The Move | Artist

The Move was an English rock band formed 1965 in Birmingham, UK, by Roy Wood (vocals, guitar, bass, cello), Bev Bevan (drums, vocals), Trevor Burton (vocals, guitar), Carl Wayne (vocals) and Ace Kefford (vocals, bass). Jeff Lynne (vocals, piano, guitar) joined the band in 1970. They scored nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any real success in the US. From 1970 the band changed musical direction and was renamed Electric Light Orchestra. For most of their career the Move was led by guitarist, singer and songwriter Roy Wood. He wrote all the group's UK singles and, from 1968, also sang lead vocals on many songs. Wood wrote their first hit single, "Night of Fear" which began their practice of incorporating snippets of classical music, in this case, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Their second single, "I Can Hear The Grass Grow", was another major hit, reaching No.5 in the UK. The third single "Flowers in the Rain" was one of the first songs played on BBC Radio 1 when it began broadcasting in 1967. In November and December 1967, the group took part in a package tour around the UK, playing two shows a night over sixteen days, as part of an all-star bill including Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Nice and Amen Corner. In October 1969, the Move made their only concert appearances in the US with two opening shows for the Stooges in Detroit. By this point, Wood was openly discussing his desire to form a band playing more eclectic music, including rock and classical instruments, which he tentatively dubbed "The Electric Light Orchestra". Although primarily a singles band, The Move released four excellent studio albums, before becoming ELO. All four albums are highly recommended: Move ('68), Shazam ('70), Looking On ('70) and Message From the Country ('71). There are also several excellent archival releases including Live at the Fillmore 1969 and Anthology 1966-1972. In 1970 Carl Wayne left the group and Jeff Lynne joined as a second guitarist, pianist and songwriting partner to Wood. Together they transitioned the band from mainstream pop toward progressive rock under the new name Electric Light Orchestra.

Artist Website: brumbeat.net/move.htm

Featured Albums: The Move

Related Artists: Electric Light Orchestra, ELO, Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne