Customer Reviews

Message From the Country

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all,I'd like to say,that with the discovery of the actual first generation mixdown masters(which were not at EMI),that the album now has unprecidented clarity.As with previous reissues(such as "Great Move") you get the bonus singles "California Man","Chinatown","Tonght","Do Ya" & "Down on The Bay".With this remaster,you also get four further unreleased selections,though the first two could be described as "Out-Fakes":an accapella mix of "Don't Mess me Up",and a remix of "The Words of Aaron" which strips the song back to just piano & vocals.The next two selections are genuine outtakes;an alternate take of "Do Ya" recorded for use by the BBC,and an alternate of "My Marge"(the original album's 1930's-style throwaway).However,most people don't realize that the album "A Message From The Country"(and its' related non-L.P. singles) & the first "Electric Light Orchestra" album were recorded simultaneously,on the same reels of tape and at the same sessions.Selections without the horns & cellos were earmarked for release under the name "The Move"(because,for commercial reasons,EMI wanted more recordings under the group's already established name),while the songs with the orchestral players were set aside for release under the name "Electric Light Orchestra".Had all the recordings been released as a double album,people would have hailed these recordings for the major achievement that they were.Both groups featured the same basic personel(Roy Wood,Bev Bevan & Jeff Lynne).Bassist Rick Price was involved at an early stage of the sessions,only to exit the group,and have his parts wiped,and re-played by Roy Wood.But,alas Wood & Lynne were each prolific writers,and each could fill an entire album without another writer,so they each started bands that were basically backing bands;Lynne's revised "Electric Light Orchestra" & Wood formed "Wizzard"

I must start this review by saying how excited and happy I am that this truly wonderful album is FINALLY being reissued- about time, too!!!! I am a huge Move fan: I love their totally unique, bizarre, zany, colorful, rumbunctious psych pop ("Disturbance"), their murky, muddy, funky, grinding, swampy hard rock ("Brontosaurus"), their sinister, epic, gorgeous, mysterious, strange progressive rock ("What?"), and their crisp, shining, melodic beatelesque pop rock ("Tonight").

Message From The Country finds the Move's music very much in the region of the last three styles that I have mentioned- this album is a very strong collection of hard, bluesy rockabilly ("Till your Mama's gone", "Ella James" and the jaw droppingly bizarre "Don't mess me up"), moody, mysterious, achingly gorgeous prog rock ("Words of Aaron", "Message From The Country"), silly, throwaway vaudeville romps ("My Marge")
and crisp, clean, beatlesque pop rock ("Tonight"). And there's also the sinister, paranoid, manaic rock of "The Minister" and the etheral, sad, atmospheric balladry of "No Time".

In my opinion, I find that this album gets unfairly underrated and ignored, simply because it is the Move's last album- All Music guide call it "pleasant enough in it's sub-White album way"- This is a grave disservice to the Move, suggesting that they are mere Beatles clones- the Move had their own strong. unique, bizarre brand of music, totally unlike the Beatles!
It seems that if a band are melodic with good vocal harmonies they are dismissed as being "Beatles-like" , like the brilliant Bee Gees were in their fantastic 60's heyday.

"Message" is even Roy Wood's fave Move album, and he'd know!

I find that the Move's music got much more atmospheric and sinister as they moved into their prog/hard rock territory, and the cantankerous, heavy, predominant bass lines, compressed, treated vocals, morbid, creepy lyrics and enigmatic, eerie arrangments (especially in the stunning "Words of Aaron")all add up to create the moving, memorable, truly unique brand of rockabilly/hard rock/blues/progressive/pop/rock that the Move perfected on this, their best album.

Don't worry, they still retained their trademark sense of fun and humour- listening to the lyrics of "My Marge" will make you cringe as they sing "She picks her nose!Throws the brown lumps over the left side, green over the left side..."- Urgh!

Roy Wood & Jeff Lynne's 2nd of 3 collaborations-- the others being LOOKING ON and ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA / NO ANSWER-- was an amazing, innovative, unique, staggering, and in places, simply FUN album. Somehow when it got imported to America, the 10 tracks were rearranged like a deck of cards, for no apparent good reason. You wouldn't THINK an album could be almost completely ruined by having this happened-- but it was. On top of that, they removed Roy Wood's bright, airy cover painting and replaced it with a dark, bizarre piece of art that reminds me of a bad impersonation of something from M.C. Escher. The one "good" thing to come out of this--albeit years later-- may have been the juke box pictured on both sides-- the inspiration for the later ELO "spaceship" logo? I highly recommend anyone buy the Import ("Message From the Country" opens that disc) as it's by far the superior version. (Or, even better-- GREAT MOVE! THE BEST OF THE MOVE, which contains the entire album intact, plus all 5 extra "A" & "B" sides from the period, including "Chinatown", "Down On The Bay", "California Man" & "Do Ya")

1. Bought a used copy of the American CD version two years ago. Hated it. Gave it to my brother. He sold it.

2. Bought a new CD copy of "Great Move! ..." with the proper English track listing, remastering, and the five non-album cuts. Can't get it out of my head. (har har)

3. The album is growing on me on ways I never thought it would. Best digested after 4-5 listenings, on long car trips through the flat, rolling Midwest.

4. The context improves when you keep in mind that some of the tracks ARE MEANT TO BE PARODIES of Elvis, Johnny Cash and the Beatles. The entire album is tongue-in-cheek, a direct contrast to its "artsy" twin, ELO's "No Answer." In fact, if you want to simulate what a Wood/Lynne/Bevan session must have been like in 1970-71, put those two discs in a player and hit the "random" button. Incredibly eclectic. And they're playing 98 percent of the instruments themselves! Think throbbing, heavy-metal bass (was it Woody or Rick Price?) and high woodwinds (think Mos Eisley canteen band from "Star Wars") and you'll have a feel for it. Slightly prog but highly cheeky. And enduring, too.

5. Bring on the EMI re-master this summer!

Alot of Move fans really like this album and I have to say it is good BUT I don't think it's as good as everybody thinks. I've had this CD for about three months now and I still think "Looking On" is a better album and that one was hated by most of thier fans. One promblem that I have with this album is that it just doesn't sound like it's finished in places. Some of the songs are great(It Wasn't My Idea To Dance, Words of Aaron, The Ben Crawley Steel Company) but others sound too much like the Beatles(say hello to Jeff Lynne). I think this album could've used a little more production work. I suspect that Roy,Jeff,and Bev only did this because they had to. The Electric Light Orchestra was what they wanted to get going. Although I think this album is flawed by what sounds like a rushed production, I still like it and think that anyone interested in The Move should hear it. I just don't think it's brilliant.

This is a monumental re-release, the sonics are much improved and the scope and expanse of the talent revealed in glorious technicolor. Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood are a human jukebox, channeling everything from Beatles pop, pyschedelia, Elvis, sitars, Led Zep riffs, lush Brian Wilson harmonies, straight-on rock, Phil Spector -- you name it -- all tied up in a fantastic bow.

The inclusion of several strong bonus tracks -- singles and b-sides released by the Move during this time frame, including the anthem "Do Ya"-- round out what is a spectacular re-release and one of the better records of the decade.

ROY WOOD PERFORMS: BENNY HILL AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION (including Jeff Lynne with the every great rock artist you ever knew or loved orchestra). Somewhere in season three of the original Benny episodes, he comes out as Roy Wood in his ultimate uber hippie imitation (hair, beard and all), performing a funny musical skit. Now I shall forever associate this album with him since images like that never give up your captive memory cells. THANKS BENNY!

This remaster is very enjoyable with many extras, released (singles, etc.) and unreleased (outtakes). The music covers every imaginable influence from the then burgeoning rock scene. Acid-rock phasey-crunchy guitars, heavy-trebly Rick bass pickings and funky hard-hitting drums cross with surf harmonies, electric folk/country and kooky doo-wop throwbacks. It's ALL mixed up in a pre-ELO orchestra of comedic madness - quite funny actually, and very experimental (they really change it up with each song). Everyone who loves rock 'n' roll will find many things to latch on to and enjoy for the long run - It's all a pleasant trip (Darth's review above does a great job on the song by song). Some of the song passages and writing/arranging are unbelievably adept at capturing the era's stream-of-consciousness higher strivings (played out in the best bands), but then switching to slapstick absurdity like the Ben Crawley Steel Co. song and a couple of others (HEY, maybe Roy and Benny were actually good friends??? That would explain a few things).

I am not well-informed enough about this band to give technical details, band history and whatnot, but my general FEELING for the band and this album is ANOTHER GREAT ONE from these guys! The influence from The Move seems to be far more widespread than many ever thought with all that was going on back then. Humor, good musicianship and creative exploration make this a full five sitar attraction to my mind (with over 75 minutes of musical mayhem that includes a juicy booklet full of interest) ~ Peace ~

i first heard this material as part of the split ends album. this is incredible music , not a bad track in the bunch. hard to say which is better this or the shazam album. right now i'm leaning towards shazam , but this is definitely an excellent , brilliant recording in its own right. lynne's ' the words of aaron' may be his single greatest piece of music ever. it is a haunting and beautifully performed track with great keyboards and it is a jazzy and heavy , tail- end of the psychedelic era masterpiece. wood's it wasn't my idea to dance is somewhat similar, another great eerie cut you'll play over and over and over again. i guess you could say that the song is somewhat bombastic, but you'll love it anyway. ' the minister' is a paperback writer knock-off that may be the only instance ever where someone totally ripped off the beatles and actually IMPROVED on them, it's an impressive and very infectious piece. until your momma's gone proves that the move could even add stunning old-time blues to their diverse palette, wood's vocals are great. the title track features a good deal of the ominous, rolling bass rythyms that characterize much of this album, as well as its predecessor, looking on.it also has earth conscious lyrics and ends with some beach boys type harmonizing. don't mess me up is fine elvis mimicry , and ben crawley has fun with johnny cash, showing the band to be excellent at tributes and pastiches. no time sounds somewhat like the bee gees with a slight hint of british isles type folk music and is a track that grows on you.my marge is a humorous 20's style song and ella james is a r and b influenced catchy pop song that would have probably been the best choice for a single off this album. somewhat strangely, only don't mess me up appeared on a 45, and that was as the b-side of tonight, which does not appear on this album. amazingly, like both shazam and looking on, this record sold poorly not only in america, where the move remained cult artists , but also in the u.k., where they were unfairly thought of as borderline bubblegum singles artists. which is a shame, as rather few artists have ever put out albums anywhere near as good as the move. this is one of those bands where it is best to own their complete catalogue , i have never heard a bad cut from the band and very very few mediocre ones, i strongly recommend this and / or any move disc.

If you enjoyed new band Lusk's "Free Mars", you'll love this CD - you can tell they were listening to it. Great progressive rock with a heavy bass and soaring harmonies. Also, some great fun to be had as the band rips off Johnny Cash and Elvis in a couple of novelty tunes that serve as a nice break from all the serious stuff. Great playing and singing throughout, and the whole album has its own feel to it that's never been duplicated.

I bought the EMI remaster of this album the day it came out. The only thing it did was upset me. The remaster is drowning in digital tape hiss removal (not to mention heavy handed digital EQ). This noise reduction (NR) caused the sound to gurgle and chirp in much the same way as low bit rate MP3s. It also makes the softer moments become very muffled sounding and the whole album sounds sterile, as if the atmosphere has been removed.

I went back and listened to this CD release and found it to be quite an accurate representation of my UK vinyl. The tonality is nice and open (with respect to the original mixes anyway) and it didn't suffer from the heavy handed Abbey Road mastering process.

Unless you have a Harry T. Moss mastered UK vinyl pressing this CD on One Way Records is the only way to hear this brilliant album.