Brontosaurus (song)

"Brontosaurus"
Single by The Move
from the album Looking On
B-side	"Lightning Never Strikes Twice"
Released	March 1970 (1970-03)
Format	7-inch single
Genre	Hard rock[1] art rock[2]
Length	4:25
Label	Regal Zonophone
Songwriter(s)	Roy Wood
Producer(s)	Roy Wood
The Move singles chronology
"Curly" (1969) "Brontosaurus" (1970) "When Alice Comes Back to the Farm" (1970)
"Curly" (1969) "Brontosaurus" (1970) "When Alice Comes Back to the Farm" (1970)

"Brontosaurus" is a song by rock group The Move, written, sung and produced by Move guitarist Roy Wood.

Release

Released as a single early in 1970, it was also included on the band's Looking On album later that year. With its aggressive guitar riff and growling vocal, the song marked a major shift in sound compared to their previous, more pop-orientated single "Curly", presumably Roy Wood's attempt to put some distance between the band and former vocalist Carl Wayne, whose "Middle of the road" leanings caused disagreements with the other members.

This song was the first Move recording made after former Idle Race front man Jeff Lynne had joined, and he contributed guitar and piano. Lynne had been recruited into the group with the main aim of developing the embryonic Electric Light Orchestra, though they were contractually required to keep The Move (with their proven track record as a hit singles outfit) functioning in order to help finance the new project. This single (including its B-side, "Lightning Never Strikes Twice") was the only Move production after Lynne's addition that was credited solely to Wood; all subsequent releases (including the first ELO album) were credited to both Wood and Lynne.

When The Move promoted it on Top of the Pops on BBC TV, Wood - who had never appeared on television as the group's frontman before - appeared in the makeup that he would later develop two years later as the leader of Wizzard.

Cover versions

• Tim Curry, of The Rocky Horror Picture Show fame, recorded a version of this in 1978 on his first solo album, Read My Lips.
• Cheap Trick recorded a cover which was included as a bonus track on the Japanese version of their 1997 self-titled album. It was also released as a B-side to the single "Baby No More".
• The guitar solo from "Brontosaurus" was used in Cheap Trick's cover of another The Move song, "California Man", which appeared on their 1978 album Heaven Tonight.

References