The Move: "Chinatown" Single (1971)

The Moves ""Chinatown" backed with "Down on the Bay", was released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK by Harvest Records (catalog number HAR 5043) on October 1, 1971.

This release marked The Move's final release under their original name before fully morphing into ELO. It captured the band at a crossroads: Roy Wood's whimsical songwriting met Jeff Lynne's emerging production polish, recorded alongside ELO's debut album sessions at Philips Studios in London. Produced by Wood and Lynne, the single blended semi-acoustic folk-rock with glam-tinged melodies on the A-side and a retro rocker on the B. Despite critical favor—Carl Wayne called it his favorite Move track—it peaked at No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart, a modest showing compared to their earlier smashes, possibly due to the shifting rock landscape. In the US, it appeared briefly on MGM (K14332, quickly withdrawn) then United Artists, with an edited "Chinatown" (trimmed to ~3:09 from the full 3:40 album version), but saw minimal promotion and no chart action.

A-Side: "Chinatown"

Penned by Roy Wood, this evocative track (3:40 full length) paints a dreamy, exotic portrait of urban escapism in a bustling Asian quarter, with lyrics evoking lanterns, jasmine tea, dragon kites, and fleeting romance: "I could find a good time girl in Chinatown / Dancing in my shoes / See the eastern ladies walk in Chinatown / Chain me down, Chinatown." Its semi-acoustic arrangement—gentle guitars, subtle brass, and Wood's soaring falsetto—shifts from folk introspection to a catchy, melodic chorus, earning praise as one of the band's most underrated gems. Critics hail its "fantastically melodic" vibe, bridging psychedelia and the softer glam of T. Rex. The album version appears on Message from the Country (1971), but the single edit tightens the flow for radio.

B-Side: "Down on the Bay"

A Jeff Lynne composition (4:12), this upbeat, '50s-inspired rocker channels doo-wop energy with quacking duck sound effects (a Lynne quirk) and playful bayou imagery. Lyrics nod to simple pleasures like fishing and flirtation: "Down on the bay, where the fishin's good / And the girls are lookin' fine." It's a lighthearted foil to the A-side's poetry—straightforward, guitar-driven fun with harmonies and a stomping rhythm—but doesn't quite match "Chinatown's" depth, serving as a solid, nostalgic B-side rather than a standout. Lynne's hand here foreshadowed ELO's pop craftsmanship.