MOODY BLUES

"DAYS OF FUTURE PASS" IS THE MOODY BLUES' TRUE CONTRIBUTION TO ROCK HISTORY: THE MOST COHESIVE INTEGRATION OF ROCK SONGS WITH ORCHESTRA MUSIC EVER PRODUED. ASKED BY DERAM RECORDS TO CREATE A ROCK REWORKING OF DVORAK'S "NEW WORLD" SYMPHONY, THE MOODIES INSTEAD WROTE THEIR OWN SYMPHONY, A SONG CYCLE THAT DESCRIBE THE EMOTIONS EACH PART OF THE DAY, FROM DAWN ("DAWN IS A FEELING") TO NIGHT (THE CLASSIC "NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN"). THE SONGS ARE CONNECTED BY LUSH ORCHESTRAL PASSAGES IN WHICH THE BASIC MUSICAL THEMES ARE REWORKED. MEANWHILE, THE BAND HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO SOUND LIKES ITS OWN ORCHESTRA, USING SIGNATURE MELLOTRON STRING SOUNDS, FLUTES, TYMPANI AND MULTI VOCALISTS.

MOODY BLUES WAS FORMED IN BIRMINGHAM 1964 AS R & B GROUP BY MIKE PINDER (KEYBOARDS/VOCALS), RAY THOMAS (FLUTE/VOCALS), DENNY LAINE (GUITAR/VOCALS), AND CLINT WARWICK (BASS GUITAR/VOCALS). REACHED TOP OF UK CHARTS JANUARY 1965 WITH "GO NOW" - COVER OF BESSIE BANKS SOUL BALLARD AND FOLLOWED-UP WITH THEIR DEBUT LP "THE MAGNIFICENT MOODIES" (1965) AND SEVERAL LESSER HIT SINGLES. DEPARTURE OF LAINE AND WARWICK, REPLACED BY JUSTIN HAYWARD (GUITAR, VOCALS) AND JOHN LODGE (BASS GUITAR VOCALS). WITH DECLINE IN POPULARITY CAUSED CRISIS ONLY RECTIFIED BY PURCHASE OF MELLOTRON AND TOTAL CHANGE IN DIRECTION EVIDENT ON "DAYS OF FUTURE PAST" (1965), AN ALBUM PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING WAVE OF CONCEPT RECORDS TO FOLLOW. ALSO INCLUDES WHAT REMAINS THEIR BEST SONG: "NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN". "IN SEARCH OF LOST CORD" (1968) AND "0N THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM" BROUGHT THEM CONSIDERABLY NEW FOLLOWING AND CREATED PROTOTYPE FOR ENSURING GROUP RECORDINGS. THEY MOVED TO COBHAM, SURREY, AND FORMING OWN THRESHOLD LABEL 1969, THEY DID EXPERIENCED FURTHER SINGLES SUCCESS WITH "QUESTION" AND "ISN'T LIFE STRANGE", ALTHOUGH ALBUMS "TO OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN" (1969), "A QUESTION OF BALANCE" (1970), "EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES A FAVOUR" (1971) AND "SEVENTH SOJOURN" (1972) EMPHASIZE THAT THEIR MUSICAL POLICY - GRANDIOSE ROCK WITH MESSAGE REMAINED UNCHANGED. SELF-MANAGED AND MASSIVELY EVERYWHERE, ESPECIALLY IN USA WHERE FOLLOWING BORDERS ON THE EVANGELICAL. PRIMARY ASSETS: UNYIELDING PROFESSIONALISM AND RECORDING EXPERTISE. PRIMARY LIABILITIES: INABILITY TO DEVIATE FROM THEIR OWN FORMULA.