The Move are best remembered for being the first band to have their record played on the new BBC Radio 1 in September 1967. A Larry Lamb-voiced man, some hit records, and controversy (Harold Wilson sued the band for using a nude drawing of him to promote) may also be recollected by those who followed pop in the later half of the 1960s. The name, in one way or another, is still familiar to many people, but it is the chirpy hits of 1967 and
the Move as a pop band that is the general consensus. In actual fact,
the Move took over
the Who's residency at "The Marquee," used auto destruction as a stage act, and, in the early days, were far from a friendly pop act. Repertoire's lavish double CD collects together all of the bands 45s, alongside a few European-only sides. Beginning with their debut soul-come-horror tale "Night of Fear," all of the respective Deram, Regal Zonophone, Fly, and Harvest singles follow. Alongside perennial favorites "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" (their finest moment), "Fire Brigade," and "Blackberry Way" sit the accompanying B-sides. "Disturbance" (the flip of "Night of Fear") will excite fans of
the Small Faces and
Smoke and the
Trevor Burton-sung "Vote for Me" ("Cherry Blossom Clinic"'s flip) is driven by crashing
Who-styled power chords and frantic drumming. The hard rocking "Wild Tiger Woman"'s flip "Omnibus" has a completely different feel and is the lost
Move masterpiece that really should have been the A-side. As the
Move crumbled as a unit, the
Carl Wayne focal point "Something" aired frustrations in direction, though in itself it is a fine song that displays
Wayne's magnificent voice. The second CD picks up the 45s released in the '70s when Jeff Lynn was brought into the fold. Varying from clever psychedelia (Lynn's "What") to typical '70s rock (
Bevan's "Turkish Tram Conductor"), the '70s
Move proved even more unstable. Though when they were good, they were magnificent.
Wood's "Beautiful Daughter" and Lynn's "No Time" are pure
Beatles- and
Kinks-tinged melancholy pop that sound out of place next to the rock & roll revival, favored by
Wood, the band also attempted in this era. This is the most concise
Move package to date: the re-mastering is fantastic and the presentation eye-catching.
–
Jon "Mojo" Mills, Rovi