Label: Repertoire Records (Germany), REP 4692-WY
Style: Art Rock, Hard Rock
Country: Birmingham, England
Time: 76:00
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 396 Mb
I had always thought of 'Looking On' as the Move's "forgotten" album but in the big scheme of things it may be their most significant as it was the first album to be recorded by the line-up that (minus Rick Price) would become the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Although the group had already begun their transition towards ELO, the Move ironically entered their most prolific period regarding the number of records they made during that time. This was mainly due to the combined songwriting efforts from the emerging genius of Jeff Lynne along with that of proven hit-maker Roy Wood.
By the time Looking On was recorded, The Move had stopped touring and limited their number of live appearances so they could concentrate more on writing and recording. Looking On has the indications of a band breaking away from the past and exploring new musical directions. Along with the beginnings of ELO, you can also detect the seeds of Roy Wood's Wizzard and the sort of experimentation he would further explore on his solo albums 'Boulders' and 'Mustard'.
Looking On is by far the heaviest album by The Move and certainly their most experimental up to that time. The original release contained only seven tracks with each ranging from about four to ten minutes long. The best known of these is 'Brontosaurus' that came out as a single and was a hit for the band in 1970. The lesser known follow-up 'When Alice Comes Back To The Farm' was also featured on the album. Most significantly, Looking On was the first Move album to contain only all original material as composed by Roy Wood and former Idle Race front-man Jeff Lynne.
The first of the two Jeff Lynne compositions on the Looking On album titled 'What?' features the highly-melodic, haunting, and somewhat "melodramatic" quality that would become a trademark of the "ELO sound" during the 1970s. On this one, there's no mistaking that distinctive Jeff Lynne vocal that would within a few years become familiar to record buyers around the world. The second Jeff Lynne track 'Open Up Said The World At The Door', appears to include a lot more input from Roy Wood as he harmonizes on the lead vocal with Jeff and provides instrumentation such as oboe and electric sitar. This track also has an incredible drum solo, the recording of which is reversed before the song ends with a long fade-out.
(brumbeat.net/revmove2.htm)
01. Looking On (07:51)
02. Turkish Tram Conductor Blues (04:48)
03. What? (06:43)
04. When Alice Comes Back To The Farm (03:44)
05. Open Up Said The World At The Door (07:14)
06. Brontosaurus (04:28)
07. Feel Too Good (09:35)
08. Wild Tiger Woman (02:41)
09. Omnibus (03:58)
10. Blackberry Way (03:42)
11. Something (03:13)
12. Curly (02:45)
13. This Time Tomorrow (03:42)
14. Lightning Never Strikes Twice (03:12)
15. Something (Italian) (03:00)
16. Wild Tiger Woman Blues (02:29)
17. Curly Where's Your Girlie (02:47)
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