Night of Fear
B-side “Disturbance”
Released December 1966
Format 7″ single
Recorded 1966
Genre Freakbeat, psychedelic pop
Length 2:18 (mono)
2:21 (stereo)
“Night of Fear” is the title of The Move’s debut single. It was written by Roy Wood. The main riff and the bass line in the chorus derived from Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
At one point, it was intended that its B-side “Disturbance” would be The Move’s first A-side, but “Night of Fear” was eventually chosen as it was deemed to be more commercial. It was released in December 1966, and reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart on 26 January 1967, staying for ten weeks in the charts. The song features all four of The Move’s vocalists: Carl Wayne, Trevor Burton, Ace Kefford and Roy Wood in four-part harmony, primarily featuring Wayne and Wood with Kefford singing the chorus “Just about to flip your mind, just about to trip your mind”.