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Can you hear the grass grow?  An oft-circulated set by Birmingham’s legendary Move is finally receiving an official release courtesy of Right Recordings! Live at the Fillmore 1969 chronicles the band’s stand at San Francisco’s legendary Fillmore Auditorium on October 16-19 of that year; The Move joined Joe Cocker and the Grease Band and Little Richard on the bill!  The new 2-CD set is being released thanks to the cooperation of Sue Wayne, the widow of late singer Carl Wayne, and arrives in the U.K. on February 13.

Although Fillmore 1969 has been previously available as a digital download, the 2-CD edition has additional content including a 10+-minute version of “I Can Hear the Grass Grow” as well as a near 11-minute recollection of the band’s 1969 U.S. tour by Bev Bevan, later of Electric Light Orchestra.  The tapes from The Move’s shows at the Fillmore West were saved by Carl Wayne over the years but deemed to be of less-than-sufficient quality for release.  According to Right Recordings’ press release, “Carl began restoring the tapes in 2003. Sadly Carl died in 2004 and was never able to complete the live album he believed would show how incredible The Move was as a live band. Now, with the full co-operation and permission of his wife – Sue Wayne – the tapes have been painstakingly restored, remastered and released in memory of The Move’s dynamic front man and lead singer.”

Naturally, Roy Wood’s Move originals figure prominently in the two sets heard here, but some well-selected covers are also present.  Disc One’s set beings with a heavy, super-charged take on Todd Rundgren’s “Open My Eyes,” originally performed by The Nazz.  Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil’s “Don’t Make My Baby Blue,” first recorded by Frankie “Jezebel” Laine, also gets a hard-rock makeover.  Still less likely is the band’s take on Tom Paxton’s folk standard “The Last Thing on My Mind.”  Of the Wood compositions in this set, “Cherry Blossom Clinic (Revisited)” injects classical sensibilities into the psych/prog arrangement, presaging Wood’s work with the early Electric Light Orchestra, and the band chose the shimmering “I Can Hear the Grass Grow” as the finale, with a thunderous Bevan drum solo.

Hit the jump to Move along to Disc 2, plus the full track listing!

Disc Two’s set kicks off with an extended “Fields of People,” and also features a unique performance of “Hello, Susie,” a Wood song that provided Amen Corner with a hit.  After having played a Mann and Weil song, The Move turned to another Brill Building team, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, for the majestic “Goin’ Back.”  Finally, another Nazz song, the lesser-known “Under the Ice,” closes out this set.  Bonus tracks include additional performances of “Don’t Make My Baby Blue,” “The Last Thing on My Mind” and “Cherry Blossom Clinic (Revisited).”

The Right Recordings release also includes a 12-page booklet with photos and memorabilia as well as commentary from Move members.  Live at the Fillmore 1969 streets in the U.K. on February 13, and should arrive on American shores on February 21.  You’ll find a pre-order link below!

The Move, Live at the Fillmore 1969 (Right Recordings RIGHT116, 2012)

CD 1

1. Open My Eyes
2. Don’t Make My Baby Blue
3. Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited
4. The Last Thing On My Mind
5. I Can Hear The Grass Grow

CD 2

1. Fields Of People
2. Goin’ Back
3. Hello Susie
4. Under The Ice
5. Additional Night Performances: Introduction
6. Don’t Make My Baby Blue
7. Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited
8. The Last Thing On My Mind
9. The Move’s 1969 USA Tour Recalled By Bev Bevan (Bonus Track)