Days of Future Passed (1967)

WARNING!!

These reviews are given in the spirit of a personal editorial and of personal opinion. If you would find yourself offended by these views and criticisms within the body of these reviews, please do not read further. It is not our intention to offend or injure someone's views on their favourite band. We wrote these as one-time fans who now, after many years, revisited these albums and wanted to write fair and unbiased reviews of The Moody Blues' material. If indeed, a member of The Moody Blues does happen to read these reviews, please take into consideration that these are simply opinions. These reviews present an alternate perspective.
Thank You,
Shawn and Andrew Dow,
March, 2007

Album Review by Andrew Dow

Album Review by Shawn Dow

Album Review by Andrew Dow

After the departure of Denny Laine and Clint Warwick from the band, Edge, Pinder and Thomas were left holding the bag. After having a massive debut success with "Go Now" and the demise of the Mersey or Brum-beat era to make way for the 60's psychedelic sound pioneered by The Beatles with 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the Moody Blues went into limbo. They posted an ad in Melody Maker for a guitarist, but it was through Eric Burdon of the Animals that they were given a sack of replies for his request for a guitarist, that they acquired Justin Hayward's name. Hayward joined the band and Edge pulled John Lodge from another Mersey beat band "El Riot & The Rebels", so the new incarnation of The Moody Blues was formed.

They didn't really have a sound of their own, until keyboardist Pinder purchased a mellotron, a keyboard based instrument that utilized tape loops to emulate the sound of an orchestra or any other sound recorded into it.

They recorded sessions at Deram to try to create an album. Songs like "Fly Me High", "Cities", came about but only slightly hit the chart as small singles. Their tab at Deram was going up and they owed them money, so the best way for Deram to recoup the loss was for The Moody Blues to record an album. Any album at all. So the heads of Deram gave them the task of recording a stereo test record in the "Deram Sound System", in other words ordinary stereo. The recording subject was also the labels idea, a rock version of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony, "From The New World" with the London Festival Orchestra. The band agreed, only on the condition that they have total freedom in the recording studio. House manager Tony Clarke was picked by the studio to manage the band and produce them.

The Moody Blues recorded an album, but not of Dvorak. They used Peter Knight to orchestrate their existing live act tunes and others to create "Days of Future Passed". The concept being the day in the life of an ordinary person. Each song setting a different mood for that part of the day. Knight orchestrated the main themes from the bands songs and book ended each tune with an orchestra.

When Deram got a hold of the finished product, they didn't know what to do with it. So, after what they thought was a waste of money to produce a test record, they were faced with forcing to release it to recoup their loss. What was released is probably the first real concept album by a rock band. This album would springboard the Moodies into success once again and put them on a road they didn't actually choose for themselves, but were slated into by the record label.

Introduction To This Review

To better follow this review one thing must be sorted out first. Since the songs the Moody Blues recorded and intercut by orchestral passages written by Peter Knight based on themes written in the songs, I am going to review the album in two stages: 1) The songs by The Moody Blues themselves, 2) The orchestral passages on their own.

Finally, I will summarize the album as it works as a whole, taking both the written tunes and the orchestral passages into consideration.

The Day Begins (Morning Glory): After the first opening overture, a poem by Graeme Edge (drums) starts off the album. Mike Pinder (mellotron) would recite this poem, as well as many other subsequent poems by Edge. The poem is back by the orchestra and speaks of the night passing into dawn. The poem is well spoken by Pinder, but swells to the orchestra introducing the dawn. It is not to terribly bad effect, however it sounds very romantic and mellow dramatic.

Dawn Is A Feeling: Pinder's' tune with a vocal lead by Justin Hayward (vocal, guitar), and is obviously about drugs, complete with a backing mellotron stabbing out its druggy feeling. The piano playing the core melody is accompanied by maracas. Hayward's voice sounds like he really just got out of bed. Pinder pulls his vocals out in the middle 8 and then move back into Hayward's draggy vocal delivery. The song is a slow, bluesy number, and is short enough not to be dull. Not too bad. Then it swells into a return by the orchestra of its main theme. More romanticism.

Another Morning: Ray Thomas (flute, saxes, tambourine) first song is about the hope and promise of the day, and generally center on the energy kids have in the morning. The song pipes away it's intro with Thomas' flute laying the groundwork. The song does have its hippy-trippy feel, but has a few changes; especially it's middle 8 that just moves straight ahead. If not for some of John Lodges' (bass, vocals) falsetto backing the song might be tolerable, but Thomas keeps babbling on and on, that the song start to get dull. Finally the song repeats its' intro and fades out. Hoe downy and forgettable.

Peak Hour: John Lodge's first tune on the album is a Beatlesque up-tempo rocker that almost has a head banger quality to it. The use of the mellotron is not too bad in the opening rock-out and Hayward's electric guitars work with the pulsing bass and drum line. The middle section with the mellotron and falsetto vocals all supplied by Lodge, pull the song down. The slow start drum run into the guitar solo is a little shaky here, but Hayward pulls out a nice fender guitar sound, followed by a nice little keyboard or organ solo. Then it's back to the buildup section again, with the same vocal part. Then the song crashes to its end. Not a totally bad end for them.

Tuesday Afternoon: One of the more recognized songs by the Moodies. The opening theme accented by the bass works well, and the backing mellotron doesn't totally overwhelm this slow rocker form Hayward in his first outing on the album. Then the song rolls into Hayward's trippy "Ahhs!" and then we move into a swing beat accented by Pinder's piano and Hayward's pigeonholed vocal that pans to the right. Heavy-man! Wow! Then the song simply repeats its' opening, chorus and bridge again. This tune needed some change right around now, but the song just comes off as dull and boring. I would imagine the afternoon to sound a little brighter than this really, at least as exciting as "Peak Hour" sounded. Lots of psychedelic pop rock here. The closing flute solo accompanied by Hayward's doo-doos is okay if not for the fact that Thomas is flat. The overwhelming crash of orchestra at the end is insipid.

Evening (Time To Get Away): Things slow down even more with Lodges evening tune. Hayward's acoustic guitar work here is nice, as well as Lodges' vocal, and the bass line is really effective. Paul McCartney anyone? The song then starts to rock a bit, then it moves into its chorus and it has a sloppy, lazy feel. Then lodge double the piano on bass. The middle 8 with the mellotron accompanied by Lodges' falsetto is truly gender bending. The song goes into its chorus and with an instrument return with a keyboard. Not too long and then into it's middle 8 falsetto exercise. The song starts to grow repetitive hear, but quickly fades out to it's conclusion. Not too bad really, but not stellar.

Sunset: Pinder then comes in with a bit of a Lennon rip-off here, with his vocal processed all to a pitch bending tympani. Then strings reiterating the main theme. The bass accompanies the tympani Thomas' flute is good here, but the song is so empty sounding that it's like there' no song at all, until the orchestra comes back in to fill the gap. Then the songs over. Not too much to make a fuss about.

Twilight Time: Thomas then pulls out a rocker backed by a chorus of ahhs. This song is actually pretty good. It rocks out and has some attitude and is quite dark in tone for this album. Thomas' vocal is good too, not overextended. Then the song goes into a very different middle 8, and continues to smash out. The piano adds to the driving tone and this seems to be the best tune on the album. A good rocker, if a little repetitive.

Nights In White Satin: The album slows down even further as we all get ready for bed, and love. But sex is the last thing the Moodies think of. The song is Hayward's famous lamentable classic. The song is backed by acoustic guitars and of course the mellotron to give the song it's classical feel. The crashing crescendo to a processed wailing done through the mellotron is a little frightening and cries of over romanticism. Thomas' flute solo with Hayward's acoustic guitar work and Lodges bass is thin and weak and then the mellotron swells in to cover the mistakes. The song crashes again and pounds itself out. Gee, this must be quite a night for Justin. The song is so labouriously delivered and lethargic, they sound old before their time, and this is 67! The repeated refrain at the end simply crashes and booms out itself and tires the listener and puts me to sleep. The swelling orchestral ending is bombastic and dull.

Late Lament: Another poem to bookend the album and give Edge some space on the record. Pinder once again recites the poem. It's so gooey and sappy it just rolls around in its own excess. Then the huge ending by the orchestra builds to a frenzy and crashes with a gong. The poem is dull and by the time Nights In White Satin is done, I want the album to end. The tempo is so down and dreary by now, that I've usually taken the needle off the record or stopped my disc.

Summary: The Moody Blues

This being the bands second album and first with Hayward and Lodge, they sound like they don't really know how to play together yet. Some material comes off well like "Twilight Time" and even "Peak Hour", but all the songs are so slow and dull that you might think these guys are ancient. The concept album idea is actually used here for the first and only time in the bands career. The concept is actually fully realized and feels complete. The trouble with most Moodies albums is that their concept is only briefly mentioned at the most, buried by other unrelated songs.

The Orchestra

Overly romanticized and merely imitating the main themes of the rock tunes, The London Festival Orchestra are not to blame, however Peter Knight is. The super lush romantic score for some passages drag the albums running time out. Imagine the album without the orchestral pieces! It wouldn't last 30 minutes.

The Album

For it's 41 minute running time, I feel simply drained by the end of the album. The slow tempo almost from the start and drug induced imagery induce a coma in me. This has always been the hardest Moodies album to listen to. The Moodies themselves are in uncharted water and they are fumbling about and the orchestra is trying their best in a strange situation. I can't really call this a good album. It shows some promise and the melodies of some songs stay in your head like most other Moodies albums, but its' still too long and too labouriously handled. Not an exciting start, but this is the Moody Blues remember.

Star Rating (out of 5)

** out of *****

Album Review by Shawn Dow

After the departure of Denny Laine (guitarist, lead singer) and Clint Warwick (bass), the remaining members of the band recruited Justin Hayward (guitar, lead vocals) former member of "The Wild Three" and John Lodge, former band-mate to Mike Pinder and Ray Thomas of "El Riot & The Rebels". Originally performing American blues covers and novelty songs, they decided to change their style. That change came about with the recording of this record.

After they had recorded The Magnificent Moodies, The Moody Blues still owed Decca records thousands of dollars. The only way they were able to pay off this debt was by agreeing to make another album and they were then signed to Deram Records, an imprint of Decca Records. Decca wanted them to record an album, which would demonstrate their new "Deramic Stereo" stereo sound system. The band was told that it would have to be a rock version of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony, "From The New World". The band countered this with the stipulation that they have free reign over the album. They asked conductor Peter Knight to work with them on a recording of their stage show instead of the Dvorak symphony. With the help of Producer Tony Clarke and Engineer Derek Varnals, they decided to produce the concept album Days of Future Passed. The entire album revolves around a day in the life of the average man. This record would launch their careers, as one of the top selling acts of all-time.

Unlike the other six albums, which came later, this first album with Hayward and Lodge also featured The London Festival Orchestra performing orchestral interludes, which would bookend each song. I will first tackle each tune on the album and then look at the music written by conductor Peter Knight.

Dawn Is A Feeling is the first tune on this record and after about five minutes of an orchestral overture of sorts, it was a bad idea to make the first song a slow ballad. A rocker would have been preferable. Dawn Is A Feeling is a Pinder tune with lead vocals by Hayward. Pinder sings the middle eight. The tune is really about dope use and how it expands your mind. The Moodies felt the need to appeal to the counter culture of the times. After all, the year was 1967 and the Summer of Love was probably in full swing. The annoying part of the tune is the constant drone of Pinder's mellotron. The middle eight sung by Pinder created very little contrast. Listless and dull.

Another Morning is a Ray Thomas tune, which features Thomas's inept flute playing and the song is more like a nursery rhyme than a rock tune. We also hear Thomas playing his tambourine, which would become such a staple on future Moodies' records. Fortunately it is not quite so prominent in the mix as to grate. The tune is more like an easy listening song for old folks or a song for pre-schoolers. It's time for Romper Room! Thomas's vocal is unimpressive.

The band finally decides to put a rocker on the album, making us wait until the end of the first side. Peak Hour is John Lodge's first song for the band and it is certainly better than everything else up to this point. It is an up-tempo song about living the fast paced lifestyle of the 9 to 5 workday. Lodge marks his territory with annoying high-pitched falsettos. The mellotron once again appears throughout, droning along to Graeme Edge's drum solo. There is also a not bad guitar solo by Hayward, as well as Mike Pinder doing what? Of course, playing a mellotron solo. The song also ends with an "anthem" of sorts played on the mellotron as well. This tune suffers from the overuse of mellotron and Edge's lack of finesse on the skins. Still, the best tune on the album.

Side Two opens with Hayward's Tuesday Afternoon featuring Hayward's weak vocal. Hayward is not a strong singer and has to have plenty of reverb and echo to cover his inability to sing the high notes. The "fairyland of love" section of the tune actually features a piano alongside Pinder's mellotron, which is a first! Hayward croons the chorus "Tuesday Afternoon" with his voice panning from the left to right channels with plenty of reverb for maximum psychedelic effect. The mellotron is kept well back in this tune and that is a plus. The tune wraps up with Hayward "do-do-doing" to Thomas's flute. The writing on this tune is also better than most on the album. Not bad, but the song is just too lightweight to be taken seriously. Electric campfire music.

Time To Get Away is a dull and listless ballad by Lodge that just drones on, especially the middle eight section featuring Lodge's off-key falsettos. There is also a short oboe solo by Thomas, which is unique, but it does little to raise the spirit of this tune, to much more than a dirge. Thomas's tambourine is also brought in an attempt to liven up the song, but to no avail. Thankfully, this one is short.

Pinder's The Sun Set is even more of a dirge than the previous song with slow droning kettledrums and congas with maracas. Thomas's flute is ineptly placed in the middle. The tune is just too fragmented and nothing really seems to fit together. There is a phase shifter put on the lead vocals and the tune winds up just where it started. Not even moving an inch. Dull, dull, dull. Plodding and lifeless.

Twilight Time is another attempt at a rocker. Thomas seems to be borrowing a little bit from the "Mersey Beat" sound the band had on its first album. However, nothing can save this song. The instrumentation is threadbare and there just isn't much to hold this song together. As with so much of the record, the Moodies just aren't capable of producing a true rock song on this album.

Nights In White Satin is the song that launched the group to super-stardom, but hearing this tune now is not easy. The song is another dirge, much like Dawn is A Feeling with Hayward droning on about unrequited love. The large choral voices on the mellotron aren't bad, but are just not enough to lift this song up. Thomas turns in a not bad flute solo and the song does have a better sense of direction than most on the album with more drive.

Late Lament closes the bands songs on this album with this poem by Graeme Edge. The poem is morose and bland and just exactly what is this poem supposed to be about anyways? The album concludes with pompous orchestral flourishes and a gong, which is pretty funny.

Peter Knight, who composed and conducted all of the orchestral bits on this record did very little to help it along. The overture at the beginning left me feeling tired and uninterested. You are simply waiting for the band to play the first song, which is not even an up-tempo tune. The orchestral bits just slow the whole thing down and give the album the feeling of being a soundtrack to a Disney movie.

Summary by Shawn Dow

This album was indeed a first in rock music history. The idea of including an orchestra alongside a rock band like this may have only been done once before, but in this case it was done out of necessity. The label wanted to demonstrate the new format at the time "stereo" to not only classical audiences but rock ones as well. Rather than getting a popular rock act to record the album, which could have cost a pretty penny, they decided to get a second tier band and the whole notion of the Moody Blues being a "classical rock band" was born. I am sure the Moodies themselves never had any intentions of following this direction. After this album, the band had to live up to this distinction. Or at least they felt they had to.

Before this album they had no real direction. It's almost as if the band was "re-manufactured" by the record company. Biting off more than they could chew, this album started their careers as a progressive rock band. However, the Moodies never had the chops like real progressive band like "King Crimson" and "Yes". The Moodies were a soft pop group dressed up to look like a progressive band. The performance throughout this record shows just how little experience they had as musicians. They wrote very few catchy hooks on this record and most of the songs sound pretty dated now.

The fact that this record was such a new and novel idea obviously appealed to the group and the record company. Unfortunately the problem was in the execution, not the idea. Having completed this record, the Moodies decided they would have to create more albums along the lines of symphonic music, but could they do it?

Star Rating (out of 5)

*1/2 out of *****