The Move

This was the Move's last album, recorded at the same time as ELO's first. Roy Wood and Co. jam the album with references that have scholarly levels of musical smarts. Doo-wop, Jerry Lee Lewis, Southern white gospel, the Beatles, Johnny Cash and Brian Wilson all appear in one song or another amid the always-dense arrangements of Wood and Jeff Lynne. "Do Ya" and the title cut, both written by Lynne, and Wood's "Until Your Mama's Gone" are highlights. Tracks 11 through 15 were the Move's final single, and "Do Ya," later a major hit for ELO, was the Move's only song ever to chart in the U.S.

I have reservations about any record that falls into the dubious category of hard rock for critics, but am willing to grant that to climax a side of music from Brobdingnag with a Johnny Cash imitation is to show truly transcendent chutzpah. In fact, after brief acclimatization I like every cut. What seemed forced on Looking On now seems comic--there are parodies here of everything from weedy Yes-style vocals and wimpy Baby-style acoustics to rockabilly and music hall. And melodic moves that sounded glued on now seem integral. Recommended to those who like the idea of Grand Funk Railroad better than the reality. (Grade - A-)