For their Days of Future Passed–50th Anniversary tour, which began last week, the Moody Blues—Justin Hayward, John Ledge and Graeme Edge—are performing the landmark 1967 album in its entirety for the first time. Actor Jeremy Irons is featured on two re-recorded tracks from the album, as well as on video screens, during the special anniversary show that features the band’s greatest hits in the first half, and Days Of Future Passed in the second half. The Days of Future Passed–50th Anniversary tour began on June 3 in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and continues through July 23. (See dates below.)
Says lead vocalist/guitarist Justin Hayward, in a press release, “I dashed over to London to record, film (and direct!) Jeremy Irons performing ‘Morning Glory’ and ‘Late Lament’ from the Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed album. Jeremy is the new ‘voice’ of these two spoken word pieces, originally performed on the 1967 LP by keyboard player Mike Pinder and written by Graeme Edge; and he will be featured on giant video screens on our tour.”
Related: Why did “Nights in White Satin” take five years to become a hit single?
Hayward continues: “Jeremy, who arrived on his motorbike for the session at Metropolis studios in West London, had let me know the day before that he had a ‘window’ of a couple of hours free. It was an absolute pleasure and a joy for me to record him. Jeremy has the perfect voice and presence for these two beautiful poems. His performance is powerful, and extremely moving, and he brilliantly compliments Peter Knight’s orchestral arrangements that lead us into ‘Dawn is a Feeling’ at the opening of the piece, and ‘Nights in White Satin’ at the close.”
Hayward, Edge and Lodge in a 2011 photo
For Days of Future Passed, the Moodys’ record label, Decca Records, had requested that the band record an album to test “stereo recording,” which was in its infancy at the time. The label, which primarily released classical music, asked the group to record a rock version of Dvorak’s 9th Symphony. The band complied, but wanted to record it on their own terms. Behind closed doors, they came up with the concept of fusing classical music with rock, but written to their own soundtrack. The result was Days of Future Passed, which featured one full album without breaks, chronicling “a day in the life of” a person. Songs on the album, which peaked at #3 in the U.S. in the spring of 1968, include “The Day Begins,” “Dawn: Dawn Is a Feeling,” “The Morning: Another Morning,” “Lunch Break: Peak Hour,” “Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon),” “Evening Time to Get Away”; Twilight Time” and “The Night: Nights In White Satin.”
Moody Blues Tour Dates (Tickets are available here and here)
6/17 Los Angeles, CA
6/18 Murphys, CA
6/20 Englewood, CO
6/27 Minneapolis, MN
6/28 Milwaukee, WI
6/30 Highland Park, IL
7/01 Kettering, OH
7/02 Northfield, OH
7/6-7 Toronto, ON
7/9 Wallingford, CT
7/10 Boston, MA
7/12 Wantagh, NY
7/13 Holmdel, NJ
7/15 Philadelphia, PA
7/16 Saratoga Springs, NY
7/18 Bethlehem, PA
7/19 Baltimore, MD
7/20 Vienna, VA
7/22 Nashville, TN
7/23 Atlanta, GA
Tickets are available here and here.
Watch the Moody Blues perform “Nights in White Satin”
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1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationI can say the experience is so worth the time, best day ever! So much fun! It was fun time walking through the out the show! With screams of delight, dancing and singing all around, a connection from several generations all together with the same love for this group of amazingly talented people who have inspired all people with loving each other! Yes Best Day Ever!