The Evolution Of California Man

This is the original version of “California Man” as written and performed by The Move’s Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood. Cheap Trick covered the song to top 10 fame many years later. That video is the second one. It turns out that Cheap Trick’s lead guitartist and primary songwriter, Rick Nielsen, was a “Move Head”, heavily into and heavily influenced by this legendary, cult, groundbreaking, multi-era instrument-weaving, at times avant-garde to dadaistic, at times straight rock, at times kinda like drunk on shrooms, but always deeply rooted in vaudeville, seminal 50′s American rock or late Beatles, with one notable Country and Western exception, “The Ben Crawley Steel Company”, which concludes with a vengeful, explosive act of violence.

Lynne of course went on from “The Move” to found and front both ELO and The Traveling Wilburys. He’s the one at the keyboard with the hat and shades. You’ll also notice future ELO drummer Bev Bevan, playing the same here.