Track Listing

1. Looking On
2. Turkish Tram Conductor Blues
3. What
4. When Alice Comes Back To The Farm
5. Open Up Said The World At The Door
6. Brontosaurus
7. Feel Too Good
8. Wild Tiger Woman
9. Omnibus
10. Blackberry Way
11. Something
12. Curly
13. This Time Tomorrow
14. Lightning Never Strikes Twice
15. Something
16. Wild Tiger Woman Blues
17. Curly Where's Your Girlie

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #165288 in Music
• Released on: 2002-06-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered, Import
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
The Move's classic third album is often misunderstood, considered an awkward heavy metal bridge between the powerful mod-pop blasts of THE MOVE and SHAZAM! and the more subtle, classical influences of 1971's MESSAGE FROM THE COUNTRY. Whilethe album does have a certain lumbering quality--only sevenlengthy tracks--it's also surprisingly graceful. The first Move album to feature Jeff Lynne as leader Roy Wood's creative foil, LOOKING ON hints at the classical experiments of MESSAGE and Wood and Lynne's first album as the Electric LightOrchestra, with strings and oboe colouring the multi-part title track and "Feel Too Good". Meanwhile, the single "When Alice Comes Back to the Farm" features the sort of demented '50s updates Wood further explored in his post-ELO band Wizzard. Finally, there's the classic "Brontosaurus", an aptly-titled FM radio staple. This excellently remastered reissue gives due credit to an underrated gem.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful, progressive thunder from the Black Country
Four hairy, bearded Brummies walk into a studio in 1970, wearing shades (probably).

Bev Bevan (drums & percussion), Rick Price (Bass), Jeff Lynne (piano, guitar, etc.) and Roy Wood (any and every instrument he had at his disposal).

I remember buying this album on vinyl back in the early 1970s. The two singles ('Brontosaurus' and 'Alice') were the heaviest and loudest the Move ever released. I loved the way Roy Wood gave the vocals everything - this before the days vocalists experimented with megaphones. He continued to adopt this style of delivery later on with Until Your Momma's Gone and Wizzard's debut 45, 'Ball Park Incident' amongst other classic Wood compositions.

On first listening, 'Looking On' left me dazed. The only hint that these hit single-makers may head in a darker direction was the blistering 'Hello Suzie' - the opening track on the previous 'Shazam' album.

The opening title track (very Sabbath) and the closing 'Feel Too Good' are epic monsters - both long multi-instrumental songs dominated with heavy guitar riffs and drums. These, and Bev Bevan's 'Turkish Tram Conductor Blues' - again, vocals by Roy Wood along with the two singles are not the whole story, monumental though they are.

This was the first time Jeff Lynne worked in the studio with The Move after Wood finally persuaded him to replace original front man Carl Wayne.

On subsequent plays, I found that the brace of Lynne songs: 'What?' and 'Open Up, Said The World At The Door' balance the whole album with their experimental effects and Jeff's now-familiar voice. A very definite nod to the future ELO.

The album closes with an unlisted bit of studio fun (a prank to be repeated on the following years 'Message From The Country' - the only Wood/Lynne co-credited song ever - the silliness of 'My Marge'). A much-needed lightness to ease the senses after all the heaviness. Recent sources identify this as 'The Duke Of Edinburgh's Lettuce'.

While I'm on trivia - rumours did suggest PP Arnold contributed backing vocals to `Feel Too Good' - her itinerary at the time of recording matches this possibility. Back then, I believed this is mere speculation, though I loved the image it brought to mind. Recent research for the anniversary edition confirms this is indeed true, our first lady of soul is contributing along with Doris Troy...wow. The stuff of legend.

And more recently, this track can be heard on the soundtrack (CD Vol II) to the film Boogie Nights.

So, although the heaviest album either Wood or Lynne ever recorded, do not be fooled by first impressions. This session uses many, many instruments not usually associated with rock'n'roll. But never over-used: there's no wall of sound here. It's raw and nasty, melodic, twangy and inaccessible (at first) - in some places there are soundscapes so trippy you'll wish they would never end. After all this was originally a seven-track prog-rock session. Seven long tracks.

This CD reissue includes singles and b-sides belonging more to the `Shazam' era (but there was probably no room for any more bonus tracks on that CD) - but when these four boys checked into the studio to record this album no one ever saw The Move as flowery sixties popsters again.

Thirty-five years on I'm still playing it and never tired of listening to it from the opening drums of the title to the closing barrelhouse of The Duke's Lettuce...ah, nostalgia. Love it you guys.

monstrous!
amount of tracks (not including bonus tacks) :7
excellent :4
v.good :1
good :2
fair :0
poor :0

if you wanna know where queen 'borrowed' their style from look no further than this album. the move were a quite fantastic pop act, and of roy wood there can be no praise high enough - surely THE most under-rated british songwriter of them all. the moves pop hits during the late 60's were easily as good, if not better, than anything the beatles or the stones were turning out (especially 'blackberry way' surely one of the greatest singles ever released) by 1970 the band were close to imploding, theyd released the patchy 'shazam' which, however, contained one track 'cherry blossom clinic', which was a staggeringly good song and was kind of a pointer for where they were going next.

which was here! in 'looking on' the band straddled the heavy rock sound which peaked in 1970 (even genesis were heavy in 1970!!), and came up with a real masterpeice. the album is very heavy, but with a very unusual and completely original sound. listen to the track 'open up said the world at the door' and then tell me that queen didnt base their entire sound on the move! right down to the multi-tracked harmonies

this is quite simply an incredible, indispensible slice of pop/rock/heavy rock/metal/prog/folk history which defies categorization! (as you can tell!)overlooked for too long, the move were one of the greatest bands of all time , and as for roy wood, well, the man was a musical genius. buy this album and i promise your chin will be on the floor in amazement at its brilliance! class with a capital C