The Move - Do Ya (1971)

Formed in December 1965, this band from Birmingham, England had nine Top 20 singles in the UK in a five year period. In their earliest years, they were managed by Tony Secunda, a man who frequently used publicity stunts to generate conversation about the group, often getting the band in hot water. After multiple hits in the ‘60s and some personnel shifts, 1970 saw band member and primary songwriter Roy Wood dabbling with the idea of mixing classical instruments into the band’s primarily “rock” sound. As he put it, he wanted to take rock music in the direction “that The Beatles had left off” at. In January 1970, the band picked up Jeff Lynne, who promised to join only if they worked on the direction Wood had proposed as a side project in their free time. In order to complete the side project that Wood and Lynne were quickly enthralled with (as well as fellow Move member Bev Bevan by now), they had to continue recording and selling as The Move in order to generate funds. Lynne and Wood shared most of the writing and composing responsibilities for The Move in this time frame, as well as taking the band on a tour of the UK being backed by Black Sabbath. Finally, by December 1971, Lynne and Wood’s first LP from their side project was released and the Electric Light Orchestra was born. The Move was no more.

Although generally regarded as an ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) song because of their 1976 release, it was actually first recorded and released by this band in October 1971 on their last album, Message from the Country. As previously mentioned in our first feature of the group, this band never had much of a presence in the US; nearly all of their success was in the UK. This particular song, written by Jeff Lynne, was the only taste of success by the band in the US when it was released as the B-Side of a single. It reached a mild ninety-three on the Hot 100 chart, making it the only song to chart by the band in the US throughout their existence. The version heard below is the single version, missing two short verses near the end of the song. As you might expect, The Move's recording of this song is rock, whereas ELO's cover was rock incorporated with classical instruments.



The Move - Do Ya (1971)

Loading the ABLYAM player...(Might not work on mobile devices)

Lyrics:

In this life, I've seen
Everything I can see, woman
I've seen lovers flying
Through the air, hand in hand
I've seen babies
Dancing in the midnight sun
And I've seen dreams that came
From the heavenly skies above
I've seen old men crying
At their own gravesides
I've seen pigs all sitting
Watching picture slides
But I never seen nothing like you

(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
Woman
(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
I don’t see it
(Do ya, do ya want my face?)
I need it
(Do ya, do ya want my mind?)

Well, I heard the crowd
Singing out of tune
As they sat and sang “Auld Lang Syne”
By the light of the moon
I heard the preachers banging on the drums
But I never heard nothing like you

(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
Woman
(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
I don’t see ya
(Do ya, do ya want my face?)
I need it
(Do ya, do ya want my mind?)

Well, I think you understand
What I'm trying to say, woman
That is, I'd like to
Save you for a rainy day
I've seen enough of the world to know, baby
That I've got to get it all
To get it all to grow

(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
Woman
(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
I don’t see it
(Do ya, do ya want my face?)
I need it
(Do ya, do ya want my mind?)

Ah, you better me

(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
(Do ya, do ya want my love?)
(Do ya, do ya want my face?)
(Do ya, do ya want my mind?)

Look out, baby! There’s a plane a’comin’!

The Idle Race - Sitting In My Tree (1968)

Dave Pritchard, Greg Masters, and Roger Spencer had been playing together in Birmingham, England since 1959. In the coming years, their band’s name and lead singer changed frequently until, in 1964, they were led by Mike Sheridan and Roy Wood, going by the name Mike Sheridan and The Nightriders. When Wood amicably left in December 1965 to join The Move, Mike Sheridan soon parted ways, as well. In May 1966, the band picked up a young Jeff Lynne and changed their name to The Idyll Race. For simplicity’s sake, they soon changed to the spelling now seen above. Roy Wood, who had gone on to become a famous musician with his new band The Move, arranged to have his old bandmates set up with Liberty Records.

Despite being well received by critics and radio DJs, a combination of bad luck and poor promotion had left the band without a hit. In February 1969, Roy Wood extended an invitation to Jeff Lynne, asking him to join The Move. Lynne declined, not wanting to give up on his current band’s star potential just yet. That same year, Lynne’s band released their second album, Idle Race (this album produced by Lynne himself), and two singles written by him, “Days of Broken Arrows” and “Come With Me.” When all of the releases failed to reach commercial success, Lynne knew the band wouldn’t go anywhere. In January 1970, Lynne parted ways with The Idle Race to join Roy Wood’s The Move, under the condition that The Move would eventually be retired in favor of their new joint venture, a band that would later be known as ELO.

With Lynne gone, Pritchard, Masters, and Spencer hired the talents of Mike Hopkins and Dave Walker to replace him. Together, they would release their third and final album, Time Is, in 1971. That album, along with their last single, failed to chart. Pritchard and Spencer parted ways and Steve Gibbons joined the still-incomplete group. When Masters and Hopkins also quit in 1972, what was left rapidly evolved around Gibbons into the Steve Gibbons Band.

This song comes from the band’s first album, The Birthday Party, released in 1968. It was written by Jeff Lynne and features the band's most recognizable lineup: Lynne, Pritchard, Masters, and Spencer. After the rise of Jeff Lynne and his success in ELO, The Birthday Party was re-released in 1976. Neither release of the album saw any action on the charts.



The Idle Race - Sitting In My Tree (1968)

Loading the ABLYAM player...(Might not work on mobile devices)

Lyrics:

I often sit alone up in a tree
Waving to the ones that wave at me
I think, “Well, just how stupid can they be?”
Waving to a man up in a tree

What they don't know is I am counting them
I even count the ladies and the men
I put the numbers in my little book
And only me can ever have a look

All I ask is a peace of mind
Which I lost somewhere down amongst the mess
All I want is for people to be kind
And walk slower to be counted when they pass

I think, “Well, just how stupid can they be?”
Waving to a man up in a tree

I know that I will have to stop my fun
When I meet a girl who I cannot count on
Maybe marry her and happy we would be
Not counting, but just sitting up a tree

I put the numbers in my little book
And only me can ever have a look
I think, “Well, just how stupid can they be?”
Waving to a man up in a tree

Bread - Truckin' (1971)

One of the original “soft rock” bands, this Los Angeles, California group was first created when guitarist and vocalist James "Jimmy" Griffin hired David Gates to produce his next solo album. What developed instead was a band, dubbed “Bread,” in 1968. Adding guitarist and vocalist Robb Royer to the mix, the trio signed with Elektra Records and saw the release of their first album in September 1969. Although the album produced no hits, it gathered the group a following. Their highest charting single was “Make It With You,” released June 13, 1970, reaching number one in the United States and number five in the United Kingdom. None of their other hits would ever chart as highly, but other Top 10 singles released were “It Don’t Matter to Me,” “If,” “Baby I’m-a Want You,” “Everything I Own,” and “Lost Without Your Love.” Since Gates had written and sang lead on all eleven of the band’s charting singles, Elektra Records wanted to continue featuring Gates’ songs as A-Sides. Griffin felt that the favoritism was unfair and strife within the band began to grow. By 1973, the band had split up, but “best of” compilation albums released by their label put the band back in high demand. The demand was so high, in fact, that the band was coerced into getting back together to record one more album. Released in 1977, their final album, Lost Without Your Love, was backed with a nationwide tour. For the second leg of the tour, Gates didn’t invite Griffin, whom he still couldn’t get along with. At the end of the tour, the band broke up once more, not to be seen again until a “25th Anniversary” tour of the United States took place in 1996-’97.

Released on the band’s second album, 1971’s Manna, this song was written by band members James Griffin and Robb Royer. The album featured twelve tracks, six of which were penned by Gates and the other six by Griffin/Royer. The song “If” was the only successful single from the album, but the particular track below shows that the band didn’t always have to rock softly.



Bread - Truckin' (1971)

Loading the ABLYAM player...(Might not work on mobile devices)

Lyrics:

Truckin’ down the highway
Get out of my way
Always in a hurry
Always in between

That’s where you can find me
Truckin’ down the highway
Sittin’ in the cab of
A ten-ton machine

I’m gettin’ pretty tired of stoppin’
In old, run-down cafés
Someday I’m gonna find me a woman
Rich enough to pay my way

Gonna make some in-roads
Drivin’ home a payload
Truckin’ down the highway
The likes you’ve never seen

I’m gettin’ pretty tired of lookin’
In them truck-stop cabarets
Someday I’m gonna find me a woman
Rich enough to pay my way

Then you’re gonna find me
Truckin’ down the highway
Sittin’ in the back seat
Of a long limousine

Truckin’ down the highway
Get out of my way
Truckin’ down the highway…