Backing into The Move
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Artist:
It's been ages since I offered up some non-original music, but lately I've gotten into The Move. It's taken years. Being a huge fan of Jeff Lynne & ELO, I knew he spent some time in this band with Roy Wood. Picked up a Best Of collection for this reason, but found that, besides the expected Lynne gems, it was chock-full of great material from Roy Wood. The bizarre visuals behind his subsequent group Wizzard were a little off-putting, but the man seemed to have a pop/rockabilly heart. And every once in a while, a Move track would show up on a magazine sampler. They were always keepers.
So when a 4-CD box set of The Move was released this year (I think) I put it on my want list, and finally bit the bullet (or drained the allowance) to get it. Working my way through it now, and it has led me to appreciate this band so little-known in the U.S., even though they had UK success. They existed in one of the most productive and innovative period in pop/rock music - 1966-1972, and mined a broad spectrum of music during this 6-year period.
So I've been trolling YouTube to come up with a video or three. Here's the early Move doing Flowers In the Rain
Another early hit in the UK, with Roy Wood on lead vocals:
And the late version of Move with Jeff Lynne, having fun miming to "California Man" (a song covered by Cheap Trick years later).
I can see where this is leading - collecting Wizzard and the Roy Wood solo CDs. Ah, I love it when I find one of these veins to mine...
Locating MOG account...
Comments (10)
that was a nice little trip - thanks!
I am a huge move fan got into them with the Shazzam album in 1970, Have been looking at this box set for awhile. guess i'll have to endulge myself this holiday season. I have everything they have done on vinyl and CD. The various groups- ELO, roys solo work wizzard and jeff lynnes idle race. ELO.
the alternate versions and studio cuts are what interest me because i know Roy was known for adding instrument tracks to songs so much so you could hardly recognize the original take. can never get enough, thanks
Yup. There is a great demo of Flowers in the Rain in the box - just Roy and an acoustic guitar - but he totally sells it.
Hey...not half bad! I'm not sure which half?
The second listen was even better than the first. Three good ones there. The third video could have used a longer long shot so we could enjoy Move's moves.
Good to see and hear this, Mark. Old-line MOGgers might recall a post or two I wrote in praise of The Move. I'm a longtime fan who had a certain measure of affection for ELO, but always prefered Wood's side of things, pre-Lynne and later. (Wizzard was hit-or-miss for me, although I am eternally enamored of Wood's holiday gem "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day.")
I love Jeff, but also never took the time to dip into the Move. This is a good primer for me.
Cool. Ever since Mogger Neil Nathan posted his very wistful version of "Do Ya" I've been listening to Message From The Country. It has the seeds of ELO in it while still sounding very Move. I've also been dipping in and out of some obscure stuff. Their BBC radio sessions are an eye-opener with covers of things like "So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star".
Interesting. I got interested backward, too. ELO's first album, called "No Answer" here in the states, is an all-time, life-changing favorite of mine. The only ELO I really like. I thought I'd find more stuff like that. It Wasn't My Idea To Dance is excellent along those lines. I wasn't prepared for the all-out rock 'n' roll. Do Ya sounds great in the Alternate Version. I'll look for So You Want Tol Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star.
I can't comment on the videos b/c I'm at school where they block those. I'll catch them later. Meanwile, I'm diggin' on the All Access player.
The Move was had come and gone before I became aware of them - like you say, in the US, we first became aware of this whole musical lineage with ELO hit it big.
Since then, I've been exposed to The Move and Roy Wood quite a bit (via backtracking references to them).
Gotta say, "Flowers In The Rain" reminds me a bit of early Pink Floyd.