Thursday, February 19, 2009

A Magnetic Wave of Sound





Perhaps Greg Shaw, one of rock music's most eloquent champions, put it best: The Move "created the absolute synthesis of commercial pop, heavy, metallic underground rock and experimental studio techniques." Having one of Britain's finest songwriters among the ranks certainly helped propel the Move into cult status as well; Roy Wood's quirky lyrics echo a purely British sensibility and compliment the Move's pop art sound and image. The classic Move line up included the shy, creative leader, singer and multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood. Lead singer Carl Wayne provided strong vocals, a pin-up face, and outrageous on-stage antics. The other members included Ace Kefford on bass, Bev Bevan on drums, and Trevor Burton on guitar. The Move's music ranges from freakbeat to R&B to power pop to psychedelia to California-style jams, covering a great deal of ground over four albums from 1967 to 1972.

Even down to their choice of band name, the Move punctuated the pop art music movement with their sensational live shows, which often included the violent destruction of television sets, cars, and effigies of Hitler. The Move also hold the distinction of being the only pop band to be sued by a Prime Minister--Harold Wilson--who won a libel suit against the band because their manager, Tony Secunda, had issued a promotional postcard insinuating that Wilson was having an affair with his secretary. To this day and in perpetuity, any royalties from the Move's "Flowers in the Rain" are given directly to charity. To Secunda, no publicity was bad publicity! However, the Move were much more than gimmicks--their music was sensational.

In 1970, former Idle Race leader and future Electric Light Orchestra mastermind, Jeff Lynne, joined the Move upon the exit of Carl Wayne. Roy Wood had been seeking an outlet for more experimental sounds and decided to form ELO out of the ashes of the Move. After a short time, Wood left to form Wizzard, and Jeff Lynne, still with drummer Bev Bevan, took ELO into the stratosphere.

The Move's catalog has recently been remastered and expanded into deluxe editions by the Salvo label, who also recently issued a 4 disc Anthology with many rare, previously unavailable tracks. Of course, the fan that I am recommends everything that the Move ever recorded. My friend Paul actually has an original mono copy of their first LP, as well as an original Something Else EP, which is the best way to hear them, I'm sure! As far as sound quality goes, the best in my collection is an old Pickwick The Move's Greatest Hits Vol. 1 LP--it can be found for cheap, and it sounds great! I also think the Movements box set is a great bet, but one would also need to get a seperate CD of Message From the Country, which was not included in the set (different record labels).

References: "The Move - The Five from Birmingham" liner notes by H.J. Simon, The Move Anthology 1966 - 1972 book included in the box set by Mark Paytress, and various articles.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette







Another one of my all-time favorite bands that I am proud to present here in Wonderland....

The Small Faces began life with a fateful 1963 encounter between the two driving forces of the group--lead guitarist and powerhouse vocalist Steve Marriott, and bassist and vocalist Ronnie "Plonk" Lane. Marriott had been a child actor but had given that up to pursue a career in music. He was working as a sales assistant in the J60 Music Bar in London, an instrument shop where all the budding musicians would gather, when Lane walked in to purchase a bass. Lane had been playing guitar in his band, the Pioneers (which also featured future Face Kenney Jones on drums), but was looking to learn bass to make himself more valuable in the music community. The two young men immediately struck up a friendship. Marriott invited Lane to come back to his place to listen to the latest James Brown and Otis Redding records, and Lane invited Marriott to jam with the Pioneers. Eventually, the band line up was perfected by the dismissal of keyboardist Jimmy Winston (who went on to record a couple of great freakbeat tracks with Winston's Fumbs), and the addition of keyboardist Ian "Mac" McLagan. (I have posted a scan of the CD that Mac signed for me, one of my most treasured autographs.)

A quintessential Mod band , the name Small Faces originated when one of the lads' girlfriends commented on their small stature. The term "Face" was a Mod term given to a guy with a certain type of charisma, so when Annie remarked, "Cor! Ain't you got small faces," the name stuck! The Small Faces evolved musically, progressing from the soulful R&B of their beginnings on through to psychedelia and harder rock until Marriott left to form the heavy Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. With the addition of Rod Stewart and Ron Wood, the Small Faces then became the Faces, one of the best boozy, bluesy rock bands ever. After the Faces' breakup and the untimely death of Keith Moon, Kenney Jones became the drummer for the Who.

Ronnie Lane, ever the humble, spiritual soul, left the Faces when it all became too loud and crazy for him. He pursued his own musical vision and lived his life with great integrity. (For more on Lane, please watch the excellent documentary, The Passing Show.) Unfortunately, Multiple Sclerosis claimed Ronnie's life in 1997, and a house fire took the powerful Steve Marriott from us in 1991.

Some of the best CD collections of the Small Faces' music include the 2 disc Decca Anthology for the first part of their career, and the 2 disc Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette collection of Immediate Records material. My favorite of their albums, Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, has received the deluxe treatment from Sanctuary records--a 3 disc set with both the mono and stereo mixes, housed in a round metal tobacco tin.

References: Happy Boys Happy! A Rock History of the Small Faces and Humble Pie by Uli Twelker & Roland Schmitt and Small Faces: All Our Yesterdays by Terry Rawlings