Exotic Mixture (The Best Of Roy Wood) - Roy Wood > Reviews > Welcome to the treasure chest

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Amazing collection from an amazing talent
Disadvantages:	Some singles still left out  -  it could have been a triple CD

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Roy Wood has had a chequered career, and to a younger generation the name may not mean much. To sum up briefly, he was/is leader of The Move, ELO (briefly), Wizzard, solo performer, multi-instrumentalist who can impersonate any vocalist at the drop of a mic, ace songwriter and currently frontman (Captain?) of Roy Wood's Army. This 2-CD retrospective leaves out the hits he had with the above-named groups, but still reveals him as a man of many faces - not to mention the multicoloured hair. 39 tracks originally issued on eight labels start with the clever novelty "When Gran'ma Plays the Banjo" (John Fogerty meets Ray Stevens with bluegrass 'jo), the haunting 1973 hit "Dear Elaine" which features lute, cello and recorder, its follow-up "Forever", inspired by Neil Sedaka and the Beach Boys, and the amazing Scottish reggae song "Goin' Down the Road" on which he plays (uses?) mandolin, bagpipes, farmyard poultry and a two-tone car horn. What else? There's a duet with Renaissance's Annie Haslam, "I Never Believed in Love", "We Are the Boys (Who Make All the Noise)", a rock'n'roll medley credited to the Rockers, a one-off group he formed in 1983 with Phil Lynott, Chas Hodges and ex-Quo drummer John Coghlan; the jazz-funk "The Stroll", which he recorded as leader of the shortlived Wizzo Band; and a handful of jazz instrumentals like "Saxmaniacs" and "Strider". It lives up to its title, and if you've ever wondered whether there was more to the man than the gold radio station evergreens "I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday" and "Flowers in the Rain", go get this at once! The booklet notes and pictures are good too.