The Move are a band that defined a certain period of British psychedelic rock from 68-70. Their music contained all the expected hallmarks, including flowery lyrics, slightly lysergic tones, and a boatload of memorable melodies and great harmonies. The debt they owed to The Beatles is incalculable, and yet, their songs were heavier in feel. Something they shared with The Fab Four was a penchant for clever lyrics and a keen sense of humor. They never made a dent in the US, though their songs were big hits in Britain. The series of reissues Esoteric/Cherry Red have been putting out contain remastered and expanded editions, starting with their first album and extending to Shazam. This reissue is a double CD chock full of bonus tracks (12 of them previously unreleased), fully restored artwork, and liner notes by Mark Paytress. There are also interviews with drummer Bev Bevan and vocalist Carl Wayne sprinkled throughout the second disk. And we cannot underestimate the power of the great Roy Wood, guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire. He really carried this band with his talent, though this is not to take away from the other players.
“Hello Susie” starts off the first disk, and it is most representative of the band that came after: ELO. It is slightly bombastic with chiming guitars and those trademark harmonies that we all recognize. “Beautiful Daughter” is prepended by what sounds like a fake interview, and has that grand chamber pop that also reminds one of ELO. It is dramatic and lovely, whereas the deceptively uplifting “Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited” is a song that coos about butterflies but really is a thinly veiled song about a mental health facility. I like the flowery bits, but also appreciate the extended parts at the end with a classical tune thrown in. “Fields of People”, an Ars Nova cover, wouldn’t be out of place on a Spinal Tap album; I can almost imagine dwarves dancing around a tiny Stonehenge. That said, it’s a solid song with a lovely chorus. “The Last Thing on My Mind” is also lovely, and was the final song on the original 6 song Shazam. It has that classic feel from the late 60s with jangly guitars and interludes of trippiness from the ever talented Roy Wood. “Wild Tiger Woman” is a bit of a blues stomp, while “Omnibus” returns to the symphonic psych of earlier tracks. “Blackberry Way” (the band’s only #1 hit) is also tacked on here, and reminds me more of The Beatles than any of the band’s other songs, with its symphonic bit seemingly influenced by a Bond flick (at least, it reminds me of that). “Curly” is cool and the vocal actually reminds me a little of early David Bowie. “This Time Tomorrow” is gentle and pastoral with a bit of bongo, and could have been a Beatles outtake.
Disk 2 has outtakes, interviews, and a slew of cover tunes. It starts out with a demo of “A Certain Something”, the B-side to “Blackberry Way”. It has that lazy, Byrdsian feel so indicative of the era. The reduced mix of “Beautiful Daughter” is much like the original, so I don’t see the point of it being included here. “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) HIgher and Higher”, a big hit for Jackie Wilson, is so different from the band’s usual style that it’s almost unrecognizable as The Move playing it. It shows off the versatility of singer Carl Wayne, which is the high point of this cover. You might recognize “Kentucky Woman” as a Deep Purple song, but it was actually written by Neil Diamond. “Piece of My Heart” (yes, the same as the Janis Joplin cover) is a bit over the top but lots of fun. “Goin’ Back” is a fine Gerry Goffin/Carole King cover done up as late 60s psych pop, and The Move makes it their own. The band’s cover of “California Girls” sounds like they mashed it up with a Byrds song. Trademark harmonies are firmly in place, and they do a fine job on this surf standard. “Christian Life” is a Louvin Brothers song, and it sounds like something The Stones might have tackled circa Exile on Main Street. “Going Out of My Head” has that heavy 70s feel I would rather forget, though I have to admit Carl Wayne has quite the set of pipes. Skipping forward, we encounter a delectable rendering of Simon and Garfunkel’s classic “Sound of Silence”, and they do a bang up job on this cover. On their version of Dion’s “Abraham, Martin, and John”, it sounds like Roger McGuinn joined them on guitar. And ooh, they also smoke on The Nazz’s cool “Open My Eyes”, leaning a bit in a Beatles direction for this cover.
There is a lot to love and discover here, both for ardent Move fans as well as listeners who enjoy late 60s psych pop with elements of the British Invasion as well as prog rock and even folk. Highly recommended from this listener.
