Yes indeed. And the evocative lyrics, poetry and themes of passing through the day with classical references too all adds to the appeal. A true masterpiece. cttcaegoaktd ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I was in the UK in the US Air Force in 1984-86 and I saw the Moodys play 3 1/2 hours at Wembley stadium for a benefit concert. Nothing was more enchanting than hearing 15,000 people at the end of the concert recite, “Breathe deep, the gathering gloom…” word for word.
I'm 71. Been listening to this for over fifty years. It has taken me that long to digest all of the lyrics, but I think I have it now. One thing I might mention to you is that Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling represents birth. I believe the reason it is in a minor key is because although it is a beautiful event which brings so much joy and happiness, we are looking at another life full of struggles, sorrows, defeats, and eventually death. "We were all born to die." This is where the dichotomy takes place. And the same can be said for the physical earth. Springtime is dawn. We know that each year, spring eventually turns to summer and then to fall & winter. And in this metaphoric case, the dawn of each day has to carry on into morning, afternoon, evening & night. Everything that begins must end. So stepping away from it all and looking from afar, this is sad. Therefore, a minor key is used.
good explanation of the meaning of the song. Listened to it and Threshold of A Dream many times in those times .. they were like a shelter in the storm for many as were other music works by very talented artists
@@stevenhaywood1195 Of course the album isn’t underrated, I was talking about “Evening Time To Get Away”. I do think it’s underrated cause it comes after the huge “Tuesday Afternoon” and it’s a short little song.
@@yigit_tky Fair enough. Time to Get Away does follow on from the epic Tuesday afternoon. I think it is a great song indeed. . However, I named the wrong song! It is Twilight time I like the most, if it is possible to have a favourite from such a classic album. I have adjusted the title in my comments cttcaegoaktd 😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛
One of the most important albums of all time. Biggest revelation to fans is that Mike Pinder performs a lot of parts people probably think are orchestrated.
Why did I fall in love with this music at 17 in 1968 ?? I still love it today at 72 in 2023 . This is mind opening music . Music which enables time travel through both time and space. I can sit in my living room listening today and return to my bedroom in 1969 . I can see my blacklight reflecting off my florsent painted Pirates Sailing Ship from Spencer Gift. My best friend and Dog Boots is laying at the end of the bed nooding off . All is well in the world, unlike the world of my living room.
This album brings tears to my eyes every time. It is of its time, yet still timeless. It's almost unbelievable that a group of kids in their 20s could have made something so deep.
It certainly is an outstanding achievement. But they were not kids. They were in their 20s, and many musicians had their heyday and wrote their best music, or at least their most famous music, in their 20s. Young as this may seem to us now who are much older. cttcaegoaktd 😛😛😛😛😛😛😛
When you think this was recorded the same year as Sgt Peppers, Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gate's of Dawn and a year before Led Zeppelin 1, it was an amazing piece of work. Please do more Moody Blues, they are an under rated band.
I think there is a deeper meaning of this album. This album is all about the duality of time and the choice we have in front of it. Time is something that advances like an arrow. Our lifetime is like a day: we are born (dawn), we are children and grow up (morning), we thrive, we work, we arrive at our peak (peak hour), and then we are teenagers (afternoon) and adults, we know love and its perils (night), and we eventually vanish and die (midnight). But time is also cyclic: every day starts again, every year, decade, century, generation, etc. This dual nature of time offers us the choice to try to live each day of our life as if it were the first (or the last), i.e. to make our best to live "a lifetime in the space of a day" ("this day could last a thousand years if you want it to"), and day after day, because the only power we have over the passage of time is our perception of it. Each song on the album is about a moment in our life when time seems to stand still, and all of them have one thing in common: time stands still when we marvel or when we meditate on its passage: when we contemplate the beauty of a sunrise (Dawn is a feeling ), twilight (Twilight Time) or starry night (The Sunset), when we are children and each day seems so full to us (The Morning), when we realize the importance of enjoying every moment instead of working like zombies (Peak Hour and The Evening), when we are "stoned" (Tuesday Afternoon), when we fall in love (Nights In White Satin)... In the end "we decide" (Late Lament) how to live our life : by marveling to make the most of every moment, or by letting time slip through our fingers. Every day, we have the power to redo this choice to marvel or not, hence the gong, reversed at the beginning, then normal at the end: time advances, and yet it cycles at the same... time. We also see on the cover several references to the duality, in particular that of the seasons which return, cosmic movements, hours around a clock, etc. And the stroke of genius of the affair is precisely this dialogue between orchestral moments, which represent "the past" and nostalgia, poetry, which represents the present (in 1967), and rock, which represents the future (still in 1967). The "music of the old" vs the "music of the young" vs our intimate meditations, all of which can bring their share of joy, beauty and wonder that we must learn to grasp. At the end, the ultimate moment when time stands still is when we contemplate the beauty in music and poetry, whether current or ancient... So DOFP is an album much deeper, much more philosophical than it looks, in reality, because its concept is introduced very subtly, not in such an obvious way as on albums like Tommy or The Wall (another way of suggesting duality?...). In short, a masterpiece.
This album is MY album, of all time. Many others, from many countries and in many languages, have likewise reached my favor...but none like Days of Future Passed. "Nights in White Satin" I call MY song of all time. The whole work is simply the perfect synthesis of rock/pop and "classical", and it led the way for Jon Lord, ELP and Yes. I'm so glad I was there when it came out, and I'm equally fortunate to still be here to love and enjoy it over 55 years later. It deserves serious analysis such as this...and holds up to it! Thank you very much! JAT
I've also long took it as "this is a young person at the beginning of life with the feeling that there is no urgency to accomplish anything, everything is well and there is always tomorrow" and the melancholy comes from an older person reflecting back to that youthful attitude. Reminds me of Pink Floyd's "And then one day you find, 10 years have got behind you, no one told you where to run, you missed the starting gun"
If you don’t hear this for the first time and get goosebumps, you should just go back to listening to AM top 40. Just an amazing album and an amazing group of musicians! RIP, Gray and Ray. We miss you both terribly…..
When you consider the hits in 1967 were from people ranging from the Monkees, Dylan, Beach Boys, Supremes, Herman's Hermits to Janis Joplin, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver, this album stands out as the most mature piece of work of the time. And yes, the Moodies were loosely associated with the Beatles. - Interesting trivia - "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" is based on a real event involving Ray Thomas.
...and the Doors. Yet, what you mention is mostly an american viewpoint. In Europe, and in particular in the UK, the local scene was mostly formed by local bands, many of which would become world famous: The Beatles and the Rollling Stones, of course, but also amazing scenes like those of The Small Faces, Eric Burdon, Traffic, Pink Floyd, Cream, The Byrds, The Who, The Velvet Underground, and Procol Harum. It was mostly with these that the Magnificent Moodies had to compare with. And, boy, did they do so. I ❤ The Moody Blues 🙂
The greatest album of pop orchestra ever. How this band with one hit behind them ever gsined the funds of Decca as well as the services of Peter Knight and the London Festival Orchestra I have no idea. Incredible.
As a child I loved classical music and was starting to discover love for pop and rock. Then this came out. I played it over and over until I wore it completely out. So happy that you shared this with us here. It's such a wonderful blending of band and orchestra. It's not easy to do. Yes's Magnification is the only one I can think of that approaches it.
This record I bought when a teenager always brings me tears these days - yes I still have it. It's one of my all time favorites. It's Delightful, Exquisite, Elegantly Perfect. Justin sings beautifully. Thanks Doug for the interaction, I really enjoyed it. I believe this is the story of Man's LOVE of life and then the realization that it's all been stolen from us by the greedy fat controllers making us slave away our precious time for THEM! As we strive to LIVE 'in between' the slog, the end comes all too quickly if you don't take time out and enjoy it. While I am still 28 in my head, I am now 67.... what happened to the time man? Listening to the beginnings and ends of songs is like watching a movie in your mind if you can close your eyes. And as the song finishes it's like a new scene is about to start in an old sepia colored film reel or black and white movie. Peak hour has an interesting Pink Floyd "Relics" feel in one spot, and then a bit of *the beginnings of* "I'm just a singer (in a rock and roll band)" which didn't quite exist yet... I pinched bits of the music melodies and added new words to sing to my new baby son to get him to sleep and bedtime right up until he was about 10, he called them "My songs".... When he began to speak he'd say, "Dad come and sing me my songs." He's now almost 16, and he has yet to hear this record (as I've been "gone" since he was near 10 - devastating) I see him regularly but live elsewhere.... When he hears this he will likely be blown away and I might cry with him or ON him lol Forgive me if you're reading this, my life INCLUDES this record, but sorry for ranting on if you're not interested - but hey I really AM interested in yours - please share your experience with it too - Cheers.
Back in the mid 90s I would give lectures on progressive rock at a local college and I cited this album as one of the first ever prog albums. One of the most amazing albums ever. Blew a lot of minds.
You mention this was the Moodies' second album. I think what is important is that this was the first with the presence of Justin Hayward and John Lodge. The fortunate departure of Denny Laine and Clint Warwick post "The Magnificent Moodies" led to the Moody Blues as we now know them. I am of the opinion that if that had not happened, the Moody Blues would have been a one hit wonder with "Go Now" and never heard from again.
It's weirder than that. Had the band not been so in debt to the record company, they probably would have been let go. Decca was trying to recoup some of their money, which is why they were offered the project.
For me, the entire concept is amazing. If you look closely at the lyrics, you'll notice that each track doesn't only evoke a time of day, but it also portrays a time of life. The Day Begins is an overall overture reworking themes from some of the tracks throughout the album. You picked up on Nights In White Satin, which preceded Morning Glory. On side 2, pay particular attention to the opening stanza of Morning Glory and the closing stanza of Late Lament, which follows the actual track of Nights In White Satin. Then make note of the closing sound of the album, and recall the slow fade in at the beginning. To me, the entire The Day Begins section, from opening sound through Morning Glory portrays not only the very early morning predawn time of day, but also a phase before/between life. Keep in mind at least a few members of the Moody Blues were into Eastern philosophy. Dawn: Dawn Is A Feeling denotes both birth and the awareness of a new life beginning. The lines: This day will last a thousand years, if you want it to are, in my opinion, crucial to the entire concept. More on that later after side 2. The Morning: Another Morning depicts childhood. You picked up on the cheerful feeling of the track, and the lyrics portray children's innocence and joy in the moment. Lunch Break: Peak Hour shows one growing older and taking on responsibility, education, and work. Some of the tones in the orchestral section reminds me of teletype machines back in the day. This is how I relate to this album. On a surface level, it depicts both a single day and an entire lifetime. But dig deeper, and the opening and closing sounds signify even more, in my opinion.
Yes, I think there is a deeper meaning of this album. This album is all about the duality of time and the choice we have in front of it. Time is something that advances like an arrow. Our lifetime is like a day: we are born (dawn), we are children and grow up (morning), we thrive, we work, we arrive at our peak (peak hour), and then we are teenagers (afternoon) and adults, we know love and its perils (night), and we eventually vanish and die (midnight). But time is also cyclic: every day starts again, every year, decade, century, generation, etc. This dual nature of time offers us the choice to try to live each day of our life as if it were the first (or the last), i.e. to make our best to live "a lifetime in the space of a day" ("this day could last a thousand years if you want it to"), and day after day, because the only power we have over the passage of time is our perception of it. Each song on the album is about a moment in our life when time seems to stand still, and all of them have one thing in common: time stands still when we marvel or when we meditate on its passage: when we contemplate the beauty of a sunrise (Dawn is a feeling ), twilight (Twilight Time) or starry night (The Sunset), when we are children and each day seems so full to us (The Morning), when we realize the importance of enjoying every moment instead of working like zombies (Peak Hour and The Evening), when we are "stoned" (Tuesday Afternoon), when we fall in love (Nights In White Satin)... In the end "we decide" (Late Lament) how to live our life : by marveling to make the most of every moment, or by letting time slip through our fingers. Every day, we have the power to redo this choice to marvel or not, hence the gong, reversed at the beginning, then normal at the end: time advances, and yet it cycles at the same... time. We also see on the cover several references to the duality, in particular that of the seasons which return, cosmic movements, hours around a clock, etc. And the stroke of genius of the affair is precisely this dialogue between orchestral moments, which represent "the past" and nostalgia, poetry, which represents the present (in 1967), and rock, which represents the future (still in 1967). The "music of the old" vs the "music of the young" vs our intimate meditations, all of which can bring their share of joy, beauty and wonder that we must learn to grasp. At the end, the ultimate moment when time stands still is when we contemplate the beauty in music and poetry, whether current or ancient... So DOFP is an album much deeper, much more philosophical than it looks, in reality, because its concept is introduced very subtly, not in such an obvious way as on albums like Tommy or The Wall (another way of suggesting duality?...). In short, a masterpiece.
I've always felt the orchestral parts were a combination of Beethoven's Pastoral and program music. The transitions conjure up images of sunrises, playgrounds, busy highways full of traffic going to work, golden afternoons, and ebony nights.
I have been listening to this since 1967 and have never tired of it. This is what you find if you look in a dictionary for the definition of "Classic album". Every track is a masterpiece, linked together with masterpieces from the orchestra. Mike Pinder worked at the Mellotron factory in Birmingham (as a demonstrator) and his and Justin's addition to the R 'n' B band revolutionised their sound.
The band and the orchestra never played together. The band recorded the songs and Peter Knight and the orchestra recorded the orchestral interludes in one session around these, I believe. He was a genius, as are the Moodies. Wonderful commentary, Doug.
As an aside. I took up Viola when at secondary school. Peter Knight was my Viola teacher and I clearly recall him asking if I was into “pop” music. I know I mumbled something like “not really” He didn’t elaborate but it wasn’t until years later I made the connection.
It has been 56 years and it still give me the chills. I loved it the 1st time I heard this and have learned to appreciate it more and more as time passes. Like Dark Side of the Moon, the best way to experience this album is in it's entirety (or at least large chunks of it). Thanks Doug.
These old Moodies are always in my heart, they never go away. I heard Days of future passed in early 70's and it was impressive as it is today. For me this is best album what is made for the rock band and classical orchestra.
Typically, the one who wrote the song would sing lead on that song. “Nights In White Satin”, final song on the album, was written first and was the springboard for the concept of the album. While Mike Pinder wrote the first song, the band realized the album needed to open and close with the same voice for true cohesion. Mike graciously stepped aside to allow Justin to sing the lead-in. I first heard this album in early 1969 when my friend’s big brother brought it home during his spring break from college. We snuck it onto the stereo while he was out. I had just turned 14 and I was utterly mesmerized. I’d never heard anything like this magical album! DoFP completely altered my perceptions of what rock music could be. It’s 55 years later and I’m still a huge fan of the Moody Blues.
Oh, and to think this was done with 3 tracks! The band was on 1 track, the orchestra on the 2nd, and they were combined on the 3rd track. Producer Tony Clarke deserves major credit for interweaving all the threads together! He would produce all of the early albums.
If you’re enjoying Progressive Rock, you really need check out Renaissance! The band features the glorious voice of Annie Haslam. Jon Camp was one of the pioneers of using the bass as lead guitar and it was the perfect counterpoint to Annie’s soprano. Some songs to like to are Ocean Gypsy, Mother Russia (inspired by the life of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the author and Russian dissident who writes the early 70s classic “The Gulag Archipelago”), The Vutures Fly High, Jeckyll and Hyde, Carpet of the Sun, among many others.
The depth and originality of the Moody Blues is just incredible. All members are extremely creative and talented musicians. This album is an absolute masterpiece and served as their new sound with the addition of Justin Hayward to the band. Listen to their first Core 7 albums, each one is exceptional. Great one , Doug!
@@tlc8865 Indeed. While Justin receives most of the kudos, rightfully so i think, John was absolutely indispensable to the rebirth of the Moodies in the post Denny Laine / Clint Warwick era. Justin and John were the catalysts that redirected and released the creativity of Ray, Graeme, and, in particular - Mike. Together, they were a perfect storm and key players in the creation of progressive rock.
An important pioneer in helping FM radio become more popular and thus giving a platform for extended play music (compared to the very restrictive 2-3 minute pop songs on AM radio) was The NIghtbird, Alison Steele . She was a DJ for WNEW in NYC. She would play many long works, whole albums of many bands, back in the day, bands that we now refer to as "prog rock". This in turn led to many bands becoming popular, bands that would never get AM play, often these bands developed underground following. This was how I got introduced to many great bands including the Moody Blues, The Nice, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Renaissance et al. It was a great time in music. Those of us who came of age back then were spoiled and had no idea how lucky we were to be experiencing all this great music. Sadly Alison passed away in 1995. Wonderful video Dr. Doug))
What an amazing album. I can't remember how many times I put on the headphones, turned off the lights and just lost myself to this. The Moody Blues truly were a gift to mankind.
I was 10 when the album was released but never heard it until my brother returned from Vietnam in 1969; he and I went to the record store, and he bought this album, along with other albums that have become classics: Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Iron Butterfly, and Joe Cocker. Apparently, the Marines in his unit in Vietnam occasionally had access to music. With no way to play that music in his barracks, he left his music with me when he returned to his unit. This album was my gateway drug to prog rock and the romantic angst of Justin Hayward and John Lodge. Those two briefly got together during the Moody Blues' five-year hiatus. They called themselves The Blue Jays and released one album in 1975. It's wonderful and has that classic Moody Blues sound. Thanks for this, Doug. Nothing fills me with the feelings of teen romantic angst like "Nights in White Satin."
I have been listening to this album for over 50 years, and it still never gets old. I love watching a musically educated person's reaction to this masterpiece. This is not "cookie cutter' rock music. Glad you picked up on the nods to the Beatles and Beach Boys.
because of this album's wintry feeling, i play it every year at Christmas/Solstice time. it also seems one of those perfect embodiments of the musical arts around the midcentury last (very Hollywood musical types of orchestra pieces, plus the "new groove" Rock&Roll). glad you enjoy it.
It is great hearing your take on the Moody Blues. Not really knowing music I knew I had stumbled into something great with this and there other alblems.
So serendipitous, I listened to this album front to back yesterday for the first time ever and absolutely loved it! Nights in White Satin has long been a favorite classic of mine, it was a favorite of my grandfathers and I must've heard it a million times on road trips as a little guy in the 90's. Ashamed it took me so long to listen to the full album. I also listened to A Question of Balance and will certainly be listening to more of their work, they're phenomenal!
I was about 8 years old when I first heard “ Knights In White Satin. “ That song really grabbed me, alluring me into classical music even before I was into rock & roll. But I wasn’t yet familiar with that entire album until years later. It’s a masterpiece from start to finish and the initial reason I became an eternal fan of progressive rock, before I even knew what that meant. To this day, it’s still one of the most original and timeless pieces in rock music history, coming out of the year when the concert album was born.
I was a stone cold 13 year old Mars bars junkie when this came out. With a mono stereo console that had a built in cheap 16-33-45-78 speed record player and built in cheap speakers. I loved it when mom bought it for me on Christmas 66. This album, Sgt Peppers, and Pet Sounds got played over and over and over again. With my neighborhood buddies in tow in my small add on bedroom. That once was a side porch. We had a full set of encyclopedias on a shelf that was just above waist high. Our keyboards if you will. Two Louisville slugger baseball bats for lead and bass guitars. A big round toy box turned upside down with two of those big pencils ✏ they used to sell and have in school as the drum and drum sticks. An overhead lamp that you could pull down and push back up equipped with a bull whip through a fixture on the lamp and the big end of the whip as the mic. All the other instruments were done as fast as we could imagine them being. The hand finger trumpet, throw up a pencil for a flute, a bat suddenly becomes a violin !!! What a time to be a boy in the 60s. Miss you mom and friends. Thanks Doug.
As a long time Moodies fan, it is nice to see people like yourself reviewing albums such as this. Ground breaking and brave, especially when the record company did not give it a prayer. It is a musically haunting and the orchestral arrangements complement the songs perfectly. Fantastic use of the orchestra with woodwind, brass, strings and percussion all being used to their optimum. You seemed to enjoy this album immensely Doug, one of the first concept albums. Cannot wait for side 2.
I grew up with a group of 4 older brothers that had a whole lot of albums from the 50s and 60s and I listened to this album over and over and over again from the age of about 5 to 15. Maybe one of the best things I've ever heard...
Great reaction Doug. What I really like about your reaction style is the level of intellect...not too much as to be pretentious, but its obvious you know your musicality and your target audience. What a great ride you've been on. 😊
I was a college sophomore @ UCONN in 1987 when my R.A. said “hey listen to this!”. Been a fan ever since. I listen to the Moody’s library every couple of months like clockwork!🤘😎
Can't wait! One of the all-time greats. What makes the music flow from the "classical" orchestrated interludes to the pop/rock material is that Mike Pinder played the Mellotron and Ray Thomas played the flute, so those additions to the Moodies sound help to "smooth out" the transitions so it sounds like a seamless whole. I don't know why nobody ever mentions this -- it's the main reason the record isn't disjointed, as it is in Deep Purple's "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" and other attempts at fusing these disparate genres of music.
@@dhfenske Yes, there are times when you think you're still hearing the orchestra, but you aren't -- you're hearing the "classical" sounding instruments of the Moodies playing, so the starting and ending points of various pieces are not exactly where you think they are. And the orchestrations by Peter Knight are absolutely brilliant.
I’ve been a huge MB fan since the 70’s. I fell in love with the band because of this album. I’ll never forget lending this album to a friend of mine who was in college in the early 80’s. Her reaction to Peak Hour alone was enough to prove that they had what it takes. This album is mind altering and to this day 50 years later, I’m just as much a fan if not more so! Great review Doug! I really enjoy when you do the Moody’s!
My absolute favourite Moody Blues album, it was so ahead of its time. I am heading over to check out your part two!! Thank you for featuring the full album reaction Doug!
One of my most favorite albums. By now you will know, that the start is not a slow fade-in, but a reversed gong. At the end of the album you hear the same gong, but then played normally.
My present rescue dog traveled from Mississippi to Connecticut to find me so, a "Gypsy" of sorts. His call name is Deacon but his AKC registered name is "Gypsy of a Strange and Distant Time". I wonder if anyone at AKC looked at that and was curious of the source.
An absolute masterpiece when creativity was exploding in the popular music world. I used to think, "where can it go from here", and was so excited to be a part of the "scene" back then. All these years later, how disappointing it is to hear the absolute (C)rap that's being shoved in listeners' ears today and worst of all, embraced as well.
Very first cd I ever had (1985). This record solidified my love and appreciation of classical music. Before that (late 70s), I had only a passing interest into classical music being a prog rock fan. From this, I discovered Vivaldi’s “Seasons.”
This album was also done(in part) to showcase the technical achievement of 'STEREO' in the days of mono....these were the days of the very rapid growth of FM STEREO which overtook AM radio in terms of listeners in about 1970. Stereo really was a 'next step' and many bands of the day took great advantage of what it could do, which is why it grew so rapidly in that era. I remember the first STEREO receiver in the house I grew up in in about 1972, and when it was purchased, they threw in a pair of stereo headphones with the purchase......and THAT was CRAAAZY to hear the music move around in your head as it played. There were a bunch of really great albums of the day that will NEVER sound the same in any other media than the original vinyl.....and my dad, in his infinite ash whollia threw out my 30 some odd peach crates full of the best vinyl of the era when I left the house for a summer school in the mountains.....and that was only ONE of the malignant narcissistic things he did to me.....
I have one of those albums. Given to me by a very small TV and stereo shop in ST. Louis. The guy thought it was crap but he did tell me that is was given to him by some stereo company to test his units. Tuesday Afternoon still reminds me of my first love... As a suggestion and I dont do this often but To Our Childrens Childrens Children an album that was inspired by the first moon landing sits in the bottom of my heart... and come to think about it it reminds me of my second love. Oh what a feeling!
For a person who really listens to the music, the music on this album really brings a days activities to life, like 'Lunch Break' and how it picks up the tempo, replicating the speed people use to get their lunch and get back to work. When I hear it, I think of all the people walking on New York Streets, but I visualize well. lol It's the same for 'On the Trail' of the Grand Canyon Suite by Grove'. If you visualize, you can see the mules walking on the trail down to the bottom of the canyon.
What a co- incidence for me to read the comments here. Our family went to our local symphony’s spring concert last night. They performed the Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe’ and I did think of the Moodys while hearing On the Trail. This led me to listen to Days of Futures Past this morning. Then to stumble onto this comment. We are not well educated in classical music but enjoyed every moment of the concert
This is my All-time favorite album. It came out I was three years old and I’ve loved it ever since. I have a sister who was 17 at the time and she brought it home when it first came out because her best friend’s father owned the radio station. It blew my mind at three years old and still does to this day. I really would love to see you react to side two. I can’t afford to be on your Patreon site.
I can't describe to you how happy this makes me. Grew up The Moody Blues thanks to my parents. I've seen them in concert twice. I was listening to this album at 11 years old. Weird kid lol.
I was blessed to listen to the 7 classic albums as a young teenager back when they were released. The Moody Blues will always be a part of my life. Always...
I must have listened to this album thousands of times yet I never tire of it -and it's not even my favorite Moodies album! If you're going to listen to all seven, you have a treat in store. But do yourself a favour. When you've done those, listen to Blue Jays and The Promise as well.
The reason I found this video is because this auto-played after I listened to the "A Question of Balance" album. Although I have it on vinyl I have played them so many times that they have had some wear... and a few scratches seemingly always right before a climax. Sometimes it is nice listening to the new "remastered versions" since they are just a cleaned up version, although sometimes the feeling of the original is lost or diminished.
I've been a musicologist for many years now and a huge Moody Blues fan. I will add in that this album was recorded at Decca Studios in 1966 on a 4 track recording board with more then one 4 track tape machine. One tape machine recorded the bands and the other one recorded the orchestration The equipment was very primitive at that time at Decca. I think most of it had vacuum tubes based. The band recorded live under the control room at Decca Studio A with the sound blasting out into the large live room where it was microphone into board All the orchestration was micro phoned sent to a tape machines and then played back out through the speakers on the live room walls and then recorded back into another 4 track as a over dub to the band on the other tracks from the session master The concept of Children is always a theme to many of their concepts . Time, mantra , god, medication and story telling are others After this album Decca went to the eight track board and tape machine, the Moody Blues must become even more complex in their studio recordings So complex that the band couldn't do many songs live
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One of the bravest albums of all time. There is almost NOTHING else like this. A perfect marriage of orchestral and rock and folk music. Brilliant!
❤❤❤
Yes indeed. And the evocative lyrics, poetry and themes of passing through the day with classical references too all adds to the appeal. A true masterpiece.
cttcaegoaktd
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
That was the truly amazing thing about the music of the 1960. The innovation and experimentation was simply incredible.
Was overshadowed by Sgt. Pepper's
The Moody Blues in this are fantastic. The London Festival Orchestra does not exist.
I was in the UK in the US Air Force in 1984-86 and I saw the Moodys play 3 1/2 hours at Wembley stadium for a benefit concert. Nothing was more enchanting than hearing 15,000 people at the end of the concert recite, “Breathe deep, the gathering gloom…” word for word.
They only drew 15,000 people into Wembley Stadium?!
@@bobthebear1246 lol Crowds they be fickle.
@@bobthebear1246 probably Wembley Arena
@@petermoore4122 it was the arena,i was there,brilliant
Yes I had the pleasure of that experience at Red Rocks. Magnificent!
I'm 71. Been listening to this for over fifty years. It has taken me that long to digest all of the lyrics, but I think I have it now. One thing I might mention to you is that Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling represents birth. I believe the reason it is in a minor key is because although it is a beautiful event which brings so much joy and happiness, we are looking at another life full of struggles, sorrows, defeats, and eventually death. "We were all born to die." This is where the dichotomy takes place. And the same can be said for the physical earth. Springtime is dawn. We know that each year, spring eventually turns to summer and then to fall & winter. And in this metaphoric case, the dawn of each day has to carry on into morning, afternoon, evening & night. Everything that begins must end. So stepping away from it all and looking from afar, this is sad. Therefore, a minor key is used.
good explanation of the meaning of the song. Listened to it and Threshold of A Dream many times in those times .. they were like a shelter in the storm for many as were other music works by very talented artists
One of the greatest albums of all time. Also “Dawn is A Feeling” is such an underrated song, gotta be one of my favorites.
.I agree with your choice of "Dawn is a Feeling" also being one of my favorite Moodies songs too.
I love the whole album but possibly I like Twilight Time the most.
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@@stevenhaywood1195 absolutely love it. That one is underrated too.
@@stevenhaywood1195 Of course the album isn’t underrated, I was talking about “Evening Time To Get Away”. I do think it’s underrated cause it comes after the huge “Tuesday Afternoon” and it’s a short little song.
@@yigit_tky Fair enough. Time to Get Away does follow on from the epic Tuesday afternoon. I think it is a great song indeed. . However, I named the wrong song! It is Twilight time I like the most, if it is possible to have a favourite from such a classic album. I have adjusted the title in my comments
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One of the most important albums of all time.
Biggest revelation to fans is that Mike Pinder performs a lot of parts people probably think are orchestrated.
Why did I fall in love with this music at 17 in 1968 ?? I still love it today at 72 in 2023 . This is mind opening music . Music which enables time travel through both time and space. I can sit in my living room listening today and return to my bedroom in 1969 . I can see my blacklight reflecting off my florsent painted Pirates Sailing Ship from Spencer Gift. My best friend and Dog Boots is laying at the end of the bed nooding off . All is well in the world, unlike the world of my living room.
This album brings tears to my eyes every time. It is of its time, yet still timeless. It's almost unbelievable that a group of kids in their 20s could have made something so deep.
It does the same to me ❤
I couldn't agree more ❤
Indeed, they certainly were gifted musicians. I don't think this could happen today with the state of the music industry.
It is a beautiful album.
It certainly is an outstanding achievement. But they were not kids. They were in their 20s, and many musicians had their heyday and wrote their best music, or at least their most famous music, in their 20s. Young as this may seem to us now who are much older.
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When you think this was recorded the same year as Sgt Peppers, Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gate's of Dawn and a year before Led Zeppelin 1, it was an amazing piece of work. Please do more Moody Blues, they are an under rated band.
Just a group of lads from Birmingham England, amazing period musically . 1967 , what a year.
@@stevensmith8454 Yeah....1967...the summer of love...the summer of Monterey pop festival !!!
Not under-rated to their fans!
Another fantastic album from '67. Love Forever Changes.
What a time to be musically alive.
I think there is a deeper meaning of this album. This album is all about the duality of time and the choice we have in front of it. Time is something that advances like an arrow. Our lifetime is like a day: we are born (dawn), we are children and grow up (morning), we thrive, we work, we arrive at our peak (peak hour), and then we are teenagers (afternoon) and adults, we know love and its perils (night), and we eventually vanish and die (midnight). But time is also cyclic: every day starts again, every year, decade, century, generation, etc.
This dual nature of time offers us the choice to try to live each day of our life as if it were the first (or the last), i.e. to make our best to live "a lifetime in the space of a day" ("this day could last a thousand years if you want it to"), and day after day, because the only power we have over the passage of time is our perception of it.
Each song on the album is about a moment in our life when time seems to stand still, and all of them have one thing in common: time stands still when we marvel or when we meditate on its passage: when we contemplate the beauty of a sunrise (Dawn is a feeling ), twilight (Twilight Time) or starry night (The Sunset), when we are children and each day seems so full to us (The Morning), when we realize the importance of enjoying every moment instead of working like zombies (Peak Hour and The Evening), when we are "stoned" (Tuesday Afternoon), when we fall in love (Nights In White Satin)...
In the end "we decide" (Late Lament) how to live our life : by marveling to make the most of every moment, or by letting time slip through our fingers. Every day, we have the power to redo this choice to marvel or not, hence the gong, reversed at the beginning, then normal at the end: time advances, and yet it cycles at the same... time. We also see on the cover several references to the duality, in particular that of the seasons which return, cosmic movements, hours around a clock, etc.
And the stroke of genius of the affair is precisely this dialogue between orchestral moments, which represent "the past" and nostalgia, poetry, which represents the present (in 1967), and rock, which represents the future (still in 1967). The "music of the old" vs the "music of the young" vs our intimate meditations, all of which can bring their share of joy, beauty and wonder that we must learn to grasp. At the end, the ultimate moment when time stands still is when we contemplate the beauty in music and poetry, whether current or ancient...
So DOFP is an album much deeper, much more philosophical than it looks, in reality, because its concept is introduced very subtly, not in such an obvious way as on albums like Tommy or The Wall (another way of suggesting duality?...).
In short, a masterpiece.
This album is MY album, of all time. Many others, from many countries and in many languages, have likewise reached my favor...but none like Days of Future Passed. "Nights in White Satin" I call MY song of all time. The whole work is simply the perfect synthesis of rock/pop and "classical", and it led the way for Jon Lord, ELP and Yes. I'm so glad I was there when it came out, and I'm equally fortunate to still be here to love and enjoy it over 55 years later. It deserves serious analysis such as this...and holds up to it! Thank you very much! JAT
I've always interpreted the minor key in "Dawn Is a Feeling" as dreamy rather than melancholic. Sort of like you're waking up and still half-asleep.
Yes, you've really nailed it there.
I've also long took it as "this is a young person at the beginning of life with the feeling that there is no urgency to accomplish anything, everything is well and there is always tomorrow" and the melancholy comes from an older person reflecting back to that youthful attitude. Reminds me of Pink Floyd's "And then one day you find, 10 years have got behind you, no one told you where to run, you missed the starting gun"
I always thought of this as waking up....
Both you & Doug are right, I think.
This album is a masterclass in songwriting. In the sense that they managed to get those themes and transcribed them to music.
If you don’t hear this for the first time and get goosebumps, you should just go back to listening to AM top 40. Just an amazing album and an amazing group of musicians! RIP, Gray and Ray. We miss you both terribly…..
They all did solo albums and Justin and John did an album they were called the Blue Jays..
When you consider the hits in 1967 were from people ranging from the Monkees, Dylan, Beach Boys, Supremes, Herman's Hermits to Janis Joplin, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver, this album stands out as the most mature piece of work of the time. And yes, the Moodies were loosely associated with the Beatles. - Interesting trivia - "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" is based on a real event involving Ray Thomas.
...and the Doors. Yet, what you mention is mostly an american viewpoint. In Europe, and in particular in the UK, the local scene was mostly formed by local bands, many of which would become world famous: The Beatles and the Rollling Stones, of course, but also amazing scenes like those of The Small Faces, Eric Burdon, Traffic, Pink Floyd, Cream, The Byrds, The Who, The Velvet Underground, and Procol Harum. It was mostly with these that the Magnificent Moodies had to compare with. And, boy, did they do so. I ❤ The Moody Blues 🙂
The greatest album of pop orchestra ever. How this band with one hit behind them ever gsined the funds of Decca as well as the services of Peter Knight and the London Festival Orchestra I have no idea. Incredible.
As a child I loved classical music and was starting to discover love for pop and rock. Then this came out. I played it over and over until I wore it completely out. So happy that you shared this with us here. It's such a wonderful blending of band and orchestra. It's not easy to do. Yes's Magnification is the only one I can think of that approaches it.
This record I bought when a teenager always brings me tears these days - yes I still have it. It's one of my all time favorites.
It's Delightful, Exquisite, Elegantly Perfect. Justin sings beautifully.
Thanks Doug for the interaction, I really enjoyed it.
I believe this is the story of Man's LOVE of life and then the realization that it's all been stolen from us by the greedy fat controllers making us slave away our precious time for THEM! As we strive to LIVE 'in between' the slog, the end comes all too quickly if you don't take time out and enjoy it. While I am still 28 in my head, I am now 67.... what happened to the time man?
Listening to the beginnings and ends of songs is like watching a movie in your mind if you can close your eyes. And as the song finishes it's like a new scene is about to start in an old sepia colored film reel or black and white movie.
Peak hour has an interesting Pink Floyd "Relics" feel in one spot, and then a bit of *the beginnings of* "I'm just a singer (in a rock and roll band)" which didn't quite exist yet...
I pinched bits of the music melodies and added new words to sing to my new baby son to get him to sleep and bedtime right up until he was about 10, he called them "My songs".... When he began to speak he'd say, "Dad come and sing me my songs."
He's now almost 16, and he has yet to hear this record (as I've been "gone" since he was near 10 - devastating) I see him regularly but live elsewhere.... When he hears this he will likely be blown away and I might cry with him or ON him lol
Forgive me if you're reading this, my life INCLUDES this record, but sorry for ranting on if you're not interested - but hey I really AM interested in yours - please share your experience with it too - Cheers.
Absolutely love this album! A classic
"Moody Blues" are in the Top Five of ALL TIME!!!!!
This album is sublime! It stayed on my turntable for months and every note and lyric is ingrained in my soul!
Back in the mid 90s I would give lectures on progressive rock at a local college and I cited this album as one of the first ever prog albums. One of the most amazing albums ever. Blew a lot of minds.
Now do In Search of the Lost Chord. A psychedelic masterpiece.
Threshold was always my fav.
@flavoredwallpaper thats my 2nd fave. Children's Children's Children is what I consider their masterpiece.
You mention this was the Moodies' second album. I think what is important is that this was the first with the presence of Justin Hayward and John Lodge. The fortunate departure of Denny Laine and Clint Warwick post "The Magnificent Moodies" led to the Moody Blues as we now know them. I am of the opinion that if that had not happened, the Moody Blues would have been a one hit wonder with "Go Now" and never heard from again.
It's weirder than that. Had the band not been so in debt to the record company, they probably would have been let go. Decca was trying to recoup some of their money, which is why they were offered the project.
@@petercena9497 Indeed. Isn't it great how things just work out for the best sometimes?
This album brings tears to my eyes.
Increbible album! Perfection from start to finish. And the artwork, almost as good as the music
I’ve been in love with this masterpiece since I first heard it in’70. It’s perfect for a full ballet production.
For me, the entire concept is amazing.
If you look closely at the lyrics, you'll notice that each track doesn't only evoke a time of day, but it also portrays a time of life.
The Day Begins is an overall overture reworking themes from some of the tracks throughout the album. You picked up on Nights In White Satin, which preceded Morning Glory. On side 2, pay particular attention to the opening stanza of Morning Glory and the closing stanza of Late Lament, which follows the actual track of Nights In White Satin. Then make note of the closing sound of the album, and recall the slow fade in at the beginning.
To me, the entire The Day Begins section, from opening sound through Morning Glory portrays not only the very early morning predawn time of day, but also a phase before/between life. Keep in mind at least a few members of the Moody Blues were into Eastern philosophy.
Dawn: Dawn Is A Feeling denotes both birth and the awareness of a new life beginning. The lines:
This day will last
a thousand years,
if you want it to
are, in my opinion, crucial to the entire concept. More on that later after side 2.
The Morning: Another Morning depicts childhood. You picked up on the cheerful feeling of the track, and the lyrics portray children's innocence and joy in the moment.
Lunch Break: Peak Hour shows one growing older and taking on responsibility, education, and work. Some of the tones in the orchestral section reminds me of teletype machines back in the day.
This is how I relate to this album. On a surface level, it depicts both a single day and an entire lifetime. But dig deeper, and the opening and closing sounds signify even more, in my opinion.
Yes, I think there is a deeper meaning of this album. This album is all about the duality of time and the choice we have in front of it. Time is something that advances like an arrow. Our lifetime is like a day: we are born (dawn), we are children and grow up (morning), we thrive, we work, we arrive at our peak (peak hour), and then we are teenagers (afternoon) and adults, we know love and its perils (night), and we eventually vanish and die (midnight). But time is also cyclic: every day starts again, every year, decade, century, generation, etc.
This dual nature of time offers us the choice to try to live each day of our life as if it were the first (or the last), i.e. to make our best to live "a lifetime in the space of a day" ("this day could last a thousand years if you want it to"), and day after day, because the only power we have over the passage of time is our perception of it.
Each song on the album is about a moment in our life when time seems to stand still, and all of them have one thing in common: time stands still when we marvel or when we meditate on its passage: when we contemplate the beauty of a sunrise (Dawn is a feeling ), twilight (Twilight Time) or starry night (The Sunset), when we are children and each day seems so full to us (The Morning), when we realize the importance of enjoying every moment instead of working like zombies (Peak Hour and The Evening), when we are "stoned" (Tuesday Afternoon), when we fall in love (Nights In White Satin)...
In the end "we decide" (Late Lament) how to live our life : by marveling to make the most of every moment, or by letting time slip through our fingers. Every day, we have the power to redo this choice to marvel or not, hence the gong, reversed at the beginning, then normal at the end: time advances, and yet it cycles at the same... time. We also see on the cover several references to the duality, in particular that of the seasons which return, cosmic movements, hours around a clock, etc.
And the stroke of genius of the affair is precisely this dialogue between orchestral moments, which represent "the past" and nostalgia, poetry, which represents the present (in 1967), and rock, which represents the future (still in 1967). The "music of the old" vs the "music of the young" vs our intimate meditations, all of which can bring their share of joy, beauty and wonder that we must learn to grasp. At the end, the ultimate moment when time stands still is when we contemplate the beauty in music and poetry, whether current or ancient...
So DOFP is an album much deeper, much more philosophical than it looks, in reality, because its concept is introduced very subtly, not in such an obvious way as on albums like Tommy or The Wall (another way of suggesting duality?...).
In short, a masterpiece.
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That’s wonderful, thank you! 💕
I've always felt the orchestral parts were a combination of Beethoven's Pastoral and program music. The transitions conjure up images of sunrises, playgrounds, busy highways full of traffic going to work, golden afternoons, and ebony nights.
This album helped me introduce rock music to my classically-entrenched parents! A real winner for eternity!
I have been listening to this since 1967 and have never tired of it. This is what you find if you look in a dictionary for the definition of "Classic album". Every track is a masterpiece, linked together with masterpieces from the orchestra. Mike Pinder worked at the Mellotron factory in Birmingham (as a demonstrator) and his and Justin's addition to the R 'n' B band revolutionised their sound.
The band and the orchestra never played together. The band recorded the songs and Peter Knight and the orchestra recorded the orchestral interludes in one session around these, I believe. He was a genius, as are the Moodies. Wonderful commentary, Doug.
As an aside. I took up Viola when at secondary school. Peter Knight was my Viola teacher and I clearly recall him asking if I was into “pop” music. I know I mumbled something like “not really” He didn’t elaborate but it wasn’t until years later I made the connection.
It has been 56 years and it still give me the chills. I loved it the 1st time I heard this and have learned to appreciate it more and more as time passes. Like Dark Side of the Moon, the best way to experience this album is in it's entirety (or at least large chunks of it). Thanks Doug.
Opens with a backward gone for the sunrise and ends with a regular gong to mark the setting of the sun ... just genius
These old Moodies are always in my heart, they never go away. I heard Days of future passed in early 70's and it was impressive as it is today. For me this is best album what is made for the rock band and classical orchestra.
Typically, the one who wrote the song would sing lead on that song. “Nights In White Satin”, final song on the album, was written first and was the springboard for the concept of the album. While Mike Pinder wrote the first song, the band realized the album needed to open and close with the same voice for true cohesion. Mike graciously stepped aside to allow Justin to sing the lead-in. I first heard this album in early 1969 when my friend’s big brother brought it home during his spring break from college. We snuck it onto the stereo while he was out. I had just turned 14 and I was utterly mesmerized. I’d never heard anything like this magical album! DoFP completely altered my perceptions of what rock music could be. It’s 55 years later and I’m still a huge fan of the Moody Blues.
Oh, and to think this was done with 3 tracks! The band was on 1 track, the orchestra on the 2nd, and they were combined on the 3rd track. Producer Tony Clarke deserves major credit for interweaving all the threads together! He would produce all of the early albums.
If you’re enjoying Progressive Rock, you really need check out Renaissance! The band features the glorious voice of Annie Haslam. Jon Camp was one of the pioneers of using the bass as lead guitar and it was the perfect counterpoint to Annie’s soprano. Some songs to like to are Ocean Gypsy, Mother Russia (inspired by the life of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the author and Russian dissident who writes the early 70s classic “The Gulag Archipelago”), The Vutures Fly High, Jeckyll and Hyde, Carpet of the Sun, among many others.
The depth and originality of the Moody Blues is just incredible. All members are extremely creative and talented musicians. This album is an absolute masterpiece and served as their new sound with the addition of Justin Hayward to the band. Listen to their first Core 7 albums, each one is exceptional. Great one , Doug!
I saw John Lodge in February in concert who performed this album live. EPIC!! He sounded just like he did 55 plus years ago.
@@tlc8865 Indeed. While Justin receives most of the kudos, rightfully so i think, John was absolutely indispensable to the rebirth of the Moodies in the post Denny Laine / Clint Warwick era. Justin and John were the catalysts that redirected and released the creativity of Ray, Graeme, and, in particular - Mike. Together, they were a perfect storm and key players in the creation of progressive rock.
An important pioneer in helping FM radio become more popular and thus giving a platform for extended play music (compared to the very restrictive 2-3 minute pop songs on AM radio) was The NIghtbird, Alison Steele . She was a DJ for WNEW in NYC. She would play many long works, whole albums of many bands, back in the day, bands that we now refer to as "prog rock". This in turn led to many bands becoming popular, bands that would never get AM play, often these bands developed underground following. This was how I got introduced to many great bands including the Moody Blues, The Nice, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Renaissance et al. It was a great time in music. Those of us who came of age back then were spoiled and had no idea how lucky we were to be experiencing all this great music. Sadly Alison passed away in 1995.
Wonderful video Dr. Doug))
What an amazing album. I can't remember how many times I put on the headphones, turned off the lights and just lost myself to this. The Moody Blues truly were a gift to mankind.
Thanx Doug for sharing this great reaction to The Moody Blues, Days OF Future Passed. A great album and a milestone of the 60's.
I was 10 when the album was released but never heard it until my brother returned from Vietnam in 1969; he and I went to the record store, and he bought this album, along with other albums that have become classics: Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Iron Butterfly, and Joe Cocker. Apparently, the Marines in his unit in Vietnam occasionally had access to music. With no way to play that music in his barracks, he left his music with me when he returned to his unit. This album was my gateway drug to prog rock and the romantic angst of Justin Hayward and John Lodge. Those two briefly got together during the Moody Blues' five-year hiatus. They called themselves The Blue Jays and released one album in 1975. It's wonderful and has that classic Moody Blues sound. Thanks for this, Doug. Nothing fills me with the feelings of teen romantic angst like "Nights in White Satin."
I have been listening to this album for over 50 years, and it still never gets old. I love watching a musically educated person's reaction to this masterpiece. This is not "cookie cutter' rock music. Glad you picked up on the nods to the Beatles and Beach Boys.
because of this album's wintry feeling, i play it every year at Christmas/Solstice time.
it also seems one of those perfect embodiments of the musical arts around the midcentury last (very Hollywood musical types of orchestra pieces, plus the "new groove" Rock&Roll). glad you enjoy it.
Impressive melodic and compositional ideas. Brilliant musicianship and artistry. One of my faves of all time!
It is great hearing your take on the Moody Blues. Not really knowing music I knew I had stumbled into something great with this and there other alblems.
So serendipitous, I listened to this album front to back yesterday for the first time ever and absolutely loved it! Nights in White Satin has long been a favorite classic of mine, it was a favorite of my grandfathers and I must've heard it a million times on road trips as a little guy in the 90's. Ashamed it took me so long to listen to the full album. I also listened to A Question of Balance and will certainly be listening to more of their work, they're phenomenal!
I was about 8 years old when I first heard “ Knights In White Satin. “ That song really grabbed me, alluring me into classical music even before I was into rock & roll. But I wasn’t yet familiar with that entire album until years later. It’s a masterpiece from start to finish and the initial reason I became an eternal fan of progressive rock, before I even knew what that meant. To this day, it’s still one of the most original and timeless pieces in rock music history, coming out of the year when the concert album was born.
I was a stone cold 13 year old Mars bars junkie when this came out. With a mono stereo console that had a built in cheap 16-33-45-78 speed record player and built in cheap speakers. I loved it when mom bought it for me on Christmas 66. This album, Sgt Peppers, and Pet Sounds got played over and over and over again. With my neighborhood buddies in tow in my small add on bedroom. That once was a side porch. We had a full set of encyclopedias on a shelf that was just above waist high. Our keyboards if you will. Two Louisville slugger baseball bats for lead and bass guitars. A big round toy box turned upside down with two of those big pencils ✏ they used to sell and have in school as the drum and drum sticks. An overhead lamp that you could pull down and push back up equipped with a bull whip through a fixture on the lamp and the big end of the whip as the mic. All the other instruments were done as fast as we could imagine them being. The hand finger trumpet, throw up a pencil for a flute, a bat suddenly becomes a violin !!! What a time to be a boy in the 60s. Miss you mom and friends. Thanks Doug.
That album is magical. I'm looking forward to hearing your reaction!
Thank you Doug. What a masterpiece this album is. Never sounds dated. Moodies have brought me so much joy over the years. Miss Graham & Ray...
I discovered this album during my junior high school period. And those songs blew me away.
As a long time Moodies fan, it is nice to see people like yourself reviewing albums such as this. Ground breaking and brave, especially when the record company did not give it a prayer. It is a musically haunting and the orchestral arrangements complement the songs perfectly. Fantastic use of the orchestra with woodwind, brass, strings and percussion all being used to their optimum. You seemed to enjoy this album immensely Doug, one of the first concept albums. Cannot wait for side 2.
The FM stations had a blast sampling some of the orchestration for background, news breaks and traffic used, peak hour, Revolutionary album
One of the stepping stones towards the progressive rock along Procol Harum's first eponymous album.
I grew up with a group of 4 older brothers that had a whole lot of albums from the 50s and 60s and I listened to this album over and over and over again from the age of about 5 to 15. Maybe one of the best things I've ever heard...
Great reaction Doug. What I really like about your reaction style is the level of intellect...not too much as to be pretentious, but its obvious you know your musicality and your target audience. What a great ride you've been on. 😊
I was a college sophomore @ UCONN in 1987 when my R.A. said “hey listen to this!”. Been a fan ever since. I listen to the Moody’s library every couple of months like clockwork!🤘😎
Wonderful Album!! Breathtaking!! Every time I play it!! So spacious Recording!! ❤👌
Can't wait! One of the all-time greats. What makes the music flow from the "classical" orchestrated interludes to the pop/rock material is that Mike Pinder played the Mellotron and Ray Thomas played the flute, so those additions to the Moodies sound help to "smooth out" the transitions so it sounds like a seamless whole. I don't know why nobody ever mentions this -- it's the main reason the record isn't disjointed, as it is in Deep Purple's "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" and other attempts at fusing these disparate genres of music.
Thank you for shedding that light on this! Fascinating!
@@dhfenske Yes, there are times when you think you're still hearing the orchestra, but you aren't -- you're hearing the "classical" sounding instruments of the Moodies playing, so the starting and ending points of various pieces are not exactly where you think they are. And the orchestrations by Peter Knight are absolutely brilliant.
Was named after Justin Hayward. I've always loved the Moody Blues. This is an amazing album.
There’s also a DVD-audio version of this with the 1972 quad mix presented in 5.1 audio that is also a remarkable listen.
with a repeated middle 8 on Peak Hour!
@@Seej1982 ;) two minutes twenty one more seconds of Peak Hour! 🎉
Quadraphonic was an interesting era in 1970s.
The Who, well known for their work.
Absolutely amazing Doug!! This album is phenomenal!!! I grew up listening to it, which led me to be inspired by it big time.
SKY OVERTURE by Uli Jon Roth!!!!!!🎸
I’ve been a huge MB fan since the 70’s. I fell in love with the band because of this album. I’ll never forget lending this album to a friend of mine who was in college in the early 80’s. Her reaction to Peak Hour alone was enough to prove that they had what it takes. This album is mind altering and to this day 50 years later, I’m just as much a fan if not more so! Great review Doug! I really enjoy when you do the Moody’s!
❤ thanks for reviewing this band and it music. I been a fan since college.
"Brave Helios wake up your steeds" is referring to Helios the driver of the chariot that pulls the sun across the sky.
Kind of mind blowing that this was popular music ~55 years ago.
My absolute favourite Moody Blues album, it was so ahead of its time. I am heading over to check out your part two!! Thank you for featuring the full album reaction Doug!
Peak Hour, one of the most criminaly underrated songs of the 60's rock era.
Moody Blues is one of my favorite bands. Doug, "Voices in the Sky" beautiful song.
I played that song during the solar eclipse a few yrs ago...and also 'Dont you feel small?'
Absolutely love this! Loved listening to this when I was little. Just magic. Thank you for covering this.
A child's world indeed. I remember when I was young, I could never see to the end of Summer. It seemed to go on and on.
Straight out of the 60's, Out standing.
One of my most favorite albums. By now you will know, that the start is not a slow fade-in, but a reversed gong. At the end of the album you hear the same gong, but then played normally.
The Moodies! Love it! Can’t wait til you get to To Our Children’s Children’s Children. Gypsy of a Strange and Distant Time will blow your mind!
My present rescue dog traveled from Mississippi to Connecticut to find me so, a "Gypsy" of sorts. His call name is Deacon but his AKC registered name is "Gypsy of a Strange and Distant Time". I wonder if anyone at AKC looked at that and was curious of the source.
An absolute masterpiece when creativity was exploding in the popular music world. I used to think, "where can it go from here", and was so excited to be a part of the "scene" back then. All these years later, how disappointing it is to hear the absolute (C)rap that's being shoved in listeners' ears today and worst of all, embraced as well.
Very first cd I ever had (1985). This record solidified my love and appreciation of classical music. Before that (late 70s), I had only a passing interest into classical music being a prog rock fan. From this, I discovered Vivaldi’s “Seasons.”
Now imagine hearing this for the very first time, 1967 the world changed.
This album was also done(in part) to showcase the technical achievement of 'STEREO' in the days of mono....these were the days of the very rapid growth of FM STEREO which overtook AM radio in terms of listeners in about 1970.
Stereo really was a 'next step' and many bands of the day took great advantage of what it could do, which is why it grew so rapidly in that era. I remember the first STEREO receiver in the house I grew up in in about 1972, and when it was purchased, they threw in a pair of stereo headphones with the purchase......and THAT was CRAAAZY to hear the music move around in your head as it played.
There were a bunch of really great albums of the day that will NEVER sound the same in any other media than the original vinyl.....and my dad, in his infinite ash whollia threw out my 30 some odd peach crates full of the best vinyl of the era when I left the house for a summer school in the mountains.....and that was only ONE of the malignant narcissistic things he did to me.....
I have one of those albums. Given to me by a very small TV and stereo shop in ST. Louis. The guy thought it was crap but he did tell me that is was given to him by some stereo company to test his units. Tuesday Afternoon still reminds me of my first love... As a suggestion and I dont do this often but To Our Childrens Childrens Children an album that was inspired by the first moon landing sits in the bottom of my heart... and come to think about it it reminds me of my second love. Oh what a feeling!
Loved this this Easter moring Doug. Thanks a million!
Just 5 guys making beautiful creative classical rock
That was some beautiful orchestration. I haven't heard this album for many many years. I like it better now. Thanks for the visit with it.
I never get tired of listening to this album, all of the way through, every note.
One of the BEST albums EVER! Lunch Hour always reminds me of those scenes in an old movie where Doris Day is out shopping 🤔
For a person who really listens to the music, the music on this album really brings a days activities to life, like 'Lunch Break' and how it picks up the tempo, replicating the speed people use to get their lunch and get back to work. When I hear it, I think of all the people walking on New York Streets, but I visualize well. lol It's the same for 'On the Trail' of the Grand Canyon Suite by Grove'. If you visualize, you can see the mules walking on the trail down to the bottom of the canyon.
What a co- incidence for me to read the comments here. Our family went to our local symphony’s spring concert last night. They performed the Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe’ and I did think of the Moodys while hearing On the Trail. This led me to listen to Days of Futures Past this morning. Then to stumble onto this comment. We are not well educated in classical music but enjoyed every moment of the concert
14-year-old me with my headphones played the grooves off of this album back in the 70s.
This is a true Masterpiece!!!
This is my All-time favorite album. It came out I was three years old and I’ve loved it ever since. I have a sister who was 17 at the time and she brought it home when it first came out because her best friend’s father owned the radio station. It blew my mind at three years old and still does to this day. I really would love to see you react to side two. I can’t afford to be on your Patreon site.
They are unique and classy definitely in a class of their own.
I enjoyed them then and now.
I always found them a cut above the rest.
Thank you...thank you for the inside information of one of my favorite bands.
Wow, I haven't listened to that since the mid 70's at least. Thanks for the listen.
Wow! Never heard this side of the Moodies! Thanks for the introduction!
I can't describe to you how happy this makes me. Grew up The Moody Blues thanks to my parents. I've seen them in concert twice. I was listening to this album at 11 years old. Weird kid lol.
Peak Hour Prelude: Marlo Thomas strolling briskly up Park Avenue clutching her hat against the wind.
I was blessed to listen to the 7 classic albums as a young teenager back when they were released. The Moody Blues will always be a part of my life. Always...
I must have listened to this album thousands of times yet I never tire of it -and it's not even my favorite Moodies album! If you're going to listen to all seven, you have a treat in store. But do yourself a favour. When you've done those, listen to Blue Jays and The Promise as well.
This album was part of my early teen years (early 70s) and I’ll always love it.
The reason I found this video is because this auto-played after I listened to the "A Question of Balance" album. Although I have it on vinyl I have played them so many times that they have had some wear... and a few scratches seemingly always right before a climax. Sometimes it is nice listening to the new "remastered versions" since they are just a cleaned up version, although sometimes the feeling of the original is lost or diminished.
I listened to this album so much back in the day.
I've been a musicologist for many years now and a huge Moody Blues fan. I will add in that this album was recorded at Decca Studios in 1966 on a 4 track recording board with more then one 4 track tape machine. One tape machine recorded the bands and the other one recorded the orchestration The equipment was very primitive at that time at Decca. I think most of it had vacuum tubes based. The band recorded live under the control room at Decca Studio A with the sound blasting out into the large live room where it was microphone into board All the orchestration was micro phoned sent to a tape machines and then played back out through the speakers on the live room walls and then recorded back into another 4 track as a over dub to the band on the other tracks from the session master The concept of Children is always a theme to many of their concepts . Time, mantra , god, medication and story telling are others After this album Decca went to the eight track board and tape machine, the Moody Blues must become even more complex in their studio recordings So complex that the band couldn't do many songs live