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Days of Future Passed is the second album and first concept album by English rock band The Moody Blues, released in November 1967 by Deram Records.[7]
With its fusion of orchestral and rock elements, it has been cited as one of the first examples of progressive rock.
Background and recording[]
Recording sessions for the album took place at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, London between 9 May and 3 November 1967.[8] The band worked with record producer Tony Clarke, recording engineer Derek Varnals and conductor Peter Knight.[5]
After two years performing as a struggling white R&B band, the Moody Blues were asked in September 1967 to record an adaptation of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 for Decca's newly formed Deram Records division in order to demonstrate their latest recording techniques, which were named "Deramic Sound".[7] Instead, the band (initially without the label's knowledge) decided to focus on an album based on an original stage show that they'd been working on. However, Derek Varnals disputes this story, claiming that even at the start of the sessions in 1967 there was no intent to record a Dvořák album and that talk of this project did not emerge until the mid-1970s.[9]
Content[]
The album's music features psychedelic rock[5] ballads by singer-songwriter and guitarist Justin Hayward, Mellotron played by keyboardist Mike Pinder[7] and orchestral interludes by the London Festival Orchestra.[5] The band and the orchestra only actually play together during the last part of "Nights In White Satin."
Music writers cite the album as an early example of progressive rock music.[4][10][11] Bill Holdship of Yahoo! Music remarks that the band "created an entire genre here."[12] David Fricke cites it as one of the essential albums of 1967 and finds it "closer to high-art pomp than psychedelia. But there is a sharp pop discretion to the writing and a trippy romanticism in the mirroring effect of the strings and Mike Pinder's Mellotron."[7] Will Hermes cites the album as an essential progressive rock record and opines that its use of the Mellotron, a tape replay keyboard, made it a "signature" element of the genre.[13] An influential work of the counterculture period,[14] AllMusic editor Bruce Eder calls the album "one of the defining documents of the blossoming psychedelic era, and one of the most enduringly popular albums of its era."[5]
Original and later mix[]
In 1978 the album was remixed because of the apparent deterioration of the master tapes.[15] Digital releases of the album have used this remix. Some compilations, however, have used the original 1967 stereo mix for some songs.[16] The original mix of the entire album has been transferred digitally, for possible release, but has not been used in favour of the remix.[17]
The ways in which the later mix departs most noticeably from the original are:
- After the orchestral intro, "Dawn Is a Feeling" begins more abruptly, and there is less echo on Mike Pinder's vocal on the bridge, making it more prominent.
- On "Another Morning" Ray Thomas's double vocals are spread left and right in the stereo channel. The flute interlude is also played twice towards the end of the song before the orchestral segue.
- The orchestral intro "Lunch Break" goes on about 20 seconds longer before fading out.
- The bridges to "(Evening) Time to Get Away" have John Lodge singing alone; all the backing vocals on that part have been lost.
- The end of "(Evening) Time to Get Away" is missing a Mellotron part and only repeats twice, instead of three times.
- "The Sun Set" is missing some piano parts, and the reverb on "through the night" is different.
- The backing vocals on "Twilight Time" are heard through the entire song instead of only coming in at certain points.
- At the beginning of "Nights in White Satin", as the orchestral prelude ends, there is one less beat of time before the rhythm section starts in.
- Some of the strings near the end of "Nights in White Satin" (before "Late Lament") are out of sync with the main body of the song.
Release[]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
PopMatters | [18] |
Rolling Stone (1968) | (mixed)[19] |
Rolling Stone (2007) | (favourable)[7] |
Spin | (favourable)[13] |
Sputnikmusic | 5/5[4] |
Uncut | [10] |
Yahoo! Music | (favourable)[12] |
Days of Future Passed was released on 10 November 1967 in the UK and 11 November in the US. It reached number 27 in the UK Albums Chart[20] and number 3 in the US in 1972. Billboard chart.[21]
Upon its release, Rolling Stone gave the album a mixed review, writing "The Moody Blues [...] have matured considerably since 'Go Now', but their music is constantly marred by one of the most startlingly saccharine conceptions of 'beauty' and 'mysticism' that any rock group has ever affected."[19] The album has since received acclaim – Spin cited it as a classic of progressive rock,[13] and in 2007 Rolling Stone included it in its list of essential albums of 1967.[citation needed]
Days of Future Passed was issued as a discrete Quadraphonic open reel tape in 1977.[22] This master was also used for a 2001 dts 5.1 channel audio CD release[23] and again for a two-disc Deluxe Edition SACD release in 2006.[24]
Track listing[]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Singer | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Day Begins"
| Peter Knight and Graeme Edge
| Mike Pinder
| 5:50
|
2. | "Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling" | Pinder | Justin Hayward and Pinder | 3:48 |
3. | "The Morning: Another Morning" | Ray Thomas | Thomas | 3:55 |
4. | "Lunch Break: Peak Hour" | John Lodge | Lodge | 5:33 |
Total length: | 19:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Singer | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Afternoon"
| Hayward and Lodge
| Hayward and Lodge
| 8:23
|
2. | "Evening"
| Pinder and Thomas
| Pinder and Thomas
| 6:40
|
3. | "The Night"
| Hayward, Edge and Knight
| Hayward and Pinder
| 7:24
|
Total length: | 22:27 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Tuesday Afternoon (Alternate Mix)" | Hayward | 4:20 |
2. | "Dawn Is a Feeling (Alternate Version)" | Pinder | 2:19 |
3. | "The Sunset (Alternate Version without Orchestra)" | Pinder | 2:49 |
4. | "Twilight Time (Alternate Vocal Mix)" | Thomas | 2:27 |
5. | "Nights in White Satin" (mono mix from single released November 1967) | Hayward | 4:26 |
6. | "Fly Me High" (recorded 30 March 1967; released as single May 1967) | Hayward | 2:54 |
7. | "I Really Haven't Got The Time" (recorded 30 March 1967; released as B-side May 1967) | Pinder | 3:07 |
8. | "Love and Beauty" (recorded 17 July 1967; released as single September 1967) | Pinder | 2:23 |
9. | "Leave This Man Alone" (recorded 17 July 1967; released as B-side September 1967) | Hayward | 2:58 |
10. | "Cities" (recorded 17 July 1967; released November 1967 as B-side to "Nights in White Satin") | Hayward | 2:23 |
11. | "Long Summer Days" (recorded 19 May 1967 and released on Caught Live + 5) | Hayward | 3:12 |
12. | "Please Think About It" (recorded 29 June 1967 and released on Caught Live + 5) | Pinder | 3:40 |
13. | "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (live 9 May 1967 for BBC Saturday Club) | Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell, Sol Marcus | 2:23 |
14. | "Love and Beauty" (live 20 September 1967 for BBC Easybeat) | Pinder | 2:12 |
15. | "Leave This Man Alone" (live 20 September 1967 for BBC Easybeat) | Hayward | 2:52 |
16. | "Peak Hour" (live 20 September 1967 for BBC Easybeat) | Lodge | 3:22 |
17. | "Nights in White Satin" (live 1 January 1968 for BBC Dave Symonds) | Hayward | 3:48 |
18. | "Fly Me High" (live 1 January 1968 for BBC Dave Symonds) | Hayward | 2:45 |
19. | "Twilight Time" (live 1 January 1968 for BBC Dave Symonds) | Thomas | 2:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
8. | "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (live 9 May 1967 for BBC Saturday Club) | Benjamin, Caldwell, Marcus | 2:23 |
9. | "Fly Me High" (recorded 30 March 1967; released as single May 1967) | Hayward | 2:54 |
10. | "I Really Haven't Got the Time" (recorded 30 March 1967; released as B-side May 1967) | Pinder | 3:07 |
11. | "Love and Beauty" (recorded 17 July 1967; released as single September 1967) | Pinder | 2:23 |
12. | "Leave This Man Alone" (recorded 17 July 1967; released as B-side September 1967) | Hayward | 2:58 |
13. | "Cities" (recorded 17 July 1967; released November 1967 as B-side to "Nights in White Satin") | Hayward | 2:23 |
14. | "Tuesday Afternoon (Alternate Mix)" | Hayward | 4:20 |
15. | "Dawn Is a Feeling (Alternate Version)" | Pinder | 2:19 |
16. | "The Sunset (Alternate Version without Orchestra)" | Pinder | 2:49 |
17. | "Twilight Time (Alternate Vocal Mix)" | Thomas | 2:27 |
Chart positions[]
- Album
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1967 | UK Albums Chart | 27[20] |
1972 | Billboard 200 | 3[21] |
- Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | "Nights in White Satin" | UK Singles Chart | 19[25] |
1968 | "Tuesday Afternoon" | Billboard Hot 100 | 24 |
1972 | "Nights in White Satin" | UK Singles Chart | 9[26] |
Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
Personnel[]
Musicians[]
The Moody Blues:
- Mike Pinder - mellotron, piano, tambura, vocals (including spoken)
- Ray Thomas - flutes, percussion, piano, vocals
- Justin Hayward - acoustic & electric guitars, piano, sitar, vocals
- John Lodge - bass, vocals
- Graeme Edge - drums, percussion, vocals
- Peter Knight – conducting, arrangements
- The London Festival Orchestra[27]
Production[]
- Tony Clarke – production
- Derek Varnals – engineering
- Hugh Mendl – executive production, liner notes
- Michael Dacre-Barclay - production
- David Anstey – cover design, cover painting
- Steven Fallone – digital remastering
References[]
Reed, John (1999). "Days of Future Passed Re-release liner notes". London, England: The Decca Record Co. Ltd. Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)
- ↑ Murphy, Sean (21 November 2014). "Masters of the Mini Epic". PopMatters.
- ↑ DeRiso, Nick (n.d.). "1967's Best Rock Albums". Ultimate Guitar.
- ↑ James E. Perone (2012). The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations. ABC-CLIO. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-313-37906-2.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 SowingSeason (11 March 2011). "The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Eder, Bruce. "allmusic ((( Days of Future Passed > Overview )))". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ↑ Will Romano (1 September 2010). Mountains Come Out of the Sky: The Illustrated History of Prog Rock. Backbeat Books. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-61713-375-6.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Christgau, Robert; Fricke, David (12 July 2007). "The 40 Essential Albums of 1967". Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wenner. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ↑ "Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed CD Album". CD Universe. Muze. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ↑ "Sound On Sound (Classic Tracks: The Moody Blues "Nights In White Satin")". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Review: Days of Future Passed". Uncut. London: IPC Media: 120. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ↑ Classic Rock, July 2010, Issue 146.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Holdship, Bill. "The Moody Blues Reviews". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-29. Unknown parameter
|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Hermes, Will (January 2004). "Essential Prog Rock". Spin. Vibe/Spin Ventures. 20 (1): 48. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ↑ Macan, Edward. (1996).Rocking the Classics : English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 0195098889.
- ↑ "THE MOODY BLUES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST". Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ↑ "Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed Original Mix question". Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ↑ "On the Subject of The Moody Blues-Days of Future Passed". Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ↑ Sawdey, Evan (23 October 2008). "The Moody Blues: Days of Future Passed | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Miller, Jim (7 December 1968). "The Moody Blues: Days of Future Passed : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2012. Unknown parameter
|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Moody Blues | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "The Moody Blues – Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- ↑ url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Moody-Blues-Days-Of-Future-Passed/release/7205611
- ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Moody-Blues-Days-Of-Future-Passed/release/1796417
- ↑ https://www.discogs.com/The-Moody-Blues-With-The-London-Festival-Orchestra-Conducted-By-Peter-Knight-Days-Of-Future-Passed/release/1483969
- ↑ "Chart Stats - The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin". www.chartstats.com. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ↑ Roberts, David, ed. (2005). British Hit Singles and Albums. Guinness World Records Ltd. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Show 49 - The British are Coming! The British are Coming!: With an emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. [Part 6] : UNT Digital Library
External links[]
- Template:Discogs master
- ARCHIVE.org scan of album art painting
Template:Moody Blues