Science Fiction in Classic Rock by Robert McParland

Author:Robert McParland
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McFarland
Published: 2017-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

Roy Wood’s Wizzard

Roy Wood, meanwhile, played a role in glam, psychedelic, and progressive rock. His solo albums included Boulders (1973) and Mustard (1975), with vocal appearances from Annie Haslam and Phil Everly. The band’s name suggests musical magic. They performed their first concert at Wembley stadium on August 5, 1972, and then went on to play at the Reading Festival.

As ELO became the consummate pop singles band, Roy Wood took a different direction. Wood costumed his glam rock act. Wizzard’s Brew (1973) was a jazz inflected recording. Wizzard’s next recording, Introducing Eddie and the Falcons (1974), was styled more commercially. Wood also released his solo albums Boulders (1973) and Mustard (1975). Wizzard dissolved in 1975. Warner Bros., their record company, found the recording Main Street was not commercial enough and the record languished. In 2000, Main Street finally was released. Wizzard produced several non-album singles: “Ball Park Incident,” “See My Baby Jive,” “Angel Fingers,” “This Is the Story of My Love,” and “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.” Wood had clearly taken a progressive and less commercial direction with his music, away from the pop orientation of his former band mates with ELO.

ELO’s sheer pop music popularity may have caused some grumbles from people who rejected formulaic pop or shallow escapism. Yet, they were accomplished musicians with a strong sense of vocal harmony. They emphasized studio production and arrangements that some people found overblown. Rock musicians may dissociate themselves from pop music, regarding what they do as a separate art. At an MTV activity Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, in 1992, declared: “This has nothing to do with Michael Jackson.”5 He might have added that his band’s music had nothing to do with bands like ELO either.

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