May 11, 2016 – SMART

MOVE (3CD Remastered/Expanded Deluxe Digipack Edition. The Move I was delighted to see this release. The Move were one of the first ‘name’ bands I worked with on Hastings Pier back in 1967, so a large dollop of nostalgia involved. This was the debut album released originally in April 1968. What a debut! Containing some of the best tracks, in my opinion, they ever released. ‘Here We Go Round The Lemon Tree’, ‘Walk Upon The Water’ ‘Cherry Blossom Clinic’ ‘Flowers in The Rain’ and the gorgeous ‘Mist On A Monday Morning’ to name but a few. Ive always put Roy Wood right up there with Lennon/McCartney and Ray Davies as one of the best songwriters we have ever produced. This is a lavish package, featuring the mono mix of the album plus 52 (yes you read that right!) 52 bonus tracks all beautifully remastered. Alternate takes, studio sessions, interviews its a huge affair. ‘Night of Fear’ and ‘I Can hear The Grass Grow’ have never sounded this good. There just isn’t enough space to list all the treasures here present. The Move always were and will always remain one of my favourite bands for their live performances, dynamic singles, and capturing an era in music when anything seemed possible and Britain was the centre of the musical world. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

SHAZAM (Remastered) The Move Two years on in February 1970 and the band were starting to gain a ‘heavier’ sound which would lead to tracks like ‘Brontasaurus’. Shazam captures them at that turning point. ‘Hello Suzie’ is a good example of this heavier approach, even though of course Amen Corner had a hit with their cover ‘poppier’ version. ‘Beautiful Daughter’ and ‘Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited’ are pure joy. The bonus tracks include the international number one ‘Blackberry Way’ the witty ‘Omnibus’ the irrestible ‘Curly’ and a personal favourite in ‘Wild Tiger Woman’ which, to be honest was a flop as a single by their standards, something I never understood its as well written, commercial and catchy as say ‘Fire Brigade’ but somehow didn’t capture the publics attention. Again the 14 tracks including the bonus ones are beautifully remastered and render previous releases redundant. There will be more releases to come in this series and I eagerly look forward to receiving them!

For more information go to http://www.cherryred.co.uk

Til next time……….

Colin

https://www.facebook.com/hastingslocal.bandphotos?fref=ts

So there we all were again for the second coming (this century!) of Andy, Tony, Jaffa, Laurie, or simply our very own local (Hastings/Bexhill) heroes Factory. After the re-union gig last October at the Carlisle the guys promised a return and return they did and this time with the extra treat of an album, a physical CD we can hold in our hands! Ok, I know these days music comes out of the air in files or whatever and I may be a luddite but I like something I can hold/look at/read etc. Anyway..after the ever excellent Roger Carey and Steve Cooke the boys hit the Marina stage and from ‘Call of the Wild’ to ‘Time Machine’ 18 songs later they ROCKED! with an energy and passion and yes..love for what they do, I said it before after the re-union gig and i’ll say it again the sheer energy and stamina on display would defeat many much younger bands. Whether old favourites or new material it all delivered. Highlights were many I particularly enjoyed Lightning From Heaven, Scarlet Lady, Am I Mad, Jig a Jig and Lady Muck where Andys keyboard skill and artistry reminds me so much of Ray Manzarek. Tonys fiery pyrotechnics on guitar and violin are a joy to watch, while Lauries ‘Moony’ antics and Jaffa’s solid bass bring it all together. So glad they did their ‘nod’ to the Roger Daltrey days with Behind Blue Eyes in the encore too, always one of my favourite Who tracks. Another great night for us all. If you didn’t make it along you can at least as aforementioned now enjoy a Factory CD!

This is where I put my professional journalist/reviewer hat on….how im supposed to be dispassionate is another matter…! Opening with a sample of the original recording of Time Machine before sliding into Call of the Wild, followed by Castle on the Hill (originally of course b side to Time Machine) the boys take us on a 15 track trip which rocks, lulls at times and has an overall ethereal quality that pervades the brain. There is a lot to absorb, all tracks are written by the band and I found it interesting that Tony’s compositions are intrinsically ‘english’ in feel/whilst brother Andys songs (in the main) have a whiff of the US West Coast about them, all those years in L.A.? They of course may well disagree! Jaffa’s ‘Howard’ is just great, a dark fable John Entwhistle would have been proud of. Harvey Summers has done a great job on production at capturing the Factory ‘sound’. Its just great after 40 odd years to have something tangible to listen to. One niggle…it would have been great to have had ‘bonus’ tracks of crowd pleasers par excellence Jig-A-Jig/Behind Blue Eyes maybe ‘live’, but I can see it from both sides of the coin! But very happy to be ‘Back In The Time Machine’. Till next time……. Colin

Neil Steadman… The Factory video has turned out well Alan. It’s on a mobile but the quality is surprisingly decent. Great on the main home system. Their sound balancer knew his job.

Alan Esdaile… I think that was down to Roger Carey.

Neil Steadman… Hats off to them.

Teresa Qunta… EXCELLENT review of the Factory Marina Fountain gig AND the Back in the Time Machine CD! (Available on CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, etc!!)

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell. Reviews The Move 3CD Remastered and Shazam CD.

SMART SOUNDS – Factory gig Marina Fountain 29th April 2016 and cd review by Colin Bell