The Moody Blues: Difference between revisions

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== '''Early beginnings''' ==

Ray Thomas, John Lodge and Mike Pinder had all been members of various amateur bands, before Lodge left to go to college. The remaining two recruited band manager-turned-drummer Graham Edge, guitarist Denny Laine (later of [[Wings (~~Music~~)|Wings]]) and Clint Warwick on bass to form the Moody Blues. Originally, they were mostly a white R&B band in line with most of the [[British Invasion]] bands of this period. Under a recording contract with Decca Records, they first had success with the single "Go Now", which was a top 10 hit in the United States and, in fact, remains their only #1 single in the UK. Their debut album ''The Magnificent Moodies'' was released in 1965, but they had trouble following the success of "Go Now" with an additional hit, and in 1966, Warwick and Laine both left. Warwick was briefly replaced by Rodney Clark, but this didn't last, and their best-known lineup was formed when Pinder, Thomas and Edge reunited with Lodge and joined up with guitarist Justin Hayward of the Wilde Three. This line-up released two more singles, "Fly Me High" and "Love and Beauty", which also found little success. However, the latter was a definite move towards their classic sound, featuring the symphonic sounds of Pinder's mellotron and using Thomas' flute as more of a featured instrument. From here on, the Moodies would become a full-blown [[Psychedelic Rock]] band.

Ray Thomas, John Lodge and Mike Pinder had all been members of various amateur bands, before Lodge left to go to college. The remaining two recruited band manager-turned-drummer Graham Edge, guitarist Denny Laine (later of [[Wings (band)|Wings]]) and Clint Warwick on bass to form the Moody Blues. Originally, they were mostly a white R&B band in line with most of the [[British Invasion]] bands of this period. Under a recording contract with Decca Records, they first had success with the single "Go Now", which was a top 10 hit in the United States and, in fact, remains their only #1 single in the UK. Their debut album ''The Magnificent Moodies'' was released in 1965, but they had trouble following the success of "Go Now" with an additional hit, and in 1966, Warwick and Laine both left. Warwick was briefly replaced by Rodney Clark, but this didn't last, and their best-known lineup was formed when Pinder, Thomas and Edge reunited with Lodge and joined up with guitarist Justin Hayward of the Wilde Three. This line-up released two more singles, "Fly Me High" and "Love and Beauty", which also found little success. However, the latter was a definite move towards their classic sound, featuring the symphonic sounds of Pinder's mellotron and using Thomas' flute as more of a featured instrument. From here on, the Moodies would become a full-blown [[Psychedelic Rock]] band.

== '''Massive success and classic period''' ==

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* [[Concept Album]]: Most of their early albums. ''Days of Future Passed,'' ''To Our Children's Children's Children,'' ''A Question of Balance''...

* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: ''The Magnificent Moodies'' sounds ''nothing'' like the sound people associate with the Moody Blues.

* [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin]] / [[New Sound Album]]: As heard on ''The Magnificent Moodies'', the Moody Blues really ''were'' a blues-based band to start with. Then came the Justin Hayward era, and the switch to the familiar soft-rock sound.

* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]] / [[New Sound Album]]: As heard on ''The Magnificent Moodies'', the Moody Blues really ''were'' a blues-based band to start with. Then came the Justin Hayward era, and the switch to the familiar soft-rock sound.

* [[Executive Meddling]]: The Moodies wanted their Christmas album, ''December'', to consist entirely of original compositions. However, the label felt that wouldn't sell, so they forced the band to include covers of well-known songs like "[[John Lennon|Happy Xmas (War Is Over)]]" and "[[Bing Crosby|White Christmas]]" (covers ended up making up half the album). It marked the first time since the Denny Laine era that a Moody Blues album contained songs not written by the group.

* [[Fading Into the Next Song]]: The early albums (through ''Octave'') all do this. The only gaps are between the first and second sides.

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* [[Long Runner Lineup]]: Three different lineups qualify under Type 2.

* [[New Sound Album]]: ''Days of Future Passed'' marked their shift from white blues to symphonic rock. ''Long Distance Voyager'' was the beginning of the synth-heavy Moraz years.

* [[The Pete Best]]: Denny Laine. However, he did go on to success with [[Wings (~~Music~~)|Wings]], where he played alongside [[Paul McCartney ~~(Music)~~|a former bandmate]] of Pete Best himself.

* [[The Pete Best]]: Denny Laine. However, he did go on to success with [[Wings (band)|Wings]], where he played alongside [[Paul McCartney|a former bandmate]] of Pete Best himself.

* [[Progressive Rock]]: Arguably the first major prog group.

* [[Psychedelic Rock]]