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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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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Nights in White Satin, never reaching the end... oh, how I love You!"

1967. The birth of prog... and here is one of the instigators. Let us embark on a journey. The day begins opens with an orchestration and a narration; "Cold hearted orb that rules the night, Removes the colours from our sight, Red is gray and yellow, white But we decide which is right, And which is an illusion". If you can get passed this cliche'd weirdness you will have an enthralling experience.

Dawn: Dawn is a feeling "Dawn is a feeling, A beautiful ceiling, The smell of grass, Just makes you pass Into a dream". It sounds silly but with all its pretentious bombastic lyrical poetry it seems to work with the massive orchestra and of course the soaring crystal clear vocals of Justin Hayward. I love his voice so it is easy to take even the weaker songs. As a whole concept the album is great to hear from beginning to end but there is no mistaking the two showstoppers that dominate on this classic. We will get to those in a moment.

Morning: another Morning As we emerge into the morning the music brightens "Balloons flying, Children sighing, What a day to go kite flying, Breeze is cool Away from school, Cowboys fighting out a duel, Time seems to stand quite still In a child's world, it always will". Let's forget the silly lyrics for a moment here. Actually, I can't they are so dominating and pervade every track to this point. The naff poetry is outlandish; the music is incredible so I am torn here. The album is dated due to the lyrics that are eccentric and oddball to say the least.

On Lunch break: peak hour The lyrics now go up a notch; much better and more thought provoking such as, "Minds are subject to what should be done, Problems solved, time cannot be won, One hour a day, One hour at night, Sees crowds of people All meant for flight." The stirring rhythms and ambience is as emotive as the band can get and this leads to: Tuesday afternoon (forever afternoon) words cannot express how much I adore this, but I will try. Mellotrons. "Explain it all with a siiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii- iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh". Time Sig change. Heavenly vocals. I heard this at an early age on a Moody Blues Greatest Hits comp and was floored by the way Hayward sings this and that beautiful music, the keyboards, guitars and base are incredible. The time signature changes dramatically and the album really has one heck of a masterpiece track here. This track would absolutely permeate itself in the band's repertoire. It encompasses everything the band stands for, soaring vocals, emotive thought provoking conceptual lyrics, and music that reaches into the stratosphere. I can't fault this. I love the way it changes completely with a new rhythm pattern and Hayward sings, "I'm looking at myself, Reflections of my mind, It's just the kind of day To leave myself behind, So gently swaying Through the fairy-land of love, If you'll just come with me And see the beauty of Tuesdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafternooooooooooooooooooon...." You can hear it, can't you?

Evening: the sun set: twilight time is a sweet medley sandwiched between two classics, but it is not too bad as a transition between them. The three tracks are fused together as one seamless composition and are really beautiful pieces with passages of orchestra and synth that stir the soul. But I am not going to digress any longer, let's get to the astounding masterpiece that blew everyone out of the water and continues to do so....

Night: Nights in White Satin. I am in awe of this quintessential Moody Blues brilliant master work. It begins with astonishing orchestration as good as you will hear on a soundtrack to a movie. It rises to a crescendo and settles as the bass and drums keep a constant stream of rhythmic patterns. Hayward's voice is angelic, "Nights in white satin, Never reaching the end, Letters I've written, Never meaning to send..." I knew this entire song off by heart as a teenager, I am not just talking about the lyrics, I used to hum the music in my head especially the flute solo, and now as an adult I return to it often and can play it on guitar. The way the chorus lifts with choral massed choir and very strong melodies is unsurpassed. The flute solo is mesmirising and I have never been able to get it out of my head, it's there indefinitely and I am intoxicated by its spell... I bought this album for the full length version of this track as I was sick of all the edited single versions. This is the way to hear this, the other tracks build inexorably to this magical moment and it even ends with an epilogue Late Lament that is part of the whole experience; "Breathe deep the gathering gloom, Watch lights fade from every room, Bedsitter people look back and lament, Another day's useless energy spent..." It bookends the whole album and I was stunned at the ending orchestration which is similar to the intro of "Nights".

Granted, this overblown concept album is not perfect but the saving grace of the two master tracks plus other moments weaved into the tapestry make this an excellent album to savour and remember. It was way back in 1967 that music like this was being created, before Ayreon, before Dream Theater, efore any of the sprawling concept artists that permeate modern prog, and it is the ultimate Moody Blues experience with their two best songs. 4 stars minimum without question.

AtomicCrimsonRush | 4/5 |

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