This album is an absolute classic. I hold on to my ancient vinyl copy as a precious treasure. You must hear the entire album at one setting. You should also check Every Good Boy Deserves Favor.
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is my favorite from The Moody Blues. I especially love the opener, "Procession," and its reprise on the B side opener, "One More Time to Live."
One more point- this about the majesty of what you listening to and realize it took until 2018 to be inducted into the RRHOF, while rap, Madonna, etc., are ushered in ASAP. Incredible.
I haven’t listened to this album in probably 40+ years. I was a big fan in the 70’s and finally got to see them live about 10 years ago and they were amazing especially their vocals which usually are the first things to go for musicians. Thanks for doing this.
I'll be the first of many to say, YES, starting this album on side one track one is really the only way. Out of sequence, the songs are great, and stand up fine on their own. But this is a special album. Also, the album is a collaboration with the London Festival Orchestra so it takes up a huge space. Excellent story from start to finish.
It’s an album full of beauty, and strangely you feel that it takes you to a much lighter, innocent and lovable past ... and yes, hear the whole album, it is majestic.
This is not. Just any album. This was a breakthrough perfect album which added symphony backing to a rock/ pop or something beyond! Enjoy the ride because you will love it!
OMG I was so geeked when you said you’re doing the whole album! This movement is a classical overture. It introduces you to all the themes of the other movement. The “high seas” part is Nights in White Satin. The pinpricks in the sky are the stars. Such descriptive poetry. You will love this. When I have a day at work I can put the headphones in and just bust out some work, I often put this album on.
One of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. Really one of those albums that need to be listened in its entirety. Anxiously awaiting the rest. Hope you enjoy as I have countless times.
This was the only album they did with a full orchestra.After this their albums would use a mellotron to recreate the " sounds" of an orchestra.This was the first of what is considered their classic 7 albums recorded from 1967 ( this one) to "Seventh Sojourn" in 1972....They went on to make other albums but mostly they had mixed results.This included their classic line up of Mike Pinder ( keyboards); Ray Thomas ( flutes); Graham Edge( drums); Justin Hayward ( guitar) John Lodge ( bass).They all wrote songs & sang, but Justin did most of the singing.
The two albums, _Days of Future Passed_ and _In Search of the Lost Chord_ are epic from front to back. You should do every song on both those albums....
This is a great idea to do certain concept albums in full from start to finish. Love the Moody Blues. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by their versatility.
Welcome to one of the most iconic albums of all time. Without "Days Of Future Passed", what we now know as progressive rock would never have happened. It is also one of the first albums to use stereo as an integral part of the experience. This is the acorn from which a forest of mighty oaks has grown. You are now reading the first chapter of a timeless book beloved of many (including yourself). "The Day Begins" is essentially the introduction to the main body of the work, and contains several of the themes used later. It will make more sense when you listen again after having heard the entire album. ("Oh, that's THAT part") The poem at the end of this passage is echoed by a poem at the conclusion of the album, which together serve as bookends to the album's day. Days Of Future Passed was essentially the first concept album. Many would confer that title on Sgt Pepper, but that album is really just a group of songs that flow seamlessly from one to the next. Whatever 'concept' there was existed only in the album cover and a couple of connected songs. By contrast, Days Of Future Passed was deliberately conceived as a single piece, and the songs are more like the movements of a symphony than individual entities. That said, two of the sections, The Afternoon and The Night, were edited for length and released as singles. On the album, that portion of The Afternoon was originally called "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)", but the single was renamed "Tuesday Afternoon". "Nights In White Satin" retained its original name. So what did they cut out for the singles? Just that pesky orchestral music. Why is it that when younger people are confronted with orchestral music, the immediate point of reference is Disney movies? Unless it's Symphonic Metal; that usually gets references to Pirates Of The Caribbean (or sometimes Game Of Thrones). Do people nowadays never hear any orchestral music that isn't the soundtrack to something else? I hate to think that I live in a world where Beethoven is a sheepdog, Mozart is a pun, Liszt is written on a post-it note and Schubert is a frozen dessert.
What you just listened to was the Overture. So it represented all the elements that you are to hear through the album. Just their first album was with orchestra. For their second album, In Search Of The Lost Chord, they wanted more compositions that could be reproduced on stage without the need of dragging an orchestra along! They employed one of the finest keyboardists in rock, one Mike Pinder, to play the mellotron to mimic orchestral sounds I have loved this band for nearing on 35 years. I had the great fortune to see them in concert in 2017, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of this album. It was the first time that they EVER performed the entire album with an orchestra! To say it was magical is a tremendous understatement. If you haven't guessed by now - I'm a big Moodies fan. Once you get through this album, there is a litany of fantastic tunes to check out: Gypsy The Story In Your Eyes Question I'm Just A Singer In A Rock and Roll Band Lovely To See You Melancholy Man Candle Of Life These are but a few of their 'early' gems...but really anything from their first 7 albums is wonderful! Enjoy!
I'm a fan of this idea...Go for it! Deep music, one of the early progressive legends. Orchestral rock at it's zenith. John Lodge and Justin Hayward, the soul of the band, still going strong today.
You're going to do the whole album?? Squee! Somebody bought me this album when I was a kid and I listened to it every single night (on cassette). According to my family, this is an egg-head band, which is probably why I liked them so much. Anyway, I think this album was produced as a test for Dolby sound. They have lots of rock songs, but they are all a bit spiritual. They had two hits from this album, including the very famous Nights in White Satin.
It wasn't a Dolby test, Dolby came later. This was an example of Deramic Sound, which was the name of Deram Records' first foray into stereo for popular music. They'd produced Classical albums in stereo, but this was an expansion for the technology from stuffy academia to the groovy happenings of 1967.
This was high level head music for 1967. The Beatles made "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" using an orchestra a bit the same year. Other bands would use an orchestra, some well (Uriah Heeps' 'Salisbury') others not as well (Pink Floyd's 'Atom Heart Mother').
Daniel, almost all of the Moody blues albums are concept albums that tell a story or have a theme. Each song leads into the next and is sometimes an introduction to the next song. Frequently the ending of one song is actually the beginning of the next song. I understand you are unable to do entire albums all the time. But you might consider listening to two or three songs at a time when it's Moody blues especially if they're short. Just a thought! Love your channel!
Moody Blues, "The Day's of Future Past". 1967 classic ALBUM which made me 10. The music back then was diversified as it gave reason for reactors too classify styles for their platforms. Otherwise my Generation never cared about that. Just that it was the younger generation's music. Moody Blues fit quite nicely into this scene. It wasn't all screaming guitars, and Iconic riffs, and pounding out of control drumming. Lol.... "Nights in White Satin," "Tuesday Afternoon" "Just a singer in a Rock and Roll Band"... some of Their Sound's....✌
I just can’t believe you’re doing this. I must be psychic because just in the last couple of days I was thinking of suggesting this group to you. This is the first important group besides The Beatles I was ever exposed to. I’m all for your idea of doing concept albums in their entirety, of course, if the number of songs permit. Thank you so much. I’m going to enjoy this mainly because of the way you do it. Let’s go. 💥
I discovered The Moody Blues in 1964 but didn't discover this album until a co-worker left it in a cooler in 1970. He, I, another co-worker, & my twin brother took off for Nags Head late that summer; we took several six packs of beer & some chips. For some reason Blaine (his name) brought with him Days Of Future Passed. To make a long story short, the three of them got pretty wasted. (I didn't feel like drinking) When it came time to leave, Roberts (the other co-worker & our driver) couldn't find his keys. So, I hitchhiked 10 miles to the nearest forestry outlook & the forest ranger inside called a tow truck & the ranger said we had better hurry because a hurricane was headed towards North Carolina. I rode back with the tow truck & when we arrived back at the beach, Blaine, Roberts, & Bill, my twin were all passed out in the car. He hooked up the car with them inside & took us to a garage where a new key was made for Roberts car. He drove us back to Richmond to the grocery store where we worked. Blaine quickly drove off & Roberts discovered the album inside of the cooler (where he also found his car keys) on his back seat. Bill & I brought the album to work the next day & were told that Blaine had quit. The store mgmt refused to give us Blaine's address. We took the album home where it sat upon a coffee table for a week. Out of curiosity we opened the album & inside was a tightly folded piece of paper. It was a suicide note from Blaine to some girl. And again the store mgmt refused to give us Blaine"s address, & no one knew where he lived. Never saw Blaine again & don't know what became of him. Days of Future Passed is a great album but I always feel cold when I hear Nights In White Satin. It was the song most referenced in Blaine's letter to ( his?) girl. Side note: am huge musical fan & prefers Sondheim's Follies to his Sweeney Todd but both are great...
Amazing. I had recordings of 90% of what you have been reacting too, mostly on vinyl and cassette and eventually in digital remasters, but had them since I started my serious musical ... like started going down the rabbit hole from what was always on radio..... probably in 1979. I went back to around 65 through the modern (for the time) music. One day the local FM station KSMB K-94 Stereo Rock without warning went from Classic to modern Rock of 1982 but Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, Flock if Seagulls, then hair bands Warrant, Poison, Ratt, Motely Crue, all being mixed in with new wave, Boy George until all the 70s stuff went to dedicated "Classic Rock" stations and the new stuff was on "Modern Rock" which were the old stations. What a way to switch formats and so shocking. A day of Dio and Boston and Zepplin mixed with New Wave and "pop". The next day no real 70's rock played. It was all choreographed and mostly controlled by the industry itself. The Business was done with deep free thinking "hippie music". But I was always being influenced by the boomers with a very intense musical background. This was a departure from most of my friends who listened to the FM rock stations but they had a collection, only of the "commercial" stuff. Which much was great but deep cuts and entire concept albums was a gamer changer for me. :) Everyone else focused on MTV. *shrug*
Seems like a heard an interview given by Justin Hayward or maybe I read it that this album was not only a concept album, but was also made to showcase the "new" stereo sound format by the record label that this album was recorded for. It was a deliberate mix of musical orchestration & rock music. I thought it was rather progressive for 1967.
All of the first 7 albums of the Moodies are concept albums. They are all laid down on the original album gaplessly, so that each song runs into the next. I would highly recommend either their second album, "In Search of the Lost Chord," with a central theme of music as a tool of self-awakening, or "To Our Children's Children's Children" which was intended to be released concurrent with the Apollo 11 launch, but missed by about a month and has space travel as it's central theme.
5:20 check out "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band). Ride my See Saw. The Story in Your Eyes. Gemini Dream. The Other Side of Life. Very much a rock and roll band!
Days Of Future Passed is really just one long song...with many parts...just like it's concept - really just a 'day in the life'! I know the 'singles' are Nights and Tuesday Afternoon, but this album needs to be done as one! Perfection! I love the idea of complete albums - wherever you can do it! To me, this is one of the ultimate 'feel good' albums. I can't help but smile throughout. Then it ends with what is, to me, one of the best love songs ever! I may be a bit biased as this is the song my wife and I chose for our wedding. My favourite piece is Twilight Time. The music and lyrical emotion just paint the perfect picture, but this is evident through the whole album.
Once you've heard the entire album, you might want to go back and listen to this again. It's an overture containing all the recognizable musical themes from the album's various songs, ending dramatically with "Nights In White Satin."
I have every album of theirs and never get tired of listening to them, they were a pop group back in 1964 with hits like Go Now , but members were not in sync so the band disbanded and then reformed with new members who meshed so well that they became so huge in the 70s and 80s, at one point the split but after 5 years they got back together and were just a big and are still playing although 3 members of the original band have died. 👍
This is a long one, so bear with me as I try to fill in the gaps from the crappy Wikipedia article. The Moody Blues began as an R & B band headed by Denny Laine in 1964 (who would later join Paul McCartney in Wings). Their biggest hit in 1965 was a cover of "Go Now." After Denny left in 1966 (as well has the bassist, Clint Warwick), the band recruited Justin Hayward (guitars) and John Lodge (bass). They carried on the R & B for a while, but struggled. They eventually understood that with Denny and Clint gone, they needed to go in a different direction--effectively, drop the R & B and find their own voice. They spent a few months in Belgium to develop their new sound and created a stage show about the day in the life of one guy. Decca, their record company, was developing a new stereo sound. They were creating a series of demonstration albums to sell the idea of stereo systems (most records were in mono). Since the Moody Blues were going cheap, Decca turned to them to record an album that showcased orchestral and "pop" music. They wanted the band to record a rock version of Dvorak's Four Season's. Arranger Peter Knight was to do all the symphonic bits and the band the rock bits. Well, Peter went to see the band perform at a gig and was impressed by their own songs, so he convinced them to record those and he would make orchestral arrangements around them. The only others who knew about this was their producer, Tony Clarke, and the executive producer, Hugh Mendl. They quietly recorded it in about two weeks. When the gang finally presented the album to the record company, everyone was shocked. Some were put out that they didn't get what they asked, but others were excited by it and were convinced it would sell. Well, it did, and became a major influence in the 1960s. As far as the creation of this track, most of it is an overture arranged by Peter Knight. The poem itself was written by the drummer, Graeme Edge. The title of the poem is "Morning Glory," though it is left uncredited on the album. Graeme wanted to contribute lyrics for a song. When he presented it to the band, they thought the lyrics were lovely, but didn't think they could come up with a melody. So, it was decided to just record them as a spoken word piece. Graeme, not feeling confident about reciting it, got keyboardist Mike Pinder to record the words for him. This, and its "sister" poem, "Late Lament" would bookend the album.
I first heard this in 2035. It’s gotten better since then. I love, love Tuesday Afternoon. This opening is like an Overture. It gives musical hints to what the songs are going to be in classical form...the songs themselves are more pop/rock. Excellent album. Musicals? Can’t go wrong with My Fair Lady from the mid sixties. Ps, if this is from the official site, it’s 720p. The dynamics are good but the source that I listened to to compare is better.
I'm glad you're going to go through all the Jethro Tull albums they are worthy of it. along the way I would love to hear you react to some iron butterfly, they also have some great music. Of course they're mostly known for In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. That is a great song, but their third album, "Iron Butterfly Ball" is loaded with great songs. Such as... "In the Time of our lives', "In the Crowds" and "Soul Experience" they have many other great songs as well, "Easy Rider" and "Soldier in our Town". You will be amazed.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida ehh? I did that one awhile ago (the full song) and it has become a personal favorite of mine, I've heard it over 10 times since reacting to it:)
@@DiconDissectionalReactions the weather after my comment I saw your reaction to it and listened. It is a great song, but Iron butterfly has some other really great songs. Even way more than the ones I mentioned. They're a very underrated band. But I'm glad you've become a great Jethro Tull fan. That's my all-time favorite band and I've actually seen them 44 times. You're going to be amazed as you go through their albums
Look at the title of the piece, The Day Begins. "Pinprick holes" = stars "10,000 suns challenges infinity" if you've ever seen the full night sky you know this feeling "and is soon gone" = daybreak, all the power and majesty of infinity just disappears with the demands of a new day "brave Helios" = the sun, rising to warm the countryside (whatever site you consulted about Helios, bookmark it so you never use it again)
Even though there were a a couple of other albums out, and I guess I should have known. I was lucky enough to see them at the Forum in LA in 70 or '71 while a young sailor stationed in San Diego about to embark for Japan (and Viet Nam) and they blew me away because of how hard they rocked and the fantastic rock guitar playing. Prior to that I had always considered them kind of a mellow band until then. First in a long series of lessons learned experiences with "produced" vs live music.
Thank you. I love these morning songs. NO ONE ever does anything other than Nights in White Satin or Tuesday Afternoon. Moody Blues other albums have amazing songs as well. I recommend Threshold of a A Dream with the computer voice starting the one side of the album that is "conceptural" Its a long song but it is amazingly emotional and meaningfull.
Once one has heard the whole album, one discovers that this opening song contains snippets of the melodies from some the subsequent tracks. A somewhat classical characteristic. A lot of thought went into this album.
Doing the whole album front to back without having heard any of their other music. This will be a journey for many of us because of how you are going through it yourself. While I type this, I am hearing in my head, some of the melodies from some of the songs. I think I'll find the others and continue this journey.
They were 'hired' to do a version of Dvorak's "A New World Symphony" to demonstrate STEREO (a common thing at the time - Stereo Records to get people to buy Stereo phonographs over traditional Mono players). Instead, they worked with Peter Knight who created orchestrations and the Moody's did some songs to intersperse.
The Moody Blues are a rock band. But this album was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. So it has a rich movie feel to it. Will comments more after the last video. ✌
I love this, but I always have thought it was a bit strange in how the rock community embraced it for its' innovation in the use of a symphonic orchestra. Rock music was a rebellion against the use of orchestras in music. Frank Sinatra and The Tommy Dorsey Band were old people music, as were the light operetta that dominated all of the old hollywood studio musicals. Then along comes the Moody Blues who said "Fuck that. Symphonic music is powerful and beautiful, and we're making an album with a symphony orchestra". Two of my first album purchases with Christmas money from my godmother were Days of Future Passed and the soundtrack album from West Side Story. Trying to cubbyhole musical artists or draw boundaries regarding their pallette of sounds is pointless. Let them try what they will. Some of the output will be amazing. As for the gallant failures, nobody forces you to listen to them twice. Just curious. Have you ever really listened to a young Frand Sinatra sing?
Concept albums....always tricky. Do you play the first song or the best song? Because they’re often not one and the same. For example: The Who’s Tommy and Spock’s Beard’s Snow start with an Overture with very few lyrics. Done well , it can set a tone or an atmosphere that draws you in. But you(the artist) shouldn’t reveal all your cards at the beginning. Let it simmer and build, you’ve got a lot of time to go, focus on the set up of the story, pique the listeners’ interest. This concept becomes much more apparent on repeated listens.
Don't worry, they are a regular rock n roll band with guitars and drums etc. If you like musicals maybe you should try one. I recommend Les Miserables 25th anniversary. Here's a clip from it: th-cam.com/video/K5PzJhU8iI0/w-d-xo.html
They go electric and melotrons came to the fore because of them. An instrument that is cumbersome (to move) and difficult to learn because there are so few of them around.
Why don't you drag the window tab with the lyrics out to the side, resize both windows smaller and to the same size, put them side by side or one over the other, then you can see the lyrics and the video.
I actually prefer the Mellotron to a real orchestra, am I alone in this opinion? I think the next six albums were all much better than this one. I love the songs on this one but overall it sounds less Moody Bluesy to me. I enjoyed your reaction and thoughts.
Both have their place. I had the pleasure of seeing their 50th Anniversary performance of Days of Future Passed in Toronto back in 2017 with a full orchestra. It was an unforgettable experience. That said, the Mellotron (and its counterpart the Chamberlin), has an ethereal quality that adds so much to the sound.
I've always seen them as two separate things, much like an acoustic piano and a Fender Rhodes. I don't think I'd have enjoyed "Court Of The Crimson King" as much with a full orchestra (in the same way that "Riders On The Storm" wouldn't have worked with a Steinway Grand). The Mellotron is inseparable from the song's sound, as it is for many prog records of the 70's. It's sad to know that both the Mellotron and MiniMoog have disappeared forever.
ThatOneGuyAgain i think moog maybe making a mini moog again. Not the same but hey at least it’s analog. Like a pedal steel guitar on a country record the Mellotron is simply the sound of British prog to me. It’s true, they won’t be making more Mellotrons.
Amazing over 50 years and the youth still gets it!!!
The beginning is what is known as an overture, a kind of summary of all the musical themes on the album....
This album is an absolute classic. I hold on to my ancient vinyl copy as a precious treasure. You must hear the entire album at one setting.
You should also check Every Good Boy Deserves Favor.
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is my favorite from The Moody Blues. I especially love the opener, "Procession," and its reprise on the B side opener, "One More Time to Live."
Terrific album! The Moody Blues mixes rock with poetry and classical music.
Love how bewildered you are at the beginning. Welcome to our youth. :-)
One more point- this about the majesty of what you listening to and realize it took until 2018 to be inducted into the RRHOF, while rap, Madonna, etc., are ushered in ASAP. Incredible.
...and I don't think Madonna, Blondie, or any of the rap artist belong in the RRHOF. Certainly The Moody Blues belonged a long time ago.
It was very disrespectful. Ray Thomas should have been able to look back on this. RRHOF has no credibility.
I haven’t listened to this album in probably 40+ years. I was a big fan in the 70’s and finally got to see them live about 10 years ago and they were amazing especially their vocals which usually are the first things to go for musicians. Thanks for doing this.
I'll be the first of many to say, YES, starting this album on side one track one is really the only way. Out of sequence, the songs are great, and stand up fine on their own. But this is a special album. Also, the album is a collaboration with the London Festival Orchestra so it takes up a huge space. Excellent story from start to finish.
It’s an album full of beauty, and strangely you feel that it takes you to a much lighter, innocent and lovable past ... and yes, hear the whole album, it is majestic.
Best way to get an idea of this band is to check out their famous performance at the Isle of Wight festival - summer 1969 - Awesome stuff
This is not. Just any album. This was a breakthrough perfect album which added symphony backing to a rock/ pop or something beyond! Enjoy the ride because you will love it!
OMG I was so geeked when you said you’re doing the whole album! This movement is a classical overture. It introduces you to all the themes of the other movement. The “high seas” part is Nights in White Satin. The pinpricks in the sky are the stars. Such descriptive poetry. You will love this. When I have a day at work I can put the headphones in and just bust out some work, I often put this album on.
One of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. Really one of those albums that need to be listened in its entirety. Anxiously awaiting the rest. Hope you enjoy as I have countless times.
This was the only album they did with a full orchestra.After this their albums would use a mellotron to recreate the " sounds" of an orchestra.This was the first of what is considered their classic 7 albums recorded from 1967 ( this one) to "Seventh Sojourn" in 1972....They went on to make other albums but mostly they had mixed results.This included their classic line up of Mike Pinder ( keyboards); Ray Thomas ( flutes); Graham Edge( drums); Justin Hayward ( guitar) John Lodge ( bass).They all wrote songs & sang, but Justin did most of the singing.
The two albums, _Days of Future Passed_ and _In Search of the Lost Chord_ are epic from front to back. You should do every song on both those albums....
And threshold of a dream and children’s children. Those are the best ones I think.
You chose the very best concept album to do in entirety. Thank you Daniel!
This is a great idea to do certain concept albums in full from start to finish. Love the Moody Blues. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by their versatility.
the first 7 albums are all concept albums and the Moodies are the masters of it
I recognized themes in the intro section that are upcoming in the songs that follow, so it was something like an overture.
Interesting.
You will hear this music throughout the album...themes...The Who's Tommy and Quadrophenia springs to mind.
"The future ain't what it used to be." Yogi Berra
Welcome to one of the most iconic albums of all time. Without "Days Of Future Passed", what we now know as progressive rock would never have happened. It is also one of the first albums to use stereo as an integral part of the experience. This is the acorn from which a forest of mighty oaks has grown. You are now reading the first chapter of a timeless book beloved of many (including yourself).
"The Day Begins" is essentially the introduction to the main body of the work, and contains several of the themes used later. It will make more sense when you listen again after having heard the entire album. ("Oh, that's THAT part") The poem at the end of this passage is echoed by a poem at the conclusion of the album, which together serve as bookends to the album's day.
Days Of Future Passed was essentially the first concept album. Many would confer that title on Sgt Pepper, but that album is really just a group of songs that flow seamlessly from one to the next. Whatever 'concept' there was existed only in the album cover and a couple of connected songs. By contrast, Days Of Future Passed was deliberately conceived as a single piece, and the songs are more like the movements of a symphony than individual entities.
That said, two of the sections, The Afternoon and The Night, were edited for length and released as singles. On the album, that portion of The Afternoon was originally called "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)", but the single was renamed "Tuesday Afternoon". "Nights In White Satin" retained its original name. So what did they cut out for the singles? Just that pesky orchestral music.
Why is it that when younger people are confronted with orchestral music, the immediate point of reference is Disney movies? Unless it's Symphonic Metal; that usually gets references to Pirates Of The Caribbean (or sometimes Game Of Thrones). Do people nowadays never hear any orchestral music that isn't the soundtrack to something else? I hate to think that I live in a world where Beethoven is a sheepdog, Mozart is a pun, Liszt is written on a post-it note and Schubert is a frozen dessert.
What you just listened to was the Overture. So it represented all the elements that you are to hear through the album.
Just their first album was with orchestra. For their second album, In Search Of The Lost Chord, they wanted more compositions that could be reproduced on stage without the need of dragging an orchestra along! They employed one of the finest keyboardists in rock, one Mike Pinder, to play the mellotron to mimic orchestral sounds
I have loved this band for nearing on 35 years. I had the great fortune to see them in concert in 2017, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of this album. It was the first time that they EVER performed the entire album with an orchestra! To say it was magical is a tremendous understatement.
If you haven't guessed by now - I'm a big Moodies fan. Once you get through this album, there is a litany of fantastic tunes to check out:
Gypsy
The Story In Your Eyes
Question
I'm Just A Singer In A Rock and Roll Band
Lovely To See You
Melancholy Man
Candle Of Life
These are but a few of their 'early' gems...but really anything from their first 7 albums is wonderful! Enjoy!
I'm a fan of this idea...Go for it!
Deep music, one of the early progressive legends. Orchestral rock at it's zenith. John Lodge and Justin Hayward, the soul of the band, still going strong today.
Love your idea. Moody Blues are fantastic.
Is this a rock band??? Hell yeah... the seminal founders of Prog Rock!! Prepare to be amazed!!
Thank you for reacting to this one. This is a preamble to the rest of the album. You will like it more as you go further into it. Peace.
You're going to do the whole album?? Squee! Somebody bought me this album when I was a kid and I listened to it every single night (on cassette). According to my family, this is an egg-head band, which is probably why I liked them so much. Anyway, I think this album was produced as a test for Dolby sound. They have lots of rock songs, but they are all a bit spiritual. They had two hits from this album, including the very famous Nights in White Satin.
My favorite songs by them are Question, The Story in Your Eyes, Wildest Dreams, Nights in White Satin and I'm Just a Singer.
It wasn't a Dolby test, Dolby came later. This was an example of Deramic Sound, which was the name of Deram Records' first foray into stereo for popular music. They'd produced Classical albums in stereo, but this was an expansion for the technology from stuffy academia to the groovy happenings of 1967.
You would love Live at Royal Abert Hall. It is available on TH-cam, DVD and CD. It is an incredible live performance.
This was high level head music for 1967. The Beatles made "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" using an orchestra a bit the same year. Other bands would use an orchestra, some well (Uriah Heeps' 'Salisbury') others not as well (Pink Floyd's 'Atom Heart Mother').
This is the proverbial rabbit hole, man! I hope you love it as much as I.........
I saw 6x the 50th anniversary of Days of Future Passed tour & as a 50+ years Moody Blues fan - What a Gift !"
This is the intro. When you hear the next song you'll get a better idea about how the album will go.
Daniel, almost all of the Moody blues albums are concept albums that tell a story or have a theme. Each song leads into the next and is sometimes an introduction to the next song. Frequently the ending of one song is actually the beginning of the next song. I understand you are unable to do entire albums all the time. But you might consider listening to two or three songs at a time when it's Moody blues especially if they're short. Just a thought! Love your channel!
I've seen them live 3 times. Trust me when I tell you that live they could rock with the best of them. Try 'Ride My See-Saw"
Moody Blues, "The Day's of Future Past". 1967 classic ALBUM which made me 10. The music back then was diversified as it gave reason for reactors too classify styles for their platforms. Otherwise my Generation never cared about that. Just that it was the younger generation's music. Moody Blues fit quite nicely into this scene. It wasn't all screaming guitars, and Iconic riffs, and pounding out of control drumming. Lol.... "Nights in White Satin," "Tuesday Afternoon" "Just a singer in a Rock and Roll Band"... some of Their Sound's....✌
I just can’t believe you’re doing this. I must be psychic because just in the last couple of days I was thinking of suggesting this group to you. This is the first important group besides The Beatles I was ever exposed to.
I’m all for your idea of doing concept albums in their entirety, of course, if the number of songs permit. Thank you so much. I’m going to enjoy this mainly because of the way you do it. Let’s go. 💥
This was recorded to highlight the new stereophonic recording techniques Decca were developing for classical music.
I am so excited for your journey on this one.
Absolutely love this idea (and this album), this is my second favorite band.
I discovered The Moody Blues in 1964 but didn't discover this album until a co-worker left it in a cooler in 1970. He, I, another co-worker, & my twin brother took off for Nags Head late that summer; we took several six packs of beer & some chips. For some reason Blaine (his name) brought with him Days Of Future Passed. To make a long story short, the three of them got pretty wasted. (I didn't feel like drinking) When it came time to leave, Roberts (the other co-worker & our driver) couldn't find his keys. So, I hitchhiked 10 miles to the nearest forestry outlook & the forest ranger inside called a tow truck & the ranger said we had better hurry because a hurricane was headed towards North Carolina. I rode back with the tow truck & when we arrived back at the beach, Blaine, Roberts, & Bill, my twin were all passed out in the car. He hooked up the car with them inside & took us to a garage where a new key was made for Roberts car. He drove us back to Richmond to the grocery store where we worked. Blaine quickly drove off & Roberts discovered the album inside of the cooler (where he also found his car keys) on his back seat. Bill & I brought the album to work the next day & were told that Blaine had quit. The store mgmt refused to give us Blaine's address. We took the album home where it sat upon a coffee table for a week. Out of curiosity we opened the album & inside was a tightly folded piece of paper. It was a suicide note from Blaine to some girl. And again the store mgmt refused to give us Blaine"s address, & no one knew where he lived. Never saw Blaine again & don't know what became of him. Days of Future Passed is a great album but I always feel cold when I hear Nights In White Satin. It was the song most referenced in Blaine's letter to ( his?) girl.
Side note: am huge musical fan & prefers Sondheim's Follies to his Sweeney Todd but both are great...
Amazing. I had recordings of 90% of what you have been reacting too, mostly on vinyl and cassette and eventually in digital remasters, but had them since I started my serious musical ... like started going down the rabbit hole from what was always on radio..... probably in 1979. I went back to around 65 through the modern (for the time) music. One day the local FM station KSMB K-94 Stereo Rock without warning went from Classic to modern Rock of 1982 but Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, Flock if Seagulls, then hair bands Warrant, Poison, Ratt, Motely Crue, all being mixed in with new wave, Boy George until all the 70s stuff went to dedicated "Classic Rock" stations and the new stuff was on "Modern Rock" which were the old stations. What a way to switch formats and so shocking. A day of Dio and Boston and Zepplin mixed with New Wave and "pop". The next day no real 70's rock played. It was all choreographed and mostly controlled by the industry itself. The Business was done with deep free thinking "hippie music". But I was always being influenced by the boomers with a very intense musical background. This was a departure from most of my friends who listened to the FM rock stations but they had a collection, only of the "commercial" stuff. Which much was great but deep cuts and entire concept albums was a gamer changer for me. :) Everyone else focused on MTV. *shrug*
Don't miss Question (the song) and Story in Your Eyes
Seems like a heard an interview given by Justin Hayward or maybe I read it that this album was not only a concept album, but was also made to showcase the "new" stereo sound format by the record label that this album was recorded for. It was a deliberate mix of musical orchestration & rock music. I thought it was rather progressive for 1967.
All of the first 7 albums of the Moodies are concept albums. They are all laid down on the original album gaplessly, so that each song runs into the next. I would highly recommend either their second album, "In Search of the Lost Chord," with a central theme of music as a tool of self-awakening, or "To Our Children's Children's Children" which was intended to be released concurrent with the Apollo 11 launch, but missed by about a month and has space travel as it's central theme.
Nights in White satin is the radio song from this album.
You will get to more rock type music on the next song, this was just the introduction to the album.
5:20 check out "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band). Ride my See Saw. The Story in Your Eyes. Gemini Dream. The Other Side of Life. Very much a rock and roll band!
Days Of Future Passed is really just one long song...with many parts...just like it's concept - really just a 'day in the life'! I know the 'singles' are Nights and Tuesday Afternoon, but this album needs to be done as one! Perfection!
I love the idea of complete albums - wherever you can do it!
To me, this is one of the ultimate 'feel good' albums. I can't help but smile throughout. Then it ends with what is, to me, one of the best love songs ever! I may be a bit biased as this is the song my wife and I chose for our wedding.
My favourite piece is Twilight Time. The music and lyrical emotion just paint the perfect picture, but this is evident through the whole album.
Agree with others have to do the whole album
the very beginning is the overture which was composed from all the melodies on the album
Once you've heard the entire album, you might want to go back and listen to this again. It's an overture containing all the recognizable musical themes from the album's various songs, ending dramatically with "Nights In White Satin."
I have every album of theirs and never get tired of listening to them, they were a pop group back in 1964 with hits like Go Now , but members were not in sync so the band disbanded and then reformed with new members who meshed so well that they became so huge in the 70s and 80s, at one point the split but after 5 years they got back together and were just a big and are still playing although 3 members of the original band have died.
👍
This is a long one, so bear with me as I try to fill in the gaps from the crappy Wikipedia article.
The Moody Blues began as an R & B band headed by Denny Laine in 1964 (who would later join Paul McCartney in Wings). Their biggest hit in 1965 was a cover of "Go Now." After Denny left in 1966 (as well has the bassist, Clint Warwick), the band recruited Justin Hayward (guitars) and John Lodge (bass). They carried on the R & B for a while, but struggled. They eventually understood that with Denny and Clint gone, they needed to go in a different direction--effectively, drop the R & B and find their own voice. They spent a few months in Belgium to develop their new sound and created a stage show about the day in the life of one guy.
Decca, their record company, was developing a new stereo sound. They were creating a series of demonstration albums to sell the idea of stereo systems (most records were in mono). Since the Moody Blues were going cheap, Decca turned to them to record an album that showcased orchestral and "pop" music. They wanted the band to record a rock version of Dvorak's Four Season's. Arranger Peter Knight was to do all the symphonic bits and the band the rock bits. Well, Peter went to see the band perform at a gig and was impressed by their own songs, so he convinced them to record those and he would make orchestral arrangements around them. The only others who knew about this was their producer, Tony Clarke, and the executive producer, Hugh Mendl. They quietly recorded it in about two weeks. When the gang finally presented the album to the record company, everyone was shocked. Some were put out that they didn't get what they asked, but others were excited by it and were convinced it would sell. Well, it did, and became a major influence in the 1960s.
As far as the creation of this track, most of it is an overture arranged by Peter Knight. The poem itself was written by the drummer, Graeme Edge. The title of the poem is "Morning Glory," though it is left uncredited on the album. Graeme wanted to contribute lyrics for a song. When he presented it to the band, they thought the lyrics were lovely, but didn't think they could come up with a melody. So, it was decided to just record them as a spoken word piece. Graeme, not feeling confident about reciting it, got keyboardist Mike Pinder to record the words for him. This, and its "sister" poem, "Late Lament" would bookend the album.
Wow! I knew some of the history of DOFP but not completely. Thank you for that info. The Moody Blues are one of my favorite bands. 🎶🎹👍🙂
Great song if you’re going to do the whole album. (Just wait til he gets to night time...)
I first heard this in 2035. It’s gotten better since then. I love, love Tuesday Afternoon.
This opening is like an Overture. It gives musical hints to what the songs are going to be in classical form...the songs themselves are more pop/rock. Excellent album. Musicals? Can’t go wrong with My Fair Lady from the mid sixties.
Ps, if this is from the official site, it’s 720p. The dynamics are good but the source that I listened to to compare is better.
Just wait, the best is yet to come!
Great group, Great album.
FYI a podcast "Talk Tull to me" is two guys who are going through each and EVERY Jethro Tull song from first to last...
I'm glad you're going to go through all the Jethro Tull albums they are worthy of it. along the way I would love to hear you react to some iron butterfly, they also have some great music. Of course they're mostly known for In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. That is a great song, but their third album, "Iron Butterfly Ball" is loaded with great songs. Such as... "In the Time of our lives', "In the Crowds" and "Soul Experience" they have many other great songs as well, "Easy Rider" and "Soldier in our Town". You will be amazed.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida ehh? I did that one awhile ago (the full song) and it has become a personal favorite of mine, I've heard it over 10 times since reacting to it:)
@@DiconDissectionalReactions the weather after my comment I saw your reaction to it and listened. It is a great song, but Iron butterfly has some other really great songs. Even way more than the ones I mentioned. They're a very underrated band. But I'm glad you've become a great Jethro Tull fan. That's my all-time favorite band and I've actually seen them 44 times. You're going to be amazed as you go through their albums
The birth of prog rock.
Look at the title of the piece, The Day Begins.
"Pinprick holes" = stars
"10,000 suns challenges infinity" if you've ever seen the full night sky you know this feeling
"and is soon gone" = daybreak, all the power and majesty of infinity just disappears with the demands of a new day
"brave Helios" = the sun, rising to warm the countryside (whatever site you consulted about Helios, bookmark it so you never use it again)
Even though there were a a couple of other albums out, and I guess I should have known. I was lucky enough to see them at the Forum in LA in 70 or '71 while a young sailor stationed in San Diego about to embark for Japan (and Viet Nam) and they blew me away because of how hard they rocked and the fantastic rock guitar playing. Prior to that I had always considered them kind of a mellow band until then. First in a long series of lessons learned experiences with "produced" vs live music.
The one theme Justin repeats is being in night time, waiting for the sun.
Thank you. I love these morning songs. NO ONE ever does anything other than Nights in White Satin or Tuesday Afternoon. Moody Blues other albums have amazing songs as well. I recommend Threshold of a A Dream with the computer voice starting the one side of the album that is "conceptural" Its a long song but it is amazingly emotional and meaningfull.
Im a huge fan of this idea! You made my little heart happy doing this thank you 💖
this was originally meant to be a demonstration album to show rock like classical can be done in stereo
Once one has heard the whole album, one discovers that this opening song contains snippets of the melodies from some the subsequent tracks. A somewhat classical characteristic. A lot of thought went into this album.
Doing the whole album front to back without having heard any of their other music. This will be a journey for many of us because of how you are going through it yourself. While I type this, I am hearing in my head, some of the melodies from some of the songs. I think I'll find the others and continue this journey.
Welcome aboard, this album is one I have now re listened to many times:) Masterful piece of art.
They were 'hired' to do a version of Dvorak's "A New World Symphony" to demonstrate STEREO (a common thing at the time - Stereo Records to get people to buy Stereo phonographs over traditional Mono players). Instead, they worked with Peter Knight who created orchestrations and the Moody's did some songs to intersperse.
Peter Knight was one of the great string arrangers of his time
Give Procol Harum Conquistador a spin.
The Moody Blues are a rock band. But this album was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. So it has a rich movie feel to it. Will comments more after the last video. ✌
Absolutely perfect way to do it! And I'll save comments for last song lol just realized this was done on my bday lo
I love this, but I always have thought it was a bit strange in how the rock community embraced it for its' innovation in the use of a symphonic orchestra. Rock music was a rebellion against the use of orchestras in music. Frank Sinatra and The Tommy Dorsey Band were old people music, as were the light operetta that dominated all of the old hollywood studio musicals. Then along comes the Moody Blues who said "Fuck that. Symphonic music is powerful and beautiful, and we're making an album with a symphony orchestra". Two of my first album purchases with Christmas money from my godmother were Days of Future Passed and the soundtrack album from West Side Story. Trying to cubbyhole musical artists or draw boundaries regarding their pallette of sounds is pointless. Let them try what they will. Some of the output will be amazing. As for the gallant failures, nobody forces you to listen to them twice.
Just curious. Have you ever really listened to a young Frand Sinatra sing?
I have not.
Concept albums....always tricky. Do you play the first song or the best song? Because they’re often not one and the same.
For example: The Who’s Tommy and Spock’s Beard’s Snow start with an Overture with very few lyrics. Done well , it can set a tone or an atmosphere that draws you in. But you(the artist) shouldn’t reveal all your cards at the beginning. Let it simmer and build, you’ve got a lot of time to go, focus on the set up of the story, pique the listeners’ interest. This concept becomes much more apparent on repeated listens.
I would recommend doing it with Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles.
Try Uriah Heep. Album Demons and Wizards
Wait for it.
This is terrific
Don't worry, they are a regular rock n roll band with guitars and drums etc. If you like musicals maybe you should try one. I recommend Les Miserables 25th anniversary. Here's a clip from it: th-cam.com/video/K5PzJhU8iI0/w-d-xo.html
If you want to react to the soundtrack of a musical, try "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" Ask pop about that one!
I love it
This was the beginning of prog rock.
The moodies had a seveal “prog” albums before most of the classic prog bands even formed.
is there a guitar in their music??...ha...just you wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do Strang way by Firefall
They made music real.
They go electric and melotrons came to the fore because of them. An instrument that is cumbersome (to move) and difficult to learn because there are so few of them around.
"pinprick holes in a colorless sky". Some places we just can't go to because we are so irrelevant.
The next song is better and the album just blew me away from day one. Plenty of guitar etc awaits so don't fret!
Why don't you drag the window tab with the lyrics out to the side, resize both windows smaller and to the same size, put them side by side or one over the other, then you can see the lyrics and the video.
I thought Apollo was Greek and Helios was Roman?
You skipped THE FIRST SONG, "Dawn is a Feeling". In fact, you haven't actually heard the band, yet.
I actually prefer the Mellotron to a real orchestra, am I alone in this opinion? I think the next six albums were all much better than this one. I love the songs on this one but overall it sounds less Moody Bluesy to me. I enjoyed your reaction and thoughts.
Both have their place. I had the pleasure of seeing their 50th Anniversary performance of Days of Future Passed in Toronto back in 2017 with a full orchestra. It was an unforgettable experience. That said, the Mellotron (and its counterpart the Chamberlin), has an ethereal quality that adds so much to the sound.
Mikko Kivisto sounds like a great concert.
I've always seen them as two separate things, much like an acoustic piano and a Fender Rhodes. I don't think I'd have enjoyed "Court Of The Crimson King" as much with a full orchestra (in the same way that "Riders On The Storm" wouldn't have worked with a Steinway Grand). The Mellotron is inseparable from the song's sound, as it is for many prog records of the 70's. It's sad to know that both the Mellotron and MiniMoog have disappeared forever.
ThatOneGuyAgain i think moog maybe making a mini moog again. Not the same but hey at least it’s analog. Like a pedal steel guitar on a country record the Mellotron is simply the sound of British prog to me. It’s true, they won’t be making more Mellotrons.
The type of music this is, is called a "Tone Poem". The music alone tells the story. This was the overture of the story the album is telling.
Your sound is off slightly. Lips don't line up with what you're saying. Very slight.
Not at all. Very progressive rock and roll