The Move
Encyclopedia
The Move, from Birmingham
, England, were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s. They scored nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any success in the United States.
Although bassist-vocalist Chris "Ace" Kefford
was the original leader, for most of their career The Move was led by guitarist
, singer and songwriter Roy Wood
. He composed all the group's UK singles and, from 1968, also sang lead vocals on many songs, although Carl Wayne
was the main lead singer up to 1970. Initially the band had 4 main vocalists (Wayne, Wood, Trevor Burton and Kefford).
The group evolved from several mid 1960s Birmingham based groups, including Carl Wayne and the Vikings, the Nightriders and the Mayfair Set. The group's name referred to the move various members of these bands made to form the group. Beside Wood, the original five-piece line-up of The Move in 1965 was drummer Bev Bevan
, bassist Kefford, vocalist Carl Wayne and guitarist Trevor Burton
. The final line-up of 1972 was the trio of Wood, Bevan and Jeff Lynne
, who transitioned the group into the Electric Light Orchestra
. Since 2007, Burton and Bevan have been performing as 'The Move featuring Bev Bevan and Trevor Burton'.
. The three played together at jam sessions
at Birmingham's Cedar Club, and invited Wayne and Bevan to join their new group. After a debut at the Bell Hotel in Stourbridge
and further bookings around the Birmingham area, Moody Blues manager Tony Secunda
offered to manage them. At the time, the Move mainly played covers of American west coast
groups such as The Byrds
together with Motown and rock 'n' roll songs. Although Carl Wayne handled most of the lead vocals, all the band members shared harmonies and each were allowed at least one lead vocal per show.
Secunda got them a weekly residency at London's Marquee Club
in 1966, where they appeared dressed in gangster regalia. Their early career was marked by a series of publicity stunts, high-profile media events and outrageous stage antics masterminded by Secunda; these included Wayne taking an axe to television sets, Cadillacs, busts of Adolf Hitler
and Rhodesian leader Ian Smith
. Eventually, Secunda also managed to persuade Wood to begin writing songs for the band on his time off.
They secured a production contract with independent record producer Denny Cordell
, but this was turned into a media event by Secunda, who arranged for the band to sign their contracts on the back of Liz Wilson, a topless female model. Wood wrote their first single, "Night of Fear
", a #2 hit in the UK Singles Chart
in January 1967, which began the Move's practice of musical quotation
(in this case, the 1812 Overture
by Tchaikovsky
). Their second single, "I Can Hear the Grass Grow
", was another major hit, reaching #5 in the UK.
In April 1967, NME
reported that The Move had offered a £200 reward for the recovery of the master tapes of ten songs intended for their debut album. The tapes were stolen from their agent's car when it was parked in Denmark Street
, London.
Their third single "Flowers in the Rain
" was the first chart single played on BBC Radio 1
when it began broadcasting at 7am on 30 September 1967, introduced by Tony Blackburn
. However it was not, as is generally claimed, the first record played on air that day—in fact Radio 1 opened with George Martin
's specially commissioned "Theme One", followed the theme of Blackburn's Daily Disc Delivery show ("Beefeaters" by Johnny Dankworth). The single, which reached #2 in the UK, was less guitar-oriented than their previous two singles, and featured a woodwind
and string
arrangement
by Cordell's assistant Tony Visconti
. The track was released on the relaunched Regal Zonophone
label
.
, Harold Wilson
, in bed with his secretary, Marcia Williams
. Wilson sued The Move for libel and the group lost the court case—they had to pay all costs, with all royalties
earned by the song, which otherwise would have belonged to Wood as composer were awarded to charities
of Wilson's choice. The ruling, much to Wood's chagrin, remained in force even after Wilson's death in 1995.
For their fourth single, the group had planned to release "Cherry Blossom Clinic
", a lighthearted song about the fantasies of a patient in a mental institution, backed by the satirical "Vote For Me". However, The Move had been unnerved by their court experiences; they and the record label felt it unwise to pursue such a potentially controversial idea, so the single was shelved. "Vote For Me" remained unreleased until it began to appear on retrospective collections from 1997 onwards while "Cherry Blossom Clinic" became one of the tracks on their first LP
, also called The Move
.
As a direct consequence of the lawsuit, The Move fired Secunda and hired Don Arden
, who had himself recently been fired as manager of the Small Faces. In a 2000 interview, Wayne noted that there had always been a major split within the group about Secunda's tactics: "[Secunda] had the animals who would do what he wanted to do in Trevor, Ace, and me -- the fiery part of the stage act. I think Roy would obviously qualify this himself, but I believe he was slightly embarrassed by the image and the stunts - but the rest of us weren't ... We were always willing to be Secunda puppets".
, Pink Floyd
, The Nice
, Eire Apparent
, Outer Limits, Amen Corner
and the then BBC Radio 1
DJ
, Pete Drummond.
In March 1968 The Move returned to the charts with "Fire Brigade", another UK Top 3 hit, and the first on which Wood sang lead vocal. But a few weeks later, around the time of the LP's release, Kefford was let go from the band due to increasing personal problems. He formed his own short-lived group, the Ace Kefford Stand, with Cozy Powell
on drums. After this, he pursued a solo career and The Move became a four-piece, with Burton and Wayne taking turns on bass.
It was also during this line-up transition that the band first invited Lynne, a friend of Wood's, to join. He declined at the time, as he was still working toward success in his current band The Idle Race, another Birmingham based group. The Move were on the bill at the inaugural Isle of Wight Festival
on 31 August 1968.
In mid 1968 their fifth single "Wild Tiger Woman
", a song acknowledging the group's love of Jimi Hendrix
(Wood and Burton sang backing vocals on "You Got Me Floatin'", on The Jimi Hendrix Experience
's second album, Axis: Bold as Love
), sold poorly and failed to make the UK chart. The Move responded with their most commercial song to date, "Blackberry Way
" (co-produced by Jimmy Miller), which topped the UK chart in February 1969. Richard Tandy
played keyboards
on "Blackberry Way" and joined the band for a time playing keyboards live, switching to bass when Burton was briefly sidelined with a shoulder injury. Upon Burton's recovery, Tandy departed to join The Uglys.
This new, more pop
-oriented musical direction was the last straw for the increasingly disenchanted Burton, who wanted to work in a more hard rock
/blues
oriented style, and he left the group after an altercation on stage one evening with Bevan. At around this time it was rumoured in the music press that Hank Marvin
of the recently disbanded Shadows
had been invited to join The Move. Some years later Wayne said that this was nothing more than a publicity stunt; however, Marvin himself, in an article in Melody Maker
in 1973 and elsewhere, has maintained that he was definitely approached by Wood and invited to join The Move, but declined because The Move's schedule was too hectic for him. Burton was ultimately replaced in 1969 by Rick Price
, another veteran of several Birmingham rock groups.
Both Kefford and Burton struggled commercially after leaving The Move. Kefford recorded a solo album in 1968 after his departure, but it remained unreleased until 2003 when it appeared as Ace The Face. Burton played bass with yet another Birmingham group, The Steve Gibbons Band, and later fronted his own blues group as lead guitarist.
In October 1969 the band made their only concert appearances in the US with two opening shows for The Stooges
in Detroit and one other show in Los Angeles. When neither their US record company nor promoters showed any more interest, the remaining proposed tour dates were cancelled and the group returned home.
During this period Arden sold The Move's management contract to impresario Peter Walsh, who was at the time also managing The Marmalade. Walsh, who specialised in cabaret acts, began booking the band into cabaret-style venues, which further increased the tension between Wayne and Wood.
1970's Shazam
continued The Move's practice of musical quotation and of elaborately re-arranged versions of other performer's songs. "Hello Susie" (a Wood composition), which was a Top 5 hit for Amen Corner in 1969, quoted Booker T. Jones
' and Eddie Floyd
's "Big Bird", and the album included a cover of a Tom Paxton
song, "The Last Thing on My Mind
". It also included a slightly slower, extended remake of "Cherry Blossom Clinic", which finished with an extended instrumental section quoting heavily from classical pieces Johann Sebastian Bach
's, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," Paul Dukas
' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
played on the bass guitar, and Tchaikowsky's "Chinese Dance from The Nutcracker, played in a heavy metal style.
According to a interview in 2000, Wayne had devised a plan to revive The Move's fortunes by bringing Burton and Kefford back in. Well aware that Wood was intent on setting up his new orchestral rock project (which eventually became ELO), he suggested that Wood could concentrate on performing with his new band while continuing to write songs for The Move. However his suggestion was bluntly rejected by Wood, Bevan and Price, the other three members, so Wayne finally quit the group in January 1970. He subsequently worked in a variety of musical ventures and appeared on television and radio. In 2000 he replaced Allan Clarke
as lead singer of The Hollies
and performed with them as lead singer until his death from cancer
in 2004.
. From this period came their third album Looking On
(1970), with four songs composed by Wood, two by Lynne and one by Bevan. The album included a #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.
During the lengthy recording sessions for the next album, which included continuous overdubbing of new instruments by Wood and Lynne, Price left in December 1970 to pursue other projects, including the band Mongrel, although he later rejoined Wood in Wizzard
and the short-lived Wizzo Band
. He went to work in musical management, and also formed the duo Price and Lee with his wife, Dianne Lee, formerly of the duo
, Peters and Lee
. In August 1970 the group were the lead act at the Knighton Rock Festival, staged in the small Radnorshire
town of Knighton.
The remaining three members - Wood, Lynne and Bevan - completed the final Move LP, Message from the Country
(1971). Wood's "Ben Crawley Steel Company" featured a Bevan lead vocal that was modelled on Johnny Cash
, while Bevan's "Don't Mess Me Up" (sung by Wood) paid homage to Elvis Presley
, complete with fake Jordanaires
. Although music critics continue to hold this album in high regard, in 2005 Bevan referred to this album as his least favorite from The Move.
The album was followed by two more Wood-penned hit singles, "Tonight
" and "Chinatown
". For several television appearances behind these songs, The Move added two musicians who became members of the group after its transition into ELO: Bill Hunt (horns, woodwind, piano) and Richard Tandy (guitar, bass).
, a maxi single
in 1972 consisting of "California Man
", "Ella James" (from Message) and "Do Ya". "California Man", a #7 UK hit, featured baritone saxophone
s, a double bass
, and a riff borrowed from George Gershwin
, was an affectionate tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis
(the double bass had "Killer", Lewis' nickname, written on it) with Lynne and Wood trading verses and lines. Meanwhile, Lynne's "Do Ya" became the Move's best known song in the US; it was the only Move song to reach the US Billboard Hot 100
chart
at #93. However, the Electric Light Orchestra's remake of "Do Ya", recorded after Wood's departure, was a significant US hit in 1977.
With the release of the album The Electric Light Orchestra
, The Move completed its transition into ELO.
Wood released a solo album in 1973, Boulders
, and went on to front the glam rock
band Wizzard, while Lynne and Bevan kept touring and finally achieved success with ELO.
Message from the Country was remastered and released on the original labels, Harvest
in the UK in 2005 and Capitol
in the US in 2006.
Although never as popular in the United States as they were in their native country, the Move were a seminal pop/rock group of the era, and are often cited as one of the main progenitors of power pop
. Todd Rundgren
recorded a version of "Do Ya" with his group Utopia on their album Another Live
, Cheap Trick
recorded a version of "California Man" on their Heaven Tonight
album, whilst Glen Matlock
of the Sex Pistols
admitted that one of the guitar riffs on "God Save The Queen
" was inspired by that on "Fire Brigade".
In 1997, "Feel Too Good" was featured on the soundtrack
of the film
, Boogie Nights
, and in 2006 "Do Ya" was featured on a US television advertisement
.
colleagues, guitarist Phil Bates
and keyboard player Neil Lockwood, to play a set comprising mostly The Move classics on tour. Wood expressed extreme displeasure at this development.
Former Move guitarist Burton joined the band on occasion during 2006 and joined permanently in 2007. Bates departed in July 2007 to rejoin ELO Part II, now renamed The Orchestra
and was replaced with Gordon Healer. The Autumn 2007 tour was billed as 'The Move featuring Trevor Burton and Bev Bevan'.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England, were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s. They scored nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any success in the United States.
Although bassist-vocalist Chris "Ace" Kefford
Ace Kefford
Christopher John "Ace" Kefford is a bassist and was the co-founder of The Move in October 1965 with Trevor Burton, after meeting David Bowie at Birmingham's Cedar Club, following a performance by Bowie's band Davy Jones and the Lower Third...
was the original leader, for most of their career The Move was led by guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, singer and songwriter Roy Wood
Roy Wood
Roy Adrian Wood is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the bands The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of these bands.-Career:Wood...
. He composed all the group's UK singles and, from 1968, also sang lead vocals on many songs, although Carl Wayne
Carl Wayne
Carl Wayne was a British singer and actor. He is best remembered as the lead vocalist of Birmingham rock group The Move during the 1960s.-Early days:...
was the main lead singer up to 1970. Initially the band had 4 main vocalists (Wayne, Wood, Trevor Burton and Kefford).
The group evolved from several mid 1960s Birmingham based groups, including Carl Wayne and the Vikings, the Nightriders and the Mayfair Set. The group's name referred to the move various members of these bands made to form the group. Beside Wood, the original five-piece line-up of The Move in 1965 was drummer Bev Bevan
Bev Bevan
Bev Bevan is an English rock musician, who was the drummer and one of the original members of The Move and Electric Light Orchestra...
, bassist Kefford, vocalist Carl Wayne and guitarist Trevor Burton
Trevor Burton
Trevor Burton is a British guitarist and was one of the original members of The Move.-Danny King & The Mayfair Set:...
. The final line-up of 1972 was the trio of Wood, Bevan and Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
, who transitioned the group into the Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
. Since 2007, Burton and Bevan have been performing as 'The Move featuring Bev Bevan and Trevor Burton'.
Formation and early career
The Move was formed in December 1965 and played their first shows in early 1966. The original intentions of Burton, Kefford, and Wood, were to start a group from among Birmingham's best musicians, along similar lines to The WhoThe Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. The three played together at jam sessions
Jam Sessions
Jam Sessions is a guitar simulation software title and music game for the Nintendo DS based on the Japan-only title Sing & Play DS Guitar M-06 originally developed by Plato. It was brought to North America and Europe, courtesy of Ubisoft...
at Birmingham's Cedar Club, and invited Wayne and Bevan to join their new group. After a debut at the Bell Hotel in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
and further bookings around the Birmingham area, Moody Blues manager Tony Secunda
Tony Secunda
Anthony Michael "Tony" Secunda was a British manager of rock groups in the 1960s and 1970s, including The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, The Move, and T...
offered to manage them. At the time, the Move mainly played covers of American west coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
groups such as The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
together with Motown and rock 'n' roll songs. Although Carl Wayne handled most of the lead vocals, all the band members shared harmonies and each were allowed at least one lead vocal per show.
Secunda got them a weekly residency at London's Marquee Club
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
in 1966, where they appeared dressed in gangster regalia. Their early career was marked by a series of publicity stunts, high-profile media events and outrageous stage antics masterminded by Secunda; these included Wayne taking an axe to television sets, Cadillacs, busts of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Rhodesian leader Ian Smith
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID was a politician active in the government of Southern Rhodesia, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe Rhodesia and Zimbabwe from 1948 to 1987, most notably serving as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 13 April 1964 to 1 June 1979...
. Eventually, Secunda also managed to persuade Wood to begin writing songs for the band on his time off.
They secured a production contract with independent record producer Denny Cordell
Denny Cordell
Denny Cordell was an English record producer. He is notable for his late 1960s and early 1970s productions of hit singles for The Moody Blues, The Move, Procol Harum and Joe Cocker.-Career:...
, but this was turned into a media event by Secunda, who arranged for the band to sign their contracts on the back of Liz Wilson, a topless female model. Wood wrote their first single, "Night of Fear
Night of Fear
"Night of Fear" is the title of The Move's debut single. The main riff was derived from Tchaikovsky's, 1812 Overture.At one point, it was considered that its b-side "Disturbance" would be The Move's first a-side, but this didn't happen because "Night of Fear" was decided to be more commercial. It...
", a #2 hit in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in January 1967, which began the Move's practice of musical quotation
Musical quotation
Musical quotation is the practice of directly quoting another work in a new composition. The quotation may be from the same composer's work , or from a different composer's work ....
(in this case, the 1812 Overture
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
by Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
). Their second single, "I Can Hear the Grass Grow
I Can Hear the Grass Grow
"I Can Hear the Grass Grow " is the second single by The Move. It is a psychedelic rock song referring to the synesthetic effects of hallucinogenics. Among the musical references are Chesney Allen's vocal underlines during the middle 8...
", was another major hit, reaching #5 in the UK.
In April 1967, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
reported that The Move had offered a £200 reward for the recovery of the master tapes of ten songs intended for their debut album. The tapes were stolen from their agent's car when it was parked in Denmark Street
Denmark Street
Denmark Street is a short narrow road in central London, notable for its connections with British popular music, and is known as the British Tin Pan Alley. The road connects Charing Cross Road at its western end with St Giles High Street at its eastern end. Denmark Street is in the London Borough...
, London.
Their third single "Flowers in the Rain
Flowers in the Rain
"Flowers in the Rain" is a song by the sixties Rock band The Move. The song was released as a single and reached number two in 1967 on the UK Singles Chart....
" was the first chart single played on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
when it began broadcasting at 7am on 30 September 1967, introduced by Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
. However it was not, as is generally claimed, the first record played on air that day—in fact Radio 1 opened with George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
's specially commissioned "Theme One", followed the theme of Blackburn's Daily Disc Delivery show ("Beefeaters" by Johnny Dankworth). The single, which reached #2 in the UK, was less guitar-oriented than their previous two singles, and featured a woodwind
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
and string
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
by Cordell's assistant Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
. The track was released on the relaunched Regal Zonophone
Regal Zonophone Records
Regal Zonophone Records was a British record label formed in 1932, through a merger of the Regal Records and Zonophone Records labels. This followed the merger of those labels' respective parent companies - the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company - to form EMI.Originally Regal...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
Legal issues
The promotional campaign for "Flowers in the Rain" led to litigation that had serious repercussions for Wood and the group. Without consulting the band, Secunda produced a cartoon postcard showing the Prime Minister of the United KingdomPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
, in bed with his secretary, Marcia Williams
Marcia Falkender, Baroness Falkender
Marcia Matilda Falkender, Baroness Falkender CBE , formerly Marcia Williams , is a British Labour politician, being first the private secretary for, and then the political secretary and head of political office to, Harold Wilson.-Background and early career:Born Marcia Field, Falkender was educated...
. Wilson sued The Move for libel and the group lost the court case—they had to pay all costs, with all royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
earned by the song, which otherwise would have belonged to Wood as composer were awarded to charities
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
of Wilson's choice. The ruling, much to Wood's chagrin, remained in force even after Wilson's death in 1995.
For their fourth single, the group had planned to release "Cherry Blossom Clinic
Cherry Blossom Clinic
"Cherry Blossom Clinic" is a song by British rock band The Move. The song tells the story of a man slipping into madness and what he imagines as he hallucinates in his clinic room...
", a lighthearted song about the fantasies of a patient in a mental institution, backed by the satirical "Vote For Me". However, The Move had been unnerved by their court experiences; they and the record label felt it unwise to pursue such a potentially controversial idea, so the single was shelved. "Vote For Me" remained unreleased until it began to appear on retrospective collections from 1997 onwards while "Cherry Blossom Clinic" became one of the tracks on their first LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, also called The Move
The Move (album)
Move is the eponymous debut album by The Move, released on the Regal Zonophone label. The only one which was recorded by the group’s initial line-up before bassist Ace Kefford left, it includes both sides of their third and fourth singles .The last track, 'Cherry Blossom Clinic', was intended as a...
.
As a direct consequence of the lawsuit, The Move fired Secunda and hired Don Arden
Don Arden
Don Arden , born Harry Levy, was an English music manager, agent and businessman, best known for overseeing the careers of rock groups Small Faces, Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath....
, who had himself recently been fired as manager of the Small Faces. In a 2000 interview, Wayne noted that there had always been a major split within the group about Secunda's tactics: "[Secunda] had the animals who would do what he wanted to do in Trevor, Ace, and me -- the fiery part of the stage act. I think Roy would obviously qualify this himself, but I believe he was slightly embarrassed by the image and the stunts - but the rest of us weren't ... We were always willing to be Secunda puppets".
Continued success
In November and December 1967 the group took part in another package tour around the UK, playing two shows a night over sixteen days as part of an all-star bill that included The Jimi Hendrix ExperienceThe Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, The Nice
The Nice
The Nice were an English progressive rock band from the 1960s, known for their blend of rock, jazz and classical music. Their debut album, The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack was released in 1967 to immediate acclaim. It is often considered the first progressive rock album...
, Eire Apparent
Eire Apparent
Eire Apparent was a band from Northern Ireland, noted for launching the careers of Henry McCullough and Ernie Graham, and for having Jimi Hendrix play on, and produce, their only album.-The People:...
, Outer Limits, Amen Corner
Amen Corner (band)
Amen Corner were a successful Welsh rock group, formed in late 1966 in Cardiff, Wales.-Career:The band was named after The Amen Corner, a weekly disc spin at the Victoria Ballroom in Cardiff, Wales, where every Sunday night Dr...
and the then BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, Pete Drummond.
In March 1968 The Move returned to the charts with "Fire Brigade", another UK Top 3 hit, and the first on which Wood sang lead vocal. But a few weeks later, around the time of the LP's release, Kefford was let go from the band due to increasing personal problems. He formed his own short-lived group, the Ace Kefford Stand, with Cozy Powell
Cozy Powell
Colin Flooks , better known as Cozy Powell, was an English rock drummer who made his name with many major rock bands.-Early history:...
on drums. After this, he pursued a solo career and The Move became a four-piece, with Burton and Wayne taking turns on bass.
It was also during this line-up transition that the band first invited Lynne, a friend of Wood's, to join. He declined at the time, as he was still working toward success in his current band The Idle Race, another Birmingham based group. The Move were on the bill at the inaugural Isle of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
on 31 August 1968.
In mid 1968 their fifth single "Wild Tiger Woman
Wild Tiger Woman
Wild Tiger Woman is a song recorded by The Move, and as with all the other A-sides of their singles, written by Roy Wood. It was much heavier than their usual style, bearing the unmistakable influence of Jimi Hendrix, whom the group greatly admired and had often played on the same bill with...
", a song acknowledging the group's love of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
(Wood and Burton sang backing vocals on "You Got Me Floatin'", on The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
's second album, Axis: Bold as Love
Axis: Bold as Love
Axis: Bold as Love is the second studio album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Under pressure from their record company to follow-up the successful debut of their May 1967 album Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love was released on Track Records in the UK in December 1967...
), sold poorly and failed to make the UK chart. The Move responded with their most commercial song to date, "Blackberry Way
Blackberry Way
"Blackberry Way" is a single by The Move.Written by Roy Wood and produced by Jimmy Miller, "Blackberry Way" was a bleak counterpoint to the sunny psychedelia of earlier recordings. It nevertheless became the band's most successful single reaching #1 on the UK singles chart. Richard Tandy who would...
" (co-produced by Jimmy Miller), which topped the UK chart in February 1969. Richard Tandy
Richard Tandy
Richard Tandy , is best known as the keyboard player in the rock band, Electric Light Orchestra...
played keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
on "Blackberry Way" and joined the band for a time playing keyboards live, switching to bass when Burton was briefly sidelined with a shoulder injury. Upon Burton's recovery, Tandy departed to join The Uglys.
This new, more pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-oriented musical direction was the last straw for the increasingly disenchanted Burton, who wanted to work in a more hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
/blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
oriented style, and he left the group after an altercation on stage one evening with Bevan. At around this time it was rumoured in the music press that Hank Marvin
Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
of the recently disbanded Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
had been invited to join The Move. Some years later Wayne said that this was nothing more than a publicity stunt; however, Marvin himself, in an article in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
in 1973 and elsewhere, has maintained that he was definitely approached by Wood and invited to join The Move, but declined because The Move's schedule was too hectic for him. Burton was ultimately replaced in 1969 by Rick Price
Rick Price (bassist)
Rick Price is an English bassist, who has played with various Birmingham based rock bands, most notably Sight and Sound, The Move , Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard...
, another veteran of several Birmingham rock groups.
Both Kefford and Burton struggled commercially after leaving The Move. Kefford recorded a solo album in 1968 after his departure, but it remained unreleased until 2003 when it appeared as Ace The Face. Burton played bass with yet another Birmingham group, The Steve Gibbons Band, and later fronted his own blues group as lead guitarist.
In October 1969 the band made their only concert appearances in the US with two opening shows for The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
in Detroit and one other show in Los Angeles. When neither their US record company nor promoters showed any more interest, the remaining proposed tour dates were cancelled and the group returned home.
During this period Arden sold The Move's management contract to impresario Peter Walsh, who was at the time also managing The Marmalade. Walsh, who specialised in cabaret acts, began booking the band into cabaret-style venues, which further increased the tension between Wayne and Wood.
1970's Shazam
Shazam (album)
Shazam is the second album by The Move, released in the UK in February 1970. The LP marked a bridge between the band's quirky late '60s pop singles and the progressive, long-form style of Roy Wood's next project, the Electric Light Orchestra...
continued The Move's practice of musical quotation and of elaborately re-arranged versions of other performer's songs. "Hello Susie" (a Wood composition), which was a Top 5 hit for Amen Corner in 1969, quoted Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
' and Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
's "Big Bird", and the album included a cover of a Tom Paxton
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
song, "The Last Thing on My Mind
The Last Thing on My Mind
"The Last Thing on My Mind" is a song written by American musician and singer-songwriter Tom Paxton in the early 1960s, which Paxton first recorded in 1964...
". It also included a slightly slower, extended remake of "Cherry Blossom Clinic", which finished with an extended instrumental section quoting heavily from classical pieces Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," Paul Dukas
Paul Dukas
Paul Abraham Dukas was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man, of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, and he abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions...
' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Dukas)
For the 2010 film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, see The Sorcerer's Apprentice .The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a symphonic poem by the French composer Paul Dukas, written in 1896-97. Subtitled "Scherzo after a ballad by Goethe," the piece was inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 1797 poem of the...
played on the bass guitar, and Tchaikowsky's "Chinese Dance from The Nutcracker, played in a heavy metal style.
According to a interview in 2000, Wayne had devised a plan to revive The Move's fortunes by bringing Burton and Kefford back in. Well aware that Wood was intent on setting up his new orchestral rock project (which eventually became ELO), he suggested that Wood could concentrate on performing with his new band while continuing to write songs for The Move. However his suggestion was bluntly rejected by Wood, Bevan and Price, the other three members, so Wayne finally quit the group in January 1970. He subsequently worked in a variety of musical ventures and appeared on television and radio. In 2000 he replaced Allan Clarke
Allan Clarke (singer)
Allan Clarke is a retired British singer who was one of the founding members of The Hollies. He retired in 1999.-Career:...
as lead singer of The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
and performed with them as lead singer until his death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2004.
New directions
Upon Wayne's departure, The Move jettisoned Walsh as manager and returned to Arden. Lynne joined, enthused by Wood's ELO idea, as Wood realized that he needed a second composer in the band to relieve the pressure on himself, and the band toured the UK with Arden's other major client, Black SabbathBlack Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
. From this period came their third album Looking On
Looking On
Looking On is the third album by The Move, released in the UK in December 1970. The LP is their first to feature Jeff Lynne, their first containing entirely original compositions, and the first on the Fly label, its catalogue number being FLY 1...
(1970), with four songs composed by Wood, two by Lynne and one by Bevan. The album included a #7 hit, Wood's "Brontosaurus
Brontosaurus (Move song)
"Brontosaurus" is a song by rock group The Move.Released as a single early in 1970, it was also included on the band's Looking On album later that year...
", which was the band's last recording for Regal Zonophone. The second single from the album, "When Alice Comes Back to the Farm
When Alice Comes Back to the Farm
When Alice Comes Back to the Farm is a rock-blues song recorded by The Move. It features slide guitars and a cello, with a baritone saxophone reinforcing the bass line....
," failed to chart.
During the lengthy recording sessions for the next album, which included continuous overdubbing of new instruments by Wood and Lynne, Price left in December 1970 to pursue other projects, including the band Mongrel, although he later rejoined Wood in Wizzard
Wizzard
Wizzard was a Birmingham-based band formed by Roy Wood, former member of The Move and co-founder of Electric Light Orchestra. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits states, "Wizzard was Roy Wood just as much as Wings were Paul McCartney."-Biography:...
and the short-lived Wizzo Band
Wizzo Band
Wizzo Band was formed by Roy Wood after Wizzard split in 1975, fulfilling his ambitions to create an outfit that was more jazz-oriented than rock or pop...
. He went to work in musical management, and also formed the duo Price and Lee with his wife, Dianne Lee, formerly of the duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
, Peters and Lee
Peters and Lee
Peters and Lee were a successful British folk/pop duo of the 1970s, comprising Lennie Peters and Dianne Lee .-Background:...
. In August 1970 the group were the lead act at the Knighton Rock Festival, staged in the small Radnorshire
Radnorshire
Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...
town of Knighton.
The remaining three members - Wood, Lynne and Bevan - completed the final Move LP, Message from the Country
Message From the Country
Message from the Country is the fourth and last album by The Move, as well as its only album for EMI's Harvest Records. This album has long had the reputation as The Move's best album, although it was recorded while the band was transitioning itself into the Electric Light Orchestra.- History...
(1971). Wood's "Ben Crawley Steel Company" featured a Bevan lead vocal that was modelled on Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, while Bevan's "Don't Mess Me Up" (sung by Wood) paid homage to Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, complete with fake Jordanaires
The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires are an American vocal quartet, which formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are best known for providing vocal background for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972...
. Although music critics continue to hold this album in high regard, in 2005 Bevan referred to this album as his least favorite from The Move.
The album was followed by two more Wood-penned hit singles, "Tonight
Tonight (Move song)
Tonight is a song recorded by The Move.Written by Roy Wood originally for pop vocal group The New Seekers in 1971. The Move's version was released as a single, their first release on the Harvest label, and charted at number eleven on the UK single charts...
" and "Chinatown
Chinatown (song)
Chinatown is a song performed by The Move. Released in 1971, this was The Move's penultimate release reaching number 23 on the UK singles chart. Recorded at the same time as the band's alter-ego Electric Light Orchestra were laying down tracks for their first album...
". For several television appearances behind these songs, The Move added two musicians who became members of the group after its transition into ELO: Bill Hunt (horns, woodwind, piano) and Richard Tandy (guitar, bass).
Final movements
As the release of the first Electric Light Orchestra album drew near, The Move released what turned out to be a farewell discGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, a maxi single
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
in 1972 consisting of "California Man
California Man (song)
California Man is a song by The Move.Released in 1972 as a maxi single with "Do Ya" and "Ella James" as a double B-side, this was The Move's last official single release. The Electric Light Orchestra, originally conceived as a side-project to The Move, issued its first single,10538 Overture, a...
", "Ella James" (from Message) and "Do Ya". "California Man", a #7 UK hit, featured baritone saxophone
Baritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
s, a double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, and a riff borrowed from George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, was an affectionate tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
(the double bass had "Killer", Lewis' nickname, written on it) with Lynne and Wood trading verses and lines. Meanwhile, Lynne's "Do Ya" became the Move's best known song in the US; it was the only Move song to reach the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
at #93. However, the Electric Light Orchestra's remake of "Do Ya", recorded after Wood's departure, was a significant US hit in 1977.
With the release of the album The Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra (album)
The Electric Light Orchestra is the debut studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra, released in December 1971. In the US, the album was released in early 1972 as No Answer, after a misunderstood telephone message made by a United Artists Records executive asking about the album name...
, The Move completed its transition into ELO.
Wood released a solo album in 1973, Boulders
Boulders (album)
Boulders is the first solo album by Roy Wood. Apart from harmonium on track 1 played by John Kurlander, all the instruments and voices were by Wood, who also wrote, arranged, and produced the whole album, and did a self-portrait for the front cover.Most of the album was recorded while Wood was...
, and went on to front the glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
band Wizzard, while Lynne and Bevan kept touring and finally achieved success with ELO.
Message from the Country was remastered and released on the original labels, Harvest
Harvest Records
-References:* Harvest Records collectors guide ISBN 978-5-9622-0021-7...
in the UK in 2005 and Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in the US in 2006.
Although never as popular in the United States as they were in their native country, the Move were a seminal pop/rock group of the era, and are often cited as one of the main progenitors of power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
. Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
recorded a version of "Do Ya" with his group Utopia on their album Another Live
Another Live
-Side Two:-Personnel:*Mark "Moogy" Klingman - Harmonica, Glockenspiel, Keyboards, vocals, Korg Synthesizer*Roger Powell - Synthesizer, Trumpet, Keyboards, Vocals, Moog synthesizer*Todd Rundgren - Guitar, Vocals, Producer...
, Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
recorded a version of "California Man" on their Heaven Tonight
Heaven Tonight
Heaven Tonight is Cheap Trick's third album, released in 1978. The album was remastered and released with bonus tracks on Sony's Epic/Legacy imprint in 1998. The album cover features lead singer Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson....
album, whilst Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock
Glen Matlock is an English bass guitarist most famous for being in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. Drummer Paul Cook has said that Matlock came up with much of the music for the band's songs and most of the lyrics, while lead singer Johnny Rotten made some adjustments...
of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
admitted that one of the guitar riffs on "God Save The Queen
God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)
"God Save the Queen" is a song by the English punk rock band The Sex Pistols. It was released as the band's second single and was featured on their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. The song was released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977...
" was inspired by that on "Fire Brigade".
In 1997, "Feel Too Good" was featured on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, the script focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic films, and chronicles his rise and fall from the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s...
, and in 2006 "Do Ya" was featured on a US television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
.
Resurrection
In 2004, after the death of Wayne, Bevan formed The Bev Bevan Band, soon renamed as Bev Bevan's Move (without any other past members) to capitalize on The Move's continuing reputation and belated success. Bevan recruited bassist Phil Tree and former ELO Part IIELO Part II
ELO Part II were an offshoot band formed by Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan. The band also included former ELO bassist Kelly Groucutt, conductor Louis Clark and violinist Mik Kaminski for most of its career...
colleagues, guitarist Phil Bates
Phil Bates
Phil Bates has been a member of many notable bands including Trickster and Quill, and was the lead guitarist, songwriter and joint lead vocalist for ELO Part II from 1993 through to 1999....
and keyboard player Neil Lockwood, to play a set comprising mostly The Move classics on tour. Wood expressed extreme displeasure at this development.
Former Move guitarist Burton joined the band on occasion during 2006 and joined permanently in 2007. Bates departed in July 2007 to rejoin ELO Part II, now renamed The Orchestra
The Orchestra
The Orchestra is a rock band formed by former members of the Electric Light Orchestra and ELO Part II. It is the continuation of ELO Part II following Bev Bevan's departure and selling of the rights to Jeff Lynne.-History:...
and was replaced with Gordon Healer. The Autumn 2007 tour was billed as 'The Move featuring Trevor Burton and Bev Bevan'.
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 1968 | Move The Move (album) Move is the eponymous debut album by The Move, released on the Regal Zonophone label. The only one which was recorded by the group’s initial line-up before bassist Ace Kefford left, it includes both sides of their third and fourth singles .The last track, 'Cherry Blossom Clinic', was intended as a... **
|
15 |
| 1970 | Shazam Shazam (album) Shazam is the second album by The Move, released in the UK in February 1970. The LP marked a bridge between the band's quirky late '60s pop singles and the progressive, long-form style of Roy Wood's next project, the Electric Light Orchestra... A&M -College and universities:*An "Agricultural and Mechanical" university is one that includes a college of agriculture and a college of engineering, provided for by the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862. -College and universities:*An "Agricultural and Mechanical" university is one that... |
– |
| Looking On Looking On Looking On is the third album by The Move, released in the UK in December 1970. The LP is their first to feature Jeff Lynne, their first containing entirely original compositions, and the first on the Fly label, its catalogue number being FLY 1... Fly Records Fly Records is a British independent record label, established in 1970 by the independent music publisher David Platz, and initially managed by Malcolm Jones from the offices of Essex Music in London.-History:... / Capitol Records Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
– | |
| 1971 | Message from the Country Message From the Country Message from the Country is the fourth and last album by The Move, as well as its only album for EMI's Harvest Records. This album has long had the reputation as The Move's best album, although it was recorded while the band was transitioning itself into the Electric Light Orchestra.- History... Harvest Records -References:* Harvest Records collectors guide ISBN 978-5-9622-0021-7... / Capitol |
– |
Compilation albums
This is a selected list of compilation albums.- Split Ends (1972, United Artists) (US compilationCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
) - The Best of the Move (1974, A&M)**
- Great Move!: The Best of the Move (1992, EMI) (US compilation)
- The BBC Sessions (1995)**
- Movements: 30th Anniversary Anthology (2008)**
- Anthology 1966 - 1972 (2008, Salvo Records 4CD set)
Extended plays
- Something Else from The MoveSomething Else from The MoveSomething Else from The Move is a live EP by The MoveRecorded at Londons Marquee Club in 1968. Later to be re-released as a mini album CD with four bonus tracks in 1999.-Track listing:...
(1969) ** (5 track EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
played at 33 rpm)
Singles
| Year | Title | Release date | Original label | Album | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
IRL Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||||
| 1966 | "Night of Fear Night of Fear "Night of Fear" is the title of The Move's debut single. The main riff was derived from Tchaikovsky's, 1812 Overture.At one point, it was considered that its b-side "Disturbance" would be The Move's first a-side, but this didn't happen because "Night of Fear" was decided to be more commercial. It... " |
December 1966 | UK Deram & US Deram | Non-album single | 2 | 6 | – |
| 1967 | "I Can Hear the Grass Grow I Can Hear the Grass Grow "I Can Hear the Grass Grow " is the second single by The Move. It is a psychedelic rock song referring to the synesthetic effects of hallucinogenics. Among the musical references are Chesney Allen's vocal underlines during the middle 8... " |
April 1967 | UK Deram & US Deram | 5 | – | – | |
| "Flowers in the Rain Flowers in the Rain "Flowers in the Rain" is a song by the sixties Rock band The Move. The song was released as a single and reached number two in 1967 on the UK Singles Chart.... " |
September 1967 | UK Regal Zonophone & US A&M | Move | 2 | 4 | – | |
| 1968 | "Fire Brigade" | February 1968 | UK Regal Zonophone & US A&M | 3 | 9 | – | |
| "Wild Tiger Woman Wild Tiger Woman Wild Tiger Woman is a song recorded by The Move, and as with all the other A-sides of their singles, written by Roy Wood. It was much heavier than their usual style, bearing the unmistakable influence of Jimi Hendrix, whom the group greatly admired and had often played on the same bill with... " |
July 1968 | UK Regal Zonophone & no US issue | Non-album single | – | – | – | |
| "Blackberry Way Blackberry Way "Blackberry Way" is a single by The Move.Written by Roy Wood and produced by Jimmy Miller, "Blackberry Way" was a bleak counterpoint to the sunny psychedelia of earlier recordings. It nevertheless became the band's most successful single reaching #1 on the UK singles chart. Richard Tandy who would... " |
January 1969 | UK Regal Zonophone & US A&M | 1 | 2 | – | ||
| 1969 | "Curly Curly (Move song) Curly was a song recorded in 1969 by English rock group The Move.The song charted at No. 12 in the UK, and was the last single by the band to feature Carl Wayne on vocals, as well as the first with Rick Price replacing Trevor Burton on bass guitar... " |
August 1969 | UK Regal Zonophone & US A&M | 12 | 12 | – | |
| 1970 | "Brontosaurus Brontosaurus (Move song) "Brontosaurus" is a song by rock group The Move.Released as a single early in 1970, it was also included on the band's Looking On album later that year... " |
March 1970 | UK Regal Zonophone & US A&M | Looking On | 7 | – | – |
| "When Alice Comes Back to the Farm When Alice Comes Back to the Farm When Alice Comes Back to the Farm is a rock-blues song recorded by The Move. It features slide guitars and a cello, with a baritone saxophone reinforcing the bass line.... " |
September 1970 | UK Fly & US Warner Brothers (scheduled but never released) | – | – | – | ||
| 1971 | "Ella James" | May 1971 | UK Harvest (scheduled but withdrawn) & no US issue | Message From The Country | – | – | – |
| "Tonight Tonight (Move song) Tonight is a song recorded by The Move.Written by Roy Wood originally for pop vocal group The New Seekers in 1971. The Move's version was released as a single, their first release on the Harvest label, and charted at number eleven on the UK single charts... " |
June 1971 | UK Harvest & US Capitol (subsequent US United Artists release) | Non-album single | 11 | 18 | – | |
| "Chinatown Chinatown (song) Chinatown is a song performed by The Move. Released in 1971, this was The Move's penultimate release reaching number 23 on the UK singles chart. Recorded at the same time as the band's alter-ego Electric Light Orchestra were laying down tracks for their first album... " |
October 1971 | UK Harvest & US MGM (withdrawn but promos were issued) & US United Artists | 23 | – | – | ||
| 1972 | "California Man California Man (song) California Man is a song by The Move.Released in 1972 as a maxi single with "Do Ya" and "Ella James" as a double B-side, this was The Move's last official single release. The Electric Light Orchestra, originally conceived as a side-project to The Move, issued its first single,10538 Overture, a... " b/w "Do Ya" |
May 1972 | UK Harvest & US United Artists (titles flipped) | 7 | 15 | 93 | |
| "Do Ya" | May 1972 | UK Harvest & no US issue | – | – | - | ||
Line-up history
| 1965–1968 |
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|---|---|
| 1968–1969 |
with:
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| 1969 |
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| 1969–1970 |
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| 1971–1972 |
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| 2004–2007 |
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| 2007–present |
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