The Move this weekend. Recorded in Stockholm for Sveriges Radio on December 15, 1967
Why The Move were not household names on this side of the Atlantic in the 60s is something of a mystery. Their debut U.S. lp, Shazam had all the earmarks of something that would get massive airplay on the FM Underground circuit. Their singles were tight, hook-laden with just the right set of minutes to be qualified for Top-40 airplay. But somehow it didn’t stick.
Since 1967 was such a watershed year for music, a lot of noteworthy albums and bands went largely unnoticed simply from the onslaught of groups and new releases flooding both sides of the Atlantic, seemingly all at once.
That’s not to say the music of The Move was largely ignored – it wasn’t. They were gathering an audience in the FM underground and a few of their singles brushed by the charts for a few short weeks.
But by and large, The Move were a band musicians knew about or people who kept their ears peeled for new music were discovering – telling their friends, reading articles in the growing population of Rock magazines and newspapers.
But it was a situation of “almost – but not quite” in their case, and it was frustrating. Eventually leading to their demise in the early 1970’s and resurrecting as The Electric Light Orchestra and achieving what they didn’t as The Move in a much shorter amount of time.
But back to this particular concert – broadcast live over Swedish Radio and recorded off the air on December 15, 1967. Not the worlds greatest sound quality (a lot of shrill sound and thumping bass), but enough to give you an idea what an energetic band The Move were during this time and why they were huge in Europe, despite whatever the reaction was in the States.
The Move were a great band, somewhat overlooked over time and undeservedly so. My suggestion would be to have a listen to this one and go exploring. All their catalog is available through one channel or another and would be a huge benefit to experience them if you haven’t before.
In the meantime . . .
