Days Of Future Passed

The Moody Blues' contract with Decca Records was set to expire and they owed the label several thousand pounds in advances. They had the support, however, of Decca A&R manager Hugh Mendl, who had been instrumental in the recent establishment of London/Decca's new subsidiary imprint Deram Records. With Mendl's backing, The Moody Blues were offered a deal to make a rock and roll version of Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony that would promote the company's new Deramic Stereo Sound (DSS) audio format^[2] in return for which the group would be forgiven its debt.

The Moody Blues agreed, but they insisted that they be given artistic control of the project, and Hugh Mendl (as executive producer) was able to provide this in the face of Decca's notoriously tight-fisted attitude to its artists.^[3] The group were unable to complete the assigned project,^{[citation needed]} which was abandoned. However, they managed to convince Peter Knight, who had been assigned to arrange and conduct the orchestral interludes, to collaborate on a recording that used the band's original material instead.

Although Deram executives were initially skeptical about the hybrid style of the resulting concept album.^[2] Days of Future Passed (released in November 1967) became one of the most successful pop/rock releases of the period, earning a gold record award and reaching #27 on the British album chart. Five years later it was to reach #3 in the U.S./Billboard charts. The album was a song cycle or concept album that (like James Joyce's Ulysses) took place over the course of a single day. In production and arrangement the album drew inspiration from the pioneering use of the classical instrumentation by The Beatles to whom Pinder had introduced the Mellotron that year. It took the form to new heights using the London Festival Orchestra, a loose affiliation of Decca's classical musicians given a fictitious name adding the term "London" to sound impressive, to provide an orchestral linking framework to the Moodies already written and performed songs, plus overture & conclusion sections on the album including backing up Graeme Edge's opening & closing poems recited by Pinder. Strings were added to the latter portion of the album version of Hayward's "Nights in White Satin" (absent on the single hit version) as was Pinder's "The Sun Set". The orchestra and group never actually perform together on the recording with the band's rock instrumentation centred on Pinder's Mellotron. The album, despite being a lush concept album, was in fact cut in a very workmanlike manner, with the band recording a particular song, then the track being presented to Peter Knight who quickly composed a suitable "linking" orchestral portion which the Decca musicians ('London Festival Orchestral') then recorded. The album was as much an original work by Knight himself as the group. The composing credits were listed on the sleeve as: "Redwave-Knight", when in fact Hayward wrote "Nights..." and "Tuesday Afternoon", Thomas provided "Another Morning" and "Twilight Time", Lodge penned "Peak Hour" and "Evening (Time To Get Away)", and Edge contributed the opening and closing poems (the latter titled "Late Lament") read by Mike Pinder who composed both "The Sun Set" and "Dawn is a Feeling" (sung by Hayward, with Pinder himself singing the bridge section).

Decca staff producer Tony Clarke produced the album, and afterwards continued working with the band. Sometimes known to fans as "The Sixth Moodie" he went on to produce all of their albums and singles for the next eleven years. Engineer Derek Varnals would also contribute heavily to the creation of the early Moodies' studio sound, working with Pinder & Clarke to create a more symphonic overlapping sound on the Mellotron as opposed to the sharp 'cut off' the instrument would normally give, partly achieved by removing all the "sound effects" tapes (trains, whistles, cockerel crowing, etc.) and then 'doubling up' the tapes of orchestral instruments' sounds, which combined with Pinder's ability and sensitivity at playing (Pinder having earlier worked for the company that manufactured the Mellotron) and Varnals' recording skills at creating an orchestral 'wave' sound that characterised their non-orchestra accompanied sound thereafter.

In Search of the Lost Chord and On the Threshold of a Dream

The album plus two singles, "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon" (as a medley with "Forever Afternoon," listed as "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" on the album), became massively popular, as was the 1968 follow-up LP, In Search of the Lost Chord. Also included on this album is the song "Legend of a Mind", a song written by Ray Thomas in tribute to LSD guru Timothy Leary which encompassed a masterful flute solo performed by Thomas - four members of the group had taken LSD together at the start of 1967. Lodge provided a two part song "House of Four Doors" set either side of this Thomas epic piece. Justin Hayward began playing sitar and incorporating it into Moody Blues music ("Voices...", "Visions of Paradise" etc.) , having been inspired by George Harrison. Hayward's "Voices in The Sky" charted as a single in the UK (no.27), as did Lodge's "Ride my See Saw" (no.42, No.15 in France) - still their concert finale number today - which featured Pinder's non album song "A Simple Game" as 'B' side. Pinder's "The Best Way To Travel" was another highpoint, as was his closing song "Om" (sung by Pinder and Thomas, again featuring Hayward on sitar). Graeme Edge found a significant secondary role in the band as a writer of poetry, and some of their early albums from the late Sixties begin with various band members reciting poems by Edge that were conceptually related to the lyrics of the songs that would follow. Edge himself narrating his brief "Departure" poem on "Lost Chord", while Hayward, Edge, & Pinder shared the opening narration on Edge's "In The Beginning" on "Threshold". Hayward's "Lovely To See You" was a strong lead off track on "On the Threshold of A Dream" , his "Never Comes The Day" was issued as a UK single , while Thomas wry observations of life in "Dear Diary" and "Lazy Day" were striking features, Mike Pinder's "So Deep Within You" and a notable closing piece "Have You Heard" (including a central classically themed instrumental piece "The Voyage") were standout tracks.

To Our Children's Children's Children

The band's music continued to become more complex and symphonic, with heavy amounts of reverberation on the vocal tracks, resulting in 1969's To Our Children's Children's Children — a concept album inspired by the first moon landing. The opening track "Higher And Higher" saw Pinder simulate a rocket blast-off on keyboards, then narrate Edge's lyrics. Thomas' "Floating" and "Eternity Road" stood out, as did Hayward's "Gypsy" and a rare Pinder-Lodge collaboration "Out And In". Lodge provided his two part "Eyes of A Child" and "Candle of Life" while Pinder contributed "Sun is Still Shining". The album closes with "Watching and Waiting", composed by Ray Thomas and Justin Hayward and sung by Hayward. This song was issued as a single on the Threshold label but failed to chart.

A Question of Balance

Although the Moodies had by now defined a somewhat psychedelic style and helped to define the progressive rock (then also known as 'art rock') sound, the group decided to record an album that could be played in concert, losing some of their full-blown sound for A Question of Balance (1970). This album, reaching #3 in the American charts and #1 in the British charts, was indicative of the band's growing success in America. Hayward's "Question" (in a differing version) was issued as a single hitting No.2 in the UK (only kept from top spot by The England World Cup football team's novelty record "Back Home"). Justin Hayward began an artful exploration of guitar tone through the use of numerous effects pedals and fuzz-boxes, and developed for himself a very melodic buzzing guitar-solo sound. The Moody Blues had by now become a Bill topping act in their own right, they appeared twice at the famous "Isle of Wight Festivals" (A DVD of their 1970 performance has now been released). Pinder's "Melancholy Man" (a no. 1 single in France) stood out besides Hayward's "Question" on the 1970 album.

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and Seventh Sojourn

For their next two albums, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) - from which Hayward's "The Story in Your Eyes" was taken as a USA Charting single (no.23), and Seventh Sojourn (1972) (which reached #1 in the U.S.), the band returned to their signature orchestral sound which, while difficult to reproduce in concert, had become their trademark. The title "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" was borrowed, tongue-in-cheek, from a standard principle of guitar tuning: EGBDF. Interestingly, each track in the album borrows the EGBDF scale in one form or another in its body. The opening track "Procession" was the only item composed by all five band members, a fascinating track depicting the "evolution" of music, leading into Hayward's "Story in Your Eyes". Thomas reflective "Our Guessing Game" and whimsical "Nice To Be Here" offset the deeper drama of Hayward's "You Can Never Go Home", Lodge's "One More Time To Live" and Pinder's "My Song". Edge, the long standing drummer-poet, started writing lyrics intended to be sung, rather than verses to be spoken - his "After You Came" (1971) featured each of the four Lead singers taking a vocal section. Then in 1972 Lodge's songs "Isn't Life Strange ?" (no.13) and "I'm Just A Singer (in A Rock 'n' Roll Band)" (no.36) were lifted from "Seventh Sojourn" as charting UK singles. "Sojourn" also saw Pinder using the new Chamberlain instrument in place of Mellotron & Edge use an Electronic Drumkit. Pinder's stirring lament "Lost in A Lost World" opened this last "Core Seven" outing, while his sympathetic ode to Timothy Leary "When You're A Free Man", Thomas' romantic "For My Lady", and Hayward's serene "New Horizons" all stood out. They each provided well known songs during this period,in addition to the singles, Pinder's songs "A Simple Game" (1968) & "So Deep Within You" (1969) were successfully covered by The Four Tops, Pinder winning an Ivor Novello Award for "A Simple Game", Elkie Brooks later covered Hayward's "Nights in White Satin". Pinder also appeared on John Lennon's "Imagine" album in 1971, providing additional percussion on "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier (I Don't Want To Die)". The 1968 to 1972 album sleeves, plus several solo sets up to Ray Thomas' "Hopes, Wishes & Dreams" in 1976, were characterised by striking surreal scenic sleeve artwork (mostly gatefold sleeves) by artist Phil Travers.

In late 1972, a re-issue of the five-year-old Nights in White Satin became the Moody Blues' biggest U.S. hit, soaring to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a certified million-seller; the song had "bubbled under" the Hot 100 charts on its original release. The song also returned to the UK charts, reaching #9, ten places higher than its original release in 1967.

Threshold Records

The Moodies were also among the pioneers of the idea that a successful rock band could promote itself through its own label, following the Beatles' creation of Apple Records. After their On the Threshold of a Dream album (1969), they created Threshold Records, prompted in part by disputes with London/Deram over album design costs (their gatefold record jackets and expensive cover art were not popular with company executives). Threshold would produce new albums and deliver them to London/Decca who acted as distributor. The group attempted to build Threshold into a major label by developing new talent — most notably the UK hard rock band Trapeze and the Portland, Oregon, classical-acoustic sextet Providence — but these efforts proved unsuccessful and the Moodies eventually returned to more traditional recording contracts. They did lay the groundwork, however, for other major acts to set up similar personal labels and distribution deals including The Rolling Stones' own label and Led Zeppelin's Swan Song, and all of the Moodies' studio releases from 1969 to 1999 would bear the Threshold logo on at least one of their format versions.