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The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed CD (album) cover

DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED

The Moody Blues

 

Crossover Prog

4.20 | 953 ratings

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sealchan
5 stars "Days of Future Passed" by the Moody Blues is as full of passion an mystic appreciation of the various moods of the day as it was innovative as a collboration of pop-rock band and orchestra as well as, as I've read, the first outing of the mellotron. For many this album is the starting point of progressive rock.

The Day Begins - The album opens with a long cymbal or gong roll that resolves into a variously passionate description of the themes found throughout the album, an overture. Then there is poetry on the night and the coming of dawn. The orchestra responds obligingly.

Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling - The Moody Blues proper chimes in. Eternity is invoked in this song of the dawn. One is still caught perhaps in a dream state or a state of undisturbed blissful hope for the possibilities of life. The chorus, a gentle, soul guide:

You're here today No future fears This day will last a thousand years If you want it to.

The Morning: Another Morning - Okay, we're up now and a busy day is ahead of us full of childhood fun. The lyrics recall the timelessness of childhood the morning of our lives. An orchestral transition nudges you forward into the day.

Lunch Break: Peak Hour - We are definitely moving now in 60s-toned orchestral effects; the orchestra invokes images of downtown in the city and everyday human industry. The Moody Blues play an upbeat song. The topic is akin to "Good Morning Good Morning" by The Beatles and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago...to what end are we all so crazily running around?

The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)/Time to Get Away - "Tuesday Afternoon" is a dreamy song about the afternoon, presently mystical rather than wistful. Tuesday is, perhaps, not a day thought of as worthy of song but The Moody Blues find plenty to sing about creating a unique song and perspective on a day as a result. This track also includes another song "Time to Get Away" which moves from lightly ominous to a more joyful mood.

Evening: The Sun Set/Twilight Time - With, perhaps, the last burst of the daytime's intense activity the orchestra gives way to an exotic song (sound maybe gamelan-like/Asian). This changes the tone a bit making the familar, seem unfamiliar and full of a strange and unearthly power. Then an orchestra interlude resolves the exotic into something more sensual. The second song in this track is a piano rocker with spiritual chorus soaring in the background; the world of dream seems to take hold again. Perhaps both songs mean to bring us round to this other-world. Plenty of song time is given to the night in this album of day and night. The song ends with an orchestral transition into the deeper night.

The Night: Nights in White Satin - Perhaps this song is meant to dissolve the passions of the whole album into two lover's sharing their passion. The chorus is lke some haunting ache of love in the darkness. If you have a heart this song will bring you tears of joy. The orchestra brings in the climax of this song. Further orchestration and poetry and finally the deep splash of the gong bring this song and album to a close.

(5 stars) Days of Future Passed is an early concept album which elevates pop-rock to an art. Music can take us on an emotional journey through imaginative landscapes and this album does so with creative passion. The band and orchestra work nearly seemlessly together here making this a great example of this kind of collaboration. This album compares well to The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" as a much clearer concept album with more compassion and the mellotrons seem to amplify the sense of the mystical as well. This makes "Sgt. Pepper..." seem darker and sarcastic in comparison.

I recommend the album as a whole to progressive rock fans and the following songs specifically: "Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling", "The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" (not so much "Time to Get Away"), "The Evening: The Sun Set/Twilight Time", and "The Night: Nights in White Satin".

sealchan | 5/5 |

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