[First Neil Diamond, now Dan Fogelberg: we are not off to a good start for 2014. How about some rock & roll tomorrow.
ROTP(lumber)]
And speaking as we were yesterday of Dan Fogelberg's New Year's Eve soft-rock classic "Old Lang Syne," attentive readers may have noticed that the opening line of said song is, basically, a straight lift from Tchaikovsky's noise-rock classic "The 1812 Overture."
Obviously, ironies abound.
In any case, here's a song that also is a straight lift from Tchaikovsky's stereo system demo -- The Move's "Night of Fear."
As seen performed -- brilliantly -- live, on Italian TV, by the original five-man lineup of said band, including the god-like Roy Wood. But which rocks out considerably harder than Fogelberg's.
From 1967. Their debut single, now that I think of it.
So -- were these guys the single most exciting Brit band who never made a noticeable impact in America or what?
Discuss.
10 comments:
If only The Move had made an effort to tour the USA extensively, they might have had the success that Electric Light Orchestra had. In other words: a huge success. They were heavy hitters.
Now we're rocking'!
Thanks Steve
ROTP(lumber)
"So -- were these guys the single most exciting Brit band who never made a noticeable impact in America or what?"
Yes. And they were indeed heavy hitters.
The US release of "Split Ends"(1972-"Message From The Country" minus a couple plus a couple)made ripples, "Down On The Bay" and "Do Ya" got some airplay. A little too late.
Given their five piece line-up and its front line vocal talent, the only band in the world that could compare with these guys in 1967 was Moby Grape.
Okay, the Beach Boys too, but these guys were better players.
Vocal-wise, the Who were nearly a match for the Move at this time; Townshend and Entwistle have been seriously underrated as both lead and harmony vocalists.
That being said, the Move were a helluva band; Bev Bevan remains in my top five favorite rock drummers of all time. In fact, I think you can trace the downfall of ELO to Jeff Lynne's increasing obsession with control in the studio, particularly in micromanaging the drums (this occurred post-Out of the Blue. Seeing ELO live in 1981, well after the decline set in, was still fun because Bevan could play on stage undimmed by Lynne's studio meddling.
(Idea for future column: discuss the pros and cons of Jeff Lynne as producer and musician...)
Slade didn't quite hit it here back then either, tho' I saw them in Greensboro, NC in ~'74.
Family?
Peter -- I'm ashamed to say that Family is one of those bands that I know people highly rate that I have never managed to really listen to.
Kind of like all those Canterbury prog bands like Caravan, who are supposedly prog bands for people who don't like prog bands.
Ya gotta give points to Cheap Trick for playing 'California Man' and 'Down on the Bay.' I doubt most American kids ever heard any other Move songs.
Roy Wood certainly knew how to construct a pop hit. I've always had a soft spot for "Lightning Never Strikes Twice", the B-side of "Brontosaurus".
Waiting in a line to enter a Stones concert in St.Louis in 1972 the guy behind me says, "Why can't this many people come out to see a really good band like The Move??" The girl next to him says "Who?"
Post a Comment