The Eighties began with a flurry of activity as Roy released two singles almost simultaneously and formed a powerful touring band by the name of Helicopters. Production work with a wide variety of artists followed, along with collaborations with Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Phil Lynott, Rick Wakeman, Carl Wayne and a wonderfully irreverent romp through Abba’s "Waterloo" with Doctor and the Medics. 

The decade played host to ten solo singles and a superb album, "Starting Up" which displayed all the originality and diversity for which Woody had become famed.

The early Nineties were spent mainly in his own studio writing and recording.  However, live work called again and Roy launched the twelve piece Roy Wood Big Band. This band has now evolved into an exciting new venture, Roy Wood’s Army, which features a stunning, seven piece brass section, (six of which are female!) playing all Roy’s hits & songs written especially for his sparkling new band!

Some of Roy’s most recent ventures include playing with Cheap Trick at an all-star charity concert in New York and accepting invitations to perform live with the cream of artistes from a new generation, including Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller, Dodgy and Reeves & Mortimer whilst Mark Lamarr and Sean Hughes acclaimed Roy as an all time hero when he appeared with them on Never Mind The Buzzcocks! Recently, Radio 4 devoted a documentary programme to his life, whilst a further example of the wide reaching respect commanded by Roy is his inclusion in the exclusive group, the Society Of Distinguished Songwriters along with all time greats such as Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Graham Gouldman. Woody is a SOD and proud of it!

 An extensive and highly successful tour of the UK with Roy Wood's Army culminated in a headlining performance at Birmingham's Millennium Celebrations, which was relayed worldwide by the BBC. In May 2001, Roy achieved one of the music business's highest accolades when he was honoured with an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection.

Roy’s next project was the release of his album, "Main Street". Although the songs were recorded in 1976, it was never released at the time. The original tapes were discovered and after a little digital ‘tweaking’, the CD was released on Edsel Records, with sleeve artwork by Roy himself! The jazz-influenced style has not dated and the music sounds as fresh and innovative as one has come to expect from a man of such legendary creative stature.
March 2002 saw Roy's return to the U.S. With Army in tow, four nights at the Village Underground marked his first official New York appearance in 28 years! Mojo's David Fricke wrote:
"Confronted with three decades of pent-up Yankee love in this basement room, he proved there's no substitute for hearing 10 of British pop's biggest and brightest hits played and sung by the composer, in a youthful tenor that betrayed few of his 55 years."

Despite this critical acclaim and admiration from his fellow musicians, songwriters and fans, Roy Wood's recordings have not been treated so well. Many of his original albums with The Move, Wizzard and as a solo artist have never appeared on CD or are deleted. Even Roy's master tapes were not safe, unbelievably lost or stolen as a result of management and label squabbles during the seventies. Quite simply, Roy Wood's recorded legacy had been neglected by the very industry that celebrated his songs.
This could all change. Inspired by Roy's Ivor Novello Award and continued popularity with his legion of fans worldwide, EMI, Sanctuary and Warner Bros., (the three major labels that own his catalogue from The Move's 'Message From The Country' onwards) have collaborated in recovering and restoring the songwriters' surviving master tapes. (A similar, separate exercise has been in progress since 1999 for The Move's catalogue).

 

As a result of this cross-company collaboration, 'Roy Wood - Outstanding Performer' appeared in November 2003 on Sanctuary Records, including tracks from the Jet, Warner Bros., Cheapskate, Speed and Legacy record labels. It is also the first time this material has been remastered from the original master tapes.

2005 sees the release of an expanded and remastered edition of The Move's 'Message From The Country', 'Harvest Showdown', a Harvest Records rarities and best of set featuring The Move, ELO and Roy's work as a solo artist and with Wizzard. Also scheduled, in memory of Carl Wayne who sadly died in August 2004, is an anthology of collaborations between Roy and Carl, for which Roy has remastered and acted as executive producer.

These CD's will be the first in a series of remastered releases and surprises that will continue into 2006 and will reinstate Roy Wood's catalogue and rightful position in music as "…the mastermind behind some of the most beguiling tunes of our time…" (Scott Schinder, Time Out New York, 2002).