Your favourite Justin Hayward Moody Blues Guitar Moments...

Like the thread title sez. Please excuse my lack of musical terminology in what's to follow...

Question (!)..... how does Justin get that distinctive electric tone?

1. Story In Your Eyes — Just because
2. New Horizons — gorgeous, yearning
3. Nice To Be Here — wonderful acoustic fingerpicking and a couple of solos (presumably not on only one string)
4. Question — ultra-fast strumming
5. Blue World — I love the simple ascending solo, all the song needs
6. Melancholy Man — sounds like several layered 12 strings (does Mike play some guitar on this?)
7. Our Guessing Game — noodling in the chorus and harmonied solo
8. Ride My See Saw— crunchy, fuzztone, noodling
9. Isn't Life Strange — love the descending chorus, and the simple descending line at 4.07.
10. You Can Never Go Home — crunchy, fuzztone, more noodling

Bonus: I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Hundred/Million — simple beauty

 

It wasn't until I saw a DVD concert my parents had that i even realised Justin Hayward played the guitar .... I know that's ignorant, but I had just listened to the albums and enjoyed them. That DVD Hall of Fame Royal Albert Hall, was a real eye opener.

Anyway
Ride my see saw and question are great guitar tracks to me

 

The subtly starting at about 4:50 is short lived but so good.

 

Good questions.
I can help.


Melancholy Man has Mike Pinder on acoustic 12 string.
The “Bee Buzz” tones are thru a Marshall fuzz.
The bee buzz sound was used to great effect on the Blue Jays album.
Get it if u haven’t yet.
I would not use the term noodling for the solos as they are constructed.
See Saw is a mix of raga and surf guitar.

 

I don't know who is actually playing this guitar bit, but I love the short (but sweet) guitar solo halfway through "And The Tide Rushes In" (Q.O.B)
... also the guitar in "The Best Way To Travel" (I.S.O.T.L.C)

 

Tide is Hayward
Travel is Pinder

 

There’s a video on YouTube of Justin performing Buddy Holly’s “ it’s so easy “ and playing the Tommy Allsup solo note for note.

 

"Lovely To See You" is one of my favorite guitar tracks. Especially like the layered parts toward the fadeout... such great tone!

 

"It's Up to You"

A song so immense that the band really should have played it at every show they undertook. It truly would have sounded massive in live performance!

 

Thank you... And sorry, 'noodling' is my naive way of saying fiddly/tricky bits...

 

You And Me
You Can Never Go Home - specifically the clean electric line preceding the chorus
Saved by the Music - Blue Jays bonus track

 

Driftwood.

 

Blue Guitar is pretty good...

 

Eternity Road

(he does some great stuff on the BBC version of Best Way to Travel, too)

 

“Lovely to see you” was the first one that came to mind for me also.

 

You mentioned it already, but I'll reiterate: I totally dig Justin's Telecaster sound on "Ride My Seesaw". Super punchy, super biting, it just rings out like a bell. I can't think of anywhere else where he used a sound like this.

 

I would have mentioned that but it I think it is the members of 10CC who play the music on that track.

 

Forgot about Peak Hour! Another one of those smoking little solos in the same vein as Story In Your Eyes & Ride My See-Saw.

Eternity Road is still my favorite, though...it's the most beautiful.

 

and Eric Stewart is a phenomemal guitarist in his own right...

 

I know they’re the backing band, but surely that’s Justin on lead.

(Otherwise it wouldn’t be fair on those who bought the single...
Blue + Guitar ≠ Justin).

 

Here are some of my favorites, most are on acoustic:

Had To Fall In Love - I think this is the song Pinder was referring to when he said there wasn't any room for him to add any keyboards.
Land of Make Believe - a combination of acoustic and heartfelt electric guitar
Troubadour - a solo song with great guitar lead-I wish the ending was longer-it sounds like they were just starting
You and Me - already mentioned but worth listing again. What a great guitar sound.
Send Me No Wine - really fine acoustic picking on this one.

 

Don't leave this man alone !!

the young Justin hits form here even before 'Days of Future Passed' in 1967

 

yes it was 'Had To Fall in Love' where Mike could not find any keyboard part that fitted - Ray added a bit of nice subliminal flute however, why the lack of keyboards was made such a big issue at the time of 'Octave' by some band members is strange as 'Lovely To See You' had no keyboards and a few other tracks didn't either...

while a poem/song by Graeme - whose narration sounds as if he has dentures now ! - I love both acoustic and electric guitar parts by Justin here from their last 'proper' album in 1999

how fitting they end quoting Mike Pinder;

'....and life is still A Simple Game'

 

while the 'Mystery Song' here is an instrumental of 'The Land of Make Believe' - just Justin's guitars plus the chamberlain and percussion

some claim it's just two of the channels off the quad version, others disagree and say it differs

whatever it gives the piece a new dimension - I find myself singing the words !

I do love this instrumental version more and more