This remastered reissue of the fourth and final The Move album is out now on Esoteric, completing their The Move remaster campaign, and remarkably, for the first time in the band’s history their entire released back catalogue is now available on the same record label!
The trio of Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan signed to EMI/Harvest and as both The Move and the Electric Light Orchestra were with the same label they initially wanted the ‘name’ band to release more material before the ELO debut hit the stores. Recorded during the same time as the debut ELO album, this is the other side of the ELO coin, taking the complex and intricate song writing that dominated Looking On, and stripping it right back.
In the band’s history there always was an unequal balance between the singles and the albums. Message from The Country is where the two are finally reconciled, with Message from the Country being much shorter, more concise than its predecessor, and full of songs which could have been singles.
This is the third CD release following 1994s BGO straight album to CD issue, with vague album notes and no bonus material. It was then remastered and reissued back in 2005 by EMI, with the bonus quartet of singles released throughout 1971 and 1972, and it’s fantastic to have it back on CD in a new remastered edition, with the bonus tracks from the 2005 remaster, and new sleeve notes from Mike Barnes.
By the time Message… was released, the band was a trio of Wood, Lynne and Bevan and was very much an equal partnership of the two songwriters, with Lynne starting to forge his own musical path. This led to a cohesive approach and with two songwriters in the band, it didn’t just give them breathing space, it also spurred them both on to bigger and better things.
The album’s sound is far more pared down, stripping away the overdubbing and complex progressive sound that dominated Looking On, and this was quite deliberate with all the studio work and dense string sections saved for the Electric Light Orchestra. Instead, we get an album that blends folk, rock, rockabilly and psychedelia in a seamless fashion.
You get rockers like Ella James, Until Your Moma’s Gone and the Johnny Cash-esque Ben Crawley Steel Company, complete with a Bev Bevan vocal. Stand out tracks on here are the brilliant title track opener, an eco-warning track by Jeff Lynne, the brooding and sinister The Minister, Wood’s intense and woodwind dominated psych masterpiece (harking back to the debut album), the fantastic It Wasn’t My Idea To Dance.
But the stand out track on the album is the (almost) closing The Words of Aaron, a Looking On throwback from Lynne with some superb woodwind and whistle work from Wood, whilst Lynne’s piano dominates this track.
The only disappointment on this package is that the live performances, including performances on the Old Grey Whistle Test, Whittaker’s World Of Music, and the German Beat Club (all available on YouTube), that accompanied the album promotion weren’t included, which is a pity especially with Bill Hunt on piano and Richard Tandy on bass providing a link between the last days of the Move, and the first steps of ELO and Wizzard.
Just when you thought it was over, The Move had one final burst of life with a brace of hit singles that kept the band alive, Wood’s raucous Jerry Lee Lewis pastiche California Man (which foreshadowed Wood’s work with Wizzard). In fact, of interest there is an episode of 1972’s 2G & The Pop People where The Move are performing California Man, and ELO performing 10538 Overture which ends the myth about Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne falling out leading to Roy leaving ELO – as The Move here is the core trio of Jeff, Roy & Bev and miscellaneous members of Wizzard, whilst ELO is the 1972 ELO II line-up without Roy!
The acoustic Tonight has some superb vocal interplay and slide guitar work from Wood, and Wood’s Chinatown (with lyrics that might not be considered politically correct in this day and age) are of note. As is one of the bonus tracks, a Move B-side called Do Ya, which is the only Move song re-recorded by ELO (on 1976’s New World Record) with additional outtakes, and also the music hall japes of My Marge – showcasing Wood and Lynne’s shared humour.
It’s fair to say that 1970/71/72 was the high point in quality for The Move, particularly as they were closing down the band and starting to establish the more experimental Electric Light Orchestra. Message From The Country is an album that, with hindsight and reappraisal, is widely regarded as one of, if not the strongest album by the band, and the irony that it was made as they were deliberately bringing the curtain down on the group is one that shouldn’t be lost on anyone!
Now that Cherry Red Records/Esoteric Recordings have reissued The Move’s Harvest albums, I hope that leaves the door open for them to finish off their Roy Wood/Wizzard reissue campaign and even see the first two Electric Light Orchestra albums back in print as well.
TRACKLIST
01. Message From The Country (4:45)
02. Ella James (3:11)
03. No Time (3:38)
04. Don’t Mess Me Up (3:07)
05. Until Your Mama’s Gone (5:03)
06. It Wasn’t My Idea to Dance (5:28)
07. The Minister (4:27)
08. Ben Crawley Steel Company (3:02)
09. The Words Of Aaron (5:25)
10. My Marge (1:59)
~ Bonus tracks
11. Tonight (A-side of single – Released in May 1971) (3:15)
12. Chinatown (A-side of single – Released in October 1971) (3:06)
13. Down on the Bay (B-side of single – Released in October 1971) (4:14)
14. California Man (A-side of single – Released in April 1972) (4:03)
15. Do Ya (B-side of single – Released in April 1972) (3:35)
16. Don’t Mess Me Up (alternate version) (3:18)
17. The Words of Aaron (alternate version) (6:03)
18. Do Ya (alternate version) (4:42)
19. My Marge (alternate version) (2:18)
Total Time – 76:00
MUSICIANS
Roy Wood – Vocals (2-7,9 & 10), Guitars, Steel Guitar, Bass, Recorders, Clarinet, Bassoon, Tenor & Baritone Saxes, Percussion
Jeff Lynne – Vocals (1,3,7,9 & 10), Guitars, Piano, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Tack Piano, Moog, Drums, Percussion
Bev Bevan – Vocals (8), Drums, Percussion
~ With:
Bill Hunt – Animal Noises (1)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records | Esoteric Recordings
Country of Origin: Harvest
Date of Release: 28th February 2025
LINKS
The Move – Info at Cherry Red Records
