DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED

"Days Of Future Passed" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act The Moody Blues. The Moody Blues were approached by Deram Records in late 1967, as the record company wanted the band to record a rock version of classical composer Antonín Dvořák´s "Symphony No. 9" (also known as "New World Symphony") in order to test the label´s latest recording techniques. The band accepted the offer with the condition that there would be no interference in the artistic process from Deram Records executives.

When the band entered the studio with conductor/arranger Peter Knight their agenda had changed though and the band convinced Peter Knight to built orchestral parts around original pop/rock compositions written by the band (some sources dispute this though saying that it was always the label´s intent for the band to record an album of the band´s own compositions with a classical orchestra). The album was recorded over a three week period with the band recording in one studio while the The London Festival Orchestra conducted by Peter Knight recorded their parts in the studio next door. There were mixed receptions from Deram Records excecutives when they heard the final result but "Days Of Future Passed" was given a release on the 11th of November 1967 in the UK (released in April 1968 in the US).

Naturally "Days Of Future Passed" is a very different sounding release to the more traditional rhythm´n´blues of "The Magnificent Moodies (1965)", but some of the rock parts of the album still point backwards, although the material on "Days Of Future Passed" is generally more sophisticated in nature compared to the material on the debut album. The orchestral parts are often separated from the rock tracks, and therefore "Days Of Future Passed" sometimes appears a little fragmented between rhythm´n´blues/psychadelic rock compositions and what often sounds like soundtrack classical music scores.

All tracks seque into each other to create a concept and as the titles of the songs suggest the lyrical concept is about the different hours of the day seen from the perspective of an everyday man (very simply explained, as there is a little more depth to it). In addition to the orchestral parts which as mentioned above appear in both seperate sections but also integrated parts of some tracks, there´s the use of mellotron in the music which gives the music a proto-progressive sound. The vocals are smooth and pleasant and we´re treated to some really great harmony and choir vocals too. While all tracks are well written and catchy there´s one track that stands out as being THE highlight of the album and that´s Nights in White Satin. A true evergreen that song. "Evening" could be mentioned too, but the material are generally well written.

The sound production is without a doubt one of the most well sounding and professional productions I´ve heard from that time. It´s organic, layered, and pleasant, suiting the material perfectly.

Listening to "Days Of Future Passed" it´s hard not to acknowledge the importance and groundbreaking nature of the album (although it actually wasn´t an instant success upon release). There are not many pop/rock albums from 1967 that can be considered this progressive in nature. But while I find this a very adventurous and innovative album, and the band´s own compositions range from good to great, the orchestral parts are often of the kind that remind me of Disney movie scores. I don´t say this to sound disrespectful but that´s really how it sounds to me. So as an experiment "Days Of Future Passed" is a moderate success, but as coherent listening experience I could have done without many of the classical orchestra parts, which to my ears is a distraction and don´t really fit the mood of the album. Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.