Wizzard

Collects five of his original albums, in card LP replica sleeves! Features The Move's "Message From The Country" (1971), ELO's "Electric Light Orchestra" (1971) and Wizzard's "Wizzard Brew" (1973), plus his solo releases "Boulders" (1973) and "On The Road Again" (1979). Roy Wood is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of these bands. The BBC has described Wood as being "responsible for some of the most memorable sounds of the Seventies" and "credited as playing a major role in the Glam Rock, Psychedelic and Prog Rock movements".

This 21-song set is representative of Roy Wood's always inventive work with the Move, Wizzard, and as a solo artist. It contains no fewer than three U.K. number one hits, in addition to the seasonal "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day," and which usually makes a chart appearance during the holidays. And the sound quality is uniformly fine, which certainly hasn't been the case with some reissues like The Best of & the Rest of Roy Wood & Wizzard, which is something of a companion piece to this disc. The songs range from the strongly Beatles-influenced early Move singles ("Blackberry Way") to their heavier, later material ("California Man" and "Brontosaurus," both of which have been covered by Cheap Trick) to the Phil Spector homages of Wood's rock & roll big band Wizzard ("See My Baby Jive," "Ball Park Incident," and "Angel Fingers") to sumptuous solo pop confections ("This Is the Story of My Love"). A gifted writer, arranger, and producer, Wood is an underappreciated original whose music should appeal to any fan of classic rock and pop.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to launch their new Reactive imprint, dedicated to reissues of classic German rock, in April 2010 with the first ever UK CD release of the stunning "Symphonic Pictures" by Schicke, Führs & Fröhling. Drummer Eduard Schicke, Keyboard player Gerd Führs and guitarist and bassist Heinz Fröhling were a uniquely gifted trio who blended ambient synthesiser music and space rock with jazz rock to create a style all of their own. "Symphonic Pictures"was their debut album, originally released on the Brain label in 1976. A classic of the genre, this expanded CD reissue has been newly re-mastered and also includes a bonus CD of a rare live performance by the band recorded in 1975. This Reactive reissue includes liner notes by Heinz Fröhling.