"Blackberry Way" was the end of the line. A number one hit in the UK, it was also the last howl of Roy Wood as a hit maker. After this there was the typical early 70s reversal to the 50s style like the above. It makes you wonder WHY?! Ran out of ideas? At leeat the horrid model ELO is obvious.
There was Darkness in the Land. And the Horrors of The Sweet and Mud Appeared.
And lo! Verily The Lord Elvis Costello appeared on the Horizon. And His Apostles were called The Attractions...
@AncientFan And Roy didn't run out of ideas until he went solo .. Shazam is good and Message .. with Jeff. And then Elvis was great but he stayed too long at the party after 1980 .. ran out of ideas and became bloated and full of himself. It's tough to be great for a long time. Neil Young did it from 1966 to 1980 and that is a record and just my opinion. Attractions were such a great band tooooo .. under-appreciated.
If you are feemous in Germany you can sell a lot of records ;D. But not necessarily bonus points on the scale or rock. Because ze Germans (I am one off them) tend to have a very sedaaaaate taste ;D.
Zis record is very bad. Start of the 70s sub-Zep bluesy bullshit (and we all know it).
Oh! Bring back Night of Fear. Ve have to go elsewhere at Youtube.
Wonderful time capsule! Loved 'The Move' first time I heard 'em. Fun to look at 'California Man' with the squinky 70's meet '50's looks! These guys becoming ELO--great to see videos of their beginnings...
And I miss the '60's & '70's ! ! What a wonderful time...I'd about give my 'brodie knob' to cruise back to Golden Gate Park in the summer of '69 again! So much of the music from this period is priceless--so fun/creative compared to ugly jiphop gangsta' rap of today!
Great to see / hear this live version. However, could be better without Bill Hunt's very mediocre piano playing- especially when a great piano player is standing to Jeff's left.
Bill Hunt's piano part is probably what Wood & Lynne wanted. It was the era of 50's rock revivial and it sounds like an attempt to play like Jerry Lee Lewis.
The wonderful world of changing fashions isn't kind 40 years on, also it's mixed too far forward.
@njnorth1 Understand your point, but I would point to Tandy's piano work on Roll Over Beethoven not too long after this. Now THAT'S rock 'n' roll piano! But you're right in that part of the problem here is that it's too far forward in the mix.
Having been a Program Director and Music Director in radio for over 30 years, you must realize that I have to look at ALL music from both personal & BROADCAST standpoints. And "Looking On" and the first two ELO albums are just not commercially viable, no matter what anyone says. There are about 4 songs on those 3 LP's that are radio worthy...and 4 is stretching it. Compare those songs to later ELO & Wizzard, whose did great, COMMERCIALLY VIABLE songs. And notice I didn't tell you to shut up..
Most of my record collection is not commercially viable. I love bands like Soft machine, Egg, Help Yourself, Man, Amon Duul II etc. Looking on and ELO's first two albums fit perfectly into this lot.
Let's compare the first two ELO albums to later albums. The first two were top 40 albums in the UK. The next three albums did not make the chart at all. Which ones were commercially viable?
@NeilThompson30 i second the decision.....top 40 mentalities get in the way of good fun.....'looking on' and the first elo lps are great for reasons poople like that haven't the acumen or curiousioty to appreciate.....they should not boast about their shorsitedness and inability to really listen to music.
Not sure how this evolved into a chat about Looking On but I'll add my 2 cents. What? is wonderful as is Brontosaurus. The other tracks aren't very memorable. I love Down on the Bay too.
I love doing this with The Beatles' 'White Album', so I thought "why not do it with 'Split Ends'". Here's how I would have lined up the ten songs: 1. Do Ya 2. Chinatown 3. Minister 4. Tonight 5. Down On The Bay 6. California Man 7. Don't Mess Me Up 8. Ella James 9. The Words Of Aaron 10. Message From The Country Now, to me, THAT would have been the perfect choice of material and order for "Split Ends"...
"Split Ends" was a U.S.-only album from The Move that was basically "Message From The Country" minus four songs ("Ben Crawley", "My Marge", "Don't Mess Me Up" and "It Wasn't My Idea To Dance") replaced by five songs ("Do Ya", "Down On The Bay", "Tonight", "Chinatown", and "California Man"). It came out in 1972 on U.A. and was released so that "Do Ya" would have an LP associated with it.
My first Move album was A&M's 1973 Best Of The Move, followed by a mint re-issue of Shazam! , the great Split Ends hybrid, Cube Records Something Else re-issue and the criminally unappreciated When Alice Gets Back Yo The Farm/What? single on Fly records.
I got in on "Split Ends" first, then the A&M "Best Of". I remember getting "Shazam!" on the day when Spiro Agnew resigned. Next came the Fly "Best Of" with the four color cover. It took me years to find "Message From The Country" and as far as I'm concerned, "Looking On" is the worst album ever made by a great group! "When Alice..." should have just been a single and that would have been that!
I forgot "Brontosaurus" was actually on the LP. So there you have your single! "Bronto" b/w "...Alice..."! Genius, I tell you! And at about 1/8th the cost!!!
"Feel Too Good" isn't bad either. But the rest of it is terrible. I like heavy rock, but let's have some decent melodies. When it's Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne involved, two guys known for coming up with tuneful songs, it's especially puzzling. They redeemed themselves with "Message From The Country" and the singles that followed.
@moorlock2003 looking on is excellent on cd.....the songs are deceptive -- mediocre only to non musicians....having leanred them all i know why they're great -- they're deconstructed rocknroll...briliant.
I am a very knowledgeable music fan. I had the CD and still thought the album was hard to like except for
When Alice, Brontosaurus, and Feel too good. I think they were trying to hard to be Cream or Deep Purple or something. I prefer melodies to plodding rhythms. Looking On is not one of their best.
@moorlock2003 the whole lp is excellent if you can grasp the many levels it works on....'what?' is a brilliant lynne piece and 'looking on' is gorgeous mind/body rock.....most rock fans are limited in their ability to understand anything underneath their myopic radar...what they are doing on the album is playing pigheaded rocknroll and mixing progressive pop/jazz in with it, sometimes in the course of ones song.....and jamming well too.....roy wood tr to duplicate it with his awful wizzard. lp.
I've tried to be civil with this conversation, but you obviously are not capable of that. Apparently you didn't get The Move box set on Salvo. Reviews were mixed about the album then and now. I'm not disagreeing with you about The Move; they are a fantastic band. But not everyone has glowing things to say about "Looking On", not even the band members.
".....Alice..." was a single in the UK, but it didn't chart. It was scheduled for release on Warner Bros. in the US, but got cancelled. "Brontosaurus" was a single and hit in the UK, but flopped as usual in the US. "Flowers in the Rain" and "Do Ya" did get radio play here in Los Angeles.
I have heard The Move on the radio this many times: "Tonight" on WESA Charleroi, PA (1974), "Fields Of People" on "Flashback" on WCLG, Morgantown, WV (1998) and "Do Ya" on a Martinsburg, WV FM station (2001). This does not count the 1000+ times I have played them on the air during my 30+ year career!!!
Mine was a Pickwick import "greatest hits" collection that contained all of their early stuff. Played that one over and over. Then I got Do Ya and later the Best of The Move double album.
I know they did "Words Of Aaron" with live singing and a pre-recorded backing track. I do not think that the Beat Club version of "When Alice Comes Back To The Farm" is from the same show. Hope that helps!
I agree with SkeebWilcox. "10538" really was the only thing ELO did that was gritty and utterly fantastic, and on par with some of the best stuff by the Lynne-era Move.
I wouldn't say early ELO fit into that category, as a matter of fact aside from "10538 Overture" I thought early ELO was some of the worst music ever made. You are positively right about the other two, though!!!
I'm tellin' ya, they could have just done one single ("10538") and jumped to the third album and the body of work that makes up their overall career would have a few less "blemishes"....
Great performance, shitty recording.
gardnerdan17 1 month ago
quack quack
rockerbox1973 7 months ago
"Blackberry Way" was the end of the line. A number one hit in the UK, it was also the last howl of Roy Wood as a hit maker. After this there was the typical early 70s reversal to the 50s style like the above. It makes you wonder WHY?! Ran out of ideas? At leeat the horrid model ELO is obvious.
There was Darkness in the Land. And the Horrors of The Sweet and Mud Appeared.
And lo! Verily The Lord Elvis Costello appeared on the Horizon. And His Apostles were called The Attractions...
AncientFan 9 months ago
@AncientFan The only things that The Move ever recorded that I come close to totally disliking are "Looking On" and..."Blackberry Way".
SkeebWilcox 9 months ago
@AncientFan And Roy didn't run out of ideas until he went solo .. Shazam is good and Message .. with Jeff. And then Elvis was great but he stayed too long at the party after 1980 .. ran out of ideas and became bloated and full of himself. It's tough to be great for a long time. Neil Young did it from 1966 to 1980 and that is a record and just my opinion. Attractions were such a great band tooooo .. under-appreciated.
11xzxzxz 8 months ago
If you are feemous in Germany you can sell a lot of records ;D. But not necessarily bonus points on the scale or rock. Because ze Germans (I am one off them) tend to have a very sedaaaaate taste ;D.
Zis record is very bad. Start of the 70s sub-Zep bluesy bullshit (and we all know it).
Oh! Bring back Night of Fear. Ve have to go elsewhere at Youtube.
AncientFan 9 months ago
Jeff <3
Marion133 11 months ago
yeah a great b-side that gets tv time. thanks for the upload
tatunkha 1 year ago
Wonderful time capsule! Loved 'The Move' first time I heard 'em. Fun to look at 'California Man' with the squinky 70's meet '50's looks! These guys becoming ELO--great to see videos of their beginnings...
And I miss the '60's & '70's ! ! What a wonderful time...I'd about give my 'brodie knob' to cruise back to Golden Gate Park in the summer of '69 again! So much of the music from this period is priceless--so fun/creative compared to ugly jiphop gangsta' rap of today!
Blessed 'Be
Fluffy
ThatMiserableCat 1 year ago
A great piece of Power Pop. The Move and Badfinger were masters at post-Beatles melody
dvfmliv 1 year ago
Roy wood
Vermonter543 1 year ago
Fascinating, I've never heard/seen anything of theirs from this era except 'California Man'..
harfarhs 1 year ago
Song starts at 0:45
robertlaberge 2 years ago
Great to see / hear this live version. However, could be better without Bill Hunt's very mediocre piano playing- especially when a great piano player is standing to Jeff's left.
mkp823 2 years ago 3
Bill Hunt's piano part is probably what Wood & Lynne wanted. It was the era of 50's rock revivial and it sounds like an attempt to play like Jerry Lee Lewis.
The wonderful world of changing fashions isn't kind 40 years on, also it's mixed too far forward.
njnorth1 1 year ago
@njnorth1 Understand your point, but I would point to Tandy's piano work on Roll Over Beethoven not too long after this. Now THAT'S rock 'n' roll piano! But you're right in that part of the problem here is that it's too far forward in the mix.
mkp823 1 year ago
There are comments on this saying Looking on is crap - it's a brilliant album - got it when it first came out.
E.L.O.'s first two albums are brilliant also.
If you don't like them, shut up.
NeilThompson30 2 years ago 11
This has been flagged as spam show
Having been a Program Director and Music Director in radio for over 30 years, you must realize that I have to look at ALL music from both personal & BROADCAST standpoints. And "Looking On" and the first two ELO albums are just not commercially viable, no matter what anyone says. There are about 4 songs on those 3 LP's that are radio worthy...and 4 is stretching it. Compare those songs to later ELO & Wizzard, whose did great, COMMERCIALLY VIABLE songs. And notice I didn't tell you to shut up..
SkeebWilcox 2 years ago
Who's talking about 'commercially viable'?!
Most of my record collection is not commercially viable. I love bands like Soft machine, Egg, Help Yourself, Man, Amon Duul II etc. Looking on and ELO's first two albums fit perfectly into this lot.
Let's compare the first two ELO albums to later albums. The first two were top 40 albums in the UK. The next three albums did not make the chart at all. Which ones were commercially viable?
NeilThompson30 2 years ago
Comment removed
posthumanhero 1 year ago
@NeilThompson30 i second the decision.....top 40 mentalities get in the way of good fun.....'looking on' and the first elo lps are great for reasons poople like that haven't the acumen or curiousioty to appreciate.....they should not boast about their shorsitedness and inability to really listen to music.
posthumanhero 1 year ago
Not sure how this evolved into a chat about Looking On but I'll add my 2 cents. What? is wonderful as is Brontosaurus. The other tracks aren't very memorable. I love Down on the Bay too.
SirKevinH 2 years ago
The only good song on "Looking on" for me was Jeff Lynne track "what". But i wish that track had be on ELO 2 album with strings of course!
mrmarillionelo 2 years ago
SkeebWilcox 2 years ago
What is Split Ends?
NeilThompson30 2 years ago
"Split Ends" was a U.S.-only album from The Move that was basically "Message From The Country" minus four songs ("Ben Crawley", "My Marge", "Don't Mess Me Up" and "It Wasn't My Idea To Dance") replaced by five songs ("Do Ya", "Down On The Bay", "Tonight", "Chinatown", and "California Man"). It came out in 1972 on U.A. and was released so that "Do Ya" would have an LP associated with it.
SkeebWilcox 2 years ago
Comment removed
posthumanhero 1 year ago
Comment removed
posthumanhero 1 year ago
My first Move album was A&M's 1973 Best Of The Move, followed by a mint re-issue of Shazam! , the great Split Ends hybrid, Cube Records Something Else re-issue and the criminally unappreciated When Alice Gets Back Yo The Farm/What? single on Fly records.
lastangelman 2 years ago
I got in on "Split Ends" first, then the A&M "Best Of". I remember getting "Shazam!" on the day when Spiro Agnew resigned. Next came the Fly "Best Of" with the four color cover. It took me years to find "Message From The Country" and as far as I'm concerned, "Looking On" is the worst album ever made by a great group! "When Alice..." should have just been a single and that would have been that!
SkeebWilcox 2 years ago
Yes. I have tried to like "Looking On" but it is an awful album except for "When Alice....", "Feel Too Good", and "Brontosaurus".
moorlock2003 2 years ago
I forgot "Brontosaurus" was actually on the LP. So there you have your single! "Bronto" b/w "...Alice..."! Genius, I tell you! And at about 1/8th the cost!!!
SkeebWilcox 2 years ago
"Feel Too Good" isn't bad either. But the rest of it is terrible. I like heavy rock, but let's have some decent melodies. When it's Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne involved, two guys known for coming up with tuneful songs, it's especially puzzling. They redeemed themselves with "Message From The Country" and the singles that followed.
moorlock2003 2 years ago
@moorlock2003 looking on is excellent on cd.....the songs are deceptive -- mediocre only to non musicians....having leanred them all i know why they're great -- they're deconstructed rocknroll...briliant.
posthumanhero 1 year ago
I am a very knowledgeable music fan. I had the CD and still thought the album was hard to like except for
When Alice, Brontosaurus, and Feel too good. I think they were trying to hard to be Cream or Deep Purple or something. I prefer melodies to plodding rhythms. Looking On is not one of their best.
moorlock2003 1 year ago
@moorlock2003 the whole lp is excellent if you can grasp the many levels it works on....'what?' is a brilliant lynne piece and 'looking on' is gorgeous mind/body rock.....most rock fans are limited in their ability to understand anything underneath their myopic radar...what they are doing on the album is playing pigheaded rocknroll and mixing progressive pop/jazz in with it, sometimes in the course of ones song.....and jamming well too.....roy wood tr to duplicate it with his awful wizzard. lp.
posthumanhero 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I'm glad you like the whole LP, but I find it a chore to listen to. I like the 3 tracks I mentioned and that's it.
moorlock2003 1 year ago
Comment removed
posthumanhero 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I've tried to be civil with this conversation, but you obviously are not capable of that. Apparently you didn't get The Move box set on Salvo. Reviews were mixed about the album then and now. I'm not disagreeing with you about The Move; they are a fantastic band. But not everyone has glowing things to say about "Looking On", not even the band members.
moorlock2003 1 year ago
Comment removed
posthumanhero 1 year ago
".....Alice..." was a single in the UK, but it didn't chart. It was scheduled for release on Warner Bros. in the US, but got cancelled. "Brontosaurus" was a single and hit in the UK, but flopped as usual in the US. "Flowers in the Rain" and "Do Ya" did get radio play here in Los Angeles.
moorlock2003 2 years ago
I have heard The Move on the radio this many times: "Tonight" on WESA Charleroi, PA (1974), "Fields Of People" on "Flashback" on WCLG, Morgantown, WV (1998) and "Do Ya" on a Martinsburg, WV FM station (2001). This does not count the 1000+ times I have played them on the air during my 30+ year career!!!
SkeebWilcox 2 years ago
Wow, I WILDLY disagree about Looking On! But I came to the Move after-the-fact, after growing up on Sabbath, etc.
Paulie88 2 years ago
Comment removed
posthumanhero 1 year ago
Mine was a Pickwick import "greatest hits" collection that contained all of their early stuff. Played that one over and over. Then I got Do Ya and later the Best of The Move double album.
MartyRotten 2 years ago
are there any other clips from this Beat Club performance out there? what other songs did they play on this particular gig?
rastacraw 2 years ago
I know they did "Words Of Aaron" with live singing and a pre-recorded backing track. I do not think that the Beat Club version of "When Alice Comes Back To The Farm" is from the same show. Hope that helps!
SkeebWilcox 2 years ago
Ella James is in YouTube pages in this same show.
FinnMove 2 years ago
Who's that playing the piano? That's not Richard Tandy, is that Bill Hunt?
MattHatter 3 years ago
I think you're right.
laineycrusoe 3 years ago
Tell you what i loved ELO but the music that Lynne and Woody were making together was awesome and that includes the two first albums :P
ELONut 3 years ago
I agree with SkeebWilcox. "10538" really was the only thing ELO did that was gritty and utterly fantastic, and on par with some of the best stuff by the Lynne-era Move.
rastacraw 3 years ago
The Idle Race, The Move and early ELO
were the second to the Beatles.
FinnMove 3 years ago
I wouldn't say early ELO fit into that category, as a matter of fact aside from "10538 Overture" I thought early ELO was some of the worst music ever made. You are positively right about the other two, though!!!
SkeebWilcox 3 years ago
I don´t know what you are talking about.
ELO´s two first albums are made by
just to fun make great rock- music.
Not be aimed to the commercial success.
FinnMove 3 years ago
I'm tellin' ya, they could have just done one single ("10538") and jumped to the third album and the body of work that makes up their overall career would have a few less "blemishes"....
SkeebWilcox 3 years ago
The first albums are very respected.
I don´t understand that Jeff Lynne himself
said Out of the Blue was his best work.
Out of the Blue was good but contained some fillers. A New World Record is the name of Jeff Lynne or ELO. That´s my opinion.
FinnMove 3 years ago
The dawn of ELO. Bill Hunt and Richard Tandy
helping the last Move- trio in their TV- show.
FinnMove 3 years ago