[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 #353 May 14, 2002 In this issue: * Song Of The Week (week of 5/13): "Come Back Karen" * He is California Man * Nancy, Nancy, don't sing me THAT a song * I don't care if your legs start achin' * Press cutting: Jeff Lynne joining The Move * Super Active Wizzo - fan interest? (cont.) * Mendelsohn's "Message" review (cont.) * Wizzo Actively Superb * Who lifted the Ooo lahs? * VH1's Record Rack * Some Kilroy stuff for anyone who cares * Roy Wood's Wizzo Band - Sight and Sound * Shazam - a rant * Tell us the news about yourself... (cont.) ============================================================== 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: "Come Back Karen" Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 01:00:36 -0700 From: Lynn Hoskins Song Of The Week: May 13, 2002 "Come Back Karen" from the album "Introducing Eddy and The Falcons" Ideas for discussion: Songwriting/lyrics Vocals Arrangement & instrumentation Overall production What were your thoughts the first time you heard it? Strengths/weaknesses *********************** "Come Back Karen" (R. Wood) Come back Karen, I'm so alone I need somebody to be my own Doesn't matter what people say Come back Karen, please make my day I'll mend your broken heart Just like the one you gave to me Through my heartaches and sleepless nights Got nobody to hold me tight hold me tight Can't stand lookin' for someone new Come back Karen, I beg of you Don't keep your broken heart Just like the one you gave to me Oh my darlin', oh my lover Now you can't get away from me Though you hurt me, don't dessert me let me be your teenage dream With my lovin' arms open wide I need you Karen, right by my side My sweet baby, I'd be so true Come back Karen, I beg of you I'll mend your broken heart Just like the one you gave to me Oh my darlin', oh my lover No, you can't get away from me Though you hurt me, don't dessert me Let me be your teenage dream Come back Karen, I'm so alone I need somebody to be my own Doesn't matter what people say Come back Karen, please make my day I'll mend your broken heart Just like the one you gave to me Just like the one you gave to me ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Come Back Karen" Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 10:16:24 -0700 From: "Doyle, Joe" I just love the solo sax that pervades this song. Overall though, this is probably my least favourite track off Eddy. I do like it, it's just the weakest of the selections on the album for me. Like the rest of the album though, it perfectly captures the feeling of the era for me (I particularly like the "Fireball XL5" sax that goes down the scale just before the "Oh my darling...." vocals. I've seen it varyingly written that this is a pastiche of Paul Anka (Diana?) or Neil Sedaka. Maybe (hopefully) I'm just too young to remember Paul Anka, but for me this is a pretty straight lift of Oh Carol, by Mr Sedaka. Roy's vocal is certainly a spot on rendition of the latter. After the manicism of Crazy Jeans, this song sort of lulls you into a false, thoughtful and quieter state of mind, just before the opening chords of We're Gonna Rock n Roll Tonight blow your socks off. I was about 15 when this came out, and my mum bought me it for Christmas. I've worn out God knows how many vinyl copies of this masterpiece over the years, so it was a huge relief to get the CD release when it came out. Good cover too - I especially liked the inclusion of the free poster - apart from those that Roy did, this ties with Electric Light Orchestra as probably the best of Roy's covers in my mind. ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Come Back Karen" Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 12:09:25 -0700 From: Lynn Hoskins A couple comments from the UK press... Roy Carr, NME (1974): "Continuing where 'Forever' faded away, 'Come Back Karen' is 'Oh Carol' re-goosed with clicking rhythm and castri falsetto." (What is "castri" falsetto?) Alan Niester, Rolling Stone (1974): "Of the Sixties send ups, my favorites are 'Come Back Karen,' a re write of Paul Anka's 'Diana' which is highlighted by Wood's accurate vocal phrasing (three word phrases punctuated by gaping spaces for breath) and 'Everyday I Wonder,' an amazing re-creation of Del Shannon's 'Runaway' complete with the distinctive vibrato organ shrill that opened that song." Joe Doyle wrote: >After the manicism of Crazy Jeans, this song sort of lulls you into >a >false, thoughtful and quieter state of mind, just before the >opening >chords of We're Gonna Rock n Roll Tonight blow your socks off. As a side note, I have always wanted to do "We're Gonna Rock and Roll Tonight" as a Song Of The Week. But, try as I may, I cannot figure out the lyrics. (Roy doesn't make it easy for us, does he?) Tyler told me he's going to try listening to the Cheap Trick version to see if any of the words come in more clearly. ********** Subject: Re: Song Of The Week: "Come Back Karen" Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 13:52:14 -0700 From: John DeSilva > (What is "castri" falsetto?) I'm going to guess, based on the abnormally high register in which the falsetto vocals are sung, that Mr. Carr is referring to ... You know ... When an operation is performed on a male's ........... do the words "snip snip" mean anything to anybody? ;-( JD San Jose, CA ********** Subject: He is California Man Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 09:10:57 -0700 From: Kazuhiro Ikemoto I don't know whether someone has already mentioned or not, Nancy Sinatra covers The Move's California Man in her latest CD (released on 30th Apr) called California Girl. This CD consists of songs related California, e.g. California Dreamin', California Girls, Hotel California, etc. You can find the detail at following url: http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=3118503&cart=121210459 &style=music ********** Subject: Nancy, Nancy, don't sing me THAT a song Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 14:24:40 -0700 From: "chris roberts" Kazuhiro Ikemoto warned us all that: > Nancy Sinatra covers The Move's California Man in her latest CD > (released on 30th Apr) called California Girl. All into hiding now!!! Royalties aside, dare I mention The New Seekers and "Blackberry Way (Berry Wayyyyyy...)" !!!!!!!!!!! :o( Chris (Cardiff, Wales, U.K.) n.p. Helicopters live - 10358 (now that's more like it). ********** Subject: Re: Nancy, Nancy, don't sing me THAT a song Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 18:27:17 -0700 From: Richard Messum I was in a used-CD shop in Toronto last month and they were playing what was possibly the worst, most excruciatingly painful piece of music i have ever heard: Nancy Sinatra's version of "Hotel California." Honestly, that woman is a menace. I fled in horror, it was so awful i only bought one CD. (I realise that this is in no way relevant to this list, but still....) ********** Subject: I don't care if your legs start achin' Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 21:13:11 -0700 From: Plastic Ono Dream oh man...i have GOT to hear this "nancy sinatra" cd! i love stuff like this! lol! i always thought "tony bennett" was a much better singer than her dad anyway...but i wouldn't say that in "little italy"! ********** Subject: Press cutting: Jeff Lynne joining The Move Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 10:27:06 -0700 From: JANES434 Thought this cutting from Disc and Music Echo may be of interest to you all--- "Jeff Lynne former boss of Birminghams Idle Race, is to join The Move after all!! His first date will be at Sutton Coldfield's Belfrey Club on Saturday February 28. A month ago - on January 24- Disc revealed that Jeff was in line to replace Carl Wayne in The Move, but at that time Lynne denied an immediate change - although he admitted he might team up with Move man Roy Wood in a new group - the Electric Light Orchestra. Jeff (23) lead guitarist and songwriter with Idle Race, nearly became a Move member in February 1969 ...but the job as Trevor Burton's replacement went then to Rick Price from another Birmingham group, Sight and Sound. Lynne's last date with the Idle Race is February 24 at Bradford. A new Move single - a Roy Wood composition recorded by Roy with Rick and Bev Bevan, and titled "Do The Brontosaurus" - is rush released on March 6. A new Move LP "Shazam" recorded before Carl Wayne quit, is out next week. The Move kick off their "Shazam" album with "Hello Susie" the song by the group's Roy Wood that was such a smash for Amen Corner. Well!! The Move should have left the song alone. Their version is atrociously messy, vocally and instumentally. There's an inspired "Cherry Blossom Clinic" and "Beautiful Daughter" proving again Roy Wood is a brilliant writer and Tom Paxton's classic "The Last Thing On My Mind" which doesn't get a sensitive enough treatment. Not a good Move. ----- They gave this a rating of two stars which amounted to a fair album !!!!!! I must agree that Hello Susie was awful Amen Corner did it much better sorry to all those who disagree!!!!! Linda (Maidstone Kent UK) ********** Subject: Re: Super Active Wizzo - fan interest? Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 00:57:37 -0700 From: kakman1 Rob Caiger wrote: >Currently, we're not looking at using the BBC concert with Superactive >(though that was my original first idea). There's various licensing issues >to contend with which I don't want to get into at this stage. >We are working with the BBC on a variety of projects to appear probably >early 2003, and Sight and Sound in Concert is part of that, as is >The >Move's Colour Me Pop. Ah, I'm guessing this licensing deal with the BBC when hammered out will be a more complete history of Roy on video from Move performances through solo and Wizzo days. Kevin Kunreuther Dallas TX ********** Subject: Re: Mendelsohn's "Message" review Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 09:37:19 -0700 From: Dan Ream Thanks Lynn, for posting the John Mendelsohn review of "Message From the Country". John Mendelsohn was my favorite ever record reviewer-helping to turn me on to the Move, the Kinks and many other British bands that weren't in the early 70's US top forty, but should have been. Do any move-listers know what became of Mendelsohn? I recall he quit writing for Rolling Stone to play in his band called Christopher Milk (I used to have that album), but I never heard his name again after that. A Google search points only to a Texas Cancer specialist, that I can't quite imagine to be the same guy or to the right JM's liner notes credits. Any idea of his activities nowadays? ********** Subject: Re: Mendelsohn's "Message" review Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 09:38:21 -0700 From: Dan Ream Oops- I should have read ahead (SHRA!) on the whereabouts of John Mendelsohn. Thanks, Dale! ********** Subject: Re: Mendelsohn's "Message" review Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 11:14:08 -0700 From: marmil (Marc) He's got a website that details his entire life in grand and glorious detail. Do a web search on his name (but spell it Mendelssohn) and you'll find it. Its very entertaining (and I'm a big fan of his, too). ********** Subject: Wizzo Actively Superb Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 09:59:19 -0700 From: RSMko Thanks to the recent pro & con threads here about this 25 year old import-only LP, I happily pulled it out for re-review. It's been quite awhile. Burned me own CD-R. Wow! For those that don't know the record, it remains essential. True, it sounds extremely odd, very flat & dull production. Something is missing. Fidelity is like raw first-take, unmixed demo, yet full arrangements and musical concepts are way out! :O Naturally genius Roy writing and singing start to finish. I totally love it, always did. Lots of great horn charts and a heavy dose of pedal steel guitar! (Can that really only be the credited Rick Price? It's quite intricate, rather more like Woody would tend to play.) Crazy power-drums throughout by Dave Donovan make this a glorious funky mess, in true Wizzard-chaos fashion. Extended jazz-rock workouts that crack me up every time. Long overblown 70'sExperimental Zappa-meets-40'sBigBand. Go for it! Anybody know about the non-LP single "The Stroll"? Would love to hear. And see the ultrarare BBC TV show too... (please write me offlist if you've got it on VHS) -SAW- just simply happens to be RW's bizarre next chapter, in the punk rock year of '77 (!), and I don't 'rank' it with his best or worse. It's what came out, and thus truly belongs in the canon. Which then brings us to 1979's -On The Road Again-, another sadly underrated masterpiece. These are not records to be compared alongside Fire Brigade or Boulders. More like Wizzard Brew in a defective cuisinart! lol Reissue them both, Rob, yes by all means! Much brumlove to all, RSM http://www.rsteviemoore.com ********** Subject: Who lifted the Ooo lahs? Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 09:38:06 -0700 From: "Dale G. Leopold" Don't know if this has ever come up on the list, but here goes. The other day I was listening to a Harry Nilsson anthology, when the song "Good Old Desk" came on. With a start, I realized that the main hook of the song (the "ooh lah ooh lah ooooooo" bit) was identical to the mini-bridge in "Blackberry Way" (and I mean spot on). Was this pure coincidence, or did someone consciously or unconsciously borrow the bit? Checking the All-Music website, I see that the albums that contained these songs were both released in 1968, although I realize the BW single was probably earlier. Of course, earlier release date doesn't necessarily settle the matter; I understand that Dylan's "Fourth Time Around," which seemed to nick the melody of "Norwegian Wood," which came out a year earlier, may not have been a steal (or parody) by Dylan of Lennon. Supposedly Dylan had played 4TA to Lennon back in '65, prior to Rubber Soul's release... Too much time on my hands, obviously... Dale in Richmond ********** Subject: Re: Who lifted the Ooo lahs? Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 14:57:04 -0700 From: "stephen mulcahy" i'm almost 100% positive the nilsson song is the older of the two. harry was very underrated by the way... ********** Subject: Re: Who lifted the Ooo lahs? Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 01:20:16 -0700 From: "sk" Harry. Underrated. I think not. The beatles loved him and said so in public. He had a prime time special, a number of hit records and NEVER performed live....well maybe you could count that guest appearance on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir...and possible a couple of benefits. Underrated. No. Under appreciated. Perhaps. and certainly more so since his death. Not much room in the world for Pop these days...ELO, Harry, Badfinger...we had so many now it is not so. ********** Subject: Re: Who lifted the Ooo lahs? Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 09:59:42 -0700 From: kakman1 In an earlier discussion, I remember someone cited an interview where Roy admitted the influence or lift from the Nilsson song for the bridge in Blackberry Way. Kevin Kunreuther Dallas TX ********** Subject: Re: Who lifted the Ooo lahs? Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 11:15:44 -0700 From: Lynn Hoskins Kevin Kunreuther wrote: >In an earlier discussion, I remember someone cited an interview where >Roy admitted the influence or lift from the Nilsson song for the bridge >in Blackberry Way. I couldn't find anything in the list archives where Roy said he lifted the "ooo lah's" from Harry. Writer Dawn Eden made the observation in a piece she wrote about Harry Nilsson for Goldmine. The full article can be found here: http://www.jadebox.com/nilsson/olton.html Taken from Goldmine Magazine (Vol. 20 No. 9 Issue 359 dated April 29, 1994) - the Move is mentioned at the end: Aerial Ballet began with "Good Old Desk," a song which, like "Cuddly Toy," was much misinterpreted. Once again, the source for the misinterpretation was Nilsson himself. "After I wrote the song," he told Goldmine, "somebody asked me what it was about and I said, 'I don't know.' Then I realized what the initials were." Viewers of the television show Playboy After Dark witnessed Nilsson tell Hugh Hefner, with a straight face, that the song's meaning was in its initials ... "God." Nilsson admitted to Goldmine, "I bullshitted him. I thought it was funny. Nobody else thought it was funny!" Meanwhile, the catch melody of "Good Old Desk" was not lost on English popsters the Move, whose songwriter Roy Wood lifted its bridge for his song, "Blackberry Way," which became the group's only U.K. #1 hit. ********** Subject: VH1's Record Rack Date: Wed, 8 May 2002 14:08:41 -0700 From: Stephen J Hebert Has anyone out there been watching VH1's "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders"? As the show headed into the 2nd hour last evening, in the record rack behind host William Shatner was a copy of The Move's "Shazam"! ********** Subject: Some Kilroy stuff for anyone who cares Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 23:44:54 -0700 From: Edward Morris Hiyall, Found a page about Kilroy's origins if anyone's interested. http://www.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/kilroy/index.html ********** Subject: Roy Wood's Wizzo Band - Sight and Sound Date: Wed, 8 May 2002 08:51:07 -0700 From: "Robert Elliott" If the record companies ever do decide to release the show that the Wizzo Band did on Sight and Sound in 1977, here are the songs that they played. Note that the songs from the TV broadcast differ slightly from the transcription LP that the BBC produced in order to circulate this show to rest of the world. Sight and Sound, BBC-TV 1977 (TV broadcast): Life Is Wonderful Waitin' At This Door French Perfume I Should Have Known Another Wrong Night Are You Ready To Rock Sneakin' (fades out) Sight and Sound, BBC-TV 1977 (BBC transcription LP): Life Is Wonderful Waitin' At This Door California Man I Should Have Known Another Wrong Night Are You Ready To Rock Sneakin' ********** Subject: Re: Roy Wood's Wizzo Band - Sight and Sound Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 18:28:29 -0700 From: "richardkenworthy" "Robert Elliott" wrote: >Note that the songs from the TV broadcast differ slightly from the >transcription LP that the BBC produced in order to circulate this show >to rest of the world. California Man WAS in the original TV/radio show. ********** Subject: Shazam Date: Wed, 8 May 2002 10:42:46 -0700 From: "dennis larochelle" In reply to one of the letters about Shazam being a crappy album. I like the album and can't stand The Stooges. However, it all comes down to something very simple and obvious. It's like a line in an old Doctor Hook song says,"some folks like hamhocks, some folks like pork chops, and some folks like vegetable soup." It's all a matter of taste, and just because someone dislikes something doesn't mean it is intrinsically inferior, or worthless. We have a journalist in Canada named Peter Stockland who has written a half a dozen columns over the years, totally dismissing the entire recorded output of the Beatles as "chimpoid" music, and he asserts that anyone who likes Beatle music is a moron who's been duped by the powers of advertising. I wrote him a letter in which I asked him why he didn't just say, "I don't like the Beatles", and leave it at that. To say that anybody who likes the Beatles is a moron, is to accuse everybody from Arthur Fiedler of the Boston Pops to Burt Bacharach of being a moron. It's all very subjective, anyway. I don't like the Grateful Dead, but I don't think that "Deadheads" are somehow devoid of intelligence or taste. I just don't like the "Dead". In fact I used to have a joke which went: What did the Grateful Dead fan say when he ran out of dope at a concert? answer: "Hey, this band sucks." I still like Roy Wood, and I still like Shazam, and everything else Roy has done. I also like Lonnie Donegan, Frank Zappa, Johnny Cash, A.C./D.C. and George Formby, and a thousand others. Enough ranting. I think I'm going to listen to "Fields of People", and the rest of Shazam. Rock on Roy. D.R. LaRochelle ********** Subject: Re: Tell us the news about yourself... Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 10:58:56 -0700 From: dregsfan >Your name, age, location, occupation. Joe Farmarco, 37, Baltimore MD, USA, librarian >How long have you been a Move and/or Roy Wood fan? Over 20 years now. >What was your first Move related experience? Read about the Move on some ELO album jackets, eventually discovered The Move's GREATEST HITS VOL 1 in the bargain bin in a Woolworth's, I think. I believe it was only $1.99. I remember at first being disappointed to find only one Jeff song on there, but almost instantly thereafter being impressed with all the other tunes. >Tell us about your top 5 favorite Move related tracks. Not necessarily in this order, but five of them would have to be: Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited I Can Hear the Grow (live, with full Thunderbird horn section!) Any track (by Roy or Jeff) from the Roy & Jeff era Blackberry Way Beautiful Daughter >What's your favorite Move related album, and why? (can we count compilations?) THE BEST OF THE MOVE (with the moving van on the cover) - nice collection, packaging and liner notes. It was responsible for introducing to the majority of the material by the Move. Aside from Compilations, probably SHAZAM, esp. 'cause of the interviews by Carl. :) >If you've seen the Move or any member of the Move in concert, tell us >about that show. Just saw Roy Wood with his Army in NYC in March. It was amazing, esp. hearing all those songs with the cool horn arrangements worked in. It was just gratifying to finally hear and see live versions of so many songs I've been listening to for years and years--something I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do. >Who are some of your other favorite artists/bands? Dixie Dregs, Rush, Basia, Swing Out Sister, Sade, Beatles, Pat Metheny Group, Tommy Emmanuel, Turtle Island String Quartet, Steely Dan, Loreena McKennitt, John Wetton, Happy The Man, Pam Bricker, Lisa Ekdahl, Lucia Moniz, Claire Hamill >Which Move related song do you wish one of your favorite bands >would cover? Dixie Dregs doing an instrumental version of Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited. :) >What is the one burning question that you have never had answered >in relation to Move/Roy Wood history or music? Why doesn't Roy record anything new? Even a live album of the stuff he's currently doing would be good. >Are you having trouble finding any Move related music on CD? Yeah, a new album by Roy, 'cause it's not there! Sorry. Seriously, there are a couple of Roy solo things that haven't been rereleased on CD, but other than that I'm pretty satisfied with what I've found that's out there. Also, would love to find a copy of BACK TO THE STORY by the Idle Race (and wouldn't everyone else!), but that's really a topic for the OTHER list, isn't it?! End of Useless Information #353 ******************************* [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.]