Move (The Move album)

''Move'' is the debut album by British rock group the Move, released in April 1968 through Regal Zonophone Records. The album features ten Roy Wood compositions, along with three covers which had been a prominent part of the group's live act. Although scheduled for an earlier release, the album was delayed by the theft of the master tapes, which led to the tracks needing to be re-recorded. The album was sporadically recorded between January 1967 and February 1968 at Advision, De Lane Lea and Olympic Studios in London, during gaps in their tight recording schedule when the group were not booked for any performances.

Highly anticipated, the album featured two previously released singles: "Flowers in the Rain" and "Fire Brigade", both of which reached the top five in the UK Singles Chart. It was the only album by the Move to feature original bassist Chris "Ace" Kefford, who left the band shortly after the record was released in spring 1968, as well as being the only one to fully feature rhythm guitarist Trevor Burton, who left during the early sessions for their follow-up '' Shazam''. ''Move'' was also the only album by the Move to chart in the UK, reaching number fifteen on the charts during the early summer of that year.

Background

The Move became a highly publicised band, signing to Deram Records in late 1966, and then released their debut single "Night of Fear" on 9 December 1966. This became their first chart hit, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart. A band fanclub newsletter released during Christmas stated that they were set to release their debut album by February 1967, with a suggested title of ''Move Mass'' by their manager Tony Secunda.''Move'' (2007 remaster liner notes, page 6) However, Secunda decided during the last second that this release would be cancelled, and instead apted the band to continue to perform publicity stunts which would put the band in the newspapers. A follow-up to "Night of Fear" came almost four months later, when "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" was released, reaching number five on the charts.

The group hoped to release the album by autumn 1967; however, in April of that year, ''New Musical Express'' announced that the Move offered a £200 reward (equivalent to £ in ) to an individual who could potentially return the master tapes back to them. These master tapes, containing ten songs, were stolen from a car which was parked on Denmark Street in the West End of London. They were later discarded by the thief, and were eventually found in a rubbish bin. The tapes were damaged beyond repair or use, and a new mix had to be performed by the engineers, further delaying the release date of the album by several months. Producer Denny Cordell also managed to switch the band from Deram over to Regal Zonophone Records.

During autumn 1967, the Move released another very successful single in Britain, "Flowers in the Rain". It charted at number two. This had the honour of becoming the first full record to be played on the newly launched BBC Radio 1, further adding to their popularity. However, keeping up with this newfound popularity became hard, and the group had a tight performance schedule. Chris "Ace" Kefford was quoted saying "The pressure of being in the charts and having your clothes ripped and hair pulled out by fans in the streets - I had scissors stuck in my eye - but for the same money I got in The Vikings."

Tying in with "Flowers in the Rain", Secunda performed another publicity stunt, by printing postcards depicting Harold Wilson (at the time prime minister and Labour Party leader) in bed with his secretary Marcia Falkender, Baroness Falkender. This prompted Wilson to sue the group, leading to all royalties going to a charity of Wilson's liking, to the loss of the song's composer Roy Wood. The scheduled follow up to "Flowers in the Rain" was "Cherry Blossom Clinic", which was backed by "Vote For Me", a satirical piece regarding corrupt politicians. This idea was shelved due to the court proceedings, as both the band and Regal Zonophone believed that it was unwise to release the potentially controversial song.

Recording

Early sessions

The first track recorded by the Move intended for an album release was a Wood composition, "Walk Upon the Water" which was taped in January 1967 at Advision Studios, London. During presumably the same session, an additional two tracks were recorded: "Move Intro" and "Move" which acted as an unofficial theme song for the band.''Move'' (2007 remaster liner notes, page 13) These tracks, however, were not featured on the final album. These were not the first attempts by the Move to record potential album or single tracks. A year earlier, they recorded "You're the One I Need", was recorded at Ladbroke Sound studios. This song was also shelved, but gave Secunda an idea of how Wood composed songs, later stating "Roy showed me some poetry he'd written. I said 'You can do it! You can start writing'".

The band then toured for several weeks, but they returned to Advision in March, and on the 23rd they taped three songs: the two Wood originals "Kilroy Was Here" and "(Here We Go Round) the Lemon Tree" and an Eddie Cochran track, " Weekend", which was the first cover to get recorded for the album.''Move'' (2007 remaster liner notes, page 14) Their second single "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" was released the following week, on 31 March. The 23 March recording sessions was the last before the master tapes were stolen from their agent's car on Denmark Street. The group then quit recording altogether for an additional four months, continuing their performance schedule. The band performed on the West German television show ''Beat! Beat! Beat!'' on 26 June 1967.

Later sessions

The band returned to Advision on 6 July to record a new Wood composition, "Flowers in the Rain", the only track recorded during this session. The next sessions occurred in August, when the group recorded "Cherry Blossom Clinic" along with "Vote For Me" at Advision on 25 August. However, the group was not satisfied with their arrangement of "Cherry Blossom Clinic", and it was discarded. After appearing on BBC
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