Wizzard
|
Wizzard was a Birmingham band formed by Roy Wood, former member and founders of bands The Move and Electric Light Orchestra. Not long after the release of Electric Light Orchestra's first album, Wood decided he wanted to head off in a different musical direction and left, taking band members Bill Hunt and Hugh McDowell with him, to found Wizzard.
The band produced two albums before Roy Wood dissolved it, scoring their biggest hit with the 1973 single "See My Baby Jive", Wood's faithful and affectionate tribute to the Phil Spector "Wall of Sound". Wizzard however returned with a third album in 2000.
The band's 1973 Christmas single "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" has become something of an annual fixture on British radio and television (along with Slade's "Merry Christmas Everybody").
Albums - Wizzard Brew (1973 - co-engineered by Alan Parsons), Eddy & The Falcons (1974), Main Street (2002).
Singles - "Ball Park Incident" (1972; #6 UK), "See My Baby Jive" (1973; #1 UK), "Angel Fingers" (1973; #1 UK), "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" (1973; #4 UK), "This Is The Story Of My Love (Baby)" (1974; #34 UK), "Are You Ready to Rock" (1974; #8 UK); "Rattlesnake Roll" (1975), "Indiana Rainbow" (1976), "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" (re-issue) (1984; #23 UK)
Wizzard is also emblazened on the brim of the hat of Rincewind, a failed wizard in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books.