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Days of Future Passed

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Days of Future Passed, The Moody Blues' second official album (released in 1967), was their first of what would be a succession of concept albums. It was also the first to feature Justin Hayward and John Lodge, who would play a very strong role in directing the band's sound in the decades to come. Utilizing the London Festival Orchestra primarily for epic instrumental interludes between songs, Days of Future Passed moved the Birmingham band away from its early R&B roots (as displayed on its debut album with soon-departed future Wings member Denny Laine) into uncharted rock territory, making them the early pioneers of both classical and progressive rock.

Backstory

Originally, the Moodies' label, Deram, had wanted them to record a rock version of Dvořák's New World Symphony in order to demonstrate their latest recording techniques. Instead, the band (initially without the label's knowledge) decided to focus on an album based on an original stage show that they'd been working on.

The concept of both the stage show and the album was very simple, tracing an "everyman's day" from dawn to night, from awakening to sleep. The seven tracks spawned two hit singles: "Tuesday Afternoon", which on the album was actually titled "The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)", and "Nights in White Satin" which hit No. 2 five years after the LP's original release. Both remain commercial radio mainstays across various formats and de rigueur performances in concert.

The project was almost doomed to failure as executives at Deram Records felt that combining rock and symphonic music would both alienate rock fans and enrage symphonic fans. The album's subsequent success led to other criticism about implied drug use, especially with such lines as "the smell of grass just makes you pass into a dream" and "those gentle voices I hear explain it all with a sigh." Despite such early criticism, Days of Future Passed paved the way for progressive offerings from other bands and remains one of the Moody Blues' most popular releases ever.

The original packaging credited the orchestral parts to "Redwave/Knight". "Knight" was conductor Peter Knight, while "Redwave" was an imaginary name representing the Moody Blues themselves. (Knight built the orchestral parts around themes written by Hayward, Thomas, Pinder & Lodge). Also, the packaging failed to give titles or credits for Graeme Edge's poems "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament".

Some 8-track tape versions of this album have the distinction of being one of the few 8-tracks that are arranged exactly like the record album. In order to make the songs fit, a portion of "Dawn Is a Feeling" is repeated, making the song longer than the album version. The same extension is applied to "Peak Hour" in order to make it longer. This was easy to do, as both of these songs have false endings in the middle of the melody.

In March 2006 the album was remastered into SACD format and repackaged as a two-CD Deluxe Edition.

In 2008 a remaster for single standard audio CD was issued with the ten bonus tracks.

Original vs. later mix

In 1978 the album was remixed because of deterioration of the master tapes. The original 1967 stereo mix, which is generally considered superior by fans, has never seen a CD release. All CD versions, even remasters, use the later mix. However, the 1990 greatest hits package "The Story Of The Moody Blues/Legend Of A Band" CD compilation, seems to contain the original mix of "Nights In White Satin".

The ways in which the later mix departs most noticeably from the original are:

  • After the orchestral intro, "Dawn is a Feeling" begins more abruptly, and there is less echo on Mike Pinder's vocal on the bridge, making it stick out.
  • The orchestral intro "Lunch Break" goes on about 20 seconds longer before fading out.
  • The transition from the band to the orchestra in "Forever Afternoon" is cleaner, making it almost seem as if one flute is playing throughout.
  • The bridges to "(Evening) Time to Get Away" have John Lodge singing alone; all the backing vocals on that part have been lost. Also, at the end of the piece, the words "Evening, Time to Get Away" are repeated only twice where they were repeated three times on the original mix, and the mellotron overdub, which was essentially the same as the one in the middle section, is absent. (In the quad mix, the mellotron is also missing from the middle section.)
  • The piano in the instrumental sections of "The Sunset" is gone. Also, the reverb on the last word ("Through the night") is very different.
  • The backing vocals on "Twilight Time" are heard through the entire song instead of only coming in at strategic points.
  • After the :13 orchestral prelude to "Nights in White Satin", the rhythm section (Moody's instruments) comes in right on time and in step, following the correct meter of the orchestra. This seems to correct the seemingly "off-step" segue of the two pieces on the original mix.
  • There seems to be a noise-reduction filter overlaying the rhythm section of the original mix, resulting in a more murky, ghostly sound quality.

The album was also remixed into quadraphonic in 1972, and into 5.1 surround sound for the 2006 Deluxe Edition SACD.

Original Track Listing

Side One

  1. "The Day Begins" (Peter Knight & The Moody Blues) / "Morning Glory" (Graeme Edge) (unlisted track) – 5:51
  2. Dawn: "Dawn is a Feeling" (Mike Pinder) – 3:49
  3. The Morning: "Another Morning" (Ray Thomas) – 3:56
  4. Lunch Break: "Peak Hour" (John Lodge) – 5:29

Side Two

  2. The Afternoon: "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" (Justin Hayward) - 8:23 (contains the unlisted track "(Evening) Time to Get Away", composed by Lodge)
  3. Evening: "The Sunset" (Pinder) / "Twilight Time" (Thomas) – 6:40
  4. The Night: "Nights in White Satin" (Hayward) / "Late Lament" (Graeme Edge) (unlisted track) - 7:39

2006 SACD Deluxe Edition Tracks

Days of Future Passed was remastered into SACD in March 2006 and repackaged into a 2 CD Deluxe Edition.

Extra tracks on the Deluxe Edition are:

  1. "Tuesday Afternoon" (Justin Hayward) – 4:20 alternate mix
  2. "Dawn Is A Feeling" (Mike Pinder) – 2:19 alternate version
  3. "The Sun Set" (Mike Pinder) – 2:49 alternate version without orchestra
  4. "Twilight Time" (Ray Thomas) – 2:27 alternate vocal mix
  5. "Nights in White Satin" (Justin Hayward) – 4:26 mono mix from single released November 1967
  6. "Fly Me High" (Justin Hayward) – 2:54 Recorded March 30, 1967; released as single May 1967
  7. "I Really Haven't Got The Time" (Mike Pinder) – 3:07 Recorded March 30, 1967; released as b-side May 1967
  8. "Love & Beauty" (Mike Pinder) – 2:23 Recorded July 17, 1967; released as single September 1967
  9. "Leave This Man Alone" (Justin Hayward) – 2:58 Recorded July 17, 1967; released as b-side September 1967
  10. "Cities" (Justin Hayward) – 2:23 Recorded July 17, 1967; released November 1967 as b-side to "Nights in White Satin"
  11. "Long Summer Days" (Justin Hayward) – 3:12 Recorded May 19, 1967 and released on Caught Live + 5
  12. "Please Think About It" (Mike Pinder) – 3:40 Recorded June 29, 1967 and released on Caught Live + 5
  13. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (Bennie Benjamin/Gloria Caldwell/Sol Marcus) – 2:23 live May 9, 1967 for BBC Saturday Club
  14. "Love & Beauty" (Mike Pinder) – 2:12 live September 20, 1967 for BBC Easybeat
  15. "Leave This Man Alone" (Justin Hayward) – 2:52 live September 20, 1967 for BBC Easybeat
  16. "Peak Hour" (John Lodge) – 3:22 live September 20, 1967 for BBC Easybeat
  17. "Nights in White Satin" (Justin Hayward) – 3:48 live January 1, 1968 for BBC Dave Symonds
  18. "Fly Me High" (Justin Hayward) – 2:45 live January 1, 1968 for BBC Dave Symonds
  19. "Twilight Time" (Ray Thomas) – 2:08 live January 1, 1968 for BBC Dave Symonds

2008 Single Standard CD Remaster Tracks

  1. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (Bennie Benjamin/Gloria Caldwell/Sol Marcus) – 2:23 live May 9, 1967 for BBC Saturday Club
  2. "Fly Me High" (Justin Hayward) – 2:54 Recorded March 30, 1967; released as single May 1967
  3. "I Really Haven't Got The Time" (Mike Pinder) – 3:07 Recorded March 30, 1967; released as b-side May 1967
  4. "Love & Beauty" (Mike Pinder) – 2:23 Recorded July 17, 1967; released as single September 1967
  5. "Leave This Man Alone" (Justin Hayward) – 2:58 Recorded July 17, 1967; released as b-side September 1967
  6. "Cities" (Justin Hayward) – 2:23 Recorded July 17, 1967; released November 1967 as b-side to "Nights in White Satin"
  7. "Tuesday Afternoon" (Justin Hayward) – 4:20 alternate mix
  8. "Dawn Is A Feeling" (Mike Pinder) – 2:19 alternate version
  9. "The Sun Set" (Mike Pinder) – 2:49 alternate version without orchestra
  10. "Twilight Time" (Ray Thomas) – 2:27 alternate vocal mix

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Position
1968 Billboard 200 3
1967 UK Albums Chart 27

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1967 "Nights in White Satin" UK Singles Chart 19
1972 "Nights in White Satin" UK Singles Chart 9
1972 "Nights in White Satin" Billboard Hot 100 2
1968 "Tuesday Afternoon" Billboard Hot 100 24

Personnel

Production

  • Tony Clarke: Producer, Realization.
  • Derek Varnals: Engineer.
  • Hugh Mendl: Executive Producer, Liner Notes.
  • Michael Dacre-Barclay: Realization.
  • David Anstey: Cover Design, Cover Painting.
  • Steven Fallone: Digital Remastering.

References

Reed, John (1999), Days of Future Passed Re-release liner notes, London, England: The Decca Record Co. Ltd

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