Bev Bevan Looks Back on The Move, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd

In a 2018 interview with Prog, former ELO and Black Sabbath drummer Bev Bevan reflected on the rise and fall of The Move, the band he helped propel through the mid-to-late 1960s. Despite scoring nine Top 20 hits and boasting the combined songwriting and creative talents of Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, Bevan identified three major factors that worked against the band achieving massive global success: a missed touring opportunity in America, a damaging libel lawsuit, and constant line-up shifts.

Management Mistakes and the US Tour That Never Was

Looking back at their heavyweight management, Bevan noted that while Tony Secunda was an inventive manager, he made costly errors. Chief among them was failing to send the band to America between 1967 and 1968, a move Bevan believes would have established them Stateside before they finally toured there in 1969.

Secunda also engineered the controversial release of a libelous postcard depicting Prime Minister Harold Wilson in bed with his secretary Marcia Williams to promote “Flowers In The Rain.” While the stunt generated front-page news, it cost the band their royalties, with Roy Wood losing his songwriting royalties—a legal battle he has continued fighting to this day.

Touring With Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd

In 1967, The Move took part in a famous package tour alongside Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, The Nice, and Eire Apparent, playing two shows a night in theaters. Bevan shared distinct memories of sharing the bill with rock royalty, recalling that Pink Floyd—who opened the first half playing just two songs, “See Emily Play” and “Arnold Layne”—kept to themselves.

“Pink Floyd were difficult; they kept themselves to themselves,” Bevan said. “Nick Mason was fine, but drummers always speak to each other. I remember Syd Barrett being a bit weird. He seemed out of it most of the time.”

By contrast, other tourmates left a warmer impression. Amen Corner asked Roy Wood to pen a track for them, resulting in the major hit “Hello Susie.” Meanwhile, Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding, and Mitch Mitchell proved to be gracious tourmates. The Move closed the first half of the nightly shows with a half-hour set, leaving Hendrix to close the second half—an act Bevan admitted nobody wanted to follow.