At All) Retrospective by GREG SHAW Leftto Right: Bev Bevan, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Wood
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IN my more than eighteen years as a rock mous publicity which followed succeeded in duplicate the sound of anybody they want to fan, I have never encountered a musical making the Move heroes of the emerging (as they proved in California Man, a dead group with a history more confused, more London underground. ringer for a Jerry Lee Lewis song), but pre- singular, than that of the Move. They are During the ensuing months they were to fer to synthesize their own in songs that, for unique. Their sound is the essence of the be seen as one of the resident house bands at alltheir eclectic influences, can only be, Seventies -a dense, molten mixture, burst- the Marquee Club, dressed to the hilt in unmistakably and unforgettably, products of ing with trace elements of every stylistic paisleys and Day-Glo. They were one of the the Move. ingredient in popular music's lastfifteen first groups to be signed to the Decca label's But in 1968 the trend was to wear torn years, the whole poured over a foundation new psychedelic subsidiary Deram (the first Levis and play the blues for FM radio con- of timeless rock archetypes. They are the was Cat Stevens), but by the time their first sumption. By then the Move had almost two ultimate synthesis of commercial pop, heavy album appeared, in early 1968, they were years of solid accomplishment behind them, metal, underground rock, and experimental working for another new label, Regal-Zono- but they didn'tfitthis new image; they engineering technology, the perfect setting phone. Produced by Denny Cordell and ti- seemed to be looking ahead to 1972, when for two endlessly inventive musical genius- tled simply "The Move," the LP included heavy rock and pop singles would again join es, and it's not hard to see why those who most of their early singles plus cover ver- hands without shame. So, for a couple of have followed their career are picking the sions of songs by Moby Grape, Eddie Coch- years in there, the Move had a rather bad Move as possibly the most exciting thing to ran, and the Coasters, but it was never re- time of it. An abortive tour of the States happen to rock-and-roll since the Beatles. leased in the U.S. All their records had (where they were still virtually unknown) Their story begins in Birmingham, Eng- made the English charts up to this point, and was followed by numerous and complicated land, where in late 1965 the Movewas because of this success they began losing personnel changes, resulting eventually in formed by five of the city's most talented respect in the hipper circles-which is iron- the departure of Carl Wayne, Ace Kefford, THE MOVE A well-timed (with any luck at all) retrospective by GREG SHAW Leftto right: Bev Bevan, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Wood musicians. From Mike Sheridan and the ic, because in musical terms they were still and Trevor Burton, and the addition of Jeff Nightriders came guitarist Roy Wood, and years ahead of anybody else. Lynne, an old mate of Wood's from the from Carl Wayne and the Vikings came Even then, the Move were masters of the Nightriders (which had evolved into the Idle drummer Bev Bevan, guitarist Chris "Ace" exacting art of making pop singles. Their Race and been responsible for two very Kefford, and vocalist Carl Wayne. Trevor melodies and arrangements were consistent- Move -like albums). Burton, from the Mayfair Set, filled out the ly fascinating, and they understood com- Before leaving, Wayne had sung on the group. pletely how tension and excitement can be Move's second album, "Shazam," which The Merseybeat thing had been going on built and maneuvered through chorus and has been widely hailed as one of the the for nearly four years, and the lads had been bridge for maximum effect. This is not to say landmarks of late -Sixties rock. Its six songs through most of it. They felt it was time now that they sounded like Neil Diamond, how- range from such heavy rockers as Hello Su- for a new approach. They had some far-out ever. Instrumentally they were as crisp, sie through raga -rock, folk-rock, and other ideas, but they needed access to recording heavy, and inventive as any band around. kinds of rock-the whole array of styles studios, exposure to audiences, and, above Their early singles, such as I Can Hear the that had come to be the Move's trademark. all, a successful image. So in 1966 they went Grass Grow, Blackberry Way, and Curly, "Shazam" was released here (on A&M) to London and engaged the services of Tony still sound fresh and modern today, unlike to glowing reviews, butitfailed to sell. Secunda, an outrageous manager/publicist most other records of the period. Shortly thereafter Lynne joined the group, who tried every gimmick imaginable in an From the very start, the Move were guid- and plans were announced for a new experi- effort to make the Move trendy. He had ed by a concept, one that has changed only ment designed, oddly enough, to make the them demolishing television sets and cars on as it became more refined with their increas- Move musically obsolete. But first the group stage, dressing in Al Capone outfits, and ing ability to realize it. This concept, the put out a great single called Brontosaurus sending all kinds of ridiculous messages to product of Roy Wood's single-minded direc- (which stomped from a ponderous opening the media. He finally succeeded in bringing tion (and, later, Jeff Lynne's similar vision) riff to an all-out raving finish), followed by them to worldwide notice through a post- involves the deft manipulation of vocal and "Looking On," a somewhat less remarkable card depicting Prime Minister Harold Wil- instrumentalriffsliftedwithprecision album that was issued here on the Capitol son in compromising circumstances with a from a thousand half -remembered old songs label. The group was now down to three young lady resembling a secretary with and dropped (if only for the moment it takes members, one of whom had just joined whom Wilson was rumored to be having an to create the desired effect) here and there in (which perhaps explains the album's general affair. The card was mailed to the press as songs already structured around themes sloppiness). an ad for the Move's third single, Flowers in basic to rock but never fully developed until The next album vindicated those patient the Rain. There was a lawsuit, and the enor- the Move got hold of them. They can easily listeners who had given them the benefit of 104 STEREO REVIEW.