Moody Blues

British Rock Group

In Search of the Lost Chord

To Our Children's Children's Children

On the Threshold of a Dream

A Question of Balance

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

Seventh Sojourn

Octave

Long Distance Voyager

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Titles in red have been reviewed. Those in black are to be reviewed

THE MOODY BLUES

In 2006 I travelled to the Regency Theatre in Ipswich to see the Moody Blues live. With Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge still in the line-up it was a fair reflection of the classic Moodies line-up.

It was an excellent gig. Now in their 60s, like so many rock stars, they moved effortlessly through their back catalogue.

In many ways the moody Blues were the quintessential English psychedelic bans - all kaftans and embarrassingly bad poetry. But somehow it worked as they always seemed to be trapped in a time warp - but comfortably trapped.

Justin Hayward had, and still has, a silky voice to kill for that always gave the band a head start. Along their journey the Moodies left a trail of classic rock songs like "Isn't Life Strange," "Nights in White Satin," "Question," etc etc.

Often the songs were shoe-horned into quite complex lyrical albums. I had a kind of love affair with the band. The oozing, swirling mellotron, the well designed open-out album sleeves, the strangely titled albums all added to the mystery of the band.

Days of Future Passed - 1967- 7

Some of my albums take on an almost mythical proportions due to not being played regularly. Sometimes the legend of an album will far outweigh its reality. So I returned to Days of Future Passed for the first time in many years and found it an interesting introduction to the group. Denny Laine was long gone and here we were faced with a fusion of classic music with pop/rock and poetry (the kaftan effect). At times it tips the nod to Gershwin's An American in Paris and at others is an amalgam of styles. To be completed