[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 #393 October 2, 2002 In this issue: * Move milestone * TOTP2 Vote * Trevor Burton Band "Blue Moons" CD * Song Of The Week (week of 9/30): "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" * The Roy at the VU bootleg (cont.) * Harold Wilson and Lady Falkender ============================================================== To POST TO THE LIST: Send an e-mail to: move-list@eskimo.com Move List Info & Archives: http://www.eskimo.com/~noanswer/movelist.html Join the ELO List: http://www.eskimo.com/~noanswer/showdown.html Other official websites: The Move: http://www.themoveonline.com Roy Wood: http://www.roywood.co.uk Face The Music (for all ELO & related news): http://www.ftmusic.com TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail to move-digest-request@eskimo.com with the word "unsubscribe" (no quotes) in the subject line ============================================================== Subject: Move milestone Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 14:01:10 -0700 From: Lynn Hoskins Got an e-mail from a Move List member this morning letting me know that according to his Rhino Records wall calendar, September 30, 1967 was the day that BBC Radio One premiered with "Flowers In The Rain." So the story goes, the station intros were fading out and the announcer had not lined up a single to play, so he grabbed the one that was nearest to him, threw it on the turntable, and Move history was made. Don't know if the above is 100% accurate, but it makes for a good story. ;) Of course "Flowers In The Rain" is a bit of a sore subject with The Move due to the fact that shortly after their wonderful song kicked off BBC Radio One...they were in court losing all their royalties to Harold Wilson! (I don't imagine September 30 is a day of celebration for Roy, who lost the most.) But, it's nice to know that after 35 years The Move are still worthy of calendar space! P.S. Was in a card shop a few months ago and found some of those birthday cards that list important events for any given year. I was very surprised to see that an American card company would mention BBC Radio One debuting with a song by The Move! But not surprised to see that they'd botched it by saying the song was "Fire Brigade." Good grief... ********** Subject: Re: Move milestone Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 14:56:13 -0700 From: JANES434 (Linda) >So the story goes, the station intros were fading out and the >announcer had not lined up a single to play, so he grabbed the one >that was nearest to him, threw it on the turntable, and Move history >was made. Not quite the same story as I read in Birmingham Evening Mail on 25 years of Radio 1 it states that Producer Johnny Beerling had agonised over a shortlist of 36 songs before plumping for The Move. It was a daring decision. The current No 1 was Engelbert Humperdincks The Last Waltz and Londons own Small Faces at No 4 with Itchycoo Park. In the end it had to be The Move song says Tony Blackburn we wanted an up-tempo catchy number to start the show. Bev says " the record had a thunderstorm at the start an explosion of sound and I think that helped Radio 1 to pick up on it." So another story any more ? !!! However it came to be chosen a brilliant song still being sung by Carl with The Hollies at the shows which goes down a storm !! ********** Subject: Re: Move milestone Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 15:03:17 -0700 From: Lynn Hoskins Linda wrote: >However it came to be chosen a brilliant song still being sung by Carl >with The Hollies at the shows which goes down a storm !! And it's my understanding that live performance is exempt from royalties (is this correct?) which is probably why Roy Wood's Army also have "Flowers In The Rain" in their set. I don't think it would be there otherwise! ********** Subject: Re: Move milestone Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 18:00:20 -0700 From: JANES434 (Linda) Not sure about the royalties stuff at live performances really glad that "Flowers in the Rain " also "Blackberry Way" is included in The Hollies shows never got to see The Move "live" during the 60s so to hear Carl sing these classics is a brilliant experience I have waited over 30 years to see and hear!! Wish they would do more but then they are The Hollies after all!! ********** Subject: Re: Move milestone Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 01:54:09 -0700 From: "Rob Caiger" > Not sure about the royalties stuff at live performances really glad > that "Flowers in the Rain"... The Move get no royalties from the song, either as performers (mechanicals) or Roy as a songwriter, whoever plays the song, be it live or on record. Also, nothing is paid for the single's b-side, (Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree or the sheet music produced at the time. I've just heard there's articles discussing Wilson and Lady Falkender (his then secretary at the time of the affair accusation) just been published in the UK - the Express newspaper I believe. Has anyone seen them? Best - Rob ********** Subject: Re: Move milestone Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 03:41:06 -0700 From: "Tyler C.Sherman" Wouldn't it be a kicker if the alleged Wilson affair turned out to be true! Could the court decision then be overturned and all royalties due Roy be paid ...with interest! Let justice prevail! Wizzards, Tyler ********** Subject: TOTP2 Vote Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 13:12:05 -0700 From: "Andrew Ralph" The BBC are offering you the chance to choose your own line-up for a Top of the Pops 2 special! Here's the website to go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp2/vote_2000/index.shtml There are some great old Move and Wizzard performances to choose from, but I expect they'll be looking for a varied mix. ********** Subject: Trevor Burton Band "Blue Moons" CD Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 17:59:33 -0700 From: Andrew Codd I got my copy of the Trevor Burton Bands Blue Moons cd last week and have been living with it fairly regularly on the Walkman and car stereo most of that time. I have to admit I basically bought it for Richard Tandy's autograph and the thought of a Brumie accent singing the blues was a bit of a strange idea to me but I needn't have worried because Trevor has a very fine voice well suited to this type of music and the cd is full of great guitar and piano/keyboard work. Money well spent I would say! The review on the FTM web site compares the album to Gary Moore's blues oriented releases which I would agree with and I'm a big fan of Gary but I think this Cd compares very favourably with and is in a similar Blues Rock vein as Jeff Healey's "See the Light" Cd which has long been a favourite of mine. They both feature great versions of John Hiatt songs on them. (I must buy a cd of his one day as I seem to like so many songs of his!) I won't give to in-depth a review because I'm not very good at this sort of thing. While the whole cd is extremely good a couple of real standouts are Trevor's own song "When it all comes down" which is a lovely mainly acoustic number and the "River runs deep" which really shows off the musical talent in this band, Richard gets a really tasty solo in this one and is probably the best song on the cd. This is followed by a reworking of "Heartbreak Hotel" which I thought would be a mistake to cover because it is such an obvious old chestnut that it would be a bit pointless to cover it.... Well, I stand corrected. When it started it took me quite a while to realise what song it was. They have radically reworked it into a jazzy blues version with tasteful in parts almost George Benson like guitar licks. For those that are undecided on this cd. I think "Mississippi Nights" is the First Richard Tandy solo composition ever released. (I can't think of another.) This is more of a softer melodic number which I think could be a very good number for someone like Jimmy Nail to cover although he'd really have to go some to better this version. The album ends strongly with a cover of Warren Zevon's song "The Heartache" which is performed just Trevor's smoky singing to Richard's piano accompaniment. Overall a very fine cd I give it two thumbs up (normally I gesture with other fingers). I can't believe it was recorded and mixed in only three days. Next time i'm up in Birmingham I'm definitely going to try to catch them live. To order Trevor's CD go to http://www.ftmusic.com and visit the FTM Shop. Regards Andrew PS. I hope that this release will encourage other members of the Move and ELO to do a few more special editions like this via the FTM shop. Surely Richard must have a few more songs or piano pieces he's written over the years knocking around at home so how about a cd of those next? ********** Subject: Song Of The Week: "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 13:11:13 -0700 From: Lynn Hoskins Song Of The Week: September 30, 2002 The Move "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" Possible discussion topics: Vocals Lyrics Musicianship Songwriting Arrangement/Production Strong/weak points *********************** "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" (Mike Tyler/Rick Price) Let the wind blow you out of my memory Let the rain wash you out of my eyes Too many bad times of loving you Now I gotta realize That I can throw you right out of my mind And put you right back in your place 'Cause lightning never strikes twice in the same place I can live without loving you Carry on in the same old way Do anything that I wanna do Say what I wanna say 'Cause I can throw you right out of my mind And put you right back in your place 'Cause lightning never strikes twice in the same place Lightning strike Lightning strike Your kind of woman just drags me down Want to put on a ball and chain I was king till you took my crown I wanna win it back again 'Cause I can throw you right out of my mind And put you right back in your place 'Cause lightning never strikes twice in the same place Lightning strike Lightning strike ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 14:01:31 -0700 From: John DeSilva A gem from the pen of Rick Price and Mike Tyler. It doesn't really sound like a Move song until the "raga bit" at the end, but it does have the chunky power of the best Move songs in the rhythm acoustic and electric guitars and of course the massive bass. I've always liked the harmony singing - is this Rick and Mike Tyler? Rick and CARL? Doesn't sound like Roy (damn sure doesn't sound like Bev!), and if I'm not mistaken this was recorded shortly before Jeff joined. It's a cool rocker, complete with Beatley/Creamy arpeggios, and the chorus is simply magnificent. Probably the best song Rick had a hand in writing (although I've not heard his solo stuff but I can't imagine it being better than this). So when will Cheap Trick get around to covering it? ;-D JD San Jose, CA ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 18:52:30 -0700 From: Richard Messum Sorry, but i don't rate this one very highly at all, the melody is, frankly, uninspired and the harmony singing in the verses seems desultory to me, like they were not really all that interested. (Good in the choruses, though, very reminiscent of the Hollies.) Instrumentally, it fares a bit better: great rhythm guitar and some madcap drumming, and then, at the end, that chunky bass playing i love so much. The electric sitar (whatever happened to the electric sitar?) is good, it's appropriate, it sounds fine, but it's not one of RW's *great* electric sitar solos. I'd give it a 2 out of 5. ********** Subject: Re: The Roy at the VU bootleg Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 18:52:20 -0700 From: Mike Griffiths Hello Lynn and all, I don't have a burner, but would love to be a leaf on the planned VU CD tree. Also, I just got my hands on the 2CD ELO set. I didn't realize, until reading Rob's note, that the bonus disc was so close to being out of print . It's a great package and I just can't wait to see what Rob will do with the Move catalogue next year. Judging by this package, it's going to be really special. Cheers, Mike ********** Subject: Re: The Roy at the VU bootleg Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 00:00:21 -0700 From: "David Fatta" I, too, would be happy to help bootleg the bootleg of Roy's Village Underground appearance. Burn, baby, burn! David Fatta, Reformed Pirate and Slave to Duty ********** Subject: Harold Wilson and Lady Falkender Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 02:28:30 -0700 From: Lynn Hoskins Rob wrote: >I've just heard there's articles discussing Wilson and Lady Falkender >(his then secretary at the time of the affair accusation) just been >published in the UK - the Express newspaper I believe. Has anyone >seen them? These aren't from the Express, but rather interesting nonetheless! It's a lot of reading but I didn't want to leave any of it out. (List members not familiar with the Tony Secunda/ "Flowers In The Rain"/ Harold Wilson scandal are probably scratching their heads wondering what on earth all of this has to do with The Move... :) ---- Harold Wilson's doctor plotted to murder Marcia Falkender; Amazing new book reveals the PM's personal physician suggested 'disposing' of his secretary Mail on Sunday London (UK) September 29, 2002 by Simon Walters A sensational Downing Street plot to murder Harold Wilson's personal secretary Marcia Falkender, when he was Prime Minister, is revealed today. Wilson's doctor suggested 'disposing' of Falkender, the former PM's confidante and adviser, because she kept threatening to destroy his Premiership. The devastating disclosures, which will dominate the opening of the Labour Party conference in Blackpool where delegates are gathering today, are made by Wilson's Press secretary, Joe Haines, and appear to answer one of the great mysteries of post-war politics. Marcia Falkender's incredible sway over Wilson led to constant speculation that it could only be the result of a sexual relationship. Haines today provides the answer: he says Falkender herself boasted that she had had sex with the Labour PM. According to Haines, Wilson told him how an enraged Falkender summoned his wife, Mary, to her London home and told her: 'I have only one thing to say to you. I went to bed with your husband six times in 1956 and it wasn't satisfactory.' The bombshell claims are in one of the most extraordinary political memoirs ever to be published in Britain. The book, Glimmers Of Twilight is serialised in The Mail On Sunday, starting today. The book lifts the lid for the first time on the sensational sex scandals, feuding and corruption that marred the Wilson Government and wrecked his political career and health. Wilson, who resigned as Prime Minister in 1976 and suffered from Alzheimer's disease, died in 1995. Falkender, born Marcia Field, was a junior Labour Party official who became the most powerful woman in politics in the late Sixties and early Seventies as Wilson's personal secretary. He rewarded her with a peerage in 1974. Haines says the murder plot was discussed not once but twice after Wilson had told him of Falkender's claim to have had sex with the PM. In 1975, as Wilson's second term in Downing Street lurched from crisis to crisis, Haines and other members of Wilson's personal staff grew increasingly concerned at the effect she was having on him. According to Haines, the idea of killing her was put forward when Falkender was considering suing a newspaper. He writes: 'Joe Stone, Wilson's personal doctor, said she couldn't last in a witness box without the tranquillisers he prescribed for her and which she kept in a locket around her neck. 'Joe was devoted to Wilson but loathed Marcia. He actually discussed the proposition of "disposing of her" to take the weight of Marcia off the Prime Minister. 'He told me he could make it look like natural causes and sign the death certificate. As Agatha Christie might have put it, it was an invitation to murder ... I told him there was no way in which I would go down that road. 'Then I found he had suggested the same thing to Bernard Donoughue, the head of Wilson's policy unit, and got the same reaction. Shortly afterwards the three of us were strolling through Bonn while Wilson was on an official visit there. Joe offhandedly raised the question again. We both squashed it and it was never mentioned again. Charming though he was, Joe's proposition was crazy and wicked.' Stone, who was awarded a peerage by Wilson, is now dead. Haines's claims were backed up last night by Lord Donoughue. He recalled: 'Joe Stone said to me: "It may be desirable to dispose of her. It could be done. We've got to get this woman off his back." 'Life in Number 10 at that time was so bizarre we treated almost anything as normal.' Donoughue, a Minister in Tony Blair's Government until three years ago, added: 'I was pretty convinced there was a sexual relationship.' But Falkender, now 70 and who still attends the Lords, has always rejected claims that she had an affair with Wilson or used her position to undermine him. She divorced her husband Ed Williams, an engineer, in 1961. It's beyond belief says the 'victim' Lady Falkender said last night: 'This is outrageous - something beyond belief.' At her home in Blissworth, Northamptonshire, she said of the 'murder' plot: 'Joe Stone would never say such a thing. He was a fine doctor, a good man. It would be completely out of character.' And of the allegations that she had boasted of having sex with Harold Wilson to his wife, she said: 'It's nonsense, ridiculous. It's just not true. It's so sad for Lady Wilson. She's 86 and a good friend. I must ring her to tell her about this.' © Associated Newspapers Ltd. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,3605,801430,00.html Wilson and Falkender claims resurface Michael White, political editor Monday September 30, 2002 The Guardian As John Major's four-year fling with Edwina Currie became public knowledge, another alleged Downing Street liaison surfaced, potentially far more serious in its implications: renewed claims that Harold Wilson and his powerful political secretary, Marcia Falkender, were briefly lovers years before he became prime minister. Both Lord Wilson and Lady Falkender, who was ennobled in the notorious "lavender list" resignation honours in 1976, have often denied the rumour which persisted through Westminster for many years. The source of the story, Joe Haines, is hard to dismiss. He was Wilson's loyal press secretary for many years, a south London-born political in-fighter who went on to become a loyal lieutenant of Robert Maxwell in his years as owner of the Daily Mirror, and is now retired in Kent. As an old enemy of Lady Falkender, who has often written about the trouble which her brilliant but mercurial temperament caused in No 10, Mr Haines claims that during one particularly silly bust-up Lady Falkender told Mary Wilson, the prime minister's wife: "I went to bed with your husband six times in 1956 and it wasn't satisfactory." Mr Haines' source, he says, was a distraught Wilson who returned from seeing his wife to confide in Haines. Paradoxically, Wilson denied the affair. Yet later that same night he appeared to confirm the claim by saying: "She has dropped her atomic bomb at last. She can't hurt me any more". The contrast between Mr Haines' claims and Ms Currie's - the timing is coincidental - is striking. Mr Major offered his ex-lover a middling job as prisons minister. Lord Wilson kept Lady Falkender at the power centre during four premierships. Yesterday's claims about Lady Falkender's disruptive influence included one extraordinary story that when she refused to hand over papers to Wilson when he was opposition leader, he and her brother, Tony Field, "broke into her garage over the weekend" and found them. In effect, Mr Haines notes, a former prime minister was guilty of burglary. But the Wilson regime was famous for paranoia and its Walter Mitty moments. So it is unsurprising that Mr Haines reports Lord Stone, Mr Wilson's doctor, suggesting ways of "disposing of her" without anyone suspecting murder. Most of the main players are now dead, though Lady Falkender, 86, yesterday denied the claims as "beyond belief" in the Mail on Sunday. © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=337996 London Independent 30 September 2002 00:57 BDST ...and what's more, Harold Wilson's doctor plotted to kill Marcia Falkender By Cahal Milmo Harold Wilson's personal doctor suggested murdering the former prime minister's secretary when she threatened to reveal an alleged affair with Mr Wilson, it was claimed yesterday. Dr Joe Stone offered to "dispose" of Marcia Falkender in 1975 amid panic in Downing Street over her threat to "destroy" the Prime Minister. The allegation is made in a book by Mr Wilson's press secretary, Joe Haines. Lady Falkender, who was given a peerage by her employer, is said to have summoned Mr Wilson's wife, Mary, in 1972 and bluntly told her of the alleged fling. Mr Wilson, who died in 1995, relayed the conversation back to Mr Haines, saying Lady Falkender had told Mary: "I have only one thing to say to you. I went to bed with your husband six times in 1956 and it wasn't satisfactory." Unease among the Prime Minister's closest advisers grew as she repeatedly told colleagues that it would take one phone call to end his career. The concern reached a peak in 1975 when Lady Falkender was considering testifying in a libel action against the Evening Standard newspaper. Mr Haines recalls a conversation with Dr Stone, who has since died, in which the doctor revealed he had prescribed Lady Falkender with tranquillisers and could engineer her death. Mr Haines said: "Joe was devoted to Wilson but loathed Marcia. He discussed the proposition of 'disposing of her' to take the weight of Marcia off the Prime Minister. He told me he could make it look like natural causes and sign the death certificate ... I told him there was no way in which I could go down that road." The matter was raised again by Dr Stone a few weeks later in Bonn and again quashed, Mr Haines claimed. There was no suggestion that Mr Wilson himself was made aware of the idea. The book, serialised in The Mail on Sunday, adds that Lady Falkender may have been allowed to stay in her post because of a successful 1965 libel action taken by Mr Wilson against the New York Herald Tribune for alleging an affair with his personal secretary. Lady Falkender, now 70, who has always denied having had a sexual relationship with Mr Wilson, rejected the notion of a murder plot as "outrageous" and completely out of character for the doctor. © 2002 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd. End of Useless Information #393 ******************************* [This digest is the copyright of the Move "Useless Information" Mailing List. 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