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The Move - The Best Of The Move (1972)

Track listing:
  1. Night Of Fear 2:11
  2. I Can Hear The Grass Grow 2:59
  3. Flowers In The Rain 2:25
  4. Fire Brigade 2:22
  5. Wild Tiger Woman 2:37
  6. Blackberry Way 3:33
  7. Curly 2:44
  8. Brontosaurus 4:26
  9. When Alice Comes Back To The Farm 3:41
  10. Turkish Tram Conductor Blues 4:39
  11. Ella James 3:12
  12. Tonight 3:18
  13. Chinatown 3:07
  14. Do Ya 4:04
  15. California Man 3:36
  16. Down On The Bay 4:15
  17. Disturbance 2:44
  18. Wave The Flag And Stop The Train 2:56
  19. Lemon Tree 3:01
  20. Walk Upon The Water 3:23
  21. Omnibus 3:55
  22. Lightning Never Strikes Twice 3:10
  23. Kilroy Was Here 2:44
  24. Something (Italian Version) 3:00

Notes

One has the marvel at the recent activity surrounding the Move — from a ten-year period in which the legendary band was scarcely represented on vinyl, we're now at a point where practically every note they ever recorded for release is in print on CD, and there's even a collection of BBC performances as well as a few bootlegs circulating. This 24-song collection concentrates on their single A- and B-sides for Regal Zonophone, Deram, Harvest, Fly, and Ariola. The first 15 songs, from "Night of Fear" to "California Man," are arranged in A-side release order, and tracks 17-23 are devoted to the most relevant of their B-sides. This probably isn't the wisest way to have programmed the disc, since it means sliding through a multitude of styles and sounds across a five-year period twice, with a previously unissued Italian version of "Something" tagged on as the 24th song. Additionally, whether or not this is actually "the best of the Move" is a matter of contention — one could make a case for a compilation of that name that would draw on a few of their album tracks as well. It also has competition from Omnibus, a double-CD set containing all of their single A- and B-sides, albeit at a heftier price. On the whole, however, this disc is a good compromise, assuming one doesn't mind the separation of the single sides — the sound is very bright and almost startling in its clarity, to the point that even the mix on "Brontosaurus" is crisp, and acoustic guitar-based numbers like "Tonight" are glorious.