Video of the Week: The Moody Blues’ Music and NASA Apollo Footage are a Match Made in the Heavens

17 Jun 2016 2 Comments

by Ed Cyphers in Video of the Week Tags: ,

The Moody Blues’ cosmic 1969 concept album To Our Children’s Children’s Children dealt with the topic of man’s reaching out into space, both in broad, philosophical terms and specifically in the form of the Apollo missions.

Here the album’s first three songs are synched nicely with NASA footage to convey through one fan’s interpretation the message of the record.

If this sparks an interest in this wonderful band’s music, we recommend you explore not only the rest of this fine album but the rest of their early catalog from their classic years of 1967-72.

The discography from those years is listed below. Adventure awaits!

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

boy chord seventh moody

Happy Birthday Mike Pinder

27 Dec 2015 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: ,

pinder 2

(via The College of Rock and Roll Knowledge)

pinder 1Mike Pinder, a founding member of and the original keyboardist for The Moody Blues, is celebrating his 74th birthday today. He is especially noted for his technological contribution to music. When the band was first together, Mike took a day job at Streetly Music. Streetly was the distributor of the Mellotron. The Mellotron is a keyboard that uses tapes of different sounds and ‘bends’ the sound to sound like different instruments.

Mike was able to get a used one from his e…mployer and got rid of the tapes of things like chickens and roosters and added more tapes of violins, cellos and other stringed instruments. Mike introduced the sound of the Mellotron into The Moody’s music.

Mike is also the guy who introduced the Mellotron to John Lennon and even was involved with a couple of The Beatles recordings for which he was uncredited. (For a while, The Moody Blues were managed by The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein).

Mike’s work was one of the biggest contributing factors to the sound of The Moody Blues.

Mike left the group following the recording of the band’s album, Octave, in 1978.

Happy Birthday Mike!!! Your influence was incredible!

Songs You May Have Missed #523

17 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

moodies

The Moody Blues: “The Actor” (1968)

Outside the loyal circle of Moody Blues fanatics (the ones who’ve helped them remain an in-demand touring entity to this day despite the lack of a top 40 single since 1988) the band’s reputation is built on but a small handful of songs–songs such as “Tuesday Afternoon”, “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)”, “Your Wildest Dreams” and, most especially, “Night in White Satin”.

But the transcendent grandeur of 1968 album track “The Actor” is surpassed by nothing in their catalogue, not even the aforementioned “Nights”. This is the sound that won them such adulation that they felt the need to remind their legions of American fans that they were “just singers in a rock and roll band”.

If this whets your appetite, the seven albums this band’s classic lineup released between 1967-72 with mellotron ace Mike Pinder and flutist Ray Thomas still in the fold could not come more highly recommended.

Pure ecstasy.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/11/21/songs-you-may-have-missed-253/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/09/16/songs-you-may-have-missed-173/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/11/06/songs-you-may-have-missed-500/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/10/22/songs-you-may-have-missed-800/

Songs You May Have Missed #252

21 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

The Moody Blues: “The Swallow” (1999)

 

From the last studio album the Moody Blues released, excepting their very good 2003 Christmas release, December. This is an overlooked little Justin Hayward jewel, and understandably so: Strange Times is one of the weakest records of the band’s long and distinguished career.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2015/02/17/songs-you-may-have-missed-523/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/09/16/songs-you-may-have-missed-173/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/11/06/songs-you-may-have-missed-500/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/10/22/songs-you-may-have-missed-800/

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