The Move Bootlegs: OMNIBUS

Breve repaso al único bootleg de vinilo en la historia de THE MOVE

The Move: OMNIBUS. Melvin Records MM 07. UK 1979

Con el titulo «Omnibus» y editado en 1979 bajo el sello pirata “Melvin Records”, presentamos aquí el único bootleg en vinilo de la historia de The Move.

Por supuesto, que en la era del CD, aparecieron muchos mas bootlegs de The Move de todas las épocas del grupo; pero hasta la introducción del disco compacto, éste fué el único vinilo pirata de la banda.

En su cara «A» reproduce, y con un sonido bastante aceptable, seis temas grabados en un show en Suecia en 1967, con la formación inicial del grupo: Carl Wayne, voz; Roy Wood, guitarra principal y voz; Trevor Burton, guitarra y voz; Chris “Ace” Kefford, bajo y voz; y Bev Bevan, batería; aunque en el texto de la cubierta trasera del LP han adjudicado a “Ace” como guitarra y a Burton como bajista, cosa que no  ocurrió hasta que “Ace” fue “despedido” del grupo y Trevor se hizo cargo entonces del bajo.

Una de las dos principales joyas de este valiosísimo tesoro es el tema «Why?» inédito en el repertorio de la banda y en posteriores CD’s bootlegs del grupo.

Gran trabajo vocal y musical en estas canciones y, como siempre (nunca me cansaré de recordarlo) a destacar por encima de todo, el increible trabajo de “my wild brummie hero”: Bev Bevan; pletórico, incansable, creativo, imaginativo, y siempre original.

Las cinco primeras canciones de la cara «B» pertenecen al legendario EP «Something Else», grabado en el “Marquee Club” de Londres en 1968 y fué la primera vez que aparecían en formato LP hasta ese momento.

La otra joya de que hablábamos, es la última canción de esta cara, la versión de «Open My Eyes», con un Roy Wood muy inspirado con la guitarra, pero esta vez perteneciente a un show grabado en el Fillmore West, S.F., USA, en octubre de 1969 durante la poco conocida, olvidada y poco afortunada única gira que el grupo hizo por los Estados Unidos.

Bev Bevan recuerda la odisea americana: “…teníamos un contrato discográfico allí, pero nadie nos vino a recoger a nuestra llegada a New York. Tuvimos que atravesar los Estados Unidos conduciendo cerca de 3.000 millas, durmiendo una sola noche. Era la única forma de llegar a tiempo…”

Curioso y gracioso los label del vinilo, mostrando el de la cara «A» una caricatura de Roy Wood tocando un cello “eléctrico” y vestido con el traje de brujo que lucía en el primer LP de Wizzard, y el de la cara «B», rindiendo homenaje a su compañero Carl Wayne cuando en los shows de The Move, entre otros “efectos escénicos” se dedicaban a romper en el escenario televisores con un hacha.

Gran sentido del humor el de la gente de Melvin Records (que según ellos dicen son una organización benéfica, aunque no lo planearon así) al poner como dirección suya la del primer ministro Harold Wilson, el 10 de Downing Street, viejo conocido de la banda por motivo de su demanda contra ellos por su aparición en la propaganda de «Flowers in the Rain» en una ficticia y comprometida situación con su secretaria.

A continuación, el texto integro y los creditos del LP:

The Move were one of the most creative bands ever due especially to the songwriting prowess of Roy Wood and to the instrumental workouts and vocals provided by the various incarnations of the band. Live recordings by The Move are in short supply, unfortunately, so we here at Melvin Records feel it´s about time to make some avalaible.

The personnel on side one is (front cover, left to right) Carl Wayne (vocals), Trevor Burton (bass, vocals), Bev Bevan (drums), Roy Wood (lead guitar, vocals), and Chris “Ace” Kefford (guitar, vocals). The sound quality is excellent as it came from a radio show. The first five tracks on side two make up the legendary “Something Else” EP presented for the first time on a long playing record. The personnel is the same as above but with the exclusion of Kefford. Open My Eyes was taken from the Move´s perilously short tour of the U.S. The quality of this track is considerably less than perfect but is well worth listening to as the band does a raucours seven minute version of the Nazz tune. Rick Price (bass, vocals) is added to the lineup on this cut replacing Burton.

Special Thanks to Deram, Regal Zonophone, A&M, Fly, Capitol, Harvest, and United Artist for putting the official stuff out in the first place.

This album is dedicated to Roy Wood who is still a genius even if fate does its best to make sure no one finds out. Hope you like the record.

MELVIN RECORDS c/o HARRY WILSON 10 DOWNING STREET W2 LONDON, ENGLAND MANUFACTURED IN ANTARCTICA. MELVIN RECORDS a non-profit organization (but we didn´t plan it that way) 1979 OVERBY PRODUCTIONS MM07.

SIDE ONE (recorded in Sweden in 1967)
Something Else
Flowers in the Rain
Why?
Hey Grandma
So You Want To Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
I Can Hear The Grass Grow

SIDE TWO (recorded at the Marquee Club, London, 1968)
So You Want To Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
Stephanie Knows Who
Something Else
It’ll Be Me
Sunshine Help Me
Open My Eyes (recorded at the Fillmore West, S.F., Oct. 1969)

Primera foto de THE MOVE antes de salir por primera vez de gira. Ensayando en el Cedar Club, Birmingham, donde el grupo nació en febrero de 1966

Carl Wayne dando su merecido a un desvalido televisor ante sus sorprendidos compañeros de fechorías

La historia americana de THE MOVE continúa:

“…Cuando llegamos a New York, John “Upsy” Downing, que había estado con Jimi Hendrix un puñado de años en América, conocía sus alrededores y alquiló un camión y un Dodge.
Tomamos las autopistas hasta Detroit e hicimos dos noches en el Grandee Ballroom, teloneando a Iggy Pop and The Stooges. Pero nuestra siguiente fecha era en Los Angeles. Quien quiera que fuera el que había organizado esta gira, no había estudiado un mapa en su vida.
Tuvimos que atravesar los Estados Unidos, durmiendo una sola noche, ya que mientras no pudiéramos pagar un avión, no teníamos opción.
Pero en esta gira yo tenía la sensación de que me iba a divertir mucho otra vez; esa camaradería, esa actitud de “los chicos han vuelto a la ciudad”, despreocupada, repleta de chistes y risas. Había una atmósfera alegre y un sentimiento subyacente de que nada malo podía ocurrir si estábamos todos juntos. Y cuando finalmente llegamos a Los Angeles, lo estuvimos realmente. Juntos en una habitación con dos camas dobles y un saco de dormir para cinco en el Continental Hyatt House en Sunset Trip. Era la única forma en que podíamos elegir para quedarnos en el hotel. Esa noche salímos por ahí y vi a Jim Morrison siendo sacado de un club con los pies por delante, completamente inmóvil. Pensé para mi mismo: “cojonudo, esto es Hollywood, esto es vivir”. Pero fué en el centro de Texas, en el corazón del condado de Redneck, donde tuvimos problemas. A Woody le llegaba el pelo hasta la espalda y un lugareño de mas de dos metros comenzó a tirar de él.
“Hey, ¿eres chico o chica?”. “No queremos problemas” dijimos “somos ingleses”. Creímos que con esto se acabaría la conversación inmediatamente. Pero no fué así. Comenzamos a retroceder al coche cuando otros lugareños comenzaron a gritar: “¡maricones!”. Upsy Downing hizo entonces su aparición: “¿cuál es el problema?” preguntó, “estos tíos están en un grupo y están conmigo”. Upsy se creía de cemento, pero uno de los lugareños, aproximadamente la mitad de alto que el mandril anterior, pero hecho igual que un edificio de ladrillo, le dió a Upsy un puñetazo en la mandíbula. El fué directamente sobre el capó del coche, girando y serpenteando y aterrizando sobre el polvo al otro lado, medio inconsciente. Tuvimos que arrastrarlo dentro del coche y abandonar el lugar, con los exaltados lugareños chillando y gritando: “Eh! vosotros, maricas, volved aquí y luchad”. Fué dificil poner de buen humor a Roy debido a este incidente a nuestro regreso a Inglaterra…”

(Bev Bevan)

ELOSPAIN:

With the title "Omnibus" and released in 1979 under the pirate label "Melvin Records," we present here the only vinyl bootleg in the history of The Move.
Of course, in the CD era, many more bootlegs of The Move from all periods of the group appeared. Still, until the introduction of the compact disc, this was the only pirate vinyl of the band.
On its "A" side, it reproduces, with quite acceptable sound, six tracks recorded at a show in Sweden in 1967, with the initial lineup of the group: Carl Wayne, vocals; Roy Wood, lead guitar, and vocals; Trevor Burton, guitar and vocals; Chris “Ace” Kefford, bass and vocals; and Bev Bevan, drums. Although on the LP's back cover text, they credited “Ace” as the guitarist and Burton as the bassist, which did not happen until “Ace” was "dismissed" from the group, and Trevor then took over the bass.
One of the two main gems of this invaluable treasure is the unreleased track "Why?" not found in the band's repertoire and subsequent CD bootlegs.
Great vocal and musical work in these songs, and, as always (I will never tire of reminding), highlighting above all the incredible work of "my wild Brummie hero": Bev Bevan; vibrant, tireless, creative, imaginative, and always original.
The first five songs on side "B" belong to the legendary EP "Something Else," recorded at the Marquee Club in London in 1968, marking the first time they appeared in LP format until then.
The other gem we mentioned is the last song on this side, the version of "Open My Eyes," with a very inspired Roy Wood on the guitar. This time, it belongs to a show recorded at the Fillmore West, S.F., USA, in October 1969, during the little-known, forgotten, and unfortunately unsuccessful only tour the group did in the United States.
Bev Bevan recalls the American odyssey: "…we had a record deal there, but no one came to pick us up when we arrived in New York. We had to drive across the United States, covering nearly 3,000 miles, sleeping only one night. It was the only way to arrive on time…"
Interesting and amusing are the labels on the vinyl, showing on side "A" a caricature of Roy Wood playing an "electric" cello and dressed in the wizard costume he wore on the first Wizzard LP. On side "B," they pay homage to their colleague Carl Wayne, who, among other "stage effects," used to smash TVs on stage with an axe during The Move shows.
The people at Melvin Records, who claim to be a charitable organization (although they didn't plan it that way), have a great sense of humor. They put the address of the Prime Minister Harold Wilson, 10 Downing Street, a familiar figure to the band due to their legal dispute with him over their appearance in the "Flowers in the Rain" propaganda in a fictional and compromising situation with his secretary.
Below is the complete text and credits of the LP:
The Move were one of the most creative bands ever due especially to the songwriting prowess of Roy Wood and to the instrumental workouts and vocals provided by the various incarnations of the band. Live recordings by The Move are in short supply, unfortunately, so we here at Melvin Records feel it´s about time to make some available.
The personnel on side one is (front cover, left to right) Carl Wayne (vocals), Trevor Burton (bass, vocals), Bev Bevan (drums), Roy Wood (lead guitar, vocals), and Chris “Ace” Kefford (guitar, vocals). The sound quality is excellent as it came from a radio show. The first five tracks on side two make up the legendary “Something Else” EP presented for the first time on a long-playing record. The personnel is the same as above but with the exclusion of Kefford. Open My Eyes was taken from the Move´s perilously short tour of the U.S. The quality of this track is considerably less than perfect but is well worth listening to as the band does a raucous seven-minute version of the Nazz tune. Rick Price (bass, vocals) is added to the lineup on this cut, replacing Burton.
Special Thanks to Deram, Regal Zonophone, A&M, Fly, Capitol, Harvest, and United Artist for putting the official stuff out in the first place.
This album is dedicated to Roy Wood, who is still a genius even if fate does its best to make sure no one finds out. Hope you like the record.
MELVIN RECORDS c/o HARRY WILSON 10 DOWNING STREET W2 LONDON, ENGLAND MANUFACTURED IN ANTARCTICA. MELVIN RECORDS a non-profit organization (but we didn't plan it that way) 1979 OVERBY PRODUCTIONS MM07.
SIDE ONE (recorded in Sweden in 1967)
Something Else
Flowers in the Rain
Why?
Hey Grandma
So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star
I Can Hear The Grass Grow
SIDE TWO (recorded at the Marquee Club, London, 1968)
So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star
Stephanie Knows Who
Something Else
It'll Be Me
Sunshine Help Me
Open My Eyes (recorded at the Fillmore West, S.F., Oct. 1969)
First photo of THE MOVE before going on tour for the first time. Rehearsing at the Cedar Club, Birmingham, where the group was born in February 1966.
Carl Wayne giving what's due to a helpless TV in front of his surprised partners in crime.
The American story of THE MOVE continues:
"…When we arrived in New York, John "Upsy" Downing, who had been with Jimi Hendrix a handful of years in America, knew his way around and rented a truck and a Dodge.
We took the highways to Detroit and did two nights at the Grandee Ballroom, opening for Iggy Pop and The Stooges. But our next date was in Los Angeles. Whoever had organized this tour had never studied a map in their life.
We had to cross the United States, sleeping only one night, as long as we couldn't afford a plane, we had no choice.
But on this tour, I had the feeling that I was going to have a lot of fun again; that camaraderie, that attitude of "the boys are back in town," carefree, full of jokes and laughter. There was a cheerful atmosphere and an underlying feeling that nothing bad could happen if we were all together. And when we finally got to Los Angeles, we really were. Together in a room with two double beds and a sleeping bag for five at the Continental Hyatt House on Sunset Trip. It was the only way we could choose to stay at the hotel. That night we went out and saw Jim Morrison being carried out of a club feet first, completely motionless. I thought to myself: "cool, this is Hollywood, this is living." But it was in central Texas, in the heart of Redneck County, where we had trouble. Woody's hair reached down to his back, and a local over two meters tall started pulling on it.
"Hey, are you a boy or a girl?" "We don't want trouble," we said, "we're English." We thought that would end the conversation immediately. But it didn't. We started backing up to the car when other locals started yelling, "faggots!" Upsy Downing then made his appearance: "what's the problem?" he asked, "these guys are in a band and they're with me." Upsy thought he was made of cement, but one of the locals, about half as tall as the previous mandrill but built like a brick building, punched Upsy in the jaw. He went straight over the hood of the car, spinning and twisting and landing on the dust on the other side, half unconscious. We had to drag him into the car and leave, with the agitated locals shouting and screaming: "Hey! You, queers, come back here and fight." It was hard to cheer up Roy after this incident when we returned to England…"
(Bev Bevan)