DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED

One of the first prog albums, this was originally supposed to be a rock/orchestral version of Dvorak's 9th symphony designed to show off Deram's new "Deramic" sound system, but the Moodies persuaded the producer to let them record their own songs. It's not a true integration of band and orchestra, as the two recorded separately and the orchestra mainly provides the filling between the Moodies' tracks. I will admit I found these sections a bit "cheesy" to start with (along with the poem at start and finish) but they are much improved in the new remastered edition, and even the poem makes more sense when you know that the "cold-hearted orb" is a television. Having said that, these are the main reasons for the record sounding a bit dated now, as it is hard to believe that songs like the brilliant "Tuesday Afternoon" (or Forever Afternon (Tuesday?) to give it its correct title) are around 40 years old. "(Evening) Time to get away" is another classic, sung with an astonish octave leap by John Lodge. This song has a great chorus, although it fades out too soon on the second one. The album ends with the classic "Nights in White Satin", featuring heavy use of the Mellotron and highlighting Hayward's brilliant vocals. Is this possibly the most well known flute solo in music?

All in all, a classic album and one of the first prog albums ever made. Personally speaking, the orchestral sections date it slightly (a couple of them sound like the soundtrack to a low-budget English film from the 60s) but this still belongs in all serious prog collections.

The new remastered version features alternate versions of some of the songs, some mono single masters, a few rarities and some tracks from BBC radio sessions in late 1967 and early 1968. Sound-wise, it's a big improvement on my earlier version.