REPOST: Moody Blues - Greatest Hits (1989) + Bonus Tracks

(U.K 1964 - Present) .

The Moody Blues are an English psychedelic rock band originally from Erdington in the city of Birmingham. Founding members Michael Pinder and Ray Thomas performed an initially rhythm and blues-based sound in Birmingham in 1964 along with Graeme Edge and others, and were later joined by John Lodge and Justin Hayward as they inspired and evolved the progressive rock style. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their seminal 1967 album 'Days of Future Passed' which features their all time classic track "The Night: (Nights in White Satin)" . 

Although they're best known today for their lush, lyrically and musically profound (some would say bombastic) psychedelic-era albums and singles, the Moody Blues started out as one of the better R&B based combos of the British Invasion. 

The Moody Blues' history began in Birmingham, England, where one of the more successful bands during that time was El Riot and the Rebels, co-founded by Ray Thomas (harmonica, vocals) and Mike Pinder (keyboards, vocals). Pinder left the band, first for a gig with Jackie Lynton and then a stint in the Army. In May of 1963, he and Thomas reunited under the auspices of the Krew Cats. They were good enough to get overseas bookings in Germany, where English rock bands were the rage. Upon their return to Birmingham in November of 1963, the entire English musical landscape was occupied by 250 groups, all of them vying for gigs in perhaps a dozen clubs. Thomas and Pinder decided to try and go professional, recruiting members from some of the best groups working in Birmingham. This included Denny Laine (vocals, guitar), Graeme Edge (drums), and Clint Warwick (bass, vocals). The Moody Blues made their debut in Birmingham in May of 1964, and quickly earned the notice and later the services of manager Tony Secunda. A major tour was quickly booked, and the band landed an engagement at the Marquee Club, which resulted in a contract with England's Decca Records less than six months after their formation. The group's first single, "Steal Your Heart Away," released in September of 1964, didn't touch the British charts. . 

Their second single "Go Now," released in November of 1964, fulfilled every expectation and more, reaching number one in England; in America, it peaked at number 10. Following it up was easier said than done. Despite their fledgling songwriting efforts and the access they had to American demos, this version of the Moody Blues never came up with another single success. By the end of the spring of 1965, the frustration was palpable within the band. The group decided to make their fourth single, "From the Bottom of My Heart," an experiment with a different sound. Unfortunately, the single only reached number 22 on the British charts following its release in May of 1965. Ultimately, the grind of touring coupled with the strains facing the group, became too much for Warwick, who exited in the spring of 1966, and by August of 1966 Laine had left as well. Warwick was replaced by John Lodge. His introduction to the band was followed in late 1966 by the addition of Justin Hayward. . 

The reconstituted Moody Blues set about keeping afloat financially, mostly playing in Europe, recording the occasional single. Their big break came from Deram Records, an imprint of their Decca label, which in 1967 decided that it needed a long-playing record to promote its new "Deramic Stereo." The Moody Blues were picked for the proposed project, a rock version of Dvorak's New World Symphony, and immediately convinced the staff producer and the engineer to abandon the source material and permit the group to use a series of its own compositions that depicted an archetypal "day," from morning to night. Using the tracks laid down by the band, and orchestrated by conductor Peter Knight, the resulting album 'Days of Future Passed' became a landmark in the band's history. The mix of rock and classical sounds was new, and at first puzzled the record company, but eventually the record was issued. This album, and its singles "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon," hooked directly into the musical sides of the Summer of Love and its aftermath. In 'Search of the Lost Chord' (1968) abandoned the orchestra in favor of the Mellotron, which quickly became a part of their signature sound. . 

By the time of 1969's 'To Our Children's Children's Children', the group found themselves painted into something of a corner. Working in the studio with the process of overdubbing, they'd created albums that were essentially the work of 20 or 30 Moody Blues. Beginning with 'A Question of Balance' (1970), the group made the decision to record albums that they could play in concert, reducing their reliance on overdubbing and toughening up their sound. By the release of 'Seventh Sojourn' (1972), the strain of touring and recording steadily for five years was beginning to take its toll, and following an extended international tour, the band decided to take a break from working together, which ultimately lasted five years. During this era, Hayward and Lodge recorded a very successful duet album, 'Blue Jays' (1975), and all five members did solo albums. By 1977, however, the group members had made the decision to reunite, a process complicated by the fact that Pinder had moved to California during that period. Although all five participated in the resulting album, 'Octave' (1978), there were stresses during its recording, and Pinder was ultimately unhappy enough with the LP to decline to tour with the band. The reunion tour was a success, with Patrick Moraz (ex-Yes) brought in to replace Pinder on the keyboards, and the album topped the charts. .

The group's follow-up record, 'Long Distance Voyager' (1981), was even more popular, though by this time a schism was beginning to develop between the band and the critical community. Although they continued to reach the middle levels of the charts, and even ascended reasonably close to the top with the Hayward single "In Your Wildest Dreams" (1986), the Moody Blues were no longer anywhere near the cutting edge of music. By the end of the 1980s, they were perceived as a nostalgia act, albeit one with a huge audience. In 1989, Threshold released a Greatest Hits album on both vinyl and CD (as posted here). In 1994, a four-CD set called 'Time Traveller' was released. A new studio effort, 'Strange Times', followed in 1999 and 'Live at the Royal Albert Hall' 2000 followed a year later.

. "Greatest Hits" released by Threshold in 1989 is more like the Table of Contents rather than a full on anthology album. A mixture of songs from the band's late 60's/early 70's heyday and their early 80's "comeback" period, it misses some important highlights. For instance, the band's 1965 classic "Go Now," is nowhere to be seen. Neither are such gems as "New Horizons," and "For My Lady" to name a few. There is nothing wrong with the songs that were included here, there just aren't nearly enough of them to make this a representative collection. Of course the vinyl release had an excuse with its length limitations, but surely when the CD version was released, Threshold could have added these as extra tracks. Consequently, I have taken the liberty of adding them into this post as bonus tracks. Likewise, one should also note that two of the tracks included are re-makes (Isn't Life Strange & Questions) and in my opinion not as good as the originals. 

This Rip was taken from CD version in full FLAC format and includes full album artwork. I have also included some choice photos of the band. . 

Discography: 

1965: The Magnificent Moodies 

1967: Days of Future Passed 

1968: In Search of the Lost Chord 

1969: On the Threshold of a Dream 

1969: To Our Children's Children's Children 

1970: A Question of Balance 

1971: Every Good Boy Deserves Favour 

1972: Seventh Sojourn 

1978: Octave 

1981: Long Distance Voyager 

1983: The Present 

1986: The Other Side of Life 

1988: Sur La Mer 

1991: Keys of the Kingdom 

1999: Strange Times 

2003: December . 

Track Listing 

01 - Your Wildest Dreams* - 4:51 

02 - The Voice* - 5:17 

03 - Gemini Dream* - 4:09 

04 - The Story In Your Eyes - 3:06 

05 - Tuesday Afternoon - 4:53 

06 - Isn't Life Strange (1988 version) - 6:41 

07 - Nights in White Satin - 7:39 

08 - I Know You're Out There Somewhere* - 6:39 

09 - The Other Side of Life* - 6:52 (not on vinyl LP (Europe only) 

10 - Ride My See-Saw - 3:47 

11 - I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) - 4:20 

12 - Question (1988 version) - 5:45 

[Bonus Tracks] 

13 - Go Now - 3:14 

14 - New Horizons - 5:10 

15 - For My Lady - 3:57 . 

Band Members:

Justin Hayward (Guitar/Vocals) 

John Lodge (Bass/Vocals) 

Graeme Edge (Drums) 

Ray Thomas (Flutes, Harmonicas, Vocals) 

Mike Pinder (Keyboards/Vocals) 

* Patrick Moraz (Keyboards) . 

Moody Blues Link (459Mb) New Link 04/09/2023 

Justin Hayward - Moving Mountains (1985) with Bonus Track

(U.K 1965 - Present)
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While not the only lead vocalist  in The Moody Blues, Justin Hayward is the most recognisable. His silky smooth voice can be heard on nearly all  of their hits including “Nights In White Satin,” “Your Wildest Dreams,” “Tuesday  Afternoon,” “The Voice,” and many others. One of Rock’s finest front men, Justin  Hayward has also released a handful of fantastic solo albums over the years  that have come and gone without much notice by commercial audiences.  That is definitely a shame since Hayward  always has something interesting to say and he has a lovely way of saying it.  Proving that he could write massive hits outside of the Moody Blues, Justin hit the Top Ten globally in 1978 with "Forever Autumn" – created for Jeff Wayne’s ‘War of the Worlds’ album.

'Moving Mountains' (1985) was his third ‘solo’ album (fourth if you count the 'Blue Jays' project with  fellow Moodies member John Lodge)  and features a fine batch of Hayward tunes that recall his past, present and  future.  The album, released a year  before The Moody Blues made their big commercial comeback with 'The Other Side Of Life', definitely sounds like the same work of the man who  penned so many fab tunes in the ‘60s and ‘70s yet the production is rooted  firmly in the ‘80s. Not as wonderfully bombastic as the Moodies’ albums of the  era, the album doesn’t sound far off from what Chris Rea and other like-minded artists were attempting to do at  the time – write great songs and present them in a way that would appeal to a larger audience.

Some have written that 'Moving Mountains' sounds dated. In  all actuality, the album is not as slick as some of the albums released in  1985. More importantly, the album’s production  never interferes with the excellent songs on display. The majestic “Silverbird”  was co-written by Jeff Wayne, who  some might remember as the man responsible for “Forever Autumn,” the Hayward-sung  hit from 'War Of The Worlds'.  “One Again”  stands as a fine album opener.  “Moving  Mountains” is a wonderful tune. “Lost And Found” possesses a lovely melody and  a great vocal from Hayward. (Have I already said that this guy is one of Rock’s  finest vocalists?) “Is It Just A Game” is cut from the same cloth as “Your Wildest  Dreams” and “The Voice”. Overall,  the album is relaxed and uncluttered. Anyone wanting to hear the Moodies should buy a Moodies album.

However, if you want to experience Justin’s singular musical vision, 'Moving Mountains'  is just one of many places to start.

Hayward's Guitars
For the most part, Hayward has used a red Gibson ES-335 ("main axe"), though he also uses other guitars in both performing and recording, including a 1955 Martin D-28 "Dreadnought", a James Olson six-string acoustic, a Black Guild acoustic, (mock) Squier Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, a blonde Guild open-tuned 12-string acoustic and a 12-string Gibson acoustic (for "Question"), and in 1967 a black Les Paul. Between 1965 and 1968 he was without his Gibson 335 and relied on other instruments, most notably a 1964 Fender Telecaster and a hand-built 12-string guitar he had renovated for Donegan (he eventually bought this guitar from Donegan's widow).

However, in an interview that is included on the "Lovely to See You Concert" DVD (2005), Hayward says the 1963 Gibson 335 has been with him since 1967. Recently he has played a Collings D3 on stage and on recordings . Among other instruments, Hayward also played the mandolin on A Question of Balance and the sitar on "In Search Of The Lost Chord".

Liner Notes

This album started for me in 1980 with "Goodbye". The song that is, when my friend Eric Stewart (10 CC) and I were sitting in his studio one night wondering what to do with some time after a session, so, we recorded the basic track to "Goodbye".  I finally finished the LP five years later with the single "Silverbird" and along the way worked with many friends and had lots of fun. I recorded each track whenever I felt I had a song that would contribute to the whole. Some, like the basic title track of "Moving Mountains", my own personal favourite, were recorded at home, in my own time.. Others like "Who Knows" and "The Best Is Yet To Come" were made in one huge orchestral session in a couple of hours. Those two songs brought a reunion with my dear friend Peter Knight, the greatest British writer and arranger for strings I have ever heard.

"One Again" with Tony Visconti was a wonderful learning process for me in the technology of recording, quite the opposite of "Is It Just A Game?" where we just set up in the studio and let it rip. Every once in a while you write a song that just falls into place and expresses perfectly what you wanted to say. "Lost And Found" was one of those songs for me, and every aspect of it, the writing, the recording, the mixing and mastering, were a pleasure, but then every song on this LP was a true labour of love. Through this album I became a keyboard player as well as a guitarist, and engineer as well as a recording artist, your part is easy. Just sit back and ... well ... happy listening. [written by Justin Hayward]

Justin Hayward Today

This post consists of FLACS ripped from my newly acquired Vinyl which I found in amongst a pile of beaten up Moodies LP's at the Flee Market (which I already had thankfully). To my surprise, this album was in pristine condition and looked almost brand new.  I have of course also included full album artwork for both CD and vinyl along with label scans.

To sweeten the deal, I am also including Justin's big 70's hit "Forever Autumn" (ripped from my single) which in my opinion was his swan song.  Don't get me wrong, his Moodies material was great but I think Jeff Wayne's production and writing skills took him to an even higher level.

Hope you enjoy this lost treasure

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Tracklist

01 One Again

02 Take Your Chances

03 Moving Mountains

04 Silverbird

05 Is It Just A Game

06 Lost & Found

07 Goodbye

08 Who Knows

09 The Best Is Yet To Come

10    Forever Autumn (Bonus Track)

Credits:

Vocals – Justin Hayward

Bass – Henry Thomas

Drums – Charlie Morgan, Dave Mattacks

Guitar – Jo Partridge, Justin Hayward

Keyboards – Colin Frechter, Justin Hayward, Pete Wingfield, Tony Visconti

Saxophone – Chris White

Vocals [Background] – P.P. Arnold, Tony Visconti, Vicki Brown

Arranged By – Jeff Wayne, Peter Knight

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Justin Hayward Link (286Mb) New Link 16/11/2024

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Various Artists - BBC Live in Concert 1967-69 (Bootleg)

(Various Artists 1967-1969)
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During the late 60's, the BBC started to devote some of their prime time T.V to cash in on the quickly growing pop culture that was taking place in England and the US at the time.  This resulted in some wonderful audio and video archives of popular music artists at that time, recorded during the many Pop TV Shows that started to appear on the BBC. This bootleg is a sample of some of these recordings plus several one off documentary/ films, and features some classic names like Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Cream. The quality of the recordings is pretty damn good considering most were made 50 years ago.
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All Of My Loving (A Film Of Pop Music 1968)
U.K. TV documentary. Oct-1-68. Excellent quality. 16:9 widescreen. A very interesting documentary about how pop music has changed the world and how the world has changed pop music. Drugs, the Beatles, sex, fashion, the media, love, war and financial profit are all examined. Fantastic vintage footage assembled in a collage form creates a TV program as "mod" and "pop" as the music it describes.

Cool footage includes: the Beatles in the studio, 60s London, Liverpool, psychedelic imagery, Cream, Hendrix, the Who, Pink Floyd and more. Terrific footage of the Who performing in Peoria, Illinois and smashing their equipment to bits! Interviews of Paul McCartney (in his "Yellow Submarine-look" period) discussing the meaning of Beatle lyrics and Ringo Starr talking about studio tricks.
[extract from beatlevid.blogspot.com]

The featured BBC recording of Pink Floyd, performing "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" in 1968, was filmed on the balcony of The Tabernacle, a community hall close to All Saints Church Hall, in Notting Hill, London, is part of a program called "All My Loving".

Other artists included are The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and many others, across a 55 minute film by Tony Palmer. First broadcast in November 1968 in black and white, the following year saw a colour broadcast, and one destined to put strain on the red guns of television tubes!

Anyone who is familiar with the three minute performance, knows that, with the exception of the very beginning, the recording was electronically treated to bathe the band in vivid red. A very interesting and effective trick, it complements the short but sweet performance well. [extract from brain-damage.co.uk]

Pop Goes The Sixties
Pop Go The 60s! was a one-off, 75-minute TV special originally broadcast in colour on 31 December 1969, to celebrate the major pop hits of the 1960s. The show was a co-production between the United

Kingdom's BBC and West Germany's ZDF broadcasters. It was shown on both stations on the same day, with other European stations broadcasting the programme either the same day or later. Although a co-production, it was primarily produced by the BBC and recorded at the BBC's Television Centre in London, in late 1969, featuring largely only British pop acts and hits.

The show (which went out at 10:35pm) was presented by Jimmy Saville and Elfi Von Kalckreuth. The two presenters introduced each act  but neither was present in the studio recording with the artists, their links being added later. Saville spoke English, whereas Elfi Von Kalckreuth speaks in German throughout.
The Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter" was the only track included in the show that had not been a hit single but instead an extremely popular album track.

Fleetwood Mac on Monster Music Mash

Monster Music Mash
BBC1 Monster Music Mash (1969) was a dedicated music series. "Pop. Blues, Folk and Whoopee!" - was introduced in front of a young-adult audience by ex-Animal Alan Price, supported by comedy jazz from Bob Kerr's Whoopee Band. Refreshingly, the weekly guests had the freedom to perform a few numbers and not just their latest hit. First up were Fleetwood Mac, playing "Oh Well", followed by, among others, Pentangle and the Moody Blues. There was also an early sighting of Slade playing their latest single "Martha My Dear". It was serious stuff to follow Wacky Races during children's hour but regrettably just one short series was produced. [extract from Rock & Pop On British TV by Jeff Evans]

Happening for Lulu Show
One common feature of all BBC shows was their strict rules on what artists could or could not do when performing live on BBC TV. Artists were told exactly what to play and for how long so improvisations were unheard of, well, that's until the Jimi Hendrix Experience were asked to perform on Lulu's popular evening show.
After a blistering performance of Voodoo Chile, on the Happening for Lulu show in January 1969, The Jimi Hendrix Experience stop midway through a half-hearted attempt at their first hit "Hey Joe". The trio break into Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love", in tribute to the recently disbanded group, until producers bring the song to a premature end.

According to the memoir of bassist Noel Redding, Lulu had been due to join Hendrix on stage to sing the final lines of Hey Joe, but the band wasn't too keen on the idea. The stunt (according to rock and roll legend) earned The Jimi Hendrix Experience a ban from performing on BBC television. Hendrix died the following year on 18th September 1970. [extract from www.bbc.co.uk]

Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television program, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1 January 1964 and 30 July 2006. It was traditionally shown every Thursday evening on BBC1, except for a short period on Fridays in mid-1973 before being again moved to Fridays in 1996, and then to Sundays on BBC Two in 2005.

Each weekly program consisted of performances from some of that week's best-selling popular music artists, with a rundown of that week's singles chart. Additionally, there was a special edition of the program on Christmas Day (and usually, until 1984, a second such edition a few days after Christmas), featuring some of the best-selling singles of the year. With its high viewing figures the show became a significant part of British popular culture.

The Cilla Show
Cilla was a BBC TV program hosted by British singer Cilla Black. It ran for eight series from 30 January 1968 to 17 April 1976.  The first series of the show started broadcasting on Tuesday, 30 January 1968, on the first show of which Black's guest was Tom Jones and the two music stars sang a duet together.
The UK's Eurovision Song Contest entry selection process was part of the Cilla show in both 1968 and 1973, when Black's close friend Cliff Richard was the featured artist performing all the songs shortlisted in the A Song For Europe segment

Cilla Black

Omnibus

Omnibus was an arts-based British documentary series, broadcast mainly on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The program was the successor to the long-running arts-based series Monitor. It ran from 1967 until 2003, usually being transmitted on Sunday evenings.

Omnibus - Cream, Albert Hall on November 26,1961, Some 5,000 fans packed out each show, and Clapton expressed surprise when they received a warm and emotional ovation; "We hadn't played in England for over a year and had no idea we were so popular, I was amazed we played to such full houses. I didn't think anybody would remember us."
He was almost tempted to carry on with Cream when he realized the strength of feeling among their supporters. But the die was cast: He had to stand by his decision, Cream's farewell at the Royal Albert Hall was filmed for BBC TV by director Tony Palmer, who had first met Clapton and Cream on the recommendation of Jimmy Page. His documentary on the group was screened as part of the BBC Omnibus arts show on January 5,1969, The footage was later re-edited as a full-length film, An earlier Palmer documentary, 'All My Loving', had helped introduce the serious side of rock to a wider audience and paved the way for Cream to be so heavily featured on TV.  Palmer was music critic for the Observer Sunday newspaper and recalls that John Lennon had encouraged him to make All My Loving, "That film was essentially John Lennon's idea, I'd first met him while I was at University and met him again when I begin working at the BBC. He told me the problem with rock music on BBC TV was it was restricted to shows like Top of the Popa and Jukebox Jury.

"These were highly successful pop shows but only reflected what was in the Top Twenty and not the more serious side. John said it was terrible because he knew a lot of musicians who wouldn't appear on either of those programs because they didn't want to play three-minute pop songs behind gyrating nubile dancers. Much as we liked gyrating nubiles, this was understandable. Lennon said. It's your duty to get these people onto television. [taken from Clapton - Updated Edition: The Ultimate Illustrated History By Chris Welch]

The Moody Blues (Color Me Pop)

Color Me Pop
Colour Me Pop was a British music TV program broadcast on BBC2 from 1968–1969. It was a spin-off from the BBC 2 arts magazine show Late Night Line-Up. Designed to celebrate the new introduction of colour to British television, it was directed by Steve Turner, and showcased half-hour sets by pop and rock groups of the period. The program was a pioneering precursor to the better remembered BBC music program The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971–87). Unlike its successor, most of the editions of Colour Me Pop are lost.

Currently only the editions featuring The Small Faces, The Moody Blues, and The Move are held in the BBC archive, as well as the episode featuring The Chambers Brothers that was never broadcast. In addition, three songs from the Bonzo Dog Band edition survive. Most of the Small Faces edition was commercially released as part of the 'All Of Nothing 1965-1968 DVD' in 2009. The Moody Blues edition was released as part of their 'Timeless Flight' box set in 2013.

The Look Of The Week
Hans Keller was the resident music critic on 'The Look Of The Week', which was to all intents and purposes a spin-off from BBC2's proto-Parsons nightly critical chinwag Late Night Line-Up, aimed at bringing 'the arts' to an audience that might not normally have noticed them tucked away there. As such, Keller usually got to verbally joust with classical musicians, theatre impresarios and heavyweight jazzers, with The Look Of The Week's interactions with the pop scene - barely regarded even as a part of the 'arts' at that point - rarely venturing beyond the odd bit of opinionating from rent-a-viewpoint Russell Brand of his day Mick Jagger.
In an interview with a very early Pink Floyd, while holding a cigarette aloft, Keller presages their appearance on the show by saying:

“The Pink Floyd – you’re going to hear them in a minute and I do not want to prejudice you. Hear them and see them first and we’ll talk about them afterwards but four quick points I want to make before you hear them. The first is that what you heard at the beginning, that short bit, those few seconds, are really all I can hear in them, which is to say to my mind, there is continuous repetition and proportionally they are a bit boring. My second point is that they are terribly loud. You couldn’t quite hear because, of course, it isn’t as loud from your sets as it is here in the studio or as it was at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday" -  "I will ask them about that when we come to talk" he adds as if asking them if they'd mind stepping outside for a moment - "my third point is that perhaps I am a little bit too much of a musician to appreciate them. And the reason why that – why I say that – is that four, they have an audience, and people who have an audience ought to be heard. Perhaps it is my fault that I don’t appreciate them”.

And with a tilt of his head in the direction of the other end of the studio, it's over to some blobby amorphous light patterns and a spaceman voice intoning obscure intergalactic facts, and Pink Floyd delivering an astonishing performance of celestial travelogue "Astonomy Domine", then still some months from making its first public appearance on their debut album; to early fans of the band, this must have been one of the all time magic moments of the sixties. It's also the best surviving indication of what the original line-up sounded like live, the most accurate record of their famed but ephemeral light show (and yes, Barrett is playing his mirror-disc Telecaster, adding to the visual cacophony), and above all that it's simply a thrilling performance of a terrific song. And that's not all.

Syd Barrett

As they finish, Syd Barrett and Roger Waters politely set down their guitars and walk slowly over to some of those taller-sitting-down-than-standing-up stools as favoured by the likes of Bernard Levin, for a bit of a natter with Hans Keller. He opens by confronting the band members asking them why it all has to be so 'terribly loud', pointing out that he 'grew up with the string quartet' and as a consequence finds this kind of volume unbearable.

Waters and Barrett - both visibly cracking up - can only meekly offer that they like it that way, that they didn't grow up with the string quartet, and that it doesn't sound terribly loud to them, with Keller obliterating the latter two arguments but accepting that they see it as important to their art; often mistaken for a bit of stuffy pomposity, this is actually the prelude to a much longer interview. [extract from timworthington.blogspot.com.au]

Joe Cocker on How It Is

How It is
How It Is was a youth-orientated music and discussion program transmitted on BBC1 TV in 1968, on which John Peel was a co-host. The original series ran from July to December 1968; a short-lived follow-up, entitled How Late It Is to reflect its changed time slot, ran for ten episodes in spring and early summer of 1969. Both series were produced by Tony Palmer, who was also responsible for the 1968 TV films All My Loving and Cream Farewell Concert, which were shown in BBC1's arts series Omnibus, the former in particular provoking a controversy by linking the aggression of rock music to the violent political upheavals of the 1960s. Joe Cocker and his Greaseband performed on the How It Is in 1968, debuting his smash hit "With A Little Help From My Friends"

The Who

Twice A Fortnight
In 1967 a revolutionary comedy sketch show called Twice a Fortnight was broadcast on the BBC. It had sketches written and performed by (amongst other), pre-Monty Python Terry Jones and Michael Palin.  But it also featured performances from whoever was plugging their singles at the time. For example The Who, recorded for the pilot show 15th October 1967, a rather dizzy version of "I Can See For Miles".
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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) mostly ripped from YouTube Clips. Basic custom artwork only.
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Track listing
01. Pink Floyd - Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun - "All My Loving" (1968)
02. Donovan - The Lullaby Of Spring - "All My Loving" (1968)
03. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter - "Pop Go The Sixties" (1969)
04. Fleetwood Mac - Oh Well - "Monster Music Mash" (1969)
05. Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe/Sunshine Of Your Love - "Happening For Lulu" (1969)
06. Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love - "Omnibus" (1968)
07. Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi - "BBC In Concert" (Jan 1970)
08. Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Chile - "Happening For Lulu" (1969)
09. The Equals - Baby Come Back - "Top Of The Pops" Show (1968)
10. The Hollies - I'm Sorry Suzanne - "Top Of The Pops" Show (1969)
11. Sandie Shaw - Long Live Love - "Top Of The Pops" Show (1965)
12. Lulu - Loves Loves To Love Love - "Top Of The Pops" Show (1967)
13. Tom Jones - Delilah - "Top Of The Pops" Show (1968)
14. Cliff Richard - Congratulations - "Cilla" Show (1968)
15. The Who - I Can See For Miles - "Twice A Fortnight" (1967)
16. Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine - "The Look Of The Week" (1967)
17. Joe Cocker & The Grease Band - With A Little Help From My Friends - "How It Is" (1968)
18. Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - Canyons Of Your Mind - "Color Me Pop" (1968)
19. The Mothers Of Invention - Oh, In The Sky - "Color Me Pop" (1968)
20. The Small Faces - Song Of A Baker - "Color Me Pop" (1968)
21. The Kinks - Days - "Pop Goes The Sixties" (1969)
22. The Moody Blues - Ride My See-Saw - "Color Me Pop" (1968)
23. Jimi Hendrix - Wild Thing - "All My Loving" (1968)
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BBC Recordings 1967-69 Link (209Mb)  New Link 02/09/2023

The Moody Blues - King Biscuit Hour Live (1981) Bootleg

(U.K 1964 - Present)
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This show features The Moody Blues showcasing most of their biggest hits, but only about half of the entire show is presented on this night at Chicago's Poplar Creek Music Theatre in August, 1981. There is some discrepancy however as to the actual date. Popular belief is that it was the 17th, however other bootleg sources indicate the concert was on the 18th or 19th.  This concert was broadcasted to air by the King Biscuit Flower Hour in 1982 and 1994 and features the usual add breaks and commentary expected from this famous radio show. I've decided to keep the broadcast true to its original format, however you could easily edit out the adds using your favourite audio editor (ie. Audacity) if these annoy you.

While the U.K. band had been enormously popular in the late 1960s and in first half of the '70s, they had not toured extensively in the U.S. and didn't work at all between 1974 and 1978. The much ballyhooed "Octave" reunion tour in 1978 re-established the band as one of premier classic British rock bands and started a cycle of almost yearly U.S. summer tours, which continues to this day.

The classic line-up of Graeme Edge, Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ray Thomas and keyboardist Mike Pinder all participated in the '78 reunion LP, but Pinder was so upset with the outcome of the record he left the band before the tour. He was replaced by former Refugee keyboardist Patrick Moraz (a Swiss musician very much in the style of Keith Emerson), who remained in the Moodies through the end of 1990.

The Moody Blues began as an R&B/pop act out of Birmingham, England in May, 1964. The original line-up only included Thomas and Edge from this 1981 version, and the sound was completely different from what they became in 1967. With charismatic singer/guitarist Denny Laine on lead vocals, the band had a massive Top 10 hit in 1965 with a soulful cover of "Go Now," a song originally recorded by American R&B singer, Bessie Banks. The success of "Go Now," got them a label deal with Deram Records, a division of London Records (original home of The Rolling Stones). A tour opening for The Beatles followed, and hopes were high for The Moody Blues to be The Next Big Thing.

Poplar Creek Music Theatre

Unfortunately, the band could never come up with a successful follow-up single. By the fall of 1966, Laine (and original bassist Clint Warwick) were gone, replaced by Lodge and Hayward. With the advent of the psychedelic era (and the use of mind altering drugs), The Moody Blues purchased one of the very first Mellotrons (the forerunner to the modern synthesizer) and changed their sound to a dreamy, progressive blend of rock, folk and classical.

They re-emerged in 1967, with Days Of Future Passed, the first album to feature a rock band and full orchestra. From that came the smash single, "Nights In White Satin," which was followed by a string of popular LPs and singles, that included "Question," "Ride My See Saw," "I'm Just A Singer In A Rock N Roll Band," "The Voice" and "The Story In Your Eyes," all of which are faithfully executed at this show, originally recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. [extract from concertvault.com]

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This post consists of a single MP3 file (128kps) and B&W album artwork, although I have added a colour label scan of the vinyl release from 1982 to use as the inner cover (see right).  The recording quality is brilliant (even though the bitrate is disappointing) and deserves a 10/10 for its soundboard origin, and in my opinion tops any of their official live material.
So sit back and enjoy this authentic radio station broadcast of the Moody's from the early 80's.
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Track Listing 
01 Gemini Dream 05:18
02 The Story In Your Eyes 03:44
03 Tuesday Afternoon 04:31
04 The Voice 04:59
05 Steppin' In A Slide Zone 04:38
06 Isn't Life Strange 06:28
07 I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band) 04:36
08 Nights In White Satin 06:05
09 Question 06:50
10 (Encore) Ride My See-Saw 04:20


The Band Were:
Graeme Edge - drums, vocals;
Justin Hayward - guitar, vocals;
John Lodge - bass, vocals;
Patrick Moraz - keyboards, vocals;
Ray Thomas - flute, percussion, vocals

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Moody Blues King Biscuit Link (56Mb)
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The Moody Blues - Caught Live + 5 (1977)

(U.K 1965 - Present)
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The Moody Blues released this live concert recording (augmented by some previously unissued studio cuts) after they'd decided to re-form at the end of the 1970s, in order to get some product out and test the waters for their reunion the following year. As their first new release in five years, it sold extremely well on both sides of the Atlantic and fueled the anticipation attending the release of the Octave album a year later. 

In point of fact, however, the group supposedly never liked the concert much as a document, which is one reason why they didn't authorize its release on CD until 1996 -- the unofficial word among fans is that several of the group members were under the influence of controlled substances during the show and were, thus, less sharp than they might otherwise have been, though you'd never know it from the results here. 

The 1969 Royal Albert Hall show sounds a lot better on this CD than it did on the LP version, with a closeness that was never evident before -- Justin Hayward's guitar and Mike Pinder's various Mellotrons, in particular, sound really crisp, and all of the singing comes out with more detail as well. 

Their repertory at this time came primarily from Days of Future Passed, In Search of the Lost Chord, and On the Threshold of a Dream, plus "Gypsy," the one number from To Our Children's Children's Children -- their then new album -- that they actually performed live; the latter is also the opening number, and Hayward's guitar work is most impressive, whether he's playing the melody in the opening, or crunching out chords on the break. 

"The Sunset," from Days of Future Passed, is a showcase for Pinder's Mellotrons, the keyboard player slowly weaving lush Arabesques and misteriosos while Hayward strums out muted chords, Graeme Edge's drums impersonate the sound of a tabla, and Ray Thomas' flute hovers above it all with its lilting phrases. "Dr. Livingston, I Presume" lightens the tone with a more witty, whimsical side of psychedelia that still allows Pinder a chance to show off the Mellotron's range and Hayward a surprisingly hard-rocking solo -- one audience member, in particular, seems taken with it all, punctuating the crescendos with shrieks of appreciation that don't detract a bit from the listening. 

Edge's nimble playing is most impressive on "Peak Hour," a frenetically paced number off of Days of Future Passed, and the other highlights of the set include the hits "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights in White Satin," and the closing suite from On the Threshold of a Dream, which works well despite Pinder's being limited to just two keyboards -- one scarcely misses the grand piano, and the opening sequence, "Are You Sitting Comfortably," gives Thomas' flute its best showcase. 

The group is tight throughout, both in their playing and singing, and the show ends on a hard-rocking note with "Legend of a Mind" and "Ride My See-Saw" -- and the former is a great vehicle for John Lodge's bass work. 

The CD release (now out of print) reveals details in the playing (particularly on the guitar parts) that were obscured on the original LP, and while there are still occasional balance problems, as a representative set for the band from their psychedelic period, the concert portion of this CD holds up extremely well -- one only wishes that the band had seen fit to record a show or two from the following tour, where they rocked out on numbers like "Tortoise and the Hair," or their 1972-1973 tour behind the Seventh Sojourn album, representing their peak from this era in their history. 

As for the studio cuts, they're salvaged from failed album sessions in 1967 and 1968, and they're not bad songs --- in fact they're pretty damn good-- "Gimme a Little Something" has a great opening verse, guitar part, and chorus, even if it doesn't quite hold together perfectly as a song, and "King and Queen" and "What Am I Doing Here" both have hauntingly beautiful melodies. But they're also not quite up to the standard of what the group released during that period, and work best in a historical, archival context, which is how they were issued. 

The "Plus 5" is my favorite part of this double album.

"Long Summer Days" being a favorite "summer" song... And, when I did listen to the live part -- the countdown intro to "Ride My See-Saw"   (L. O. V. E) is one of the best parts of the "live" part of the album.

The studio out-takes are fantastic. Especially the last three. "What Am I Doin' Here" is a powerful anti-Vietnam war song. I wonder if they had a fight on their hands with the label on this one?

Definitely a must for a collector, just for the 4th side of unreleased studio tracks.

(Review by Bruce Eder, All Music Guide)

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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from my pristine vinyl copy and features full album artwork and label scans. Although this live album doesn't really give justice to the Moody's brilliance when recording in the studio, it does give us a glimpse of what they were like on stage in the early part of their career.  As Bruce Eder indicates, the fourth side (all new studio tracks) is the highlight of this release and should not be overlooked.  DECCA certainly had their marketing hat on when they decided to release this double album (and fits nicely on a single CD for good measure)

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Tracklist

A1 Gypsy

A2 The Sun Set

A3 Dr. Livingstone, I Presume

A4 Never Comes The Day

B1 Peak Hour

B2 Tuesday Afternoon

B3 Are You Sitting Comfortably

B4 The Dream

B5 Have You Heard (Part 1)

B6 The Voyage

B7 Have You Heard (Part 2)

C1 Nights In White Satin

C2 Legend Of A Mind

C3 Ride My See-Saw

D1 Gimme A Little Somethin'

D2 Please Think About It

D3 Long Summer Days

D4 King And Queen

D5 What Am I Doing Here

Sides A, B, C recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall 12th December 1969. 

+5 (Side D) previously unreleased studio recordings. 

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The Moody Blues were:

Justin Hayward (Guitar, Vocals)

John Lodge (Bass, Vocals)

Graeme Edge (Drums)

Ray Thomas (Flute)

Mike Pinder (Keyboard, Vocals)

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The Moody Blues Live Link (174Mb) New Link 03/01/2024

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