Main Street 2000 Album

Wizzard

Wizzard's run in the public eye crashed on the rocks of indifference and record company intrigue behind the scenes as Wood and his merry band had the intent of recording a double album - one side dedicated to a fictional 1950's rock and roll band, and the other given over to extended jazz-rock material. Long story short, Wood's record company was not fond of the idea, and only allowed the group to record the 50's tribute album as one studio record. When the time came to record the jazz-rock album (Main Street), they were not enamored with the result and shelved it for nearly 25 years, until a re-issue label called Edsel re-released it with Wood's blessing. The one thing both albums lacked was the excitement and volatility from Wizzard Brew or the early singles. There are residuals to be heard from the Eddy and the Falcons project, but it dissapates as you make your way through the album. Main Street is on a whole other wave length altogether. This is not jazz-rock of the Steely Dan or even the 1970's fusion variety - rather, like his earlier works, Wood delves back into his influences, and the end result has more affinity with the big band music of the 40's and 50's than anything else. All of this is fairly interesting - especially if you are a Roy Wood fan - but to the average listener, it tends to go over one's head, so overall, tread lightly.