The Moody Blues were a band like few others.
The band formed in England in 1964, in the very early years of what became known in the music world as the British Invasion. Their contemporaries were the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, Manfred Mann, the Animals, Procol Harum, and, of course, Tom Jones. But the Moody Blues were a bit different, moving into a blend of rock and classical music that ended up at its peak with the famous 1967 album “Days of Future Passed,” in which the band was backed up by none less than the London Symphony Orchestra.
The original lineup consisted of drummer Graeme Edge, guitar/vocalist Denny Laine, keyboardist/vocalist Mike Pinder, instrumentalist/vocalist Ray Thomas, and bassist/vocalist Clint Warwick. Laine and Warwick left in 1966, replaced by guitarist/vocalist Justin Hayward and bassist/vocalist John Lodge.
And, in 2018, The Moody Blues were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
John Lodge died on October 10th, 2025. As of this writing, the only surviving member of this lineup is Justin Hayward, who, at 79, is still playing. This week’s music post is dedicated to John Lodge, and indeed to all the members of the band.
Here are the six I picked; ask me tomorrow, and I might make some other choices, but here we are.
Go Now (1964): This was the band’s first major hit. It topped out at #1 on the UK Singles chart in 1965, and in the United States at #10 on the Billboard Top 100. It wasn’t an original Moody Blues song, having been written and recorded by Larry Banks and recorded by his former wife, Bessie Banks, in 1964. The Moody Blues version was released that same year and rapidly overshadowed the original.
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Nights in White Satin (1967): This epic tune was released from “Days of Future Passed” as a single, not long after the album’s 1967 release. This is a long song, with an epic quality to it. Written by Justin Hayward during a stint in Belgium, the title of the song apparently was inspired by Hayward’s girlfriend, who had gifted him a pair of satin sheets. Hayward later said the song was intended to be a tale of unrequited love. (Satin sheets would seem to carry a message of a love that is at least partly requited.)
Tuesday Afternoon (1968): Another single from “Days of Future Passed,” this song was released as a single, but on the album, it was the first of a two-part movement, titled “The Afternoon.” Its album title was “Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?) and was apparently written, again by Justin Hayward, on a Tuesday afternoon. I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band) (1972): As time went on, the band’s sound changed somewhat. This song, which got a lot of radio play in the early-mid-late ‘70s, was written by the bass player, John Lodge. The lyrics carry a distinct message that music can unite people (for evidence that music can also divide people, gather five Boomers together to discuss The Beatles). Lodge, also reportedly said that people shouldn’t look to artists to solve their problems, which isn’t really a bad message. Your Wildest Dreams (1986): In this, the band started to take an almost-disco tone. Another piece penned by Justin Hayward, this one has kind of a typically ‘80s’ synth-rock tone. Hayward later said that the song was meant to be a tale of a lost love, stating that:
For me, wanting to know about the first girl you ever fell in love with, really fell in love with and broke her heart, you always want to know, I wonder what happened. I wonder where they are. Hop in to that time machine.
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I Know You’re Out There Somewhere (1988): This is another case where the Moody Blues were moving into a more mainstream ’80s sound, this was intended as a sequel to 1986’s “Your Wildest Dreams.” Again written by Justin Hayward, this song also presents a picture of a singer who is remembering an old girlfriend, and wondering where she is.
The Album - Days of Future Passed (1967): Want to listen to the whole epic album? There’s a playlist at the link that will take you to the Moody Blues’ YouTube page and get you into the entire album, each track in order. And believe me, I’ve run through it four or five times already this week myself.There may never be another band like this. Other bands have occasionally been joined by symphony orchestras; Frank Zappa even wrote symphonies for the London Symphony Orchestra in his classical 1983 two-album set, “London Symphony Orchestra: Zappa.” But the Moody Blues did it as well as it could be done.
I’m sure you have some Moody Blues favorites of your own. The comments are again all yours!
