[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 #415 November 26, 2002 In this issue: * Movements Box Set * From 1998: Ugly Things review of "Movements" * Looking On * Move memories (cont.) * Move Masters * Song Of The Week (week of 11/18): "All The Way Over The Hill" * Move Online - Where's Rick? * It's CHRISTMAS * Rolling Stone's 'Movements' review * For those of you without tickets to the Harrison tribute... ============================================================== 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 TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail to move-digest-request@eskimo.com with the word "unsubscribe" (no quotes) in the subject line ============================================================== Subject: Movements Box Set Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2002 19:20:45 -0800 From: Gmcorie Where can i find the [movements] box set? louisiana george ********** Subject: Re: Movements Box Set Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 01:20:25 -0800 From: "Andrew Footman" Sound quality is not that great on this George. Buy the first 3 albums. They are on the Repertoire label. Make sure you buy the 2001 released CD'S. They have all the tracks of the Movements CD but with better sound quality. I will list each CD and CAT Numbers. CD1 MOVE - THE MOVE Rep4690 CD2 SHAZAM - THE MOVE Rep4691 CD3 LOOKING ON - THE MOVE Rep4692 You will get these off the net, no problem. All the best Andrew Footman ********** Subject: From 1998: Ugly Things review of "Movements" Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 01:18:36 -0800 From: Lynn Hoskins I was asked to re-post this, as we're on the subject of the "Movements" anthology box set. Ugly Things is a well-known U.S. magazine that's big into Pretty Things. Its writers have a, shall we say, "unique" style and do not mince words. ;) ---- Movements: 30th Anniversary Anthology Ugly Things May 1998 Shortly after The Move's formation, Move manager/scam artist Tony Secunda took Roy Wood aside and told him that the band needed more original material. Wood confessed that he was having trouble coming up with ideas. Don't worry, said Secunda; just write about what you know. A week later, Wood showed up at rehearsal with a brace of new songs - all of them about going insane. While the above story may be apocryphal (especially considering that Wood allegedly left Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders because they wouldn't use his songs), it seems as good a place as any to start. There was always something creepy about The Move, something slightly off; many of their best songs - Night of Fear, Disturbance, Wave the Flag and Stop The Train, Lemon Tree, Cherry Blossom Clinic - were indeed about paranoia, insanity, and mental overload, and while Mick Jagger or Phil May could have easily pulled off more misogynistic numbers like Wild Tiger Woman and The Girl Outside, their lyrics sounded somewhat grotesque when sung by a bunch of ugly fuckers with questionable moustaches (ditto times 10 for the pedophilic lullaby Beautiful Daughter.) The band itself was a mess of contradictions. Wood wrote most of the material, and possessed an arresting singing voice, but from 1966 to 1969, The Move's nominal frontman was Carl Wayne, a smarmy, over the top vocalist with a penchant for cabaret (and who may well have provided the unwitting inspiration for Viv Stanshalls unctuous crooner schtick). At least 2 members, Ace Kefford and Trevor Burton, conspicuously overindulged in the lysergic treats of the day, yet Wood apparently never touched the stuff, but often based songs like I Can Hear the Grass Grow upon Burton's acid ventures. If The Move's complex, classically tinged arrangements and sparkling high harmonies owed plenty to the Beatles, and their explosive live show was obviously inspired by the Who, their unbelievably heavy rhythm section presaged the coming of Birmingham bruisers Black Sabbath (irony of ironies, drummer Bev Bevan did briefly play with Sabbath in the Eighties). And though The Move made some of the greatest pop music of their time, and though their entire catalog is remarkably consistent, the fact that it was spread across a number of different UK labels (Deram, Regal Zonophone, Fly, Harvest/EMI) has ensured that no one has yet been able to construct the perfect Move compilation or boxed set. The 3 disc Movements isn't it, either, though it is a step in the right direction, containing The Move's first 3 LPs in their entirety, plus the hard to find Something Else EP and a handful of singles, alternate versions and outtakes. (Fans of Message From the Country and Split Ends are, unfortunately, shit out of luck; looks like Westside couldn't get the rights to the Harvest/EMI stuff). Disc One is virtually flawless, tracing the band's career from December '66 (with the debut single Night of Fear b/w Disturbance) to August '68 (when Wild Tiger Woman b/w Omnibus mysteriously failed to move record buyers). All of The Move is here; with the exception of the occasional nod to their rock and roll roots (Weekend, Zing...), it stands with Piper At The Gates of Dawn and Kaleidoscope's Tangerine Dream as the most perfectly realized debuts of the era. I mean, how can you argue with the perverse bubblegum of Fire Brigade, the power pop apocalypse of Yellow Rainbow, or the evil dwarf jig that is Flowers In The Rain? Wild Tiger Woman b/w Omnibus, the first single released after the album, sounds great in this context; with its massed vocal harmonies, Looney Toons blues licks and risque lyrics about tying tying women down, Wild Tiger Woman was obviously a huge influence on Queen, while Omnibus takes the driving pop of Useless Information to the next level, throwing in an awesome raga wah wah solo for good measure. The one rarity here, an "undubbed alternate version" of Disturbance is exactly the same as the single version, only without the screaming. Oh well. Disc 2 begins with 2 of the band's jauntier singles, Blackberry Way and Curly, along with their considerably weaker B side ballads, Something and This Time Tomorrow (composed by a friend of Wayne's, This Time Tomorrow is redeemed only by it's gorgeous backwards guitar solo). Then comes the entirety of '69's Shazam, easily the Move's heaviest album. In his liner notes, John Platt writes that Shazam "is still a hard record to listen to," but I'll take the sheer brute force of Hello Susie and the mesmerising guitar intro to their cover of Tom Paxton's The Last Thing On My Mind over Looking On's prog rock bullshit. The second half of the disc features stereo mixes of The Lemon Tree and Cherry Blossom Clinic (both nice, but hardly revelatory), an Italian language version of Something (your life has hardly been incomplete without it), a marginally interesting backing track to a never finished song called Second Class and early mixes of Fire Brigade, Curly, and Wild Tiger Woman that are notable mostly for their lack of backing vocals. Only Vote For Me, the Who like rocker that was supposed to have graced the flip of the withdrawn Cherry Blossom Clinic single, is really worth hearing more than once. Disc Three is the spottiest of the bunch, partially because 1970s Looking On is such a fucking chore to sit through. The first Move album with future ELOer Jeff Lynne, it's sunk by meandering melodies, lumbering arrangements and overlong songs. Only on When Alice Comes Back To The Farm (the cranky granddad of ELO's Rockaria) and Brontosaurus (which sounds like a Shazam outtake) does the album really connect. The rest of the disc comprises 1968's Live at the Marquee Something Else EP, which gives a pretty good indication of what an awesome band The Move were in their prime, even with its out of tune 12 string, their cover of So You Want.....totally cooks, as does their spot on arrangement of Love's Stephanie Knows Who. Three previously unreleased covers from the Marquee show - Erma Franklin's Piece Of My Heart, Denny Laine's Too Much In Love and Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher - are interesting, but not nearly as mindblowing as the various covers that wound up on the Live At The BBC collection from a few years back. The unedited cover of Spooky Tooth's Sunshine Help Me is pretty worthwhile, though, thanks to its newly re-instated psych-guitar freakout. While the music on Movements paints a vivid picture of the band's evolution between 1966 and 1970, the same cannot be said for its shoddy packaging. The collection's 12 page CD size booklet features only a small handful of black and white snaps from 66 to 68, while John Platt's liner notes touch on the basic facts of the band's story with little in the way of new insights or anecdotes. A discography and/or a list of session dates would have been nice too, as would an essay or notes from Roy Wood himself. Make no mistake, Movements is highly recommended to those who haven't yet made room for The Move in their CD collections; throw in Live On The BBC and EMIs Great Move comp from a few years back, and you'll have all the Move you'll ever need. It's just that the crappy presentation and the preponderance of forgettable "rarities" conspire to make the band seem less important and far less magical than they actually were. Considering that I'm writing this from a country that only dimly remembers The Move as "Jeff Lynne's band before ELO", one really can't be blamed for feeling that they deserved something better. ********** Subject: Re: From 1998: Ugly Things review of "Movements" Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 13:22:11 -0800 From: "Andrew Footman" The poor sound quality did not help this set too! Thanks to Rob we all will get high sound quality CD's next year, i hope with the rare tracks of this set and maybe more. You will be better off buying the first 3 Move albums on the 2001 released cd's till then, the sound quality is better (They also have all the tracks on the 'Movements' set.) All the best Andrew Footman ********** Subject: Re: From 1998: Ugly Things review of "Movements" Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 09:54:06 -0500 From: "Stephen Murphy" Quoting the Ugly Things review: "...but I'll take the sheer brute force of Hello Susie and the mesmerising guitar intro to their cover of Tom Paxton's The Last Thing On My Mind over Looking On's prog rock bullshit." What a disturbing statement, it's quite obvious that whoever wrote this piece has NO taste in music and NO appreciation for one of GREATEST and HEAVIEST Rock albums of all time. Roy and Jeff compliment each other to another level and Rick and Bev are an awesome and innovative rhythm section.Get the headphones out and LISTEN to this truly fine album. Have a Great Day, Steve, USA ********** Subject: Re: From 1998: Ugly Things review of "Movements" Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 10:20:31 -0500 From: "Bobby Sutliff" While it's hardly prog-rock, I've got to say that while I do dig it, Looking On is easily my least favorite Move album, and not the one I play for folks when I'm trying to make new converts. As for the reviewer having "no taste in music" - I kinda doubt that. ********** Subject: Looking On Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2002 01:43:03 -0800 From: Zabadak (Rick) Stephen Murphy writes: >Get the headphones out and LISTEN to this truly fine album. Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. Thanks to Lynn's original recommendation, I listened to "Looking On" w the cans. Just drag your ears, your brain will follow. ********** Subject: Re: Looking On Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2002 02:15:37 -0800 From: "Tyler C.Sherman" Just to toss in my two cents on the merits of "Looking On", I recall when it fist came out I was a bit put off initially by the over-all change in tone after the sonic brilliance of "Shazam". By comparison it seemed almost crude. The album's single, "Brontosaurus", actually hints at the musical direction of the album... a heavy, ponderous, thunderous, big sound. As with many of Roy's creations, though, sometimes one must put aside expectations and preconceived notions in order to truly appreciate what he was trying to do musically. Such was the case also for "Wizzard Brew" and "Super Active Wizzo". It took a while for each of the these albums to "grow" on me."Looking On" is now very dear to me. I sometimes play it for folks who are into heavy music as an introduction to Roy's music. Part of the problem, if there is one, is that I don't think any of us have really heard "Looking On" yet as it was intended to be. It's a fairly lengthy album and on vinyl it suffered from the "fine groove" syndrome that plagued many albums that ran over 35 mins. in length in that much of the dynamics of the sound were lost in the mastering. And thus far the CD reissues haven't been too much better. Hopefully a proper CD reissue with bonus tracks from the period (e.g. BBC material such as "Falling Forever", "She's A Woman" etc) will someday give us an opportunity to really hear this excellent album that way Roy meant it to be heard. Wizzards, Tyler ********** Subject: Re: Looking On Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 00:33:43 -0800 From: Mike Gough I always enjoyed Looking On. I feel that it was really an embryonic version of The Electric Light Orchestra while the Wood/Lynne team was still sort of on the same page regarding where they were headed musically. In retrospect, I think it confounded many fans of Shazam, in much the same way that Shazam confounded fans of the earlier material. ********** Subject: Re: Looking On Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 13:32:45 -0800 From: "Stephen Murphy" I have the Japanese import of Looking On, it's on Fly Records, I've had it for about ten years, the sound quality is pretty good. ********** Subject: Re: Move memories Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 01:33:35 -0800 From: "Pekka Leikas" Hi! This is my first post. I got acquainted with Roy Wood's music in the early 70's. One journalist in a Finnish music magazine praised Wizzard's "Angel Fingers" as the perfect pop single, which it was! Later I got Roy Wood's (was it with Wizzard or just himself?) "Forever" and "R´& R Winter" (remember that note on the label:"the word Spring didn't fit"?). And of course the "Boulders" -album. In the late 70´s I got acquainted with the Move. I bought a cheap double LP which contained the first album and "Shazam". "Shazam" has been one of my favourite albums of all time (I guess it is the nr. 1). I have worn out a couple of copies in the course of years and I´ll never get tired of it. Last spring I saw a TV -concert by the Move from 1968. BANG! What songs! What a band! What harmonies! I got it on a videotape. Now I am a fanatic. I´m not really looking for the Move reunion though it would be quite interesting. I just hope all the guys keep the Brum Beat going on! Pekka Leikas Helsinki, Finland ********** Subject: Move Masters Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 16:59:26 -0800 From: Mike Gough Andrew mentioned in a previous post that thanks to Rob, we will all have high quality Move cd's next year. I am confused. A while back there was a discussion about the Move masters, and I seem to remember someone stating that the masters were damaged or lost. That we might never hear a truly remastered Shazam with the false start on Make My Baby Blue for example. I am hoping that I missed some later information regarding this. Will someone comment on this please? Thanks (and hopeful) Mike Gough ********** Subject: Re: Move Masters Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 01:33:48 -0800 From: "Rob Caiger" > I am confused. A while back there was a discussion about the Move > masters, and I seem to remember someone stating that the masters were > damaged or lost. Move masters are damaged and lost. But some aren't. And some I'm still looking for. ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "All The Way Over The Hill" Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2002 02:15:54 -0800 From: Richard Messum It's with a great deal of embarrassment that i have to admit -- especially in light of Tyler & Kevin's typically erudite contributions -- that i can't think of much to say about this particular song. I like it well enough, it's catchy and melodic all right (which is of course the norm for Roy's schtuff), memorable even, but IMHO there's nothing about it that makes it stand out from a host of other great Woody songs (this is *not* a criticism of the song, though: just my typical inability to explain myself). I will say, however, as a lover of Irish folk music, that the jig is rather lumbering, probably as a result of attempting to play a jig on a cello! Roy Wood, ever the revolutionary..... ********** Subject: Move Online - Where's Rick? Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 12:59:48 GMT From: kakman Under the biographies section of The Move Online, there are photos for the 'classic' five line-up of The Move, but where's Rick Price? Did he not contribute to two full albums, three singles AND played bass on "10538 Overture" and will also be featured on the upcoming "Live At The Fillmore" release ? It's not like he was just filling in for two weeks ... (sorry dont mean to sound so shrill!) Kevin Kunreuther Dallas TX ********** Subject: Re: Move Online - Where's Rick? Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 10:49:39 -0800 From: "Greg Weatherby" This got me out of the lurk mode. Rick Price is definitely not part of the "classic" 5 line-up. The classic 5 are the original guys, on the first album. Roy, Carl, Ace, Trevor, and Bev. As good as the music was from the later line-ups, including with RP, to me, that first line-up was one of the greatest rock bands / pop bands to ever tread the boards. ********** Subject: It's CHRISTMAS Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 13:32:13 -0800 From: MANION Peter We have a Fireman's strike here in the UK and it is big news. I had a little bet with myself as to whether I would hear 'Fire Brigade' or 'I Wish it could be Christmas Everyday' first on the TV during November. I was sure 'Fire Brigade' would win and get used by some creative news production, Not a sausage! How dare they ignore Roy when the nation is in crisis. I hope the Army don't sing 'Fire Brigade' too loud during the December gigs and upset another British Prime Minister . . . On Sunday evening my bet was well and truly lost with that brilliant clip of Wizzard advertising IWICBCE and the Christmas CD, along with Slade and John Lennon (the one where Roy has white hair) So it's official - Christmas is here (and Bev Bevan is switching the lights on!) and even though I lost my bet I will be treating myself to 'Godspeed The Shazam' which comes heavily recommended by the list! (I also bought a fire extinguisher last week because that's the kind of bloke I am!) ********** Subject: Rolling Stone's 'Movements' review Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 15:00:05 -0800 From: Lynn Hoskins Had a request for more "Movements" reviews. Here's what Rolling Stone had to say, I'll try to find more. Sorry about there being no Song Of The Week...I'm in the process of moving and just couldn't get to it. But in the next couple weeks I'll get another rarities clip up on The Move Online so we can have an audio-enhanced song discussion. Anyway, this Rolling Stone review is... well, it's interesting. ;) Rolling Stone April 16th, 1998 Bless 'em or blame 'em or both: Brit rockers the MOVE took Beatle worship to insane heights in the late Sixties, inventing power pop in the process. Movements: 30th Anniversary Anthology (Westside Import) collects their early albums and singles in a strange yet enchanting three-disc package. Mastermind Roy Wood and company construct complex psychedelic ditties with a commercial bent; the fact that U.K. Top Tens like "Night of Fear" and "Fire Brigade" didn't dent the U.S. charts hardly detracts from their appeal now. The Move added heavy-metal guitars to their cracked choruses when Jeff Lynne joined the band in 1970 - if listeners didn't know what to make of this at the time, today the crunching grandeur and rockabilly bottom of "Brontosaurus" sound like a natural next step. Too bad Lynne took over and the group mutated into Electric Light Orchestra. However, an Illinois band called Cheap Trick gleefully copied The Move's latter day sound - and took it to the bank in the late Seventies. -MARK COLEMAN ********** Subject: For those of you without tickets to the Harrison tribute... Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 19:19:58 -0800 From: "FPKrueger" Here's the next best thing! This will also be going on November 29th. Woo-hoo! Anyone going to fly in for this? ---- From the Sandwell Express & Star Star lights up festive celebration A chart topper from the 60s and 70s will light up a Black Country town when he switches on the Christmas lights. Bev Bevan, drummer with ELO and The Move will switch on the Langley lights at a special event at the end of the month. It will be the highlight of a special Christmas launch organised by Langley Traders' Association, one of the most vibrant traders' groups in Sandwell. Bev will start the night's festivities, which will also include a children's fun fair, Santa's grotto and seasonal entertainment. There will be a table top sale, charity stalls and late-night shopping and the evening will end with a fireworks display. The Langley lights switch-on is an annual event which has taken place for the last 12 years. The shopping centre has no chain stores or big name stores in its High Street, but prides itself on independent retailers who give a friendly and personal service. Chairman of Langley Traders Association, the Rev Robert Brindley says the town can provide for everyone's shopping needs in a comfortable, safe and friendly environment. ELO drummer Bev will start Christmas festivities off at 6.30pm on November 29, the shops will be open normal hours right up to Christmas. Master of ceremonies for the night will be DJ Simon Cee and the programme of events will be 6pm Street closed to traffic; 6.20pm Bev Bevan on stage to say Hello to Langley; 6.25pm Santa Claus and Marching band parade down the street; 6.30pm lights are switched on; 6.35pm children's choir in church (20 mins); 7pm Langley brass band in church (45 mins); 8.10pm Tividale Tigers marching band (20 mins); 8.45pm fireworks finale. End of Useless Information #415 ******************************* [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.]