“Flowers In the Rain”: An Overdue Look at The Move

From “Blackberry Way” to festive favorite “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”, Roy Wood has written the hits, and then some. And yet he has been inexplicably underlooked in the canon of rock literature, despite his obvious musical prowess. Thankfully, Jim McCarthy’s Flowers In The Rain: The Untold Story of The Move steps in to rectify this gap, a competent melting pot of shrewd research and journalistic acumen.

More specifically, McCarthy’s work centers on The Move, a psychedelic English outfit that influenced such noteworthy songwriters like Paul Weller from The Jam (he pens the forward to the book.) The Move benefitted from Wood’s innovative sensibilities, but Bev Bevan – who toured with Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath in the 1980s – brought muscle to the outfit.”There was a really raucous vibe to Bev’s drumming, particularly in the early days,” McCarthy notes. “As well as his naturally, thunderously loud drumming style. This both excited and pushed The Move’s front line hard.”

Bevan and Wood proved to be the two constant members, but The Move was also notable for Carl Wayne’s vocal stylings – not forgetting Jeff Lynne who contributed the jaunty numbers  “Do Ya” and “The Words of Aaron” to the group during the early 1970s.

Their live stage was marked by an anarchic energy that matched Bevan’s barrelling drum parts: one of the band’s rituals included smashing televisions onstage. It was a time of cultural upheaval, as guitars rumbled across the theatres, capturing a youthful resolve to tear down and start anew.

The Who, The Rolling Stones, and The Yardbirds brought a frenzy to their stagecraft, culminating in a choreography of anger which The Move brought to another level. By 1967, these physical antics were considered somewhat passé, and considering that they had been banned by the Rank Organisation one year prior, the group wisely changed course. It didn’t impact their sound, leading a fan in Belfast to remark, “It was one of the loudest concerts I had ever heard in my life. It was so loud you could literally feel  your insides resonating — along with your chair.”

They courted controversy, although found themselves in hotter water than anything they may have imagined when “Flowers in The Rain” was issued. As a stunt, a postcard came out depicting British Prime Minister Harold Wilson in mid-coitus with secretary Marcia Williams. The fracas resulted in a lawsuit, and Wood was required to donate his royalties to charity in compensation. It was a blow, but Wood’s desire to create rapier-sharp pop remained.

Paul McCartney name-checked The Move in an interview with Melody Maker; he considered “I Can Hear The Grass Grow” a “..really nice single.” Beggars Banquet producer Jimmy Miller produced “Blackberry Way”, a wistful tune that Wood later declared his favorite among The Move ballads (as well he should; he sang it himself.)

McCarthy notes that despite the torrent of books on Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, there had not been a work on The Move. He’s right to corner the market, and does so nicely, bringing a lightness of touch and jocular humor that matches the band’s kitsch nature.

From the fiery early performances to the latter-day studio albums (featuring Bevan, Lynne, and Wood as a trio; a proto Electric Light Orchestra), The Move had a trajectory eerily similar to the one Blur enjoyed in the 1990s. Perhaps they were too far ahead of the curve? Or maybe they felt that their music was too expressive for audiences at the time?

Either way, The Move was (frequently)magnificent and this piece of writing does their legacy proud as a piece of journalistic history.

-Eoghan Lyng

Photo: Cover of Flowers In the Rain (fair use)