The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues started out as one of the better
R&B-based combos of the British Invasion. The group's history began in
Birmingham, England with Ray Thomas (harmonica, vocals) and Mike Pinder
(keyboards, vocals), who had played together in El Riot & the Rebels and the
Krew Cats. They began recruiting members of some of the best rival groups
working in Birmingham, including Denny Laine (vocals, guitar), Graeme Edge
(drums), and Clint Warwick (bass, vocals).
The Moody Blues, as they came to be known, made their
debut in Birmingham in May of 1964, and quickly earned the notice and later the
services of manager Tony Secunda. A major tour was quickly booked, and the band
landed an engagement at the Marquee Club, which resulted in a contract
with England's Decca Records less than six months after their formation.
The group's first single, "Steal Your Heart Away," released in
September of 1964, didn't touch the British charts. But their second single,
"Go Now," released in November of 1964 reached number one in England;
its number ten chart placement in America also earned them a place as a support
act for the Beatles on one tour, and the release of a follow-up LP (Magnificent
Moodies in England, Go Now in America) on both sides of the Atlantic.
It was coming up with a follow-up hit to "Go Now," however, that
proved their undoing. Despite their fledgling songwriting efforts and the access
they had to American demos, this version of the Moody Blues never came up with
another single success. By the end of the spring of 1965, the frustration was
palpable within the band. The group decided to make their fourth single,
"From the Bottom of My Heart," an experiment with a different, much
more subtly soulful sound, and it was one of the most extraordinary records of
the entire British Invasion, with haunting performances all around.
Unfortunately, the single only reached number 22 on the British charts following
its release in May of 1965, and barely brushed the Top 100 in America.
Ultimately, the grind of touring, coupled with the strains facing the group,
became too much for Warwick, who exited in the spring of 1966; and by August of
1966 Laine had left as well. The group soldiered on, however, Warwick succeeded
by John Lodge, an ex-bandmate of Ray Thomas, and in late 1966 singer/guitarist
Justin Hayward joined.
These personnel changes resulted in a dramatic change
of style and direction. With Days of Future P, the Moody Blues
moved from R&B to classical-rock. They were lucky with their timing in
making the change; their old record company Decca was launching a new
progressive label, Dream, which was looking for something different. Their
first concept album, Days of Future Past, was recorded with the London festival
Orchestra. It was a minor hit in Britain but went to No.3 in America,
where it won a Gold Disc for million dollar sales. The 1968 classic hit
single Nights in White Satin, which came from the album, would chart on three
occasions over the next decade.
In Search of the Lost Chord (1968) put the Mellotron, an organ-like
devise, in the spotlight, and it quickly became a part of their signature
sound. That album and its follow-up, 1969's To Our Children's Children's
Children, were magnificent achievements, utilizing their multi-instrumental
skills and the full capability of the studio in overdubbing voices, instruments,
etc. But in the process of making those two LPs, the group found that they'd
painted themselves into a corner as performing musicians -- thanks to
overdubbing, those albums were essentially the work of 15 or 20 Moody Blues, not
a quintet, and they were unable to re-create their sound properly in concert.This
new direction proved much more successful and the group have issued a long line
of successful albums with a string of Gold and Platinum awards from America from
the sixties to the present.
See the Moody Blues perform Go
Now and Nights in White
Satin
