Wizzard of Wood
Far be it for me to lumber Roy Wood with a title which is likely to cause him embarrassment, but after talking to fellow musicians, hearing his work and learning of his forthcoming ventures, how about "The Sound Of '73" for starters? 'Cause he could well be among the front-runners of the British music scene ere long. The ever-ambitious founder member of the Move, the Electric Light Orchestra and now Wizzard, will have two albums out early in the new year, tour America with his new band for the first two months of 1973, undertake a 45-minute TV show and play three weeks of concerts in
Germany before April. That should be enough for anyone, let alone one of Roy's frail appearance.
He was sheltering behind his customary tinted glasses when he arrived on my former East London manor mid-way through a wet Sunday morning prior to a gig there. Nick Mobbs, the friendly Harvest label manager, had laid on lunch of delicacies like cockles, prawns, bangers and mash and beetroot.
Wizzard's album is tentatively scheduled for January release and it was about the record that we spoke first.
"It's worked out terrific considering we've only been together three months," Roy commented. "It's mostly what you might call rock and roll, with leanings towards jazz, and classical in parts. There's a brass band part. We played all the instruments ourselves.
"One track called 'Wear A Fast Gun' I'm quite pleased with it's got a brass band with a cello movement."
As with most things in which Roy has a hand, Wizzard is less than normal, con- sisting as it does of two vocalists who also play guitar, a pianist, electric cellist, two saxophonists who play four instruments between them and two drummers. How did it all come about?
"I conceived the sound first by doing my solo album ("Boulders", set for February/March 1973) and there were two tracks on that which I formed the band around," he explained.
"It's a bit like a modern version of the John Barry Seven or Lord Rockingham's Eleven. As the situation with the ELO got
easy to get the band together because people weren't tied up with contracts."
After only two weeks rehearsals, Wizzard went straight on the road because, as Roy put it, "we didn't want another thing like with the ELO and people asking 'Will it ever happen?' "
He needs time to look at the band again now that it's been working for a while and says: "My own personal criticism of the band at the moment is perhaps the music is a bit samey, rock and roll from start to finish. We've got one idea where Rick plays acoustic guitar and the rest of Us form a woodwind section."
As the room filled up with other musicians I asked Roy how he felt about going to America so early in the band's career.
"We might be better off playing in America than over here, because I've been associated with the Move and I've got a certain image to shake off," he reasoned. "In America there's nothing like that to worry about."
Comments