Are there any other Moody Blues fans here?

[Beemerguy53]

I've been listening to the Moody Blues since the 60s. I went to the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore last Saturday night to hear them live, and those old guys can rock!

Justin Hayward (age 66) is a terrific guitarist and still has a great singing voice. John Lodge (age 67) is, as always, a great bassist and singer. And the audience loved drummer Graeme Edge, who at 71 joked that he remembers when "me hair was brown and me teeth was white".

They played for more than two hours, and did all their great hits, including Nights in White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon, The Voice, I'm Just A Singer in A Rock-and-Roll Band, Question, etc.

The audience looked mostly like a geriatric Woodstock, but there were some younger folks there too. The Lyric, which seats more than 2500 people, was sold out, and the band and the audience were clearly feeding off each others' enthusiasm and passion for the music. These guys have made more money over the years than they will ever be able to spend, and they are clearly still plugging away because they love what they do. It was one of the best concerts I have ever attended!

Attached are some photos from a Moodies concert I attended last year in Portland, Maine...

 

[wetdog]

Yes, a fan here. I've never saw them live though. I did hear an unplugged show on Sirius radio about a year ago.

 

[labworm]

The Moody Blues

It was impossible not to own Moody Blues albums if you were a young man in the middle 60's. Have about 5 myself.

 

[dentkimterry]

They were here in Kalamazoo a few years ago. Amazing!

 

[Beemerguy53]

Yes, a fan here. I've never saw them live though. I did hear an unplugged show on Sirius radio about a year ago.

I see you're in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Saturday night, I sat next to a couple from Lancaster who were there celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary.

You can go to the Moodies' website -- Moody Blues | -- and get on their mailing list. If you like their music but have never seen them live, one of their concerts would be a real treat: they put on quite a show!

 

[Beemerguy53]

They were here in Kalamazoo a few years ago. Amazing!

I used the word "amazing" several times myself Saturday. Their energy, their exuberance, their enthusiasm, their joy while performing is something to behold. Every concert, you'd think they were performing for the first time, not doing the same thing they've been doing for almost 50 years.

 

[wetdog]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Rule3]

I was back in the day and still have most of their albums on vinyl. As with most of the aging rockers they can still play but the voices are no where near what they used to be. Many of them should stay retired.

The Eagles are one exception, they can still sing and have the harmony. Hell Freezes Over was one of their best live performances ever.

 

[Beemerguy53]

I was back in the day and still have most of their albums on vinyl. As with most of the aging rockers they can still play but the voices are no where near what they used to be. Many of them should stay retired.

The Eagles are one exception, they can still sing and have the harmony. Hell Freezes Over was one of their best live performances ever.

The Moody Blues' voices are still quite good.

Four years ago I saw John B. Sebastian from The Lovin' Spoonful, and Roger McGuinn from the Byrds live together in concert. Sebastian's voice was just shot, and it was painful listening to him trying to sing the theme from "Welcome Back Kotter". McGuinn, on the other hand, was in great form: His voice was strong and he could hit those high notes beautifully. Watching him play his Rickenbacker 12-string while singing "Turn Turn Turn" was simply wonderful!

 

[fat tom]

"Go Now" is still one of my all-time favorites.
f.t.

 

[Rule3]

Singer songwriters seem to hold their voices a bit longer and better than the rockers. I saw Jackson Browne last year in a acoustic performance just him and his guitar, sounded the same to me. He wrote many, many songs for others who made them chart busters. Bought a CD of a reunion of James Taylor and Carol King. Taylor can still sing but King's voice was all over the place.

Don't know if you get the station Palladia on TV but every once and a while they have some classic Sound Stage, VH1 performances.

TV Schedule | High definition music television Palladia.tv

 

[LedFowl]

Back at the dawn of pop fm stations, I worked the 6pm to 2am shift at a local fast food joint, slinging tacos. At midnight each night KOL would play Nights in White Satin. Truly a great group and a wonderful memory.

 

[Beemerguy53]

"Go Now" is still one of my all-time favorites.
f.t.

That tune is actually from the Moodies' very early, pre-Justin Hayward period. In fact, the only member of the band today who performed on that recording was Graeme Edge, the drummer.

There is a fascinating story about how Justin Hayward joined the Moody Blues. They were looking for a singer/guitarist, and Eric Burdon of the Animals gave them a mail bag full of letters from folks who wanted to join his group. Hayward's letter was in there, and the rest is history.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Back at the dawn of pop fm stations, I worked the 6pm to 2am shift at a local fast food joint, slinging tacos. At midnight each night KOL would play Nights in White Satin. Truly a great group and a wonderful memory.

That song was also THE prom slow-dancing song for many years back then.

I had been a MB listener from the beginning, but I really became a fan when I was dating a girl back in '72 who was just wild about them. She had all their albums, and played them all the time.

 

[Dennis The B]

I got to see them in Boston, in 1969. They were outstanding. I'm still a fan, and I've got all their albums on vinyl, cassettes, and MP3.

They were the first band to use a symphony orchestra in their albums, and it changed rock forever.

However, they've been done a serious injustice by the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They have yet to be inducted. I've sent several letters, but the powers that be respond that the Hall doesn't know who to induct, since the band has had a lot of turnover.

The last time I wrote back, that I would never visit the Hall of Fame until the Moody Blues were inducted. Small protest, but I'm committed.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Singer songwriters seem to hold their voices a bit longer and better than the rockers. I saw Jackson Browne last year in a acoustic performance just him and his guitar, sounded the same to me. He wrote many, many songs for others who made them chart busters. Bought a CD of a reunion of James Taylor and Carol King. Taylor can still sing but King's voice was all over the place.

Don't know if you get the station Palladia on TV but every once and a while they have some classic Sound Stage, VH1 performances.

TV Schedule | High definition music television Palladia.tv

I would suspect most singer-songwriters lived a little more -- ahem! -- "restrained" lifestyle than most rockers.

I have seats only ten feet from the stage to see Judy Collins at the Ram's Head in Annapolis this coming February. I have loved her music for many years, but have never seen her live. I am truly looking forward to hearing her...

 

[627 city hunter]

My favorite song is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-iJ47in9YQ

Great love song.

Yes, I used the L*** word!

 

[Stu1205]

I drove home to Fort Lauderdale today from Fort Walton Beach in the Florida Panhandle (about 8-1/2 hours)
I listened to 4 Moody Blues CDs on my Ipod among other artists.
They have a sound like no other group.
I was fortunate to have seen them in concert three times, and
two of those times they appeared with a full orchestra.
Awesome.....absolutely awesome.

Stu

 

[Beemerguy53]

I got to see them in Boston, in 1969. They were outstanding. I'm still a fan, and I've got all their albums on vinyl, cassettes, and MP3.

They were the first band to use a symphony orchestra in their albums, and it changed rock forever.

However, they've been done a serious injustice by the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They have yet to be inducted. I've sent several letters, but the powers that be respond that the Hall doesn't know who to induct, since the band has had a lot of turnover.

The last time I wrote back, that I would never visit the Hall of Fame until the Moody Blues were inducted. Small protest, but I'm committed.

I didn't realize they weren't in the Hall! What a crock!

As to whom to induct...it's not that difficult. Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge have been the core of the band for more than 40 years. Ray Thomas was the fourth key member until he retired a decade ago. Mike Pinder, who left in the late '70s, was with them all through their heyday in the late '60s and early '70s. These are all obvious choices.

Denny Laine (guitar) and Clint Warwick (bass) were in the band at the very beginning, and left in '66, replaced by Hayward and Lodge. The only thing of note they played on was Go Now.

Perhaps the Hall's reticence to admit the Moodies stems from their dispute with Patrick Moraz, who replaced Pinder on keyboards and was with the band until the early '90s. He claimed he was a member of the band; their position was that he was more or less a sideman.

IMHO, I don't care if they put all these guys in the Hall...but the Moody Blues deserve to be there. You're quite right: They changed the sound of rock forever, and for that they should be recognized.

 

[The Tourist]

Fan? Heck, The Moody Blues sang the theme songs of my 20s.

Ride My See-Saw. I still know all the lyrics by heart.