In a 2018 interview with Prog magazine, former ELO and Black Sabbath drummer Bev Bevan reflected on his earlier band The Move, who seemed poised for major success in the mid-to-late 1960s but never quite achieved it. Bevan identified three specific setbacks that held the group back: a missed touring opportunity, a damaging lawsuit, and a disruptive line-up change, despite the band's strong creative output and camaraderie with contemporaries such as Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix on shared bills.

Bevan recalled The Move as a band that gave its members total creative freedom, allowing him to play however he wished without pressure to simplify. He singled out their 1969 album Shazam as his favourite for its eclectic mix, noting that by the time of 1970's Message from the Country, the band had even incorporated country influences, reflecting how quickly their sound was evolving during this period.