The first song played on BBC Radio 1 provoked a lawsuit from UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
9/10
Flowers in the Rain—The Move
Topped the NZ charts for 1 week, starting on 24 November 1967.
More about my NZ number #1 project.
The Move
There was a lot of great British pop/rock music in the 1960s, and Birmingham psychedelic rock band The Move are sometimes overlooked. They never made an impression in the US. They morphed into Electric Light Orchestra, who were much more successful in the States.
But leader Roy Wood is a talented writer, an English eccentric whose quirky songs fitted well into psychedelia. Wood wasn’t the lead singer in the band’s early years – Carl Wayne provides lead vocals on ‘Flowers in the Rain’.
Flowers in the Rain
The Move had already released a couple of standalone singles, but ‘Flowers in the Rain’ was the first single from their debut album. It was based on a book of fairy tales that Wood wrote at The Moseley College of Art.
Assistant producer Tony Visconti, later famous for his work with Bowie, supplied the arrangement with oboe, clarinet, cor anglais, and French horn.
It was blocked from the top spot in the UK by Engelbert Humperdinck’s ‘The Last Waltz‘, but made it to the top of the NZ chart.
The song’s promotional strategy provoked controversy. Manager Tony Secunda organised a postcard of then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson naked in bed with his secretary. Wilson sued and asked the band to donate the single’s royalties to the Spastics Society and Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
My Verdict
The Move aren’t quite in the same league as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or The Kinks, but they’re still a terrific 1960s band. They have songs I like even more, like ‘Blackberry Way’, but ‘Flowers in the Rain’ is still excellent. I especially like the bridge, which feels like a more manic version of the verses.
The aftermath
The Move arguably never quite fulfilled their potential. After Jeff Lynne joined, they morphed into Electric Light Orchestra and sold millions of records in the 1970s with hits like ‘Mr Blue Sky’ and ‘Telephone Line’.
Wood left ELO after a couple of albums, but enjoyed solo acclaim with Boulders, and released a relatively respectable Christmas hit (‘I Wish It Were Christmas Everyday’) as the leader of Wizzard.
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They do sound very Beatles- ish
Yeah, they’re almost the closest facsimile of that 1967 psychedelic Beatles sound that I can think of. But with their own style rather than just copying.
That postcard is bizarre, I never knew that story. The Move had some great singles – I love ‘Fire Brigade’.
I didn’t know about it either until I was reading up on it – certainly a fun nugget.
I like the Move but think of them as a B-grade band. Wood was a prolific writer but IMO not on a par with Davies, Townshend, Argent, Marriott-Lane, Barrett, etc. (Won’t even mention Nanker Phelge or that team from Liverpool.) I wouldn’t mind checking out a Wizzard album, though. Don’t think I’ve ever come across one in a U.S. record store.
If Kinks, Who, Stones, and Beatles are the A-grade, Wood is near the top of the B-grade for me. Maybe didn’t stay at the top as long as the heavyweights, but some great moments.
THE MOVE were one of my many favourite bands in the sixties. Their most astonishing song, in my humble opinion, was THE FIRE BRIGADE but I have always been fond of FLOWERS IN THE RAIN too. Still have a greatest hits album I often play !
Thanks for writing in! I’ve been listening to them a bit lately – gone back to check out the albums. I have a lot of time for them.
Their singles were so damn catchy and good. I never knew about the cover…lol that is great. Love the video…that was the 60s and 70s way…find an open field on a sunny day with a fisheye lense and action. good song.
Yup, lots of good singles, especially early on.
I thought I didn’t know “Flowers in the Rain” based on its title, but once I started playing the clip, I immediately recognized it – great song! When it comes to The Move, the song that always comes to my mind first is “Blackberry Way” – a true ’60s gem in my book!
Yup – Blackberry Way is my favourite from The Move too.