"Great, great band. Quality always endures."
"This band is so talented. These guys are among the best--way ahead of their contemporaries."
"In terms of innovation, harmonies, songwriting....only The Beatles would rate higher than The Moody Blues."
"The sheer beauty and intricacy of the music is incredible."
"Such melody, harmony and rhythm in gorgeous compositions."
"Perfection...I listen and my soul is soothed."
"The Moody Blues! A higher conscious experience!"
"You know, instinctively, you are hearing music perfect in all senses! God bless the Moody Blues."
"The Moody Blues' albums are such masterpieces."
"I adore the music of the Moody Blues! So many instruments and the vocals are amazing!"
"This was the greatest most beautiful intelligent music to listen to as the soundtrack for our adolescence,"
It was nearly unanimously said about this next group that they were "years ahead of their time". They were distinct in that they were equally adept at playing Rock & Roll as they were at performing tender ballads.
They began on May 4, 1964, though they didn't come into prominence until several years later and ironically, two members who went on to become the leaders of the band were not with them originally. Mike Pinder and Ray Thomas combined in Erdington, Warwickshire, England, a city near Birmingham, to form the Krew Cats. They recruited guitarist and singer Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge (previously the group's manager) and bassist Clint Warwick and changed their name to the Moody Blues.
They played in the Birmingham area and were the resident band at the Carlton Ballroom in Erdington. The Moody Blues signed with the management company Ridgepride, who helped them sign a recording contract with Decca Records. The group's first single, "Steal Your Heart Away", went nowhere.
"Go Now" launched the band into the Top 10, hitting #1 in the U.K., #2 in Canada and #10 in both the U.S. and the Netherlands.
The Moody Blues released an extended play of the four songs on both sides of their first two releases, and then released the album The Magnificent Moodies in 1965.
But three successive single releases failed to continue the momentum. In 1966, Warwick retired and Laine soon followed him out the door. The Moodies continued by reforming with John Lodge, who had been in the group El Riot with Pinder and Thomas, and Justin Hayward.
A few more unsuccessful singles followed, but what would become the trademark sounds of the group began to surface. The Moodies began to emphasize the flute playing of Thomas and more of Pinder's Mellotron.
Although they hadn't enjoyed a lot of success, still hadn't released a second album and they owed the label several thousand pounds in advances, the group had a believer in Decca's A&R manager Hugh Mendl. Mendl was behind the establishment of the Decca subsidiary label Deram Records, and was eager for an artist to record an album that would showcase the firm's new Deramic Stereo Sound.
The idea of performing a symphony written by someone in house didn't work, but the Moody Blues convinced the label to let them work on a similar idea using their original material. Label executives weren't sure what they had when the album was recorded, but in 1967, the Moodies released Days of Future Passed.
Days of Future Passed received new life in 1972 and this time, it generated tremendous interest, reaching #3 on the U.S. Album chart. "Nights In White Satin", largely ignored when originally released because of the decision to cut the length so it could be a single, became the biggest career hit by the Moody Blues, and ranks as one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.
After an extensive world tour, the group took a hiatus from recording and performing, although they did oversee the completion of their compilation album This Is The Moody Blues, which went Gold. During this time, Hayward and Lodge recorded an album together, Hayward released the first of several solo albums while Lodge also released a solo project, Pinder recorded a solo album and Edge produced two albums.
The group toured the United States and Europe before working on their next album. Moraz joined the group in the studio, but Pinder, who thought he was still in the Moodies for studio recordings, sued to stop the album. He lost the lawsuit and never joined the group again.
"Your Wildest Dreams" won a Billboard Award for Video of the Year.
The Moodies released the compilation The Story of the Moody Blues - Legend of a Band in 1990, followed by the superb box set Time Traveler in 1994. Both went Gold.
In 1991, while working on a new album, Moraz was fired and replaced by Bias Boshell and Paul Bliss, who had been added to their live shows. With that lineup, the Moody Blues released the album Keys of the Kingdom.
The group continued to do well on the road, and their concert at Red Rocks in Colorado was especially memorable, with a recording of the 1992 concert released on DVD. The album was certified Gold.
The Moody Blues did not release another studio album until 1999 with Strange Times. In 2000, they released a recording from their show at the Royal Albert Hall in London on both CD and DVD, called Hall of Fame. This was the last tour for Boshell, with Bliss taking over from there.
In 2002, Thomas retired, and the remaining three members (Hayward, Lodge and Edge) recruited flautist and rhythm guitarist Norda Mullen for a North American tour. Mullen continues to perform with the group to this day.
In 2003, the Moody Blues released the album December. In 2007, the Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina featured a ride called "Nights in White Satin: The Trip", which included the playing of the group's signature song with new orchestration. The ride only lasted two years when the company was bought by new owners.
The group continued to tour regularly through 2010, the same year that producer Tony Clarke died. The Moodies added keyboardist Alan Hewitt for their 2010 world tour.
In 2013, the Moody Blues released the compilation Timeless Flight. They continued to tour through 2015 and appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in June of that year.
The Moody Blues have influenced countless groups such as ELO, Genesis and Yes.
The band had 21 career hits with three reaching the Top 10. Just as was the case with Joni Mitchell, AC/DC, Jackson Browne and others, hits don't tell the whole story. They had eight hits on the Mainstream Rock chart, with four reaching the Top 10 and one #1, and that chart has been in existence for a fraction of the time the Moodies have been recording music. If it had been, those numbers would easily triple or quadruple--sure, the band had its hits, even though many were underrated, but what drew millions of fans to them was their incredible albums.
The Moody Blues have sold over 70 million albums worldwide. They are a member of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.