Breathe deep gathering gloom...watch lights fade from every room.
Dr. Suess was their muse. They have no excuse.
I'm a major fan of the Moody Blues. I wish I had their stuff in high res MP3 files.
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What genere do The Moody Blues fit in?
- Thread starter withmusic
- Start date
Breathe deep gathering gloom...watch lights fade from every room.
Dr. Suess was their muse. They have no excuse.
I'm a major fan of the Moody Blues. I wish I had their stuff in high res MP3 files.
DonQuixote99
just give me some truth
Days of Future Passed leans heavily towards Prog Rock .
Thick as a Brick and Passion Play are about as Proggy as it gets . One thing about Tull , They progressed thru a number of musical styles as well . From blues to prog , acoustic , folk rock , electronic , they have worn many hats .
Arkay
Lunatic Member
I like that "symphonic rock" designation; it nicely covers what is probably the major difference between these groups and other rock/pop groups, the addition of orchestral and string elements. Some groups did this occasionally (e.g., the Bee Gees) but it wasn't a significant part of the majority of their music. The Moody Blues incorporated the symphonic stuff integrally into their music on a fairly regular basis.
Of course, you can call it (pick supporting adjective)-prog rock, too!
But most importantly, you can call it "music", because whatever genre you pigeonhole it into, that's what it remains.
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What do/did the Moody Blues play? Music dammit! Good music!
Not into the term "Prog". A lot folks think Supertramp & ELO were "Prog".
I say "Prog Lite". Which gets heavier the more mescaline you consume
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
Just to be clear - I do like 'em... but, objectively, they're a little corny, y'know, from the perspective of "modern times" ;-)
Timothy Leary's dead
No, no-no, no,
He's outside
Looking in
Timothy Leary's dead
No, no-no, no,
He's outside
Looking in
Rowrbazzle
Active Member
Anything topical -- and especially music lyrics -- runs the risk of sounding a little shopworn forty some years later. LSD and Timothy Leary were a huge deal in the 60s. He was one of the cultural touchstones. So when the Moodies worked him into a song lyric on their fourth LP in 1968, the lyric identified them as part of the cultural Zeitgeist and definitely enhanced their hipness. But as you say, today...not so much.
I remember putting on the Moody Blues at college went I went to bed. It was great music to drift off to. I always thought of their early work as being more of a British Invasion/ R&B mix. After Denny Laine left, they started their journey into a completely different band. If I had to pigeon-hole them, I'd have to agree with prog lite.
musichal
poet emeritus
Just call it rock and be done with it; don't get hung up on labels.
I had a friend who was a very good singer and songwriter who occasionally performed live in his living room for his friends. He was too insecure to make anything of his abilities, and when coaxed into playing at a supper-club utterly failed due to a complete lack of people skills.
The first time I heard him play, I asked who wrote a specific song and was surprised that it was his own. I asked him what it was titled.
"I haven't titled it yet...still thinking about it."
"Oh, well when did you write it?"
"About fifteen years ago."
"Damn, Bob, that's a great song; why don't you just go ahead and give it a title?" and I continued to urge him, and to make obvious suggestions, explaining moreover that had I written a song that good, I'd certainly have titled it by now.
"Your 'Rainy Day Pictures' is pretty good."
"Now you're just trying to change the subject. You've had fifteen years to think about it, why not go ahead and give it a name tonight?"
"Hey, that's just too much pressure for me; I need more time, ease up, okay?" he replied with a laugh. Bob certainly wasn't hung up on labels, nor even titles, for that matter.
I had a friend who was a very good singer and songwriter who occasionally performed live in his living room for his friends. He was too insecure to make anything of his abilities, and when coaxed into playing at a supper-club utterly failed due to a complete lack of people skills.
The first time I heard him play, I asked who wrote a specific song and was surprised that it was his own. I asked him what it was titled.
"I haven't titled it yet...still thinking about it."
"Oh, well when did you write it?"
"About fifteen years ago."
"Damn, Bob, that's a great song; why don't you just go ahead and give it a title?" and I continued to urge him, and to make obvious suggestions, explaining moreover that had I written a song that good, I'd certainly have titled it by now.
"Your 'Rainy Day Pictures' is pretty good."
"Now you're just trying to change the subject. You've had fifteen years to think about it, why not go ahead and give it a name tonight?"
"Hey, that's just too much pressure for me; I need more time, ease up, okay?" he replied with a laugh. Bob certainly wasn't hung up on labels, nor even titles, for that matter.
Rowrbazzle
Active Member
True, dat. The first two LPs (one a U.S. version of the UK release) both included the big hit "Go Now" and were much more R&B oriented, even to the point of offering a few James Brown-type soul shouters. But the third, Days of Future Past, was the real switcharoo -- a lush and ambitious collaboration with the London Festival Orchestra. That's where the symphonic (and psych) element began.
shrinkboy
Addicted Member
i was going to say i categorize them as 'obsolete', but i realized that would have been mean. i'd say prog, with their emphasis on orchestral arrangement, non-blues based composition, lyrical topics other than sex and drugs...
from Tuesday Afternoon through To Our Children's, Children's....as a late teen was passionate about them until i was about 20....and then I wasn't anymore....now i can only do 'ironic listening' when i give them an occasional spin
from Tuesday Afternoon through To Our Children's, Children's....as a late teen was passionate about them until i was about 20....and then I wasn't anymore....now i can only do 'ironic listening' when i give them an occasional spin
Thank you! :thmbsp:
ducati_EL34
Addicted Member
I will bow to the knowledgable progarchives.org, but I do like the stereo review classification for a "one sentence " answer, "Mantovani with teeth!".
Whether pre76 or post, i like all of their music. I have seen them twice once in the early 90s and the second time in the late 90s they were backed by the local symphony orchestra. Both were great shows but the latter was the best by far.
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Whether pre76 or post, i like all of their music. I have seen them twice once in the early 90s and the second time in the late 90s they were backed by the local symphony orchestra. Both were great shows but the latter was the best by far.
Spamming with Tapatalk
As do I.
The MBs were Progressive/Art Rock much in the vein of ELP and King Crimson but also the first cousin to Yes, 2nd cousins with ELO and Pink Floyd and even some distant connections to the Kinks and Zappa. Art Rock has always spread a wide shadow.
What better targets for New Wave and Punk than the Moodies, who were characterized by songs about Zen and Peace and tended to segue one after another replete with sitars, strings, and poems.
The MBs fought back and not without some success. Their albums in the 80s and 90s are not the best, but still sold well.
Luckilly, the MBs seem to have a very loyal fan base. And even stripped down, their songs remain quite good. Their lyrics and vocals are excellent.
I first saw them in 1981 (16 years old) and noticed that I was amongst the youngest there. The last time I saw them was 2 years ago (45 years old) and noticed that had not changed.
