Moody Blues discussion thread. (1 Viewer)

[StephenA]

The Beatles thread gave me the idea to start a thread on my favorite group the Moody Blues. I like their stuff '64 to '81 best. After Mike Pinder left, I think the quality in their music went down. I don't like the electronic, '80s sound Patrick Moraz brought to the band. I like instrumental, lush, soothing sound of their '60s and '70s stuff.

My favorite albums by them are:

Days of the Future Passed

In Search of the Lost Chord

Qustion of Balance

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

Prelude

I've seen them 4 times in concert, and their lead singer Justin Hayward once. I really wish Mike Pinder would return.

Put your opinions and stuff on the band in this thread.

 

[Jagan Seshadri]

I've always loved the fast acoustic guitar strumming of "Question", but I've only ever heard Moody Blues singles here and there on the radio. I'm a fan of Hayward's singing voice for sure. Good range and not tinny like so many of today's male vocalists.

-JNS

 

[MikeAW]

Saw them in concert for their "Question" tour, and love them up until and including that time. "Question of Balance"

is my favorite album.

Their latest music still holds up, surprisingly well today. They seem to have a strong following, which they rightly deserve after all these years. They know how to entertain, which is a quality sometimes lost on the newer groups.

 

[Jeff Leeds]

I picked up their concert DVD that had a DTS track, it rocks big time. I love their music and I've turned alot of people onto them. They are one of those bands that people say "ya, I've heard that sound never knew who sang it."

Underrated band for sure, if you haven't picked up their newest DVD get it and crank it.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

I was never a big Moody Blues fan until a friend drug me to a concert in 1984. I was amazed at how smooth Justin's voice is live.

Will have to check out the live DVD.

 

[StephenA]

My dad is who got me into them. He's been a fan since the '60s. He used to play their stuff for me when I was a baby. They've been my favorite group since I was 8, which is for 14 years.

 

[Micahel C]

I remember when their "Threshold Of A Dream" lp came out. Unlike anything that had come before. That's still my favorite lp. I have all of their lps on vinyl and quadraphonic reel to reel. For those of you that are big fans, you can't believe how good they sound in surround. Like Pink Floyd, their music was meant to be heard in surround format. "Days Of Future Passed" was released on DTS, so hopefully we'll get the entire collection done in DVD-A including Hayward and Lodge's "Blue Jays" which I also have on quad reel. One of the nice things about living here in Reno, is that they play here at least once or twice a year, so I get to see them on a regular basis. They still sound as good now as they did 30 years ago.

 

[Anthony Moore]

Threshold Of A Dream is one of the greatest albums i can think of. Good choice for a fave band. I also own the 2 disc anthology. Good stuff. Wish this one the kind of stuff on the radio these days instead of crap like Staind and Linkin Park.

 

[David Young]

Interesting point to ponder.

"Days of Future Passed" was originally conceived as a demo album for the Deramic Sound System. Be somewhat apt, then, if it were to be converted to a multi channel format (preferably SACD).

 

[StephenA]

Anyone else like them?

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

The very first concert I saw was The Moody Blues at Ann Arbor, MI's Hill Auditorium in the early 80s. I think they were supporting the "Present" album - it may have even preceded the album's release. I was 14 at the time. The opening act was Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, of whom I had never heard at the time. My friends informed me that he was "the guy who did the solos on the Bowie album".
I saw the Moodys in concert two more times since. I was big into them for awhile, but they are one of those bands for which I have yet to replace a vinyl album with a CD. On the other hand, I have everything from "Days of Future Passed" through "Present" on vinyl as well as the Hayward/Lodge "duo" album "BlueJays". I was tempted to pick up the DTS CD of "Days of Future Passed", but have yet to succumb.
Regards,

 

[Anthony Hom]

Quote:

Days of Future Passed" was originally conceived as a demo album for the Deramic Sound System. Be somewhat apt, then, if it were to be converted to a multi channel format (preferably SACD).

DOFP is a multi-channel DTS CD, available in the stores now (as is Seventh Sojourn).

When the albums was re-released in 1972, it was re-mixed for quad, so a multi-channel mix was already available for the DTS CD.

 

[Mark C.]

This group brings back memories, but not in the usual way. I spent almost the entire month of December with the Moody Blues sometime in the early 1990s. It wasn't a concert, but a trial. At that time I was a producer for a cable network covering the lawsuit Patrick Moraz filed against the other band members after he was cut loose.

He maintained he was a full member of the group with owernship rights. The other Moodies claimed he was merely a contract player hired to play keyboards.

I remember how tense the Moodies were getting (not to mention their wives) as Christmas approached and this trial continued on and on. They were worried they wouldn't be able to return home to England in time for Christmas. Well, the verdict came in midday of Christmas Eve. Moraz "won'' $72,000. Not what he expected. The Moodies had already left Los Angeles and made it home in time for Christmas.

I'll always remember hanging out with their drummer (Graham??) during courtroom breaks. He was something else. Giving me tips on how to play soccer using dirty tricks.

On the music side, Tuesday Afternoon is one of my faves.

 

[StephenA]

Graeme Edge seems like a cool guy to be with. I never really liked Patrick Moraz. Mike Pinder was way better.

 

[Jon Sheedy]

I love the Moody Blues too! My favorite title of theirs is Octave...especially "The Day We Meet Again", "Driftwood", and "Steppin In A Slide Zone". The first two I mentioned are among the most beautiful things I've ever heard recorded. Very underated album...I was excited to hear it in 1978 and enjoy it still!

Jon

 

[Marty M]

I have been a Moody Blues fan since Go Now. Anyone old enough to remember this top 10 song from 1965. I was truly amazed this was the same group that released Days of Future Past. I have fond memories of listening to this album and later releases, like in my dorm room in college in the late 60's. I finally got to see the group in concert in 1980 and they sounded great.

 

[Micahel C]

Marty,

You're giving away your age. I still have that record on 45, packed away. Went to number 20 on the American charts, but was the only hit for the original Moody Blues. Denny Laine and Clint Warwick departed shortly thereafter in '66 to be replaced by John Lodge and Justin Hayward.

From Bio:

Their big break came from Deram Records, an imprint of their Decca label, which in 1967 decided that it needed a long-playing record to promote its new "Deramic Stereo." The Moody Blues were picked for the proposed project, a rock version of Dvorak's New World Symphony, and immediately convinced the staff producer and the engineer to abandon the source material and permit the group to use a series of its own compositions that depicted an archetypal "day," from morning to night. Using the tracks laid down by the band, and orchestrated by conductor Peter Knight, the resulting album "Days of Future Passed" became a landmark in the band's history. The mix of rock and classical sounds was new, and at first puzzled the record company, but eventually the record was issued. This album, and its singles "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon," hooked directly into the musical sides of the Summer of Love and its aftermath.

 

[StephenA]

I figured I'd see if anyone else likes the Moody Blues. I wish more younger people liked them or even heard of them. My sister likes them now too, and she's 12.

 

[Greg Smith]

I recently posted another thread about the Moody Blues, specifically about their album "Long Distance Voyager." I'm not that familiar with the Moody Blues' music, but I've heard Days of Future Past and I prefer Long Distance Voyager.

To recap my other thread: I had Long Distance Voyager as a kid and listened to it quite a bit. I recently purchased it on CD and it sounds so, so, so good. Very, very well engineered. I couldn't find any flaws (though I'm no audio engineer). Some of the acoustic numbers are just absolutely lush. I think this album would be a must-get in SACD or DVD-A. Highly recommended.

 

[StephenA]

I think Long Distance Voyager is their last good album. I like some of their newer songs, but that's the last full album of their's I like. To me their best recordings was between '65 and and '78. I think Mike Pinder had alot to do with it, and when he finally left they changed for the worse, at least in my opinion.