Artist

The Move

Birmingham, United Kingdom

The Move is a music group from Birmingham, United Kingdom. Their discography on Gatefold includes 11 records.

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Biography

The Move was a British rock band of the late 1960s and the early 1970s who, for most of their career, were led by guitarist, singer and songwriter Roy Wood. He wrote all the group's UK singles and, from 1968, also sang lead vocals on many songs (initially, the band had four main vocalists: Wood, Carl Wayne, Trevor Burton and Chris "Ace" Kefford who shared the lead vocal role). The Move evolved from several mid-1960s Birmingham-based groups, including Carl Wayne & The Vikings, The Nightriders & The Mayfair Set.

The Arc of The Move

The pivots — what forced The Move to reinvent.

The Brummie Beat Heat
Five guys from five different Birmingham bands came together to create a local supergroup that prioritized volume over everything else. Manager Tony Secunda pushed them into high-concept violence, staging publicity stunts like destroying a car in the middle of London while their debut single climbed the charts. The early sessions captured by Denny Cordell are sharp and dangerous, leaning on Roy Wood’s ability to write hooks that sounded like a more aggressive version of The Beatles. It was a manic, unsustainable energy that made them the kings of the Marquee Club but nearly killed them before they finished their first LP.
The Psych-Pop Pivot
After the 'Harold Wilson' postcard lawsuit drained their bank accounts, the band retreated into a more experimental, psychedelic headspace for the Shazam sessions. This is where Wood started overdubbing everything himself, moving away from the R&B roots toward a weird, baroque heavy metal. You hear it in the massive gaps between the heavy riffs and the intricate vocal harmonies that Carl Wayne was still trying to treat like a stage show. It was a glorious mess that showed Wood was outgrowing the three-minute pop format and looking for a bigger, weirder canvas.
The Lynne-Wood Transition
When Jeff Lynne finally joined from The Idle Race, the Move effectively became a laboratory for a brand new sound. The two-headed monster of Wood and Lynne turned the final records, Looking On and Message from the Country, into a sludge-filled experiment with cellos, oboes, and distorted slide guitars. They were recording Move songs during the day and working on the first Electric Light Orchestra tracks at night in the same studio. The Move was basically sacrificed so that ELO could be born, leaving behind a final run of records that are among the heaviest, strangest things to ever hit the British charts.

Influences

The Byrds — The Move’s early live sets were packed with Byrds covers like 'Feel A Whole Lot Better' because they were obsessed with that 12-string jangle. You can hear that Rickenbacker influence all over the early B-sides and the way Wood structured their initial vocal harmonies. It provided the melodic backbone before Wood decided to get loud and weird.
Duane Eddy — Roy Wood has gone on record saying Eddy’s 'twang' was his first real guitar obsession. That low-string, tremolo-heavy riffing style is the DNA for the main hook in 'Flowers in the Rain.' It’s the reason the Move’s pop songs always have a muscular, bottom-heavy feel compared to their peers.
The Beatles — The band famously covered 'Across the Universe' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' in their live shows before the versions were even cold. Wood was chasing the production sophistication of George Martin, particularly the way brass and woodwinds were used as lead instruments. Without 'Penny Lane,' you don't get the baroque arrangements on 'Blackberry Way.'
Eddie Cochran — The Move were essentially a grease-monk rock and roll band hidden under psychedelic clothes, and Cochran was their North Star. They covered 'Something Else' and 'Weekend' to keep their live energy high. That raw, driving rockabilly rhythm is what saved them from becoming too precious or flowery during the Summer of Love.
Procol Harum — Sharing producer Denny Cordell meant the Move were constantly hearing what was happening with the 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' sessions. Wood was fascinated by the way they integrated classical structures into a rock band format. You hear that influence peak when the Move started incorporating cellos and more somber, grander arrangements on their later LPs.