The Move

The Move were one of the great British combos of the late sixties. In Roy Wood, they had a truly gifted songwriter, capable of inhabiting a dazzling range of musical styles with flair and distinction. This, The Move's debut album, has been reissued numerous times over the years, but this must be the most definitive version. It's supplemented by a mass of bonus tracks, including non-album singles such as 'Night Of Fear', 'I Can Hear The Grass Grow', plus their B sides and some previously unavailable radio sessions. The pre-'Night of Fear' radio stuff is interesting, but I am not sure whether I'll return to them that often; it's superior Beat Group rhythm and blues and soul covers, undeniably well played, tight and energetic, but not essential. The original album has been very well remastered, and the packaging is good, however, the sleeve - a foldout digipak - is a little on the flimsy side, and the spine can easily get crushed if you're not careful. None of which does any damage to the music - melodic, soulful, with fine arrangements, great vocal harmonies and of lasting appeal. It wasn't The Move's fault that they became characterised as a 'Singles Band' - the kiss of death to any act with loftier musical ambitions as the world of the Pop singles chart started to split from the 'Heavier' album charts in the late 1960s - now we're free of that malarkey, you can appreciate the work of one of our best acts.

This is one of my all time favorite 1960s albums - in fact it must be my fifth version, including two on vinyl.I had read somewhere that the sound on this Esoteric release was close to the best one can imagine, and since I have sometimes felt that some track; eg. "Cherry Blossom Clinic" did not have optimal sound, I felt tempted to queue. And I was not disappointed. Of course, it was also tempting that there were several hitherto unreleased tracks and that there were both mono and stereo versions of the album.I do not want to go into details on the original album's tracks, which are pretty much all sublime, but still mention that I will probably never get tired of hearing "Kilroy Was Here", "The Lemon Tree", "Walk Upon the Water", " Flowers in the Rain ”and “ Useless Information ” – great stuff.Instead, I want to spend some time on the bonus tracks. The two early singles are excellent "Night of Fear" / "The Disturbance" and "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" / "Wave Your Flag" - the latter only solid, though. The originally unreleased "Vote For Me" was never released for various reasons, but would have fit perfectly on the album. The track is here two different recordings - both fine and finished - absolute "must haves" for Move fans.Among the very early recordings, the sound is somewhat unpolished and some of the tracks are taken from acetates. The songs themselves are in most cases quite good, but not more than that. So do not expect to find others on a par with "Vote For Me". However, I would like to highlight "Move Intro" and "Move" where Beach Boys' vocals and Motown sound is combined. Could well have deserved to be the overture on The Move Album. A nice track is also "Is it True", which is nice 1960s pop written by Carter / Lewis.The BBC CD is interesting; especially for fans of live recordings. Here you can experience what a competent and vocally versatile band the Move was. Vocally, they compare well with role models such as The Beach Boys.

Cherry Red Records know how to do this stuff, the original album in mono AND stereo, and a whole pile of interesting alternative takes, alternative mixes, radio broadcast performances. Sure, the recording quality is of its time, and reflects the way the music industry viewed the 'op' market at the time, but that in itself is of historical value. Besides all that it is Roy Wood for crying out loud!

Superb pop from one of the '60's maestros. Roy Wood's voice is a Marmite affair. Some can't stand it whilst others enjoy the songs and music that he wrote before Wizzard and early ELO. All of the songs on this album are enjoyable and despite me already having this album on vinyl, the extra tracks are a bonus on the 2nd cd. Wonderful '60's pop when a song could be written about nearly anything and still sound good. And the iconic 'Night of Fear' that kicked off Radio One.

Debut album from Mr. Wood and chums. Somewhat overlooked at the time , this is a fine piece of psychedelic Brum Beat. Here we have the original album with lots of added tracks relevant to the timeframe. Enjoy

This is great stuff. A powerful combo at its best , with live early radio performances as well as the First Studio Album , remastered , extra tracks not before released, poster and excellent booklet. A must buy for all Move, Roy Wood and Sixties fans.

Excellent collection for an old move fan

Very pleased with the purchase, the content and the service.