That sliding sound that accompanies the high guitar chord that occurs twice in the intro to "The Story in Your Eyes" was always a mystery to me. But one listen to the quad mix revealed the obvious: it's cellos. Hear them (and/or Hayward's 3/4-size acoustic bass) chug away during the chorus, and also through "After You Came" and "One More Time to Live".
Yes. And in the abandoned (and bonus track on the cd ) "The Dreamer" they are in full force. Really used them a lot in those sessions.
I'm not sure. Ray had, or has health issues and retired due to those issues apparently and Mike left the band by his own choice . At this point then, I don't know if they care so much.
What I meant was, it's just going to be weird hearing the three of them doing the other twos' vocals (or spoken word) in the context of a live recreation of Days.
Oh, OK. Yes , it was weird to hear those vocals covered by someone else when I gave the concert a listen.
I've always viewed it as this: the boy on the front is receiving a golden gift, perhaps with spiritual qualities, from a wise man (God?) for showing good behaviour. On the back are two other boys offering up very simple things, perhaps their only possessions, in the hope they too will receive 'golden gifts' in return. Hence "every good boy deserves favour".
Makes sense, and a good interpretation. Does look more like two boys after (more and more) examination.
I believe that is a celeste, not a glockenspiel, on "Emily's Song", and there's the alto flute again. It's a lovely, heartfelt little tune. I used to loathe "Nice to Be Here", but today I find it charming, with such an inventive arrangement. But for me, the strongest cuts are "You Can Never Go Home" and "Our Guessing Game" — although this last shows signs that the increasing number of tracks available to record on was starting to work against the band. The song is quite cluttered, and the drums in particular are too busy — and sound like cardboard boxes. But I still love it. Does it seem to anyone else that the background vocals sound like they might have been "chipmunked" — sped up a little (or maybe more than a little)?
That's an interesting observation that I can apply to several bands I like probably. There are so many variables that contribute to our love of a particular album by our favorites that there can't ever be a universally agreed upon best album by anyone. Some are way more popular than others of course.
Cheers for the reply. EGBDF, was the first Moodies I heard, as my brother owned it, when I was 12. I was really blown away by the sounds I was hearing, and couldn’t get enough of it. All these years later,I still get th chills just as much.
Same here. I don't enjoy all the tracks from this album, but the ones I like seem immortal to me. There is something about their sound which is so unique to them it's just a marvel, in a genre where there were lots of emulation. Their lead guitar sound, in particular, is awesome! Nice To Be Here, though not that representative perhaps of their style from the bigger hits, is a particular favorite of mine. Rock groups didn't do marches like that (with sincerity)! It's both naive and extremely well written.
First heard EGBDF in 1984 (I had only heard 'Nights In White Satin' beforehand which I hated to death) on a Saudi Arabian knock-off cassette of my brother. I was a huge early Crimson fan and had read an article about the Moodies somewhere in which the word 'mellotron' was mentioned. So... into the walkman it goes.... Let's just say that by the time it got to the sitar/flute section of 'Procession' I was hooked for eternity. The rest of the album just flowed (though still hate 'Emily's Song' to this day) and within a day or two I'd gotten This Is The Moody Blues and shortly after that the full 7. EGBDF will always be The One...
Slightly off-topic but it is Moody Blues-related. I conducted a lengthy interview with John Lodge last week for this story in The Maine Edge (arts & entertainment weekly). We discussed the recording sessions for 'Days of Future Passed,' and 'In Search of the Lost Chord,' as well 'Long Distance Voyager.' We also discussed the quad mixes. He was quite content to talk about any of it, and make it clear that he still enjoys his Moody Blues life. Deep dives with John Lodge of The Moody Blues
I enjoy Every Good Boy Deserves Favour from beginning to end. Procession is nicely laid out as a retrospective of the common history of man and music, and then it really kicks off with a killer tune (a la Ride My See-Saw) in The Story in Your Eyes. Another brilliant single from Hayward. Our Guessing Game takes ting to a more mellower place with an unhappy love ballad, I really love the chorus. Does it feature a primitive drum machine or is the percussion produced funny? Emily's Song is quaint and lovely but it is not a song I play often. After You Came is another one of their more rockier moments that work out quite well with their unique backing vocal structure. One More Time to Live is a beautiful song, a very big song, the key moments of Procession resurface and presented well. Again, as I feel with most other Moody Blues albums, listening to one from beginning to end is an aural walk through a leafy forest. Nice to Be Here cements that feeling and I always, always imagined a fable-style cartoon to go with this song. Hayward is not necessarily a flash rock and roll guitarist, but he has a certain style and a tone that's fuzzy and evocative when he plays electric, absolutely watertight and unmistakably an essential ingredient. You Can Never Go Home is probably my favorite song on this album, definitely one of my all-time favorite songs by the group and possibly by any artist. Here you get light and shade, a very dynamic Hayward track with wonderful singing, a big chorus and absolutely stunning lyrics one grow to appreciate over time... "Memories can never take you back / home, sweet home"... "Every happy ending needs to have a start"... "All my life / I never really knew me till today" - absolutely adore this track. It closes with Mike's My Song, which is both philosophical, spacey and gravitational but still so grounded and plain spoken in its lyrical message. The musical composition itself is delightful and laid back, brilliantly laid out, brilliantly executed. All in all a stunning record, did go about and deem it my favorite of theirs for some time but I found out later there's no point. From 1967-1972 they were untouchable.
I lump all the 7 together pretty much but EGBDF settles in at my 2nd favorite MB's album. Feels like a total group effort and unique. Close to TOCCC in quality. One More Time To Live is a John Lodge standout. Lots a great memories around this Lp and another great album cover. Still play it often.
I had the same thing happen to me with "Tumbling Dice" on Exile On Main Street. I still anticipate that skip after 20+ years of CD listening. A Question Of Balance is probably the Moody Blues album that has been elevated the most in my appreciation of it in the last few years, even though I've owned a copy for 30 years. I'm really digging all the songs now, especially "Melancholy Man" and "Dawning Is The Day". I do also now prefer the single version of "Question". I used to own a copy of Voices In The Sky with that version, but I traded it to my roommate when we parted ways after college. Luckily, I was able to obtain an inexpensive replacement a few years ago.
