WIZZARD/BREW SHSP 4025 (-73) UK

After collaborating with Jeff Lynne on the two last Move LP:s and the first as Electric Light Orchestra, Roy Wood left during the makings of "ELO 2" for his new group "Wizzard". Those four albums were all from a common bulk of inspiration and ideas, emerging as The Move slowly changed into ELO. This LP clearly belongs to the same movement and is as important as the others for understanding the early ELO years. The friction between the two personalities Wood and Lynne was what made 1970-73 so great for the different settings. Lynne very serious and almost scientific in his approach to music, while Wood had a natural talent for beautiful melodies and more of a right-on kind of guy - sometimes going too far, but always with clear and honest intentions and emotions. So while ELO without Wood sometimes lacks energy and good humor, this album has more than enough of that. Any of the songs could have been on "Message From The Country" or ELO:s debute. A twenties pastich, a fifties style rock'n'roller and a beautiful ballad plus three long, very heavy rockers with complicated structures. It's too much of everything, extremely overproduced and absolutely wonderful. Only downside with this UK issue is the compressed audio - so compact it's sometimes hard to get the details. Favorite tracks - "Buffalo Station" and "Wear A fast Gun". The release got mixed reactions from public and critics and didn't chart at all in US. The English sales were better at #29 and more successful than "ELO2" there. First US on United Artists (UA-LA042-F) with different cover. Premiere UK with label as shown here - "The Gramophone co." top left and "MADE IN GT.BRITAIN" above rim at bottom, thin structured cover and lyric/picture sheet. (RÖWS*)(HÄVL*)