måndag 3 december 2012

THE MOVE/CALIFORNIA MAN SHSP 4035 (-74) UK

The most exciting period for this constellation was 1970-72 when The Move slowly slided in to the new ELO shape and recordings for the two groups were made simultaniously by the same core - Wood, Lynne and Bevan. (For more background - check my earlier posts on the two groups LP:s.) At this time they were bursting with creativity, jumping between genres and testing different means of arrangements and production. Most can be enjoyed on albums by the groups, but there was also a number of non-LP '45 cuts. Six of the eleven tracks here appears on "Message From The Country", but to my ears the sound quality on this is slightly better. "Chinatown" and "Tonight" are two outstanding A-sides - slightly experimental, but very catchy with pleasant melodies and sincere performance. "Down On The Bay" a heavy rocking B-side by Lynne. The last Move single "California Man" was a contract filler and a result of the guys being playful in the studio. It's rather heavy rock, kind of a pastish of different US classic styles but well kept together. It was issued at the same time as first ELO single and reached #7 in UK. In US the '45 was flipped and B-side "Do Ya" became the groups only song on Hot 100 at #93. Lynne re-made it 1976 for ELO:s "A New World Record" and released that version as a single peaking at #24. Today I prefer this -72 version. It's rock'n'roll - raw and almost careless in comparison, having a timeless quality. There's been lots of Move compilations all around over the years, but as far as I know this particular was UK only. First with label as shown here and thin fully laminated cover. (RÖWS*)(HÄVL*)

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