Let's talk about The Move/ELO/Wizzard (The Roy Wood-Jeff Lynne thread)

[Nowhere Man]

Obviously you can talk about anything related to these two fine gentleman, but since everyone and their granny on bongos is familiar with Electric Light Orchestra i'm going to talk about The Move in this post:

One fucking great band that barely gets any recognition these days outside of hardcore fans of psychedelic/progressive era pop. Probably best remembered for it's two most well known member's forming Electric Light Orchestra from it's ashes, but in my opinion The Move were even better than ELO. The secret? Roy Wood was a fucking mad pop genius, particularly in the late 60s-early 70s. (ajsmith's met him, the lucky fucker.)



The Move would prove to be a short lived group, sticking around from 1966-1972 and only making four albums. Despite this they recorded a plethora of fantastic material, even if truth be told they never did record that one 'perfect' record. They had some top 10 hits but never really the level of success that they were surely deserving of. The lack of recognition amongst the masses might have had something to do with the group never staying in one direction for two long. There were really two distinct periods:

The Carl Wayne Era (1966-1970) & The Jeff Lynne Era (1970-1972)

These are probably their most familiar slices of pop perfection, from their earliest period.

Blackberry Way (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELRHD4UCo74
Flowers In The Rain (1967) - The first track to be played on Radio 1, dear readers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyAWaf0IngU
I Can Hear The Grass Grow (1967)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeYlGgPmom0

and my personal favourite,
Fire Brigade (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVys3YPRLWk

This song is just an example of everything I look for in 60s music. Soaring Beach Boys esque harmonies, wild chord changes, strong British sounding lead vocals from yer man Wood. Just a lovely slice of pop euphoria.

Anyway Roy wrote the lion's share of the best songs for the most part, and sang many leads, pretty much taking over as lead singer after Carl Wayne's exit in 1970.

Here's a few more nuggets from those years:
Wild Tiger Woman (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n9IsOsKRXw
(Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree (1967)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UU9JcNF2zg
Curly (1969)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3TeAjJZeKo

They had became more of an album's band by early 1970, with a harder sound to enter into the new decade. Shazam, was to become their most well known album.

Beautiful Daughter (1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iSgOLfjpYY
Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited (1970) - This one is just a mad tour de force of wonder for the ears!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPfdaBrLetM
Brontosaurus (1970) - Apparently a favourite of Lennon's from the period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVaqMCUMkN8
Exit Carl Wayne, and another Birmingham lad, Jeff Lynne (from 'The Idle Race') agrees to join the group. This started out quite promising but would soon spell the beginning of the end as one by one the line up kept changing.

These are some favourites of mine from that last period:
California Man (1972) - Their last single, sung by Jeff (but written by Roy) and all around fun romp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQEPYfXWWnI
Chinatown (1971)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ8VZZ6HVb8
Tonight (1971) - Jeff Lynne without sunglasses, that's a rare sight!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVO-ejTffx8

Here's what it says on wikipedia about the group's demise and the start of ELO.

Wood was openly discussing his desire to form a band playing more eclectic music, including both harder rock and classical instruments, which he tentatively dubbed "The Electric Light Orchestra". Lynne finally agreed to join the band as a second guitarist and pianist, enthused by Wood's ELO idea, and Wood also realised that he needed a second songwriter in the band to relieve the pressure on himself.

For the rest of the year, the Move concentrated on studio work, because they still owed one more album under their existing contract with Essex Music. To prepare for their new direction, Wood and Lynne overdubbed multiple instruments, including piano, woodwinds, sitar, and a Chinese cello that Wood had bought. However, before the third album Looking On, was completed, Arden signed the new Wood-Lynne-Bevan band to a three-album deal with the Harvest Records division of EMI that included a £25,000 advance. As a result, by the time Looking On was released in December 1970, with five songs composed by Wood and two by Lynne, Fly Records had lost interest in it. Nevertheless, the album included a No. 7 hit, Wood's "Brontosaurus", which was the band's last recording for Regal Zonophone. The second single from the album, "When Alice Comes Back to the Farm," failed to chart on Fly. The song intended as the B-side of that single, "10538 Overture", was ultimately held by the band for its new Electric Light Orchestra project.

Final movement
Although Wood, Lynne and Bevan had intended Looking On to be the final Move album, Harvest requested that the new group first release a new Move album, in the same vein as Looking On, as the first album under its new deal, with the other two albums to be credited to the new group, to re-coup the advance given to the band. As a result, the band recorded the last Move album and the first Electric Light Orchestra album at the same time -- even during the same lengthy recording sessions (due to all the overdubbing by Wood and Lynne).

The final Move LP, Message from the Country, was released in summer 1971. For several television appearances behind those songs, the Move added two musicians who became members of the original ELO: Bill Hunt (horns, woodwinds, piano) and a returning Richard Tandy (guitar, bass).

In 1972, after the release of the first Electric Light Orchestra album, the Move released what turned out to be a farewell disc, a maxi single consisting of "California Man", "Ella James" and "Do Ya".

With the release of the album, The Electric Light Orchestra, the Move completed its metamorphosis into ELO within weeks of the last single being released, and they actually appeared on television promoting both the Move's last single and ELO's debut single (the long-delayed "10538 Overture") at the same time. Wood and Hunt quit ELO during the early recording sessions of ELO's second album, ELO 2, which was the band's final album under its Harvest Records contract, and Wood going on to front the glam rock band Wizzard, as well as releasing a solo album in 1973, Boulders while Lynne, Bevan and Tandy kept touring as ELO and finally achieved international success.

Phew! But yeah anyway a great fucking band, which had two fantastic songwriters and spawned another great group. All of this considering, it doesn't seem like Roy Wood gets anywhere near the appreciation he should get, considering The Move and Electric Light Orchestra were pretty much his creations. He seems to rest on his laurels quite a bit these days, but if he wants to live solely of royalties from that Wizzard Christmas song, than more power to him really.

Oh yeah and before I forget to mention him, Bev Bevan is a fantastic fucking drummer.


Here are two compilations i've made for myself compiling The Move's two period's more or less on two discs.

The Move: Greatest Hits I (1966-1969)


1. Night Of Fear (Mono A-Side)
2. Disturbance (Mono B-Side)
3. I Can Hear The Grass Grow (Mono A-Side)
4. Wave the Flag and Stop the Train (Mono B-Side)
5. Kilroy Was Here (Mono)
6. Flowers In The Rain (Stereo A-Side)
7. (Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree (Stereo B-Side)
8. Fire Brigade (Stereo A-Side)
9. Walk Upon The Water (Stereo B-Side)
10. Yellow Rainbow (Mono)
11. Useless Information (Mono)
12. Mist On A Monday Morning (Stereo)
13. The Girl Outside [Alternate Take] (Stereo)
14. Stephanie Knows Who [Live At The Marquee 1968]
15. Sunshine Help Me [Live At The Marquee 1968]
16. Wild Tiger Woman (Stereo A-Side)
17. Omnibus (Mono B-Side)
18. Blackberry Way (Mono A-Side)
19. Something (Mono A-Side)
20. Curly (Mono A-Side)
21. This Time Tomorrow (Mono B-Side)
22. Open My Eyes [Live at the Fillmore West 1969]

The Move: Greatest Hits II (1970-1972)


1. Hello Susie [Abridged]
2. Beautiful Daughter
3. Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited
4. Fields of People (Edit)
5. Brontosaurus (A-Side) (Edit)
6. Lightning Never Strikes Twice (B-Side)
7. Feel Too Good
8. When Alice Comes Back to the Farm (A-Side)
9. What? (B-Side)
10. Ella James (B-Side)
11. Tonight (A-Side)
12. Chinatown (A-Side)
13. Down On The Bay (B-Side)
14. 10538 Overture (Early Take) *
15. California Man (A-Side)
16. Do Ya? (B-Side)

*Well, it's basically a latter day Move track in all but name, so might as well, eh?

Anyway let's talk about this all too short lived group who were brill. Plus Wizzard, The Birthday Party and Electric Light Orchestra.

[Deyv]

Roy Wood was the first concert I went to, at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon, I was a lad of less than 10, if I'm remembering correctly (can't find that date anywhere online). Roy had a cold but still put on a phenomenal performance and I've been a fan ever since, up and and including now when I'm a lad of less than 30. They opened with California Man and finished with that Christmas song. When they left the stage they left a cassette player going, with the sounds of "when the snowman brings the snow" repeating to the very day the Fairfield Halls was closed "for refurbishment".
I'm not totally familiar with Jeff Lynne's other work besides the obvious ELO tracks, and even then I heard the Beautiful South's version of Livin' Thing first. I do love these obvious tracks, though.

I am now going to click on every link in this thread. Thanks!

[newbridge]

Not as familiar with The Move other than Message from the Country, but I love ELO and don't think they get enough credit these days. Eldorado is an epic.

[Brundle-Fly]

They are gods.

Forty years ago this single track opened my eleven-year-old mind to musical possibilities beyond pop. Listened to it endlessly.

The Whale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h7sA83BOZM

[Twed]

I'm glad you mentioned Blackberry Way. This should be at the top of pop history, mentioned alongside God Only Knows and Strawberry Fields. It's somebody from another dimension characterising our world's version of England.

[Nowhere Man]

I will say that I think Livin' Thing is the best thing that Electric Light Orchestra ever did, and stands toe to toe with God Only Knows, Strawberry Fields, and Blackberry Way in my personal music hall of fame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H48j3KGBomU

Here's the original Move version of Do Ya? (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I5kH0klENs

[itsfredtitmus]

A while ago I was thinking about how many faux-Move songs I like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmts0RP4ZdI

[itsfredtitmus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNtR-fTUYvo

[itsfredtitmus]

I'm glad you mentioned Blackberry Way. This should be at the top of pop history, mentioned alongside God Only Knows and Strawberry Fields. It's somebody from another dimension characterising our world's version of England.

nearly edges out penny lane for me

[Nowhere Man]

A while ago I was thinking about how many faux-Move songs I like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmts0RP4ZdI

Sounds like Blackberry Way had a baby with Cherry Blossom Clinic and Wild Tiger Woman. If there was an algorithm to create a the most obvious Move sounding song that would definitely be it! I'll take it though.

Fuckin hell, makes me wish I could start my own band though!

[Gregory Torso]

I love this stuff. My Dad was really into The Move/ ELO/ Traffic /Wizzard when I was young, so this is the sound of my childhood.

Everyone thinks of "that Christmas song" when you mention Wizzard, but fucking hell listen to this gnarly lo-fi dirty snarl, it's great -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7EOffsFv24

[another Mr. Lizard]

One of those 70s singles that did fuck-all chartwise but should have been number one forever

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jDwtOl3zTSI

[ajsmith2]

A while ago I was thinking about how many faux-Move songs I like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmts0RP4ZdI

Wow, this is brilliant, thanks for sharing. The Casuals had recorded their own exclusive Roy Wood song a few years previously, so clearly something rubbed off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba0BVsIeZQk

I LOVE The Move and Roy Wood. Seen him 5 times, first time in 1997 (my 3rd gig), most recently last year, when he popped into the Flying Duck in Glasgow beforehand and me and another forum member got to meet him for a few secs. Pretty much the same set list every time, and the man himself doesn't ever seem to age a day even though he's 70 odd now. The benefits of growing a beard and wearing glasses from your early 20s onwards. (Jeff Lynne has also benefited in this respect).

Would like to be more effusive in my deep appreciation of this whole family tree, but I went through a big Move phase as I periodically do over Xmas, but I'm a bit  burnt out now. Will try and add more stuff and keep this thread near the top though in times to come. Thanks for starting.

[the science eel]

I adore Roy Wood. I really do think he was a songwriting genius.

The OP is kind of exhaustive so there's not much to add - but I'll just say this: 'See My Baby Jive' is the greatest A-side to come out of 70s Britain.

[famethrowa]

I heard Tonight by the Move playing on a PA and I had to shazam it to find out what it was. I honestly thought it was a late 2000s Decemberists-Amerifolk kind of act, really a brilliant piece of work.

[ajsmith2]

Just realised I got mentioned in the OP. So what's your Steve Hoffman username, Nowhere Man? And have you filled out your equipment profile? (I haven't).

[Serge]

The Move were absolutely amazing. I agree with the fact that they probably get overlooked because they never did have that one killer album, but Roy Wood was absolutely on fire in those years. As has already been pointed out, 'Blackberry Way' is just one of those songs which should be held up alongside all of those other '60s classics, but rarely does. I like the fact they could get away with inserting humour into their songs without it ruining them - the slightly silly voices in 'Walk Upon The Water', for instance (and I can't remember which track it is that incorporates a load of studio chat within the actual song itself.)

'Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited' obviously points the way towards ELO with its interpolations of various classical tunes within, and if Wood had stayed with ELO longer, I might have had more time for them, but I fucking hate Jeff Lynne, so find them of no use whatsoever.

I haven't heard much Wizzard beyond the obvious singles, but after reading a piece on them in the recent Uncut special on Glam Rock (thoroughly recommended), I really need to check them out. Apparently the first Wizzard album, rather than being chock full of pop nuggets, is wildly experimental and not what people were expecting. I have heard one of Wood's solo albums from the '70s, 'Boulders', on which he played every instrument himself, and it's pretty damn good. Must try and track some of this stuff down.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

ELO were awesome, singles-wise, except for two or three songs at the end of their chart era.

[Gregory Torso]

I haven't heard much Wizzard beyond the obvious singles, but after reading a piece on them in the recent Uncut special on Glam Rock (thoroughly recommended), I really need to check them out. Apparently the first Wizzard album, rather than being chock full of pop nuggets, is wildly experimental and not what people were expecting. I have heard one of Wood's solo albums from the '70s, 'Boulders', on which he played every instrument himself, and it's pretty damn good. Must try and track some of this stuff down.

The first Wizard album is fucking wild. I posted a track off.it up there ^ and I think it's all on Youtube. It's  certainly not what you'd expect from hearing I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Bloody Day

[Jockice]

I adore Roy Wood. I really do think he was a songwriting genius.

The OP is kind of exhaustive so there's not much to add - but I'll just say this: 'See My Baby Jive' is the greatest A-side to come out of 70s Britain.

No it wasn't. Tiger Feet was better for a start. But it is the third-greatest number one single of all time, just below the aforementioned Mud number and Adam Ant's Goody Two Shoes. But above Going Underground and Ghost Town.

Roy is a genius. Jeff less so but still very good. verging on great.

[itsfredtitmus]

When I first heard this I was shocked by how much Cheap Trick and Jellyfish borrowed the riff (can't really accuse bands like that for nicking stuff when that's the entire point of them can you) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbwi6Ix0S18

[Brundle-Fly]

Tinkerbell's Fairydust are worth a listen if you like this caper. They cover Jeff here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un-N8k_7WMw

[ajsmith2]

Tinkerbell's Fairydust are worth a listen if you like this caper. They cover Jeff here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un-N8k_7WMw

I like their tune 'Twenty Ten'. I used to play it all the time in 2010.

[itsfredtitmus]

Tinkerbell's Fairydust is one of those albums dealers try an flog to you as a lost classic

[Roy*Mallard]

Great to see such a thread - i've been on a Roy Wood and co kick for over four years now - there's some amazing stuff to be heard.

Can't really add much to what's been said already, but here's what you need.......

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Roy-Wood/dp/B00NIUECSK/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1519912445&sr=1-3&keywords=roy+wood

-----collects Roy Wood's 'Boulders' (a true classic of the era), his late 70's effort 'On The Road Again' (which is actually pretty great), Wizzard's 'Wizzard Brew' (not what you'd expect from the singles, but f'ing marvelous and completely original), ELO's wonderful first album and The Move's final album, 'Message From The Country' - not their best, but still well worth it.

Then, get the following....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Move/dp/B01BY1XP5U/ref=pd_sim_15_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=58AX7Y83F91FHSGCY70K
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shazam-Move/dp/B01BXNXCMU/ref=pd_bxgy_15_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RYP43C0BBQZXZ577CAAK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Looking-Move/dp/B01DD025C4/ref=pd_bxgy_15_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=H7KQANVQKRGYVDCMBQ83

The Move's first 3 albums in expanded form - the original albums, singles, b-sides, radio sessions and more.

You could also grab their Fillmore '69 live album - lovely long versions of some of their best songs.

You'll also need.....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wizzard-Greatest-Hits-More-Years/dp/B000EBFMD0/ref=pd_sim_15_18?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6ZZNM1MHBZFDXJCHYDN8

Errant Move, Wood and Wizzard singles.

Then, you grab....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Back-Story-Idle-Race/dp/B000LE1EQE/ref=pd_sim_15_25?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WHYXQG9WFSECZQHHXKVA

The Idle Race were astoundingly good - 2nd only to The Move at the backside of the 60s - and for less than 6 quid you get their three albums (including the Lynne-less third albums) plus their singles.

And then you can go out and buy the rest of ELO's albums, cos they're all great too.

Unfortunately, Roy Wood's 'Mustard' is not available on CD right now (shame, as it's a stunner), same for Wizzard's 'Introducing Eddie & The Falcons' and jazzier 'Main Street'. Wood's 'Starting Up' is in a similar state - though it's not up to the greatness of what came before it. Not a huge fan of the Wizzo band stuff, but that's unavailable right now too.

So, er..... yeah, that's about it. Roy Wood is a genius - he did it all by himself. A true eccentric, and an amazing talent. Jeff Lynne, very talented, and i like most of the stuff he's done, but didn't have Wood's genius.

[Nowhere Man]

Just realised I got mentioned in the OP. So what's your Steve Hoffman username, Nowhere Man? And have you filled out your equipment profile? (I haven't).

I have the rather lame moniker of 'MaccaBeatles.' My excuse is that I was 16 when I joined. Although come to think of it, my name on CaB is rather ordinary too!

I do love the wealth of music discussion on steve Hoffman's forum but obviously the sycophantry and inane threads asking what colour shirt Ringo wore on the 19th January 1968 get a bit silly sometimes.

Still, it's the only place besides this one where I've been seen a lot of discussion on the likes of The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, XTC and The Move!

[itsfredtitmus]

Another one is what record is Lennon holding in this picture etc etc

[Nowhere Man]

I sometimes also look at bcb-board because they have some good informative posts about music although they do often post contrarian opinions just for the sake of it more than anything, which gets kind of annoying, so I've never bothered to join up there.

[Brundle-Fly]

Tinkerbell's Fairydust is one of those albums dealers try an flog to you as a lost classic

It was as rare as hen's teeth though and there was a reason for that. It wasn't a classic and hardly anybody bought it.

[the science eel]

I sometimes also look at bcb-board because they have some good informative posts about music although they do often post contrarian opinions just for the sake of it more than anything, which gets kind of annoying, so I've never bothered to join up there.

It's like a less juvenile CaB, really.

And you won't get Erasure threads.