The Moody Blues

[iamwhatiseem]

In 1964 a very young Justin Hayward played/sang in a band in Wilshire that opened for The Hollies.
2 years later, Eric Burdon (The Animals) was looking for a guitarist and met Hayward who auditioned for him. Burdon passed, but was impressed with his vocals and introduced him to Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues who wanted a different vocalist for the band.
Two days later Hayward became the lead vocalist for The Moody Blues.
Pinder and his band members won the musical lottery by choosing Hayward who within months, wrote the songs for Days of Future Passed - released in 1967.

Including this one... hard to believe that a 20 year old wrote these lyrics.

 

[hjmick]

Great band, often forgotten and not often played on the airwaves.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Great band, often forgotten and not often played on the airwaves.

i think they were the 1st rock band to do an LP with a full classical orchestra....

 

[JoeB131]

Great album!

 

[iamwhatiseem]

i think they were the 1st rock band to do an LP with a full classical orchestra....

That album was based on Haywards belief that they were on the eve of mankind's self destruction. Not in the sense of violence, but lost in modernity and greed.
He was right of course.

 

[rightwinger]

Under appreciated band. Their production quality was outstanding.
Nights in White Satin is an all time great song

 

[Harry Dresden]

Under appreciated band. Their production quality was outstanding.
Nights in White Satin is an all time great song

that LP was one of the great ones of the 60's....

 

[iamwhatiseem]

i think they were the 1st rock band to do an LP with a full classical orchestra....

It is unbelievable that they managed to get a recording company to go along with it.
By 1967 every music genre that existed was literally running away from orchestral instrumentation. It was all about the 3-4-5 piece band, all about guitars and keyboards replacing 100s of instruments.
This album is a one and only. Not rock, not classical, not blues, not country... something else.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Under appreciated band. Their production quality was outstanding.
Nights in White Satin is an all time great song

I always liked lyrics. So for me, the best song was Question. Incredible that it was conceived by a 20 year old. Way ahead of his age, and his time. When everyone else was excited about the social changes and economic growth etc. of the late 60s - Hayward was seeing something else.

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

From Children's Children's Children

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I think Hayward has a little Brian Wilson in him.
They created music no one did before them, or afterward.



I worked like a slave for years,
Sweat so hard just to end my fears.
Not to end my life a poor man,
But by now, I know I should have run.
Run, run my last race,
----------
Left school with a first class pass,
Started work but as second class.
School taught one and one is two.
But right now, that answer just isn't true.
My world is spinning around,
Everything is lost that I have found.
People run, come ride with me,
Let's find another place that's free.

 

[Mashmont]

In 1964 a very young Justin Hayward played/sang in a band in Wilshire that opened for The Hollies.
2 years later, Eric Burdon (The Animals) was looking for a guitarist and met Hayward who auditioned for him. Burdon passed, but was impressed with his vocals and introduced him to Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues who wanted a different vocalist for the band.
Two days later Hayward became the lead vocalist for The Moody Blues.
Pinder and his band members won the musical lottery by choosing Hayward who within months, wrote the songs for Days of Future Passed - released in 1967.

Including this one... hard to believe that a 20 year old wrote these lyrics.

This is one of my favorite albums. Played this while driving my young children around, and now they know it.

 

[Harry Dresden]

From Children's Children's Children

a very underrated LP.....

 

[iamwhatiseem]

This is one of my favorite albums. Played this while driving my young children around, and now they know it.

Interestingly enough, a lot of critics hated it at the time. Saying the album could have propelled the Moddy Blues to the stratosphere of Beatles/Zeppelin if they wouldn't have included the melodic/poetic parts of the songs and concentrated on the parts that most people only know. Most people who have listened to songs like Nights in White Satin/Question/Ride my See Saw have never heard the whole songs. Radio understandably cut out all of the artistic intros as well as the orchestral parts within the songs. Ride my See Saw is just under 5 minutes, the radio version is just over 3 minutes, cutting out almost 2 minutes of the song.
Who knows... the critics may have been right. The orchestral/poetic parts on their albums confused many people who probably got tired of having to hit the FFWD button all the time.

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

Interestingly enough, a lot of critics hated it at the time. Saying the album could have propelled the Moddy Blues to the stratosphere of Beatles/Zeppelin if they wouldn't have included the melodic/poetic parts of the songs and concentrated on the parts that most people only know. Most people who have listened to songs like Nights in White Satin/Question/Ride my See Saw have never heard the whole songs. Radio understandably cut out all of the artistic intros as well as the orchestral parts within the songs. Ride my See Saw is just under 5 minutes, the radio version is just over 3 minutes, cutting out almost 2 minutes of the song.
Who knows... the critics may have been right. The orchestral/poetic parts on their albums confused many people who probably got tired of having to hit the FFWD button all the time.

I dunno...they weren't pop..but they were popular. Days of Future Passed was the first 'concept' album, IMO. Sgt. Peppers...and Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys get a lot of the credit for this--being 'the first'..but Days of Future Passed took a day..one eternal day...and immortalized it in music. Conceptually and musically they blew the other bands of the time away.

 

[Mashmont]

It is unbelievable that they managed to get a recording company to go along with it.
By 1967 every music genre that existed was literally running away from orchestral instrumentation. It was all about the 3-4-5 piece band, all about guitars and keyboards replacing 100s of instruments.
This album is a one and only. Not rock, not classical, not blues, not country... something else.

I always thought it was an "anything goes" era, with the weird nonsensical stuff being put out by the LSD bands including the Beatles. What was one more oddity?

 

[BlackSand]

.

My Favorite ...
Talking Out of Turn



.​

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I dunno...they weren't pop..but they were popular. Days of Future Passed was the first 'concept' album, IMO. Sgt. Peppers...and Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys get a lot of the credit for this--being 'the first'..but Days of Future Passed took a day..one eternal day...and immortalized it in music. Conceptually and musically they blew the other bands of the time away.

I remember a number of times when I was a teenager, laying in bed...eyes closed... and listening to this album and loving every second of it. It is a journey. Listening to this album is never the same experience. No matter how many times you listen to it.... your mind travels to different places, whether it be memories or fantasies.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I remember a number of times when I was a teenager, laying in bed...eyes closed... and listening to this album and loving every second of it. It is a journey. Listening to this album is never the same experience. No matter how many times you listen to it.... your mind travels to different places, whether it be memories or fantasies.

i used to do the same thing only with headphones on and a nice buzz going.....