after the second and greatest, Shazam
(in his own words)
CW: "No one knew who The Move were in America. We were early, following the likes of The Beatles and Joe Cocker, but it was really just another English band to them - 'oh, these must be good because they've come to America.' If The Move in its original form had gone over, we would have blown America apart, purely on the stage act!"
The Move's second album "Shazam" was described by Rolling Stone magazine as a masterpiece but the songs (one side written by Wood, the other featuring very inspired covers) were also a true representation of their live set. "Hello Susie" and "Beautiful Daughter", arguably Roy Wood's finest song for The Move, contained a stellar vocal performance by Carl Wayne and made a fitting farewell to the group for the lead singer in January 1970.
CW: "The truth of me leaving was that Roy tired of cabaret - and I don't blame him. He was tired of doing all those variety clubs and similar places. I do think it was rather unfair of the group to blame me for that because it was they who wanted to be away from Don Arden and to go with Peter Walsh, the ultimate cabaret specialist. So it wasn't me that decided to play those cabaret venues, it was the management and the agency who put us in there.
The final blow was when Roy threw a glass at somebody in the audience, in Sheffield I think, and almost took his eye out. I said, 'I'm sorry but that' s the end of it. I can't be doing with that. I'll go and smack someone but I ain't going to throw glasses at somebody!"
Briefly existing as a three-piece until Jeff Lynne left the respected Idle Race (who had earlier covered Wood's "Lemon Tree") his joining The Move was primarily to facilitate Wood's daring new group concept, the Electric Light Orchestra.
CW: "The split started before the glass throwing, when we were coming down the motorway one day. Roy and the others told me that they were going to finish with The Move and do ELO. I said 'let me keep The Move and you go on into ELO. If you've decided that's where you're all going to go, go now, but let me keep The Move.' My plan was to bring Ace and Trevor back, let Roy write the records, and we would have taken it to another area, which may have been more interesting. But they said 'no, we're gonna keep it going till it suits us to drop it' and I remember saying that I felt that was f**king selfish, despicable. So I said, 'f**k you! I sack you all!' Well I knew I couldn't! That was the last throw of the dice - so I walked."
From
[
classicrock.about.com]
