The Move – Looking On

This is the move’s last album before forming ELO and to my ears is their best regular album from top to bottom. The 2 Lynne tracks are very original and hold your attention throughout their 6+ minute run times. Even Bev puts forth a great rocker with Turkish Tram! The peculiarly titled “Turkish Tram Conductor Blues” which channeled their best Eric Clapton led Cream exhibited healthy doses of a strangely incongruous sitar and sultry sax solo whereas “What?” sounds a lot like the proto-makings of the following year’s “Mr Radio” which would appear on the debut ELO album. Lynne’s “Open Up Said The World At The Door” carries on where “Shazam” left off with an intricately designed mix of clever melodies, creative counterpoints and beautiful vocal harmonies that proved Lynne was the ultimate collaborator for Wood’s similar musical visions and a veritable vocalist in his own right. Also on the work table, Lynne and Wood would create the much loved “10538 Overture” but held it back to be included on the future ELO project. Despite existing as THE MOVE, the arrival of Lynne showcases LOOKING ON as a sort of proto-ELO collection of tunes that exists in some strange limbo between the 60s move sound and snippets of ideas that would fully gestate into the later ELO projects. Much ELO material was actually written and held back during this period.

As for the pressing, these OG Fly pressings can’t be bested so pick one up for between $60 and $90 in VG+ or better for its sound quality, great packaging and collectibility.