2 tracks · 4 min
Released in 1972 as a single with "Do Ya" as the B-side, this was The Move's last official single release. The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), originally conceived as a side-project to The Move, issued its first single, "10538 Overture", a month after this track. A pastiche of Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Larry Williams, the composition is recorded in a high energy rock 'n' roll style, with lead vocals by both Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, then jointly leaders of both ELO and The Move. California Man reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1972. In the US the single was issued on the United Artists record label. It was flipped after release, when Jeff Lynne's "Do Ya" B-side proved more popular. It became The Move's only US charting single, peaking at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1972. Only Wood, Lynne and drummer Bev Bevan appear on the recording. The picture sleeve has an older picture of The Move, including bassist Rick Price, who was no longer a member of the group by then. The Move's version of the song never originally appeared on one of their studio albums, however it does appear as a bonus track on the reissue of Message from the Country.
