The Moody Blues: Music Books Used

The Moody Blues are often thought of as a one-hit wonder for “Nights in White Satin.” However, the band has a huge catalog of other great songs. What many don’t know is that most of their music is based on classic literature.

The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, that first came to prominence playing rhythm and blues music. The group’s recorded works include seven gold and four platinum albums. The Moody Blues were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Here are some of the music books the band has used.

History

The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge, and bassist Clint Warwick. The band’s early sound was influenced by the skiffle craze, rhythm and blues and traditional pop music. Their 1966 debut album The Magnificent Moodies gained international attention with singles including “Go Now”.

The group recruited guitarist John Lodge in 1967. A change of record labels to Deram (which resulted in their name change from the Magnificent Moodies) coincided with a change of musical direction towards a harder-edged sound on albums such as Days of Future Passed (1967), which was a fusion of rock with classical music that also made extensive use of the mellotron, an instrument relatively new to popular music. A follow-up album In Search of the Lost Chord (1968) was also a success. The group’s popularity led to their appearance as headliners on the bill at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 where they performed “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon”.

During this period, Pinder and Thomas wrote most of the Moody Blues’ original material. By 1968, however, creative tensions within the band were beginning to surface; Pinder departed soon afterwards, though he would return periodically over the next two decades. The band changed labels to Threshold Records in 1970 as they embarked on what has been described by biographer Mark Lewishon as a “commercial suicide pact”, releasing A Question of Balance and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (both 1970) which were commercial disappointments despite being well received by critics; bassist Warwick followed Pinder out of the group shortly afterwards. Undeterred, the band released another album under their new label entitled Seventh Sojourn in 1972; it was another critical success but sold less than its predecessors. guitarist Justin Hayward took over lead vocal duties on several tracks after Lodge declined to sing them; one of these tracks, “For My Lady”, was released as a single and became one of the Moody Blues’ biggest hits in years.

The following year saw release of what would become one of their most successful albums: 1974’s On the Threshold of a Dream. It included Hayward’s “The Voice”, Edge’s “The Story in Your Eyes” and Thomas’ “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)”, all three of which were released as singles and became hits; Pinder also made his return to contribute to several tracks on this album as well as future ones. Subsequent albums such as Octave (1978), Long Distance Voyager (1981) and The Other Side of Life (1986) continued the group’s run of critical and commercial success into the 1980s while showcasing a more synth-based sound; by this point they had become one Ornette Coleman – Free Jazz been certified platinum fifteen times over in both countries.

Members

The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, originally consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge, and bassist Clint Warwick. They first came to prominence playing rhythm and blues music. The group largely abandoned this style in 1967 in favour of pop rock.

The lineup has changed several times over the years, with Thomas being the only constant member. The current lineup includes Thomas (flute, vocals), Justin Hayward (guitar, vocals), John Lodge (bass guitar, vocals), and Graeme Edge (drums).

The band has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and has been awarded 24 gold and platinum discs.

Influences

The Moody Blues were heavily influenced by classical music and John Lodge has said that ” Classical music had a profound effect on us… it brought us through our teens. It gave us a reference point for our ideas. And still does.” The group’s 1967 album Days of Future Passed is a direct result of their love of classical music and features the London Festival Orchestra.

The Moody Blues’ Music

The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964. The group came to prominence during the British Invasion of the 1960s. They are credited as one of the first rock bands to use classical instruments in their pop music recordings. The Moody Blues have sold in excess of 70 million records worldwide. Music books were used to help create their sound.

Albums

The Moody Blues have been making music for over 50 years and in that time they have released 20 studio albums, 14 live albums and dozens of singles. They are considered one of the most influential bands in the history of rock music, and their unique sound has inspired generations of musicians. Here is a list of their studio albums, from their debut in 1967 to their most recent release in 1999.

-The Moody Blues (1967)
-Days of Future Passed (1967)
-In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)
-On the Threshold of a Dream (1969)
-To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969)
-A Question of Balance (1970)
-Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971)
-Seventh Sojourn (1972)
-Octave (1978)
-Long Distance Voyager (1981)
-The Present (1983)
-The Other Side of Life (1986)
-Sur la Mer (1988)
-Keys to the Kingdom (1991)

Songs

The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, among the first wave of British Invasion groups. The initial lineup consisted of keyboardist Mike Pinder, bassist Clint Warwick, flautist and vocalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine and drummer Graeme Edge.Pinder joined the band after Warwick had left; the band took its name from Pinder’s newly acquired Mellotron.

The band came to prominence playing rhythm and blues music. They made some changes in personnel and including Justin Hayward on guitar and lead vocals, John Lodge on bass guitar and vocals, and began to deliberately expand their sound towards more complex and experimental work as shown on their 1967 album Days of Future Passed. By 1967 they had developed a unique style that drew influence from classical music, jazz and experimental rock.

The Moody Blues achieved international success with several classic singles including “Nights in White Satin” (1967), “Tuesday Afternoon” (1968) and “Question” (1970). Some of their albums have been landmark recordings in the development of symphonic rock; In Search of the Lost Chord (1968), On the Threshold of a Dream (1969) and A Question of Balance (1970).They are widely cited as an influential progressive rock band. The core members including Hayward, Lodge, Edge and Thomas appeared on all but one album released by The Moody Blues between 1965 and 1978 plus one further album in 1983, while Pinder did not participate in the recording of Seventh Sojourn (1972).

Discography
-The Magnificent Moodies (1965)
-Days of Future Passed (1967)
-In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)
-On the Threshold of a Dream (1969)
-To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969)
-A Question of Balance (1970)
-Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971)
-Seventh Sojourn (1972)

Styles

The Moody Blues have had a varied and ever-evolving musical style, moving from early R&B/blues-based works to a more pop-oriented sound in the late 1960s. They are best known for their album Justin Hayward’s “Nights in White Satin”, which has been described as “the first epic song about love”, and for their album “In Search of the Lost Chord”. Heavily influenced by classical and psychedelic music, the band’s sound became more layered and textured with each album release.

The Moody Blues and Books

The Moody Blues are a rock band formed in 1964 in Birmingham, England. The group came to prominence during the height of the British Invasion of the mid-1960s. By 1967, they had released two albums, A Question of Balance and Days of Future Passed, which were commercial successes. The Moody Blues are known for their use of classical music influences and for their pioneering work in the development of the genre of progressive rock.

Books That Inspired The Moody Blues’ Music

The Moody Blues were one of the first rock bands to incorporate classical and literary influences into their music. Books played a big role in shaping the band’s sound and songwriting. Here are just a few of the books that inspired The Moody Blues:

1. “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer
2. “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri
3. “Prospero’s Books” by William Shakespeare
4. “Paradise Lost” by John Milton
5. “Songs of Innocence and of Experience” by William Blake
6. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
7. “Faust” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
8. “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll

Books About The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues are a classic rock band that has been making music for over 50 years. They are known for their unique sound that combines elements of blues, rock, and classical music. The band has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame.

If you’re a fan of The Moody Blues, you might be interested in learning more about the band and their music. Here are some books about The Moody Blues that you can add to your collection:

-The Story of The Moody Blues: Legend of a Band by Keith Smith
-The Moody Blues: Strange Days- A History of the Band 1965-1972 by Graeme Thomson
-In Search of The Lost Chord: 1967 and the Hippie Idea by Danny Goldberg
-Nights in White Satin: The Story of The Moody Blues by Justin Hayward and John Lodge

Books Written By The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues are a British rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, best known for their 1967 hit “Nights in White Satin”. They were one of the first and most successful bands of the Progressive Rock genre. The band members wrote their own material and created their own record label, Threshold Records. The Moody Blues have sold over 70 million records worldwide and have been awarded 18 platinum and gold discs.

books written by the Moody Blues include:
-In Search of the Lost chord (1968)
-On the Threshold of a Dream (1969)
-A Question of Balance (1970)
-Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971)
-Seventh Sojourn (1972)
-Octave (1978)
-Long Distance Voyager (1981)
-The Present (1983)
-Sur la Mer (1988)