[This digest is the copyright of the Move "Useless Information" Mailing List. Re-publication or re-distribution of "Useless Information" content, in any form whatsoever, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent.] USELESS INFORMATION The Move Mailing List Digest Issue #326 February 10, 2002 In this issue: * Roy warm-up gig * Beat Instrumental Gold Star Awards 1967 results * Roy's Sunday show Mar. 24 * But the cover to Looking On was very cool * Shazam Cover Art (cont.) * Move Cover Art, Wild Tiger Woman, Etc. * Boulders Cover * Oooooh La Oooooh La * #1 or else * I hope my fingers don't fall off... * Goldmine interview with Roy Wood (Part 1) ============================================================== To POST TO THE LIST: Send an e-mail to: move-list@eskimo.com Useful Web addresses: TheMoveOnline: http://www.themoveonline.com Official Roy Wood site: http://www.roywood.co.uk Face The Music Online: http://www.ftmusic.com Join the ELO List: http://www.eskimo.com/~noanswer/showdown.html Move List Info & Archives: http://www.eskimo.com/~noanswer/movelist.html TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail to move-digest-request@eskimo.com with the word "unsubscribe" (no quotes) in the subject line ============================================================== Subject: Roy warm-up gig Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 09:00:03 -0800 From: John Collins The Robin web site has Roy playing a warm up gig at the Robin 2 in Bilston on Wednesday 13 March 2002. Lets give Roy a good send off!!!! ********** Subject: Beat Instrumental Gold Star Awards 1967 results Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 07:52:29 -0800 From: "Joel Lehair" Here are the results of Beat Instrumental's Gold Star awards for 1967. The Move feature prominently in this although Carl doesn't feature in the best vocalists: BEST GROUP ON-STAGE: 1: The Jimi Hendrix Experience 2: The Who 3: Cream 4: The Shadows (as exciting as watching paint dry) 5: The Hollies 6: THE MOVE 7: Traffic 8: John Mayall's Bluesbreakers 9: The Ram Jam Band 10: Pink Floyd 11: Small Faces 12: Dave Dee & Co. Ltd LEAD GUITARISTS: 1: Eric Clapton 2: Jimi Hendrix 3: Hank Marvin (I don't know how he got this far!!) 4: Jeff Beck 5: Peter Green 6: George Harrison 7: Pete Townshend 8: Alvin Lee 9: Tony Hicks 10: ROY WOOD 11: Steve Marriott 12: Albert Lee 13: Mick Taylor 14: Syd Barrett BASSISTS: Ace is No. 15 in a list of 15. Jack Bruce is No.1 and Noel Redding is No.2. DRUMMERS: 1: Ginger Baker 2: Keith Moon 3: Brian Bennett (anyone is better than a Shadows drummer, come on!!) 4: Mitch Mitchell 5: Bobby Elliott 6: Aynsley Dunbar 7: Trevor Morais 8: Ringo Starr 9: Keef Hartley 10: Jon Hiseman 11: BEV BEVAN 12: Blinky Davidson 13: Kenny Clare 14: Mick Avory 15: Charlie Watts SONGWRITER(s) Roy is 12 in a list of 12. Any opinions? Hope this was interesting. I got the list from a double page spread of the magazine in a Cream book-"Strange Brew". 17 yr old wizzo, JOEL ********** Subject: Roy's Sunday show Mar. 24 Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 20:03:36 -0800 From: "Tyler C.Sherman" How many others on the list are planning to go to Roy's Sunday show on March 24? I'm coming up from the NJ shore and hope to meet some folks prior to the show. Where to meet is the question, I guess, and when. By the way, if any one is stuck for a place to stay, I have a guest room at my house at the shore. It's a about a 2 hour ride by train from Bay Head where I live to NYC. Wizzards, Tyler ********** Subject: But the cover to Looking On was very cool Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 00:49:12 -0800 From: Greg Weatherby On 6 Feb 2002 at 18:41, Tim Emerich wrote: > no, i think the UK cover of 'Message' has something to do with what's > going on inside the sleeve. maybe the concept (appearantly Jeff's) had > something to do with how he viewed the members of the band and where > their heads were artistically. Again my point is that this is all well and good, and every picture tells a story, don't it, but unless it is executed in an enticing manner, and grabs your attention, then it doesn't matter where their heads were (this is coming out sounding kinda negative and I don't mean it to be.) > i got so fascinated with your beef about this cover, Greg, that i just > HAD to get it out and take a look. Well, as I said, at least I have stirred up a little conversation!! ********** Subject: Re: Shazam cover Art Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 09:48:58 -0800 From: "Tyler C.Sherman" Unless I'm mistaken, "Shazam!" was also uttered as an expletive by Gomer Pyle on the hit 60's TV. Is it possible this show was imported into the UK and perhaps that is how Roy heard the term? Wizzards, Tyler ********** Subject: Re: Shazam cover Art Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 00:07:02 -0800 From: "Michael J. Cross" OK Movers, "Shazam!" was the catchphrase used by Billy Bateson in the Captain Marvel comic books. Here in America there was a Saturday morning kids show (I can't remember if it was called "Shazam" or "Captain Marvel). The catchphrase was used to invoke the powers of the Gods (The Olympian Gods, specifically) and transform Billy into Capt. Marvel, much like Superman in the phone booth. This TV show aired in the early and mid seventies, and had absolutely no influence on the album cover art. Of course, Jim Nabors always used "Shazam" as an exclamation on the Andy Griffith show and on "Gomer Pyle, USM"....and possibly in certain private moments that I'd rather not try to conjure. Looking forward to the new British invasion in NYC, Mike Cross Rochester, NY ********** Subject: Re: "Shazam" - wrong hero Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 19:09:44 -0800 From: "chris roberts" I was contacted off list by a kind sole (you know who you are) who was probably trying not to show up my error. But I can stand the embarrassment so: "Chris, think you're barking up the wrong tree connecting "Shazam" to Dan Dare - Dan was never a super-hero and was VERY British.....a Colonel in the (Natch!) British-based U.N. Space Force with a batman from Wigan...." Kevin Kunreuther knows his heroes better than me obviously: " .....it was Captain Marvel ......" Doh, I'll get my coat..... Chris :o) ********** Subject: Move Cover Art, Wild Tiger Woman, Etc. Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 09:49:14 -0800 From: "Drew Jacobs" Here's my 2 cents: 1. I like the Shazam cover. Is it mass appeal?, No. But it is funky, when you compare it to other cover art of the period. 2. Message From the Country Cover Art: Ditto 3. Looking On-Least favorite, but at least it does match some of the things being done at the time. As for Wild Tiger Woman: I Love it, especially the bridge! ********** Subject: Move Cover Art Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 09:49:10 -0800 From: "Doyle, Joe" Greg and Tim exchanged: >> no, i think the UK cover of 'Message' has something to do with what's >> going on inside the sleeve. maybe the concept (appearantly Jeff's) had >> something to do with how he viewed the members of the band and where >> their heads were artistically. > Again my point is that this is all well and good, and every picture > tells a story, don't it, but unless it is executed in an enticing > manner, and grabs your attention, then it doesn't matter where their > heads were (this is coming out sounding kinda negative and I don't > mean it to be.) Overall I like Roy's covers. It's just a matter of taste really, but I do like his art-work and I prefer the fact that the artist has had a bash at the cover himself. For me it makes the whole album more personal: "What Roy, you painted this for me? Why Thank you!" On the topic of the MFTC cover, I've always though that it had something to do with the Do Ya lyrics (was Do Ya recorded in these sessions?). The cover states that it's a painting by Roy, based upon an idea by Jeff and every time I see the RAF bird flying out of the pass, "Look out baby, there's a plane a comin'" immediately springs to my mind. My favourite cover of Roy's own work is Boulders, although I really like the Mustard cover too - very witty. ********** Subject: Boulders Cover Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 19:09:33 -0800 From: "chris roberts" Joe Doyle wrote: > My favourite cover of Roy's own work is Boulders Boulder's is my favourite too, I've got a blow-up of it (minus the words) in a frame on my lounge wall above a decoratively carved old harmonium. He looks down on me like an old family ancestor. It was only after I hung 'him' up there that the thought stuck me that he's by the harmonium which, as we all know is the only instrument that he didn't play on the Boulders album. It was quite "spooky" when it dawned on me! By the way, I don't play my harmonium either, (a) because I can't, and (b) because it's broke. Chris (Cardiff) ********** Subject: Oooooh La Oooooh La Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 09:49:18 -0800 From: Greg Weatherby > Omnibus is one of the best songs the Move ever recorded (Bonus > qustion: Is that Roy playing cello - or a studio musician?). Having > said that, I'm not sure if it would have done well as a single, > either. Blackberry Way was The Move's highest charter - and also the > most derivative (c'mon, Penny Lane!), so go figure. And it was purposely written to be a hit, remember, they had just missed big with "Wild Tiger Woman", and the pressure was on to re-bound, or they would be yesterday's news in the pop world....it was released just 3 months after WTW.....I guarantee you that Roy felt enormous pressure to produce a hit record, and the result, a derivative song indeed, but one that even the Grandmas and housewives would love....and so do I! ********** Subject: Re: Oooooh La Oooooh La Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 19:09:18 -0800 From: Marc Miller I seem to remember a story about "Blackberry Way" that went something like: "If this song doesn't make it to #1, the Move is gonna break up." Does anyone else remember that - or did I dream it? ********** Subject: Re: Oooooh La Oooooh La Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 00:01:47 -0800 From: Kevin A Kunreuther Mark Miller wrote: >I seem to remember a story about "Blackberry Way" that went something >like: > >If this song doesn't make it to #1, the Move is gonna break up." Does >anyone else remember that - or did I dream it? You didn't dream it, that was very much what all members said in interviews after the failure of Wild Tiger Woman. It was a tumultuous time for the group according to Bev Bevan. Trevor Burton wanted to explore heavier music but management began booking the group onto the supper club circuit. Carl loved it, Roy and Bev kept their mouths shut and pocketed the money. Shortly after Blackberry Way hit #1 in UK, Bev and Trevor had a furious row on stage; Trevor left after that, postponing the Move's first US dates. Kevin Kunreuther Dallas TX ********** Subject: Re: Oooooh La Oooooh La Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 19:09:26 -0800 From: Greg Weatherby > "If this song doesn't make it to #1, the Move is gonna break up." > Does anyone else remember that - or did I dream it? I think you're right about that, but it was probably another publicity stunt by management, which they were quite good at (see Harold Wilson postcard, etc) I'll rummage through the archives and see if I can find something to prove our thought on this, Marc. ********** Subject: #1 or else Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 00:01:19 -0800 From: Lynn Hoskins Marc wrote: >I seem to remember a story about "Blackberry Way" that went something like: > >"If this song doesn't make it to #1, the Move is gonna break up." Does >anyone else remember that - or did I dream it? I couldn't find any documented reference to the above, but I thought the list would enjoy Roy's thoughts about "Blackberry Way" as told to Ken Sharp in a Goldmine magazine Sept. 1994 interview: Goldmine: "Blackberry Way" is one of your best Move songs. Roy Wood: I think Carl left just after that. He got to a point where he was a bit annoyed about not getting songwriting credits and money and stuff. He wanted some of the publishing money and all that so there's a guy named Dave Morgan who later went on to join ELO years after that. He wrote songs and Carl used to get him to write songs and put them on the B-sides so he could get some money out of it. I played Carl "Blackberry Way" and he refused to sing it. I did "Fire Brigade" anyway. The management didn't mind who sang it, to be totally honest. Goldmine: Didn't you do a demo of the song at Jeff Lynne's house? Roy Wood: Yeah. The reason it did that is 'cause Jeff was the only person that I knew that had a mellotron in his front room and it was the only way in those days we could get string sounds and it was great. It was quite late at night, Jeff and I had been 'round the pub. I played him this idea I've got for a song and he says, "Oh, why don't we put it down?" He's got a sound-on-sound tape machine made by B&O, Bang and Olufsen. We were working on it for a while and then decided to put this vocal on. And of course, Jeff's parents were sleeping in the room above the room that we were using. In order not to keep them awake I did the lead vocals kneeling on the floor with the microphone and Jeff and a couple of other guys had a pill 'round my face so that they couldn't hear it upstairs. It was quite funny. And I was sort of laughing all the way through it. Goldmine: Were you shocked when it hit number one? Roy Wood: Yeah (laughs), you always are, if you get to number one. In those days, I mean, it was a shock, it was brilliant. [End] ********** Subject: I hope my fingers don't fall off... Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 15:17:56 -0800 From: Lynn Hoskins ...but if they do, it will have been worth it. I think. Okay, I'm finally going to start typing. I've been promising many of you that I'd type up Roy's 1994 Goldmine interview (in its entirety) but just couldn't seem to get started. After speaking with the author of the article last week, I was suddenly motivated to get this outstanding interview on the list. Forgive me in advance for posting it in parts. It's LONG. After it's all typed up, I'll be adding it to the Useless Information online archives. Anyway, expect the first installment today. Speaking of archives, I want to remind you about Bob Samuel's terrific Wizzard source on the Web, complete with articles, photos, lyrics and reviews: http://www.cix.co.uk/~rsamuel/wizzard/ And of course there's Martin Kinch's Cherry Blossom Clinic that seems to have everything but the kitchen sink! http://www.cherryblossomclinic.freeserve.co.uk/ ********** Subject: Goldmine interview with Roy Wood (Part 1) Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 17:51:28 -0800 From: Lynn Hoskins Roy Wood: The Wizzard of Rock Goldmine September 30, 1994 by Ken Sharp PART 1 Looking like a mad scientist, attired in outlandish costumes, wearing bizarre greasepaint and sporting unruly long hair best described as an explosion in a mattress factory, Roy Wood is definitely not your average rock 'n' roll star. David Bowie's alter ego as Ziggy Stardust looked tame by comparison. Cited by Crawdaddy editor Paul Williams as one of the five true geniuses in rock 'n' roll, Wood is a multi-faceted wunderkind, acclaimed in his homeland of Britain and a cult artist in America. Through his seminal work with the Move, ELO, Wizzard and as a solo artist, Wood was a singular rock visionary, effortlessly painting panoramic aural landscapes and vistas with dazzling skill and boundless imagination. Wood is a true rock chameleon, shedding his skin at will and perfectly adapting to myriad musical genres including pop, psychedelia, country 'n' western, blues, rockabilly, classical and jazz. Roy Wood could do it all. The saga of Ulysses Adrian Wood began in Birmingham, England on November 8, 1947. Bitten by the rock 'n' roll bug at an early age, Wood initially played the drums and then harmonica. The guitar soon beckoned and Wood was on his way, joining his first band six months after learning the basic fretboard rudiments. A member of such early Brum-beat outfits as Gerry Levene and the Avengers and Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders, Wood hit paydirt with the Move, who debuted at the Belfry Hotel in February 1966. Along with Wood, the Move included vocalist Carl Wayne, drummer Bev Bevan, bassist Ace Kefford and guitarist Trevor Burton. A weekly residency at London's famed Marquee club followed and cemented the group's status as one of England's top underground bands, attracting such luminaries as Pete Townsend, Mick Jagger and Keith Moon to gigs. Signed to notorious manager Tony Secunda, the Move inked a deal with Deram Records, issuing their debut single, "Night Of Fear" b/w "Disturbance," on December 9, 1966. Sporting a snippet of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, "Night Of Fear" reached #2 on the U.K. singles chart. The Move was slowly beginning to make their mark. A string of smash singles followed, with the psychedelic classic "I Can Hear The Grass Grow," the Eddie Cochran-inspired "Fire Brigade" and "Wild Tiger Woman" particular highlights. Meanwhile, Move stage shows were becoming quite flamboyant and often dangerous affairs. Spurred on by Secunda, the Move, like their contemporaries the Who, made stage destruction an art. Lead vocalist Carl Wayne was an expert with an ax on-stage, viciously hacking away at Hitler effigies, smashing TV sets and demolishing an entire 1956 Chevy. While this sensational stage show didn't sit well with Wood (or concert promoters who routinely banned the Move from many gigs), it did manage to draw considerable attention to the group. The Move's August 1967 single, "Flowers In The Rain," was shrouded in controversy due to a risque postcard issued to promote the single. It depicted then-prime minister Harold Wilson sitting naked in bed with his personal secretary, with whom he was rumored to be having an affair. The caption on the postcard read: "Disgusting, despised and despicable though Harold may be, beautiful is the only word to describe 'Flowers In The Rain' by the Move." Not surprisingly, "Flowers In The Rain" proved to be a thorn in the side for all concerned when a highly-agitated Harold Wilson sued the band. All royalties accrued, estimated at between $23,000 to $29,000, were channeled to two charities, the British Spastics Society and the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Wood told Rolling Stone: "The sick thing is that we had to promote the single all the same." To this day, Wood receives no royalties from the track. While the Move was one of Britain's top rock attractions, the band was also beginning to make inroads in America. Sadly, the Move's lone U.S. tour, which took place in October 1969, proved disastrous, due to a number of factors including poor organization and an apathetic record company. Inner turmoil, meanwhile, ravaged the band. While the group's second album, Shazam, drew raves, acclaimed by Rolling Stone as "powerful and intricately structured and flowing, a brutally energetic rock and roll album," all was not well in the Move camp. Lead vocalist Carl Wayne left the band, mainly as a result of his refusal to sing Wood's majestic opus "Blackberry Way" and his desire to pursue a solo career as a balladeer. Soon after Wayne's departure, Wood recruited chum Jeff Lynne, formerly of the Idle Race. With Lynne on board, the Move recorded two exceptional long-players, Looking On and Message From The Country, and issued three more singles, including "Tonight" and "Chinatown." Before calling it quits, the Move released their last single, "California Man," in June, 1972; it was later recorded by Cheap Trick on their 1979 Heaven Tonight album and continues to be a mainstay in that band's live shows today. Cheap Trick later recorded another Wood tune, "Rock And Roll Tonight," for their Busted album. While the Move was on their last legs, the Electric Light Orchestra was born. Wood and Lynne claimed at the time that the Move was merely taking a sabbatical and could surprise us and reform any day. That never happened. The nucleus of ELO was Wood, Lynne and Move mate Bev Bevan, who remained with the band until their demise in 1987. The seeds for the ELO sound were sown several years prior when the Move flirted with orchestral rock on the original version of "Cherry Blossom Clinic." In fact, "10538 Overture" was originally slated to be recorded by The Move, but was later resuscitated by ELO and stands as a highlight from the group's debut 1971 record, No Answer. According to Wood, the intention behind ELO's sound was to take off from where the Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" left off. Despite its revolutionary melding of rock 'n' roll and classical music, Wood's tenure as a member of ELO was short-lived. Midway into the recording of ELO's second album, ELO II, Wood left. "It was decided that I should leave because I had a name and was more likely to succeed at anything else," Wood told Melody Maker in August 1973. "When I quit, I was so disappointed that I didn't want to form another group, and then Wizzard came up." A wild and woolly eight-piece band, Wizzard made their live debut in August 1972 in front of 40,000 people at Wembley Stadium, sharing the bill with many of Wood's heroes, including Little Richard and Chuck Berry. A highly commercial enterprise, Wizzard racked up hit after hit, including two number one records that out-Spectored Phil Spector, "Angel Fingers" and "See My Baby Jive," along with the perennial British holiday standard, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day." Eclectic and ambitious, Wizzard's albums ranged from the '50s-style pastiche rock of Introducing Eddy & The Falcons to the experimental progressive rock stylings of Wizzard's Brew. As a live act, Wizzard shows were pure unadulterated rock 'n' roll spectaculars, a traveling Barnum and Baily circus of lavish proportions with a wildly attired Wood as its ring leader. Wood's garish costumes and Kabuki-styled makeup, described as looking like an "accident in a paintshop," had a profound influence on KISS, who borrowed elements of his visual image and met with much greater success. In between Wizzard albums, Wood issued Boulders, a delightful collection of pure pop ear candy, featuring Wood as a one-man band (pre-MIDI days), singing, writing and playing all the instruments. He also produced the album, and did the front cover artwork as well. The elegiac ballad "Dear Elaine," one of Wood's earliest compositions, reaped massive critical plaudits and considerable commercial success. Mustard, another similarly-styled solo effort - with a colorful front cover drawing by Wood - explored the same pop territory to great effect. Meanwhile, "Forever," another engaging Wood solo single broke into the U.K. Top 10 in January 1974. Marrying the tunefulness of vintage Neil Sedaka with a soaring melody evocative of Brian Wilson and a dead-on Carl Wilson vocal impersonation, "Forever" stands as one of Roy Wood's greatest triumphs. Wood later returned the compliment to the boys of summer when he played sax on "It's O.K.," a track from the Beach Boys 1976 15 Big Ones album. Midway into the '70s, the hits stopped coming for Wood. In 1977, he formed the short-lived Wizzo band, which issued a U.K.-only LP, Super Active Wizzo, before fading into oblivion. After the release of 1979's On The Road Again (featuring guest appearances by Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and former Move lead vocalist Carl Wayne), Wood disappeared from the music scene for quite a while, only returning for several one-off solo singles and as a member of the Helicopters. Laying low, Wood dabbled in production, working with the likes of Annie Haslam of Renaissance on her Annie In Wonderland album, the Darts and the Paranoids among others. Wood reemerged from his self-imposed "retirement" in 1985 with the highly underrated Starting Up album, which contained some of Wood's strongest material for many years. Collaborations also followed with the likes of Jeff Lynne, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Phil Lynott, Rick Wakeman and ex-Move vocalist Wayne. (To be continued...) ----- Coming up in Part 2: Roy talks about his musical background, his early songwriting career, musical influences, his first band and the first Move gig. End of Useless Information #326 ******************************* [This digest is the copyright of the Move "Useless Information" Mailing List. Re-publication or re-distribution of "Useless Information" content, in any form whatsoever, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent.]