[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 #327 February 13, 2002 In this issue: * Song Of The Week: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" * Was Roy an early advocate of 12 Steps? * Roy's Sunday show March 24 * Goldmine interview: Roy Ulysses Wood? * Carl Wayne CD * Beat Instrumental Gold Star Awards 1967 results (cont.) * Roy Wood sheet music on eBay * Goldmine interview with Roy Wood (Part 2) ============================================================== 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: Song Of The Week: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 23:14:36 -0800 From: Lynn Hoskins Song Of The Week: February 11, 2002 "Jolly Cup Of Tea" from the album "Wizzard Brew" Ideas for discussion: Songwriting/lyrics Vocals Arrangement & instrumentation Overall production What were your thoughts the first time you heard it? Strengths/weaknesses What does this song mean to you? *********************** From the lyric sheet, courtesy Bob Samuel: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" (R. Wood) [By the left! Quick...] Hold on boys, shut yer cowbag noise Cos we're going for a jolly cup of tea Won't you cheer up lads, don't forget your bags Yes we're going for a jolly cup of tea You can drink away your cares If you see the sergeant, tell him I'll be there We will march along, make it brown and strong Yes we're going for a jolly cup of tea (drum break) (repeat verse) ********** Subject: Re; Song Of The Week: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:15:18 -0800 From: "Doyle, Joe" A brilliant, humorous vignette from, what I consider to be, probably the greatest album of all time - I kid you not! Carrying on the tradition started with Jeff in the Move, of humorous "fillers" (My Marge and The Duke Of Edinburgh's Lettuce), this song, for all of it's humour, also has a great arrangement and captures the mood of the marching band to perfection. Whilst it may seem "throwaway" at first listen, just see if you can work out how many instruments are crafted together for the arrangement, cannons and all. I particularly like the military style drumming. This would have made a super soundtrack song to start one of those, seemingly innumerable, British 50's and 60's films about the war and square bashing at training camp, particularly one of the Carry on Films (wasn't there one called Carry On Sergeant?). This must be the song that caused Rick Price & Co. to say "Enough!" and carry Roy out of the studio, before over-work finally sent him to the funny farm. I wonder if Bev would have agreed to play on this one, if it had been an ELO song... ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 17:54:56 -0800 From: Rob Caiger > This must be the song that caused Rick Price & Co. to say "Enough!" and > carry Roy out of the studio, before over-work finally sent him to the > funny farm. What you don't hear on the album is as the song ends, the whole group, led by Rick Price, collapsing into tears of laughter. Good fun! Rob ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 00:43:24 -0800 From: Edward Morris > What were your thoughts the first time you heard it? As the next song after "Meet Me At The Jailhouse", utter bamboozlement, but that's Wizzard Brew for you... > Production As per the rest of the album, clearly recorded in EMIs 16ft front loading automatic washing machine, to good effect. ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 00:29:59 -0800 From: Kevin A Kunreuther WHOOAAAA! Just playing this right at this minute. Now That's Some Kinda' Serendipity. Well what can you say about this number? A very British soldiers' march ditty that would have gone down very well in the trenches in The Great War and probably hummed a lot by the boys and girls during the Falklands conflict (as opposed to Elvis Costello's anti war sentiment, "Shipbuilding"). I first heard it in this old record shop in a strip mall in Hazlet, NJ back in '79, in fact the hip guy who owned the place played the whole LP for me. It's not at the top of my personal hit parade but I think it is a real neat take on songs of that genre. I'd like to think that this tune was done with obvious affection for the genre and not a send up. Good production but it tends to on just a bit too long, that may have been the jokey part directed towards the listener (cor, it's not over yet? They obviously must have had a few bevvies during that one...) Did Wizzard ever play this live; come to think of it, has The Big Band/Army ever played it live? Don't think there's gonna' be a salsa version of this :0). Sometimes I imagine Roy and the rest marching around on stage belting out this tune, sending custard pies all over the place, at each other, the roadies and the audience. Kevin Kunreuther Dallas TX ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:15:23 -0800 From: "Tyler C.Sherman" A most interesting piece of lunacy from Roy. As it comes sort of in the middle of the "Wizzard's Brew" album, it actually does serve as a break in the action...tea time in the midst of mayhem. When I first heard it back in '73 I thought "what the heck is this?" and would often skip over it. But now, especially in the context of the CD format, I hear what Roy was trying to achieve, literally a pause for refreshment after the exhausting work-out of "...Jailhouse" and before going on to the brilliant, over-the-top "Buffalo Station". Wizzards, Tyler ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Jolly Cup Of Tea" Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 12:04:37 -0800 From: "chris roberts" Brilliant!!!!! I never tire of this one, this was the first track I heard off Wizzard Brew and prompted me to ask the owner "Who the Hell is this?" I got the answer and could hardly believe it. I listened to the rest of the album and then embarked on a record buying trek that has lasted 25 years now. So JCOT has a lot to answer for, and yes that record owner and I can still be heard not shutting our Cowbag Noise when singing it to my 'appreciative neighbours on our way back from the pub on occasions! Oh and by the way Joe: > Carry on Films (wasn't there one called Carry On Sergeant?) < Yes, it was the very first one, in black & white and staring Bob Monkhouse of all people! Chris (Cardiff, Wales) Now whistling JCOT ********** Subject: Was Roy an early advocate of 12 Steps? Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 00:01:40 -0800 From: Greg Weatherby Whilst admiring The Fool's cover for the Move's first album, I naturally decided to play it, and do you know what jumped out at me tonight for the first time in 34 years of listening to this album? There are two songs with strong anti-liquor messages in them, at least as I interpret them. The obvious one is "Walk Upon The Water", where Roy says "This tale of common sense will end on Please don't drink and drive Especially when you're driving friends Along the waterside, still singing....etc" and then it jumped out at me that on "Mist On A Monday Morning", there is a cautionary tale of "Pack up my sack and walk for miles Never thinking why To the brewer's yard, where I can sit And watch my life go by Drink and drink all day till my memory melts away I need a friend like mist on a Monday morning" and later "From the (?) gin, I feel the sin Like wheels upon my feet Intoxicated by the night I stumbled in the street Every breath I take seems to make my body ache And drift into the mist on a Monday morning" Any one else find it odd that in 67 / 68 that someone was singing about anti-drinking, yet telling us that they can hear the grass grow, or do I just have too much time on my hands before the New York show? ********** Subject: Roy's Sunday show March 24 Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 20:30:48 -0800 From: Bruce Markow Hi Tyler (and other NYC convergers), We're finally gonna get to meet. I'll be there on Sunday (and Thursday, too). As a bonafide New Yawkah (well, actually Brooklynite) I should be able to come up with places to gather. I've been thinking about a couple of nearby English restaurants--though we may be limited how long we could comfortably hang out there. I'll give it some more thought. I probably don't have a lot of time to hang on Thursday, but should have plenty on Sunday. Soon, Bruce M ********** Subject: Re: Goldmine interview: Roy Ulysses Wood? Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 15:21:16 -0800 From: "Mark Jarman" Quoting Goldmine: > The saga of Ulysses Adrian Wood began in Birmingham, England on > November 8, 1947. I have to confess that I didn't know Roy's real name - what kind of people were his parents to call their child Ulysses? Absolutely brilliant. Being on this list is worth it for that fact alone! But actually if anyone knows anything about his parents I'd love to hear. I don't think Roy ever covered 'Tales Of Brave Ulysses' did he? Mark (Ipswich) ********** Subject: Re: Goldmine interview: Roy Ulysses Wood? Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 20:50:48 -0800 From: Rob Caiger > I have to confess that I didn't know Roy's real name - what kind of > people were his parents to call their child Ulysses? Not Roy's - his real name is Roy Wood. A Move roadie's joke for one of those Q&A teen magazines, still perpetuated. Rob ********** Subject: Re: Goldmine interview: Roy Ulysses Wood? Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 23:10:32 -0800 From: Kevin A Kunreuther > The saga of Ulysses Adrian Wood began in Birmingham, England on > November 8, 1947. Wait Wait Wait Wait, didn't Roy recently admit that Ulysses Adrian bit was just a gag he made up back in the early days of The Move's first forays into popstardom and that it has been propulgated by lazy music journalists ever since? The only reason he's come clean about his name being truly Roy Wood, always has been, was he's only come round to clearing up now and was a bit lazy about owning up to the mischief. Kevin Kunreuther Dallas TX ********** Subject: Carl Wayne CD Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 13:07:41 -0800 From: "Boz" I just received the Carl Wayne CD. It's a great album. Is there anyone out there who can provide a translation of the sleeve notes? My Japanese isn't too good ;-) ********** Subject: Re: Carl Wayne CD Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 13:33:59 -0800 From: Lynn Hoskins Boz wrote: >I just received the Carl Wayne CD. It's a great album. I've only had a chance to listen to it all the way through a couple times so far, but I have to say I really enjoy his cover of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit In The Sky." This is one of my all-time favorite songs anyway, but I never envisioned it performed gospel style. (I don't know why...considering it IS a gospel song.) It has the powerful energy of, say, Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy." I recall Jeff Cooper posting something about "I Heard The Voice Of Jesus" and how much he enjoyed hearing Carl singing gospel. I would have to concur. And I'm impressed that the lyrics (in English!) are included. That's not often the case when it comes to cover tracks. ********** Subject: Re: Beat Instrumental Gold Star Awards 1967 Results Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 04:48:25 -0800 From: "Bill Krouwel" The Awards make interesting reading, apart from the gratuitous comments regarding the Shadows, a band which everywhere except in the U.S. achieved massive chart popularity in the early 1960's, which to these ears sounds infinitely more adventurous than contemporaries such as the Ventures, was massively influential in getting people like Brian May and Pete Townshend started, and whose lead guitarist was invited to join the Brontosaurus-era Move (yes, he really was, whatever Carl Wayne might say now). Although the Move were a good night out, I'm surprised they came 6th. Although not as "hip", Dave Dee and Co. had a legendarily brilliant stage act, honed in the clubs of Hamburg where they are remembered with considerably more affection than even the Beatles.....Justice to the Hollies though; their stage act was also excellent at the time, really entertaining AND musicianly..... Bill Krouwel 107 year old Rocker ********** Subject: Roy Wood sheet music on eBay Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 04:47:25 -0800 From: BigLarry Hey, I recall someone asking about sheet music for Roy's songs. I've just been to eBay, and there's a bunch of them! Flowers In The Rain Fire Brigade Curly Tonight Oh What A Shame Going Down The Road Each song has its own entry. Some have song title, some don't. Each entry begins with the words "UK SHEET MUSIC", then the year-released is specified. They're all offered by the same person, so you'll find all the entries in the same area. Also, the seller is in England, so be advised that you may be required to pay with credit card. Good luck! Larry Harris Dallas, Texas ********** Subject: Goldmine interview with Roy Wood (Part 2) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 20:51:12 -0800 From: Lynn Hoskins Roy Wood: The Wizzard of Rock Goldmine September 30, 1994 by Ken Sharp PART 2 Growing bored with the daily grind of studio work, Wood has recently returned to the music scene with a renewed vigor, confidence and creativity. Last year saw Wood embark on a successful British tour for which he was backed by a stellar new 11-piece troupe called the Roy Wood Big Band, featuring seven women. And the best news for "Woody" fans is that Wood has written a wealth of songs with a new studio album in the works. A multi-instrumentalist who was just as comfortable playing cello, oboe and sax as he was playing the guitar, Roy Wood is one of rock's MVP's, a talented producer, versatile vocalist and, most importantly, ground-breaking songwriter. His hit song battling average is worthy of the Hall Of Fame, tallying over 30 smash singles in the U.K. Even more impressive is Wood's remarkable feat of landing a cache of Top 10 hits (and three number ones) in four different incarnations: the Move, ELO, Wizzard and as a solo artist. A pop architect of the highest order, Roy Wood towers above the rock pantheon. Goldmine: Tell me about your musical background. You started on harmonica. Roy Wood: The first thing I ever played was drums, when I was six years old. And then I suppose the first musical instrument I played was harmonica at 10 years old. My dad was a member of a local club and I used to get up and play there. There was a little trio with drums and piano and bass. I used to get up and play with them. I didn't start playing guitar until later on. I was probably about 14. I didn't get into playing the other instruments that I've been noted for playing until much later on. I was in the Move then and I used to actually collect old instruments. It's difficult to collect them without actually having a go and playing them so I just got into it by accident just through collecting them. Goldmine: I seemed to come easy for you; you could get a tune out of any instrument. Roy Wood: I've always been that way. I'm not very good at reading music but I'm pretty quick at picking things up. Goldmine: Were there any instruments you were unable to play properly? Roy Wood: Yeah, one thing I had a go on that I wasn't very happy with was violin because I was used to playing a cello. It's a different action (laughs). It's like marching and chewing gum at the same time. It's weird. Goldmine: At what point did you join your first band, the Falcons? Roy Wood: Within the first six months of having a guitar I was in a band becausethere were a lot of guys that lived in the local area that had guitars. In those days if someone in your area had a guitar you found out about it. you went to get together with him and learn together 'cause there was always one guy who knew more chords than you did. Some of the first things I learned to play were instrumental tunes from bands like the Shadows and the Ventures, groups like that. When I eventually joined the Falcons we were playing American rock, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Goldmine: At what point did you begin to write songs? Roy Wood: The first thing i started to write was instrumental tunes. When I was in the Falcons we played a few of those. I didn't really get around to writing songs until the Beatles became enormous and everyone was influenced by the Beatles then. I was one of those people. I got into writing lyrics for songs when I was at art college. I wrote a book which was fairy stories for adults with a bit of a weird twist at the end of the stories. Obviously in those days I had no contacts. I didn't really know what to do with it. Consequently I used a lot of those ideas for lyrics when we got the Move going. Stuff like "Flowers In The Rain," "I Can Hear The Grass Grow." A few of the early things. Goldmine: Eddie Cochran had to be a big influence on you because his "Something Else" riff has shown up in a lot of your work, starting with "Fire Brigade" to "Red Cars Are After Me" from the Starting Up album. Roy Wood: (Laughs) It makes you wonder. I was always a big fan of Eddie Cochran, because basically he was the first person to play all his own instruments on his records. Apart from guitar he played drums and bass and everything. It makes me wonder what he would be doing now if he were still alive. He'd probably be a really top producer. Goldmine: Did you ever get to see any of the rock legends like Cochran or Buddy Holly when they toured in England? Roy Wood: No, I was just a little bit too young to be in on that. The first people I ever saw were probably Little Richard and Gene Vincent. Goldmine: How long were you a member of Gerry Levene and the Avengers? Roy Wood: I was only in the band for about four months. I was in the band just before I joined Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders. In fact, it was a bit of a stopgap for me. I'd just joined because I wasn't in a band and I needed to play. I just joined them for a few months and then went on to the Nightriders. Goldmine: What type of band was Gerry Levene and the Avengers? Roy Wood: Just a rock 'n' roll band. We did mostly Chuck Berry material, all that sort of stuff. Goldmine: Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders was the first band you did any recording with. Roy Wood: That's right. Mike Sheridan was signed to EMI Records and we were one of the few local bands who had a recording contract which was good. Goldmine: I heard the band's stage act was pretty wild. You used to wear a wig and impersonate Dusty Springfield. Roy Wood: Don't remind me (laughs). So you found out about that one. You've been reading my mail again (laughs). That was basically because I could do her voice. I could actually sing like her in those days. They got the wig out of the cupboard and that was the end of it. It was done in an extremely masculine manner (laughs). Goldmine: You did a single with the band called "Take My Hand," which featured an original song of yours as the B-side, "Make Them Understand." Roy Wood: I didn't think that was a very good song to be honest but Mike Sheridan quite liked it. In fact, he sang it out of tune on the record. It was one of those where we had to make the record in the engineer's lunchtime so we didn't get a chance to redo it. Goldmine: Before the Move got together didn't you play with the members fairly regularly? Roy Wood: Actually, there was a nightclub in Birmingham called the Cedar Club, and all the local bands used to play there. If we had a night off we used to go there anyway just to see the band and maybe steal a few ideas from them. We happened to be talking at the bar one night, saying that we were fed up being a human jukebox and playing all the chart material. I mentioned that I had some songs written and a couple of the guys were interested in hearing them. It just went from there, really. When we actually got a bee in our bonnet about doing it we used to get up and jam there at the Cedar Club. I think most of the people could tell from that that we were going to do something. And that's how the Move came together. Goldmine: Who came up with the name of the group? Roy Wood: I did. I named it that because more or less each person from the band used to play in other bands and when we left respective bands other members from those bands all sort of changed round. It was a big sort of move thing. I got it from that, I suppose. Goldmine: Alex's Pie Stand was also a club where you congregated with other Birmingham bands. Roy Wood: It was brilliant. It was right in the center of Birmingham. It was like a hut on the side of the road. If bands had been playing away from home, in those days there weren't late night restaurants open and all that, so the only place you could get anything to eat was Alex's Pie Stand. We all used to meet there and relay what the gig was like and all that. It was a good atmosphere. There was quite a lot of camaraderie then between the bands. Goldmine: Do you remember the first Move gig? Roy Wood: Yeah, it was at the Belfry Hotel in Sutton Coldfield. When we were first started we were doing a lot of Motown stuff, but actually playing it more in a rock way. Everybody in the band sang and we did a lot of harmonies. I was always well into harmonies anyway because I was influenced by the Beach Boys. We used to do a lot of that sort of stuff. I was trying to persuade the band to do more original material and they were getting into it gradually. When we first started we did just a few of mine, maybe six or so. "Night Of Fear" would have been one. Even though we hadn't recorded it yet, "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" would have been one as well. (To be continued...) ----- Coming up in Part 3: Roy talks about Move cover songs, Tony Secunda, his first "good" song, the classical bits in "Night Of Fear," the Harold Wilson postcard incident, and is "Flowers In The Rain" really about drugs? End of Useless Information #327 ******************************* [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.]