The Moody Blues

For forty years The Moody Blues have been one of the most enduring and consistent groups in the World. Their remarkable music has enthralled generations of fans since the 1960’s and their recorded legacy contains some of the most important and ground breaking work in the history of popular music, having generated over 55 million sales throughout the world. The Moody Blues - Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge - carry on their magical musical legacy from generation to generation, year after year.

“I suppose that it is our songs, and the way we interpret them that has seen us travel so far,” says Justin Hayward. “It means so much to us that some of our recordings have really meant something to people.”

The Moody Blues legacy began in the 1960’s, when, as a highly regarded Rhythm and Blues group, they earned their first number one with the single “Go Now” in 1965. By 1967 the band had evolved into a different musical entity with the recruitment of singer and guitarist Justin Hayward and singer and bass guitarist John Lodge augmenting the line-up of Graeme Edge (drums), Ray Thomas (vocals, flute, harmonica) and Mike Pinder (keyboards). The arrival of Hayward and Lodge coincided with The Moody Blues utilising the Mellotron keyboard to great effect, giving their music a uniquely symphonic feel. Justin Hayward recalls; “We had been playing music that wasn’t suited to our characters. We were lower middle class English boys singing about life in the deep south of the USA and it just wasn’t honest. As soon as we began to express our own feelings and to create our own music our fortunes changed”.

John Lodge adds; “Back in the 60’s when the dreams of a ‘new generation’ were being born we wrote a stage show which became the album ‘Days of Future Passed.’ The theme encompassed the past, present and future experiences of our lives.” Lodge adds, “I think that this theme has continued in the music of the Moody Blues, and is a record of our generation travelling through life.”

The album was so unique in its approach, that the creation of the album became a landmark in the history of rock. Decca records, had requested that the band record an album to demonstrate a new stereo recording technique. Being a major classical label, the band was asked to record a rock version of Dvorak's 9th Symphony. The Moody Blues complied, but wanted to record it on their own terms. Behind closed doors, working with producer Tony Clarke and arranger Peter Knight, they came up with the concept of fusing classical music with rock, but created around their own compositions. The result was the album DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED, a record that today is considered a milestone in the history of rock. Two tracks were chosen to release as singles from the album. Tuesday Afternoon became a massive worldwide hit, and Nights in White Satin became one of the biggest selling singles in history, reaching the #1 spot on the US Billboard charts on three separate occasions. In Britain the single had the unique distinction of also charting three times over twelve years, attaining a higher chart position on each occasion.

After the success of DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED The Moody Blues expanded their musical canvas by exploring different types of sounds and compositions, branching out from their "symphonic" sound into the worlds of psychedelia and straight-ahead rock. This process produced a string of hit albums and multiple hit records throughout the 60’s & 70's, including IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD, ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM, TO OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN, A QUESTION OF BALANCE, EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR and SEVENTH SOJOURN. From these albums, songs such as Ride My See Saw, Voices In The Sky, The Story In Your Eyes, Isn't Life Strange, Question, I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band), and many others, became staples on rock radio throughout the World, and are still staples of the medium to this day.

After recording the album SEVENTH SOJOURN and the subsequent World tour to promote the opus, The Moody Blues decided to take a short hiatus, and concentrate on other projects. The break allowed the band members to focus on projects outside the group, as Justin Hayward and John Lodge collaborated as the Blue Jays in 1975, which became a Top 20 album; Graeme Edge made two solo albums, Kick Off Your Muddy Boots and Paradise Ballroom; Ray Thomas produced two solo albums, From Mighty Oaks and Hopes, Wishes and Dreams; and Mike Pinder recorded The Promise. In addition, John Lodge recorded Natural Avenue, and Justin Hayward recorded Songwriter and Nightflight. Hayward also collaborated with Jeff Wayne on the War of the Worlds album, contributing lead vocals to The Eve of the War and to the worldwide hit Forever Autumn.

This hiatus also saw the release of the double album THIS IS THE MOODY BLUES, featuring material taken from the “classic seven” albums, compiled and remixed by Tony Clarke. The Moody Blues also released an archive live album entitled CAUGHT LIVE +5 made up of a previously unreleased recording of a concert at The Royal Albert Hall in London in December 1969 and five previously unreleased songs recorded between 1967 and 1969. Following the success of these two albums, it came as no surprise that when the band re-formed in 1977 to deliver the much anticipated OCTAVE, the album shot to the top of the charts and produced the hit singles Steppin' in a Slide Zone and Driftwood.

Prior to the release of the album, Mike Pinder announced his departure from the group. Undeterred, keyboard player Patrick Moraz was recruited to perform on the sell out OCTAVE tour and remained to contribute to the sessions that resulted in the album LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER, released in 1981. Whilst punk rock, power pop and new wave were dominating the charts, The Moody Blues latest album reached the top of the Billboard charts and produced two hit singles: Gemini Dream and The Voice. In 1983 The Moody Blues released THE PRESENT spawning the hits Blue World and Sitting at the Wheel and followed by another sold-out tour which included a series of British concerts in aid of the Charity the NSPCC. In 1986 the band attracted a new generation of fans with the release of the album THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE from which the single Your Wildest Dreams was taken. The song became one of the biggest selling singles of their career to date, becoming a huge hit on MTV, and winning Billboard magazine's “Video of the Year” award.” The bands next album SUR LA MER continued the momentum; producing the hit single I Know You're Out There Somewhere.

The 1990’s began yet another phase in the Moody Blues’ illustrious career with the release of the album KEYS OF THE KINGDOM in 1991. The following year saw the 25th anniversary of the release of DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED. With this concept in mind, the band performed live in concert with a symphony orchestra for the first time at Red Rocks in Colorado for a PBS TV special, a home video and an album. The success of A NIGHT AT RED ROCKS led to the band undertaking a tour with an orchestra. The demand for concert tickets was nothing short of phenomenal.

In 1994 the Gold-selling boxed set collection TIME TRAVELLER was released, followed in 1996 by a greatest hits package entitled THE VERY BEST OF THE MOODY BLUES and in 1998 by a double CD ANTHOLOGY album. In 2000 the Moody Blues released a new studio album STRANGE TIMES, their first in eight years. Featuring fourteen new compositions, the album was recorded in Genoa, Italy, and marked the first time that the band had self-produced. The resulting music was some of their most personal they had recorded as artists and as songwriters.

In conjunction with the release of STRANGE TIMES, The Moody Blues recorded a second live public television special filmed in 2000, at London’s Royal Albert Hall entitled THE MOODY BLUES: LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL. Also released as a live album, HALL OF FAME: RECORDED LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL, the concert, available on video, became the first live Moody Blues performance to be released on DVD. In 2001, the Moody Blues were featured in the highest grossing giant screen production of the year in the IMAX film Journey into Amazing Caves. Featuring two new Moody Blues songs, We Can Fly and Water, along with their classics Nights in White Satin and Ride My See Saw, the film was awarded the 2001 MAC Award and the soundtrack was simultaneously released on CD.

In 2003, The Moody Blues released the album DECEMBER. The band’s majestic, orchestral mix of rock and pop melded beautifully. Produced by Justin Hayward and John Lodge, DECEMBER featured five original songs, five cover songs, and one newly arranged traditional tune with additional lyrics. 2004 saw Universal Music Enterprises issue the band’s first DVD video collection THE BEST OF THE MOODY BLUES – The DVD Collection. The DVD included the MTV award winning video of Your Wildest Dreams along with promotional videos of I Know You’re Out There Somewhere, The Other Side Of Life, Running Out Of Love and No More Lies.

Although the band had performed live in almost every part of the world over their extensive career, 2005 was the first time they had performed in New Zealand. The same year, the band was awarded IMAX’s “Soundtrack of the Year” award for the film, Journey into Amazing Caves. The same year Image Entertainment released the DVD and CD THE MOODY BLUES: LOVELY TO SEE YOU, LIVE, a recording of a live performance at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on June 11 during their 2005 World tour.

Always at the cutting edge of audio excellence with their studio recordings, 2006 saw The Moody Blues at the leading edge of audio technology once more when their “Classic Seven” albums were all issued as dual layer SACD releases. The albums were expanded to include many previously unreleased bonus tracks, including sessions recorded for the BBC, and featured 5.1 Surround Sound mixes. Stereo mixes were remastered by Justin Hayward who later declared the beautifully packaged releases to be “the definitive versions of the Moody Blues catalogue”.

The legacy of The Moody Blues continues to live on, as the band continues to tour throughout the world, delighting their still loyal fans. “We found early success in an era when freedom of expression was everything” says Justin Hayward. “Then it became important for us to capture that moment of inspiration and that spark of magic that we had found through songwriting and recording, and to re-live it with an audience every time we go on stage. It’s a feeling that I personally never want to give up having. We’re so glad to still be on this journey”

John Lodge adds; “With a guitar, a blank piece of paper and a pen, the horizon has always been ours. We go wherever the songs take us.” A legendary band with an enviable repertoire and reputation, The Moody Blues remain one of the top-grossing album and touring bands in existence. Graeme Edge explains the continuing popularity of the group thus; “It’s all about the music. The music is everything for us. We’ve always put the music before anything else, and that’s why I think we’ve been able to endure for so long.”