Doug’s Album Flashback: Moody Blues ‘Days Of Future Passed’ [VIDEO]

This week I’m revisiting a classic Moody Blues album and one of the first of its kind that combined the London Festival Orchestra and marked the bands most successful project. 1967’s ‘Days of Future Passed’

The first time I heard this album it was being played on a warped 33 and 1/3 LP on my little turntable, I remember it was the only album I had by a rock group that didn’t cause my mother to yell up the stairs ‘Turn it Down!’

The band started out as an R&B group and put out one album which didn’t do much when they were approached to do a project that was to be a Dvorak symphony number 9  as a stereo demonstration, what happened was pure genius when the band decided to record an album that cycled a complete day.

Many fans and critics considered this the start of progressive rock, the voicings of the London Orchestra with the keys, guitar, woodwinds, horns and amazing vocals and Mike Pinder’s spoken words ‘Breath Deep The …..

The album was remixed in 1978 because of master tape deterioration; it is noteworthy that the 1967 original recordings have never been released on CD.

When you get some down time, put it on and listen.

Side one
1. The Day Begins: (5:50)
•    "The Day Begins" (Peter Knight & The Moody Blues) - (4:08)
•    "Morning Glory" (Graeme Edge) [unlisted track] - (1:42)
2. Dawn: (3:48)
•    (Intro) (Peter Knight) [unlisted track] - (0:38)
•    "Dawn is a Feeling" (Mike Pinder) - (3:10)
3. The Morning: (3:55)
•    (Intro) (Peter Knight) [unlisted track] - (0:21)
•    "Another Morning" (Ray Thomas) - (3:34)
4. Lunch Break: (5:33)
•    (Intro) (Peter Knight) [unlisted track] - (1:53)
•    "Peak Hour" (John Lodge) - (3:40)
Side two
5. The Afternoon: (8:23)
•    "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" (Justin Hayward) - (5:06)
•    "(Evening) Time to Get Away" (Lodge) [unlisted track] - (3:17)
6. Evening: (6:40)
•    (Intro) (Peter Knight) [unlisted track] - (0:38)
•    "The Sunset" (Pinder) - (2:39)
•    "Twilight Time" (Thomas) - (3:23)
7. The Night: (7:24)
•    "Nights in White Satin" (Hayward) - (5:38)
•    "Late Lament" (Edge) [unlisted track] - (1:46)

The Moody Blues:
•    Justin Hayward - Acoustic and electric guitars, piano, keyboards, vocals.
•    John Lodge - Bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals.
•    Mike Pinder - Keyboards, mellotron, piano, vocals, (including spoken).
•    Ray Thomas - Flutes, horns, percussion, keyboards, vocals.
•    Graeme Edge - Drums, percussion, vocals.
•    Peter Knight - Conductor, arrangements.
•    The London Festival Orchestra