Their blend of rock and classical music became (what would be known as) progressive rock, the dominant style of many of the 1970s' greatest rock albums. The Moody Blues made a slew of great albums in this style, beginning in the late 1960s with Days of Future Passed, which remain unique musical experiences to this day.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Here's 7 of my favorites from The Moody Blues.
Week 22: THE MOODY BLUES
#148/420 - The Moody Blues, “Go Now!”
From the earliest days of The Moody Blues when Denny Laine (later of Wings with Paul McCartney) was still the lead singer of the group. It's their earliest hit and despite its different style and singer, it remains one of their best. It’s dramatic, but it really does a lot with that early 60s style. A standout of the era.
#149/420 - The Moody Blues, “Departure/Ride My See-Saw”
While many bands were experimenting with drugs in the late 60s, The Moody Blues I think were just straight-up on them. Results may vary. The beginning of probably their most obviously drug-themed album is a great one though. It’s one of their craziest and most high energy songs and an enjoyable trip. "Departure" is also one of Graeme Edge's best moments with The Moody Blues.
#150/420 - The Moody Blues, “Send Me No Wine”
I used to listen to this album a lot as a teenager. As a result, I have a lot of memories attached to it. From high school days to college to making my first movie, this was a staple for a pretty long time. What I liked was how it flowed and how it maintained a mood and theme, unlike most albums I had heard at that time. The Moody Blues were in many ways my introduction to progressive rock and concept albums. This song stands out as perhaps the most different from the rest. It’s short and sweet and was always my favorite of the bunch.
Like “Ride My See-Saw”, this was a John Lodge composition, which usually tend to be the most upbeat Moodies.
#151/420 - The Moody Blues, “Nights in White Satin/Late Lament/Resolvement”
Probably their most recognizable song, this is a great one. I was lucky enough to see it performed live at Summerfest years ago as well and it was definitely a memorable performance topped off with Graeme Edge’s awesome spoken word outro.
It’s a song that I’ve enjoyed listening to many times over the years. One of my main memories of it is sitting on a playground at night listening to it on headphones, watching the night sky. It’s a fantastic end to what I consider their very best album.
Watch lights fade from every room
Bedsitter people look back and lament
Another day's useless energy spent
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one
Lonely man cries for love and has none
New mother picks up and suckles her son
Senior citizens wish they were young
Cold hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colours from our sight
Red is grey and yellow white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion”
#152/420 - The Moody Blues, “Melancholy Man”
Along with On the Threshold of a Dream, A Question of Balance was in the regular rotation for a good while. This track leaves a strong impression.
Mike Pinder has a chance to shine here with some quality vocals that encapsulate the theme very well, building into a tremendous and heavy crash and chorus of melancholy, which is just a great word.
#153/420 - The Moody Blues, “Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)/(Evening) Time to Get Away”
Days of Future Passed is what I consider The Moody Blues’ one true masterpiece that puts them in leagues with the greats of their era and genre. It takes the listener from the beginning of the day to end of the night in a journey of trippy, classic Disney-esque orchestration. The diversity of instruments used on this album is extremely uncommon for a rock album but the result is really fantastic. This song, even more than “Nights in White Satin”, I consider to be the highlight of the album.
The first section, “Forever Afternoon” is a fairly well-known song by the group, but in the album it is bunched with “(Evening) Time to Get Away” which is an equally great transition from the earlier section. Transitions and thematic/conceptual fluidity are something this album excels at that I think a lot of British groups were going for at the time with their albums, but none quite achieved like The Moody Blues did with this one.
All in all, it’s among my favorite albums and this is my favorite to appear on it.
#154/420 - The Moody Blues, “Question”
Other than Days of Future Passed, this was long my favorite Moody Blues album and it starts off with my favorite song the group ever produced. It’s a nice sandwich of a song, with a crashing, energetic beginning and end, and a soft and sweet center.
The front and back are enough to get you moving, great frantic guitar playing, ethereal singing, and everything, among their best work, but most of all, I love the middle section.
When you do those things to me
It's more the way that you mean it
When you tell me what will be
And when you stop and think about it
You won't believe it's true
That all the love you've been giving
Has all been meant for you
I'm looking for someone to change my life
I'm looking for a miracle in my life
And if you could see what it's done to me
To lose the love I knew
Could safely lead me through
Between the silence of the mountains
And the crashing of the sea
There lies a land I once lived in
And she's waiting there for me
But in the grey of the morning
My mind becomes confused
Between the dead and the sleeping
And the road that I must choose
I'm looking for someone to change my life
I'm looking for a miracle in my life
And if you could see what it's done to me
To lose the love I knew
Could safely lead me to
The land that I once knew
To learn as we grow old
The secrets of our soul
It's not the way that you say it when you do those things to me
It's more the way you really mean it when you tell me what will be
It’s enigmatic, but most expressions of feelings are. Oddly, as I listen to them again, more than 10 or 12 or more years after first hearing them, they seem to fit where I’m at now better than ever. And I truly appreciate the feeling behind the music presented here, it really resonates with me. A great song.
I didn’t quite have enough time this week to really dive into The Moody Blues as much as I have with other musicians, but they are a band that has meant a lot to me over the years with albums I played repeatedly for a long time during many moments in life that listening to the music today can transport me right back to. I’m glad to have seen them perform live, a rarity for me with the older bands I enjoy as many are no longer with us.
If you haven’t already, put one of their albums on like Days of Future Passed, On the Threshold of a Dream, or A Question of Balance, and enjoy the journeys they provide.
Next week, something different! We’ll really be tapping into my childhood with one of the most iconic (and one of my personal favorite) video game composers. The man behind Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, Mr. Koji Kondo.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Week 2: The Jackson 5/The Jacksons
Week 3: A Tribe Called Quest
Week 4: Weezer
Week 5: Bob Dylan
Week 6: Led Zeppelin
Week 7: 2Pac/Makaveli
Week 8: Billy Joel
Week 9: Electric Light Orchestra
Week 10: Elvis Presley
Week 11: Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band
Week 12: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Week 13: Nirvana
Week 14: The Doors
Week 15: The Rolling Stones
Week 16: Gnarls Barkley
Week 17: Gábor Szabó
Week 18: Galaxie 500
Week 19: Simon & Garfunkel
Week 20: Gorillaz
Week 21: Ennio Morricone
View the full list of "420 Songs" here: https://tinyurl.com/y8fboudu (Google spreadsheet link)