Track Listing

1. Message from the Country
2. Ella James
3. No Time
4. Don't Mess Me Up
5. Until Your Mama's Gone
6. It Wasn't My Idea to Dance
7. Minister
8. Ben Crawley Steel Company
9. Words of Aaron
10. My Marge
11. Tonight
12. Chinatown
13. Down on the Bay
14. California Man
15. Do Ya

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #329641 in Music
• Released on: 1994-07-26
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Roy Wood & Jeff Lynne's MASTERPIECE
When Wood & Lynne joined forces, they wanted to create something new-- but for the first 2 albums they did, the record label refused to let them use the name "Electric Light Orchestra"! Nevertheless, I view this in many ways as being the 2nd ELO album. While the 1st, LOOKING ON, was a raw, wild, experimental stage, I feel they really got it together on MESSAGE FROM THE COUNTRY, which is presented here in its entirety (and, unlike the US repackage, with the songs in the correct running order!).

"Message From The Country" is sweeping and majestic, very much a precursor to the later "10538 Overture". "Ella James" shows the rough side of Wood while "No Time" is the surreal side of Lynne. The fun kicks in with "Don't Mess Me Up", a tribute to Elvis. "Until Your Mama's Gone" is both powerful and goofy at once. "It Wasn't My Idea To Dance" is hard to describe-- how many rock bands would have an oboe as a lead instrument? "The Minister" seems a tribute to The Beatles' "Paperback Writer" in sound & style. "Ben Crawley Steel Comapny" is another fave of mine, a Johnny Cash tribute. "The Words Of Aaron" is one of the high points of the entire album-- like "Message", only more so-- absolutely STUNNING! Finally, how many are even old enough to recognize "My Marge" as a RUDY VALLEE tribute?

What sets this CD apart from the multitude is the fact that it's the FIRST time all 5 of the follow-up "A" & "B" sides have appeared together in once place-- and in sequence! "Tonight", "Chinatown" (this turned up in a porno movie once-- WOULD YOU BELIEVE it?), "Down On The Bay" (possibly my FAVORITE Jeff Lynne rock & roll songs!!--with Jeff paying tribute to The Big Bopper--hard to believe it was "only" a "B" side!), "California Man" (Roy's tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis-- covered to GREAT effect by Cheap Trick) and finally "Do Ya" (in the US this became the "A" side-- in effect, that made their last single a double-sided 45!). After years, I've come to like The Move's version of "Do Ya" even more than E.L.O.'s. POWERFUL!!

In addition (not that they needed anything else) somebody tacked on the goofy rock & roll diddy from the end of LOOKING ON (it's at the end, you can skip over it easy) and a radio promo for the album. The package also contains reproductions of the various LP covers over the years (can't anyone just reissue an album with its original art?) and a THOROUGH list of the band's LP and 45 releases. YOWZA!

Finally, just to get "technical" about it, you should program this WITH the 1st ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA album (that's NO ANSWER in the US) as the "California Man" / "Do Ya" single really came out 6 months LATER, making it the "grand finale" of the Wood-Lynne collaboration.

A misnomer, but not bad ...
"Great Move" is a bad move if you're looking for the definite collection of the Brit pop group. None of their early singles are here -- actually, nothing before 1970 is here.

"Great Move!" should have instead been subtitled "The Jeff Lynne Years," as it covers the last album the band did with Lynne (Message from the Country) and three strong singles -- "Tonight," "Chinatown," and the original version of the classic "Do Ya." ELO fans should hunt this out as a primer to Lynne/Wood's later orchestral stuff (which they were working on simultaneously to all of this); Move fans should seek this out for the great singles (and bonus tracks) at the end to round out the band's history. Throw this in with the "Movements" box set by Westside Records, and you've got the Move from start to finish.

Greatness From England via Roy Wood & Jeff Lynne
This is NOT the "best" of The Move - it's a repackaging of their final album - plus a few singles. That said, this IS great Move music - Wood & Lynne & Bevan continue their slightly cracked take on British pop & rock. It's certainly easy to understand why this band didn't sell well in America: horrible cover art, no radio airplay, and no American tours to speak of. That aside, this album is full of musicianship (these guys were VERY accomplished players), great production (you will listen to this album over and over - and still find new things to delight your ears) and a sense of humor that is matched only by The Bonzo Dog Band. Put this on, turn up the volume, and revel in latter-day Move.