Search - The Move :: Anthology 1966-1972

Love The Move and some tracks are 1st rate but lots of repea

B. Margolis | Minneapolis, MN United States | 11/17/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"First, UK Salvo released an excellent 2-CD set of the first Move album, complete with excellent sound, some first-time stereo, and great packaging.



Then, they issued superb "Shazam" and "Lookin' On" reissues, both with excellent sound and lots of new stereo.



Finally they issued this boxset and in the main, it's a major disappointment.



First off, the plastic CD holders are the most complicated and poorest designed ever and if you don't drop or break the CD, you'll be darn lucky. Absolutely awful.



Disc 1 has a handful of excellent never-before-released tracks in mono and they're great. The remainder of disc 1 is stuff previously released on Salvo and those horrible, stupid "enhanced stereo" tracks, which they claimed were done for some unissued 1972 vinyl LP. Absolutely worthless, unless you get off on the first Elvis album in phony stereo.



Disc 2 is the best thing here; the complete live Marquee 1968 session in proper stereo, and with the exception of a few badly distorted vocals ("Fire Brigade"), this stuff has never sounded better.



Disc 3 is nearly a total washout except for the live "Open Your Eyes". More "enhanced stereo" and the remainder are repeated tracks found elsewhere on the Salvo reissues.



Disc 4 opens with a cool 1969 live "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" and the remainder is the same tracks that have reissued over and over again.



So, a difficult CD tray situation and 75% worthless repeats makes this a boxset that you should get only if you can a hellava deal for it.



I love The Move and Salvo's previous releases are first-rate, but this boxset is jam packed with repeats, phony stereo tracks and only about 1/4th of the set is exciting. If you're a fan like I am, you too will be disappointed."

THE MOVE-40th ANNIVERSARY ANTHOLOGY

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 11/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Four discs 57,39,58,58 minutes each approximately. The sound is improved from the MOVEMENTS box set from a few years ago. Having been a Move fan since the days of vinyl(I still have the albums of course) I'm glad that this anniversary edition contains so many unissued tracks. Saying that,I still feel the best way to understand The Move is through their first few albums. Someone new to The Move will better enjoy this collection after having heard those albums.



The Move were a curious amalgam of several things-a large dose of pop music mixed with humor,slamming rock and roll,a bit of the "Mod" sound,a bit of psychedelia,and a bit of British dancehall much like the Kinks. Even today,forty-some years later,The Move are still not relegated to the upper echelons of more famous contemporary groups. They were(and continue to be) the quintessential sounding British band. Having few chart hits sealed their fate and made them the much loved cult band they are to this day. This set contains many gems either rarely or never heard,which only solidifies their stature. Singling out any tracks would not help other listeners,as everyone has their own favorites,and will find new ones.



This box set,while fairly expensive,is worth the money,if for nothing else than the unissued tracks which give an even better picture of this band,which is still the best yet most unknown of the "British invasion" groups from so long ago. If you want to get away from the "Stones,Beatles,Who" sound-pick this up,and while you're at it,pick up The Move's first few albums-you won't be sorry.



The enclosed booklet is crammed with information and pictures from the era,and is a nice addition to the story of The Move. The folded poster is ok-nothing that great,but the "postcards" are pretty cool-with information and photographs on individual band members. The packaging of the four discs is not the best-clipped in loose-they could fall out easily. Pick this up before this,too,goes the way of the thirtieth anniversary set MOVEMENTS-difficult to find."

Great music, short run time

Kevin D. Rathert | Carbondale, IL | 07/26/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Being a long time fan of Roy Wood and the Move I was excited when Salvo announced this box set. I have mixed feelings about it, so let me share them with you. First, I was really let down by the short, 200 minute, run time. That doesn't even fill 3 discs let alone 4. Bummer! The box is half unreleased material, exactly 31 of 62 tracks see light of day for the first time. Not an automatic plus, but in this case its the best part of the package. The 72 page booklet rocks. The guys at Salvo put lots of tlc into the sound and booklet. So 5 stars on that account. Like the 4 disc Peter Green anthology on Salvo the box design is the pits. I've written them letting them know that its risky every time you take a disc out, because the way they're packaged in pairs, you take one out, its mate slides everywhich way. If you're lucky. If not, it comes completely out and you risk scratches. I had a friend who had to have 3 copies shipped to him because the discs were damaged in shipping. Drag! The price is down to earth. Now. Started way too high, but now even the list is reasonable, so you can pick a copy up for about $25 plus s & h. Cool! Ray Wood is a musician's musician and thus some of his stuff is a bit quirky to say the least. But the pre-Jeff Lynne Move had a real knack for hit singles, in the UK, absolutely ignored stateside. Bummer. But the songs sound as fresh in 2009 as they did in 1966=1969 before Lynne left the Idle Race and the Move morphed into ELO. Looking On was pretty good, even Message to the Country, their final lp had lots of bright moments, but for most of us, the early psychedelic Move is where its at. Wood never touched drugs, so it goes to show good psych doesn't require the ingestion of controlled substances. At their best, like "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" and "Cherry Blossom Clinic" the Move had a wonderful mixture of pop and rock, and boy can Roy play. Guitar, sitar, you name it. Problem was he was too talented and was easily bored so he kept stretching out and the Move never quite had an album that stuck together, save perhaps their first eponymous album. The songs varied so widely on albums that people here in the States, unaware of the wonderful singles, couldn't put a handle on the Move's place in rock and roll history. In the UK, the hit singles became a yolk around their necks, and their label and music buyers saw them as a singles only band. What a shame. Lots of really interesting stuff on the lps. So without big lp sales, and no exposure of the singles in the US, the Move quietly flew in under the radar and just as quietly became ELO. The first ELO album, with Roy on board, was where he was headed musically, but again no commercial appeal. Wood split, Lynne took over, ELO II with its extended version of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" hit big and ELO became larger than life. Wood, meanwhile, continued/continues to put out quirky stuff with Wizzard cum Wizzo, etc. Bottom line, this box set has wonderful moments, all the great singles, the complete concert which was released as an EP "Something Else" in the UK, and has alternate versions and unreleased material galore. Kudos to Salvo. The sound is exquiste. Ditto to Salvo. But why the short run time? They stretched the 1st lp into a very interesting 2 cd set, why only 50 minutes per disc? No explanation there. Sum it up now. The set is worth its weight due to the excellent sound, unreleased material, and great booklet. Don't overpay, however. The short run time cuts the value. The Green anthology runs 270 minutes. Why only 200 here? But with the price properly adjusted, this is a must have for anyone remotely familiar with the Move. Roy Wood is a wizard and his lead guitar/vocal/songwriting work are impeccable though quirky. Buy it, listen to it, love it. 4 stars for short run time. 5 star quality, 4 star value."