me in the Jailhouse' blasting my ears and I haven't looked bad. The album is a work of art. It is insane, amazing, everything to me. The production no longer sounds weird.

What happened?

I bow to you, Roy.

Just picturing this oaf, dressed how he's dressed, all shambolic as he works his way through this masterpiece

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImihYssR1nA

band clattering, melting down in the background, production smoke blowing out their ears and going back into their noses

I've never heard anything like it

this is a legendary record

Indeed. It was one of my first albums, and I still want to hear it.

See also The Move "Shazam!"

wizzards brew is a glorious clattering din

Maybe my favorite bit:

Get on down, get on down to Memphis
Where the steel guitar man plays so hard, it'll blow you down
Down, down, get on down to Memphis
The one back door in the record store could help me if I get on down

I know it's not on this, but "Will Dion still be so important to you on your wedding day" is one of the greatest (run-on) song lyric lines OF ALL TIME!

Ugly THings hasa review of I think the lp after Wizzard's Brew whichy mentioned how weird it was so I wa slooking it up a week or so ago. Sounds like something I should be semi familiar with at least but I don't remember hearing it.
Do like The Move and the first ELO set and think I remember the heavily made up fully bnearded Wood on TOTP from childhood. May be footage I've seen elsewhere since though.

That'll be the "Eddie and the Falcons" set - It's not that weird by comparison as most of it are 'pastiche' works and tributes of sorts, until the final track which is more full-on Wizzard jive.

Can't be bothered with "Eddie and the Falcons", to be honest.

Do any of his fans regret his absence from recording over the last few decades?

Of course, if, and it's a big if, he'd been happy putting out stuff people other than himself might like.

I know it's not on this, but "Will Dion still be so important to you on your wedding day" is one of the greatest (run-on) song lyric lines OF ALL TIME!

"Wizzard Brew"?

Well, it's one of the extra tracks on the CD version(s) - "Angel Fingers"

Of course, if, and it's a big if, he'd been happy putting out stuff people other than himself might like.

― Waterloo Subset (Tom D.), Tuesday, January 26, 2021 1:49 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Then again, "Wizzard Brew" strikes me as his massive self-indulgence, and "Eddie/Falcons" the "please the people" set.

also:

Ugly THings hasa review of I think the lp after Wizzard's Brew whichy mentioned how weird it was ...

― Stevolende, Tuesday, January 26, 2021 8:56 AM (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I wonder if this was either the unreleased "Main Street" that came out comparatively recently, or the "Wizzo Band" one.

Both are quite "jazzy" - beyond that I can't comment.

This is the keeper from Eddy & The Falcons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exVK5KLhr3k

That’s not a cover of “Runaway”?

Oh, okay

It’s not a cover but is def. a pastiche of “Runaway.” But a damned good one for sure.

I mean, there's something fascinating about a guy who orchestrates his Del Shannon pastiche with clavinet and Joe Meek organ.