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old rock & roller

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  1. OK, here's a few from the New Jersey music scene from the 60's to present: Manitoba Specimen, Fig Newton & The Wizards, Cottage Cheese Funeral, Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom (featuring Bruce Springsteen...really!), The Swingin' Johnsons, Disgruntled Postal Workers, The Barking Spiders, Gay Bikers On Acid, Blue Sparks From Hell, Yawn, The Nerds, Screaming Broccoli, We're Not Brothers, and (drum roll please) my band, The Fossil Brothers (www.fossilbrothers.com) A few others that actually gained some national prominence and, in some cases, served as as a springboard for artists that went on to greater fame: Lothar & The Hand People, Bo Grumpus (Felix Pappalardi), Kangaroo (John Hall), The Vagrants (Leslie West), Circus Maximus (Jerry Jeff Walker), The Hassles (Billy Joel), Y Kant Tori Read (Tori Amos), Blue Angel (Cyndi Lauper), International Submarine Band (Jackson Brown), The Three O'Clock, The 4 Skins, It's A Beautiful Day and many more I can't think of right now.
  2. "Out Of The Blue" was the last really great Electric Light Orchestra album. I kinda lost interest in them after that. I actually prefered their earlier stuff. "Showdown", "10538 Overture", "Roll Over Beethoven","Ma-Ma-Ma Belle", "First Movement(Jumpin' Biz)", all great pieces of music from their first three albums, which were not all that successful commercially. The big breakthrough was the 4th album "Eldorado". They got a bit too disco-y for me later on. But Jeff Lynne wrote some great stuff for ELO. A bit of history is in order. As Edna pointed out, ELO evolved from legendary Birmingham, England (the same music scene that spawned The Moody Blues, Steve Winwood & many others) band The Move(circa 1966-1972). ELO was originally Roy Wood's idea & he invited Jeff Lynne to join The Move in 1970 to help him put the band together. Prior to that,Jeff fronted a band called The Idle Race, ironically taking Roy Wood's place in 1966, then known as The Nightriders. Both The Idle Race & The Nightriders made records (which are available on CD if you want to hunt them down) but chart success eluded bands. Meanwhile, The Move became a hit machine in the UK but by 1970 Roy Wood, their leader, was bored with it all so he dreamed up the ELO idea. The record company would only fund ELO if The Move continued to make records so the two bands actually co-existed for a while. The original ELO plan was to take up where The Beatles "I Am The Walrus" left off, using instruments normally associated with classical music to play rock. Roy taught himself to play the cello, oboe, bassoon & other "classical" instruments mainly to save the cost of hiring session players as he & Jeff experimented with ELO's early sound in the studio. These instruments appear on the two Move albums recorded while Jeff Lynne was in the band, "Looking On"(1970) & "Message From The Country" (1971). Both contain excellent songs written by Jeff. ELO's first album, titled "No Answer" in the USA, was recorded between sessions for The Move's records. It took 18 months to finish, with Roy Wood overdubbing all the cello & brass parts himself. It was released in Dec.1971. In spring 1972, The Move put out one last single, "California Man" / "Do Ya", then officially ceased to exist. Roy & Jeff hired players & took ELO out on the road for a breif tour, which coincided with the release of "10538 Overture" as the band's first single, a top 10 hit in the UK. After the tour, which did not go smoothly,, sessions for the 2nd ELO album began, though Roy was growing disatisfied with the direction the band was going in. In a nearby studio his old mate Rick Price, bassist with The Move, was rehearsing with his band Mongrel. Roy sat in & had so much fun he asked them if they would be interested in forming a band with him. Roy then abruptly quit ELO, taking a few players with him, to form Wizzard , and simultaneously began a solo career. Wizzard became another hit machine in the UK while ELO struggled to continue under Jeff Lynne's leadership. By the mid-70's, however, ELO eclipsed Wizzard & Roy Wood's solo records in populariity in their native UK and became hugely successful in the USA & rest of the world. I've always wondered what how ELO would have fared if Roy Wood had stayed with them. We'll never know. But for those interested, there are several collections of the early ELO material available on CD as well as the complete first 3 albums, "No Answer", "ELO II" & "On The Third Day". A bit experimental but great stuff nonetheless. And for those who want to dig a little deeper, The Move's stuff is out there on CD, though a bit tougher to find, but the search will be worth it as there is a treasure trove of great material on those albums.
  3. OK, here goes...this is probably more like a "desert island disc" list as it's personal faves: 1. THE BEATLES- "Sgt. Pepper" 2. THE BEACH BOYS- "Pet Sounds" 3. THE MOVE- "Shazam" 4. MOBY GRAPE- self titled 1st LP 5. THE WHO- "Live At Leeds"(extended CD version) 6. MICKEY JUPP- "Juppanese" 7. BRIAN WILSON- presents "SMILE" 8. PINK FLOYD- "Dark Side Of The Moon" 9. BOB DYLAN- "Highway 61 Revivited" 10.LARRY NORMAN- "Only Visiting This Planet"
  4. Gosh, there's so many...lots of folks mentioned the various Beatles guesting on other artists records. But, in the late 60's & early 70's they couldn't use their real names due to legal problems going on at the time. So, John Lennon was "Dr. Winston O'Boogie"...George Harrison was "L'Angelo Mysterioso"...Ringo Starr was "Ritchie Snare"...not sure if Paul McCartney had a fake name. He was the one initiating a lot of the legal action so maybe he didn't need one. But he sang background vocals on Ringo's cover of "You're Sixteen". Ringo & George both were on Leon Russell's excellent debut album in 1970, as was Eric Clapton. Clapton played on the "Delaney & Bonnie & Freinds" album. John Lennon, of course, was on a lot of Harry Nilsson's stuff. Let's see...Dave Mason played acoustic guitar on Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" and various members of Traffic, including Steve Winwood, played on "Electric Ladyland". While we're on Hendrix, the background vocals on "You Got Me Floating" from "Axis Bold As Love" were sung by Roy Wood, Trevor Burton & Carl Wayne of The Move. Roy Wood also played sax & sang on The Beach Boys song "It's OK". Andy Summers, later of The Police, played on the last Eric Burdon & The Animals album, "Love Is", in 1969. Steve Miller, Dave Mason & Charlie Musselwhite played on Merryweather's album "Word Of Mouth" in 1970. Bruce Springsteen played & sang on a couple of Gary "US" Bonds more recent albums and also dueted with Warren Zevon on his last album. Johnny Cash guested on Bob Dylan's "Girl From The North Country" from "Nashville Skyline". Lots more but I can't think of 'em right now. Maybe on a future post...
  5. I've been a Pink Floyd fan since 1967. Their earlier stuff has always been more interesting to me than their later stuff. After "Dark Side..." they seemed to me to lose a bit of their creative edge. I saw the "Atom heart Mother" suite performed live at the Fillmore East in 1970 with full orchestra & choir and it was amazing. So that album remains a favorite. "Fat Old Sun" from that album is a great Floyd song that never gets heard. "Fearless" from the "Meddle" album is great too. And, of course, Pink Floyd's first album "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" with original guitarist/singer/songwriter Syd Barrett is a landmark of psychedelic music. Too bad he went nuts, he was brilliant for a short time. Floyd's 1975 album "Wish You Were Here" was actually based on Barrett's mental demise, and the theme was carried on further with "The Wall". A shame Roger Waters and David Gilmore can't stand each other, I'd like to see them work together again in Floyd.
  6. Whatever is available by Roy Wood or The Move can be ordered thru either of the web sites I previously posted if you can't find what you want in local shops. I would think your favorite CD store could order "Outstanding Performer" for you if they don't stock it.
  7. Edna (and anyone else interested) As we speak, there is an attempt being made to assemble a definative 2 CD anthology of Roy Wood's post-Move recorded output that will hopefully include EMI material. But perhaps not as there have been some problems recently with obtaining rights to use that material. Two years ago The Move's "Message From The Country" album and Roy Wood's solo album "Boulders" were both slated to be reissued on CD with previously unreleased bonus material but the projects have stalled indefinately. There was a previous attempt at a 2 CD R.W. anthology a few years ago titled "Exotic Mixture". I believe it still in print. "Look Thru The Eyes Of A Fool" is on that one as well if you can't find "Outstanding Performer". It is an interesting collection of singles, non-LP "B" sides & album cuts but in many instances the master tapes were not used. Hence the the need for a definative collection using the best tapes that can be found. With any luck it will be available later this year. By the way , Roy has a web site: www.roywood.co.uk. Also check out: www.themoveonline.com.
  8. Yeah, "..Fool.." is a great, catchy tune from Roy's 2nd solo LP "Mustard" (literally solo, played & sang everything)and it is very Spector-ish. So was a lot of the Wizzard stuff. That song can be found on a cool CD compilation issued last year on the Sanctuary label titled "Roy Wood: Outstanding Performer" which focuses on his later material, spanning the years 1974-1987. The sound quality is amazing, really nicely done. Highly recommended to anyone here who may be curious about him as a result of this dicussion. It should be pretty easy to find. A lot of his & The Move's records & CD's are tough to find these days. But well worth the search as the music is great. Some of his more experimental stuff, such as "Wizzard's Brew" and a few tracks on the 1st ELO album, is a aquired taste as it's a bit "out there". If you have eclectic tastes in music, it's very enjoyable.
  9. Hi Edna, Thanks for the reply. Nice to know there are a few folks out there who know about Roy Wood & The Move. Actually, Roy & Jeff Lynne made 3 albums together, if you include the first Electric Light Orch. album: with The Move "Looking On" (1970), "Message From The Country" (1971) and ELO's "No Answer" (late 1971). The 1st ELO album was actually recorded in between sessions for the 2 Move albums. In fact, ELO's first single, "10538 Overture", started out as an aborted Move single "B" side written by Jeff. Roy started overdubbing cello parts and it became the lead off track on the 1st album. It was intended to take up where The Beatles "I Am The Walrus" left off. Some of The Move's best songs, mostly written by Roy, are very Beatle-esque in style. In fact, the one you mentioned, "Black Berry Way", has been called the best Beatles song the Beatles never did. And it was The Move's only #1 hit in the the UK (1968), though they haad many top 10 hits over there. The only Move single to chart here in the US was their original version of "Do Ya"(1972, peaked at # 96), which was a major hit for ELO a few years later. I always liked the Move's version much better, though.
  10. Howdy, this is my first post here. I've been a huge fan of The Move, and the band's leader Roy Wood, since the 60's. Very big in the UK but just a cult following here in the US. Just wondering if anyone in this discussion forum has ever heard of them. As a point of interest, they morphed into The Electric Light Orch. who, of course, became a hit machine in the 70's. Wood left after their 1st LP & went on to major success, again just in the UK, with Wizzard & a solo career. Made whole albums all by himself, playing all the instruments. Currently leads an 11 pc. big band in the UK called Roy Wood's Army featuring an all female horn section. Unfortunately very little recording activity in recent years. A musical genius but fate has done it's best to make sure no one finds out.
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