Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Music by Decade»1960s Music
    1960s Music Music M 3 Mins Read

    Move, The

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    The Move brought a blast of Black Country grit – plus an unlikely dash of classicism – to the fey realm of 1960s British psychedelia.

    Formed in Birmingham (UK) in 1965 they had their first UK hit in 1966 with the single Night Of Fear which they followed up with a string of spectacular releases, including; I Can Hear The Grass Grow, Flowers In The Rain (a stunning example of strutting pomp rock), Fire Brigade (a wonderful dose of romping Beatlesque rock & roll) and Blackberry Way.

    “Psychedelic music is a load of shit and we get quite nasty to anybody who calls us psychedelic”, Carl Wayne fearlessly told the press while discussing their debut, Night Of Fear.

    “I’m instructed to tell you it’s all about LSD, but to tell you the truth, I haven’t a bloody clue what it’s all about”.

    move_002

    Such public pronouncements ensured that The Move would always be looked on with suspicion by a significant proportion of the underground fraternity, who felt that they were nothing more than Brummie beer boys on the make.

    Nevertheless, a combination of manager Tony Secunda’s aggressive promotion and Roy Wood’s uncanny commercial pop sensibilities meant that The Move could hardly fail.

    After their initial success with Night Of Fear – an irresistible collision of Tchaikovsky-borrowed hook line (oh alright then, it’s a rip-off from the 1812 Overture) and exploitatively lysergic lyrics – the group went one better with their next release, I Can Hear The Grass Grow.

    With even more explicitly spaced-out lyrics (example: “My head’s attracted to a magnetic wave of sound with the streams of coloured circles making their way around”) and what was to become the trademark Move sound, bottom-heavy with off-kilter harmonies and propulsive Ace Kefford bass riffs, I Can Hear The Grass Grow gave early indication of British psychedelic pop’s fascination with Mother Nature and the elements.

    It also gave notice that The Move were on the verge of becoming one of the greatest singles acts of the era.

    The group attracted considerable publicity in 1968 when British Prime Minister Harold Wilson took out an injunction to prevent the group using a satirical picture of him on their promotional material.

    move33

    After various personnel changes, the line-up ended up being Bev Bevan, Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne (ex-The Idle Race).

    Then in 1971, the Electric Light Orchestra was started as a separate enterprise which ultimately led to Lynne and Bevan moving permanently to ELO with Wood starting Wizzard.

    Carl Wayne
    Vocals
    Roy Wood
    Vocals, guitar
    Trevor Burton
    Guitar, bass
    Chris ‘Ace’ Kefford
    Bass 
    Bev Bevan

    Drums
    Jeff Lynne
    Guitar, keyboards, vocals
    Rick Price
    Bass, vocals

    Video

    Related Posts

    • 13th Floor Elevators
      13th Floor Elevators
      Featuring the yelping vocals and visionary - occasionally demented - lyrics of Roky Erickson, The 13th Floor Elevators were one…
    • Sonics, The
      Sonics, The
      A five-piece rock & roll band from Tacoma, Washington (USA), The Sonics combined the classic Northwest-area teen-band raunch with early English…
    • Ray Brown & The Whispers
      Ray Brown & The Whispers
      When Ray Brown died in August 1996, Australian rock & roll lost one of its unsung achievers. After bursting onto…
    • Fats Domino
      Fats Domino
      He was born Antoine Domino in New Orleans in February 1928, and since his first professional appearance at the age…
    • Garage Rock
      Garage Rock
      Garage rock, garage punk, garage psychedelia . . . call it what you will, but the operative word was 'garage'.…
    • Mike Sheridan & The Nightriders
      Mike Sheridan & The Nightriders
      The Nightriders were one of dozens of Birmingham bands bashing away trying to replicate Liverpool's Merseybeat sound. Roy Wood's stay…
    • Mood Six
      Mood Six
      South-west London band Mood Six first popped up in 1982 as part of Britain's short-lived pre-fab psychedelic revival. They debuted on…
    • Warm Sounds
      Warm Sounds
      Warm Sounds were a harmony duo comprising Barry Husband (aka Barry Younghusband), formerly of Tuesday's Children, and Denver Gerrard. The…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleMotors, The
    Next Article Motown

    Comments are closed.

    NC Radio Player
    Search the site

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with running costs and to keep the site running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small. 

    Thank you so much.
    Enjoy your trip in the time machine!

    You may also like

    • Tickle, The
      Tickle, The
      Having grown out of the obscure mod rock band The Bunch of Fives, The Tickle were one of the numerous…
    • Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
      Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
      Wayne Fontana was born Glynn Ellis in Manchester, England, on 28 October 1945. He started his musical career at school…
    • Tages
      Tages
      Tages were a Swedish rock and roll/psychedelic/folk band formed in the early 60s near Gothenburg. The band released a number…
    • Adam, Mike & Tim
      Adam, Mike & Tim
      Adam Sachs, Mike Sedgwick and Tim Saunders were encouraged by a friend to send a demo to Decca records who…


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.