The
Beatles' art-rock milestone, Sgt. Pepper, is the LP most closely associated
with the Summer of Love in its sound collages and psychedelic undertones, a
veritable checklist for everything '67, yet despite its status as the greatest
album of all time, what it is not, is evolutionary; instead Sgt. Pepper is a conceptual
progression from Revolver. What's truly amazing is that before the end of the
year, The Beatles would release the EP, Magical Mystery Tour and the singles "Strawberry Fields," "Hello Goodbye," "Penny Lane," "All You Need is Love" and "Baby,
You’re a Rich Man." There is no arguing that 1967 was the year of The Beatles.
1967
was also the year of Are You Experienced and Disraeli Gears, of Surrealistic Pillow
and The Velvet Underground and Nico, but the most influential and impactful
release from 1967 (and I am hard-pressed to discount The Velvets) is The Moody
Blues' Days of Future Passed.
Commissioned to record a stereophonic rock 'n' roll version of Dvorak's New World Symphony , the band was given a top-notch producer (Tony Clarke), a full orchestra, and conductor/arranger Peter Knight. Though initial sessions went well, there was little heart in the project. With an orchestra on hand, the band were able to convince Clarke and Knight to record the group's own songs. Though Decca was initially appalled that the band would be brash enough to hijack the project, they let it go through. The result was Days of Future Passed, an AM9.
Commissioned to record a stereophonic rock 'n' roll version of Dvorak's New World Symphony , the band was given a top-notch producer (Tony Clarke), a full orchestra, and conductor/arranger Peter Knight. Though initial sessions went well, there was little heart in the project. With an orchestra on hand, the band were able to convince Clarke and Knight to record the group's own songs. Though Decca was initially appalled that the band would be brash enough to hijack the project, they let it go through. The result was Days of Future Passed, an AM9.
Days of Future Passed (AM9)
Artist: The Moody Blues
Released: November 11, 1967 (UK) Deram Records,
April, 1968 (US) Decca Records
Executive
Producer: Hugh Mendl
Recording
Engineer: Derek Varnals
Cover
painting by: David Anstey
Singles: (UK release dates unless otherwise
noted): Nov 10, 1967: Nights In White Satin/Cities; Jul 20, 1968:
Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)/Another Morning (US release); July
1972: Nights in White Satin (US Re-release).
Personnel: Justin Hayward: Acoustic and electric
guitars, piano, keyboards, vocals; John Lodge: Bass, electric guitar, vocals;
Mike Pinder: Keyboards, mellotron, piano, vocals; Ray Thomas: Flutes, horns,
percussion, keyboards, vocals; Graeme Edge: drums percussion, vocals.
Wait, not in the Rolling Stone top 500? Not in 1001 Albums to Hear Before You Die? Kidding, right? The very first prog album; the first album to utilize a full orchestra; a freakin' overlooked masterpiece, huh?
What appears today as run of the mill (hardly) was ground-breaking in 1967. The idea of fusing psychedelic rock with orchestral arrangements was an improbable marriage. The Moody Blues somehow made it work, before the Beatles, without making it overly-produced or overtly pompous. A true concept album, Days of Future Passed is thematic in that it follows a day's activity. As "The Day Begins" Graeme Edge commands the sun to rise. The optimism of the early morning is reflected in Michael Pinder's "Dawn is a Feeling" and in Ray Thomas' "Another Morning". By the afternoon, the recording takes on a surreal quality typical of later psychedelic recordings; indeed, John Lodge's compositions ("Peak Hour", "Forever Afternoon") are truly inspired. Despite the "typical day," the symphonic arrangements with the London Festival Orchestra are far from ordinary.
