Days of Future Passed

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Days of Future Passed
Studio album by The Moody Blues with the London Festival Orchestra
Released	14 December 1967
Recorded	May 9, 1967-June 29, 1967
Genre	Symphonic rock
Length	41:21
Label	Deram / Polydor
Producer(s)	Tony Clarke
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link The Music Box link
The Moody Blues chronology
The Magnificent Moodies (1966)	Days of Future Passed (1967)	In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)

Not to be confused with Days of Future Past, an X-Men story arc.

Days of Future Passed, The Moody Blues' second album (released in 1967), was also their first of what would be a succession of concept albums. 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.

Originally, the Moodies had intended to do a rock version of Dvořák's New World Symphony, but instead chose to do 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 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 Edge's poems "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament".

In 1978 the album was remixed due to deterioration of the master tapes. The original mix, which is generally considered superior, has never seen a CD release.

In March 2006 the album was remastered into SACD format and repackaged as a 2 CD Deluxe Edition.

Contents 1 Original track listing 2 Additional SACD Deluxe Edition tracks 3 Personnel 4 Production

[edit] Original track listing

1. "The Day Begins" – 5:51
   • "The Day Begins" (Peter Knight) – 4:08
   • "Morning Glory" (Graeme Edge) – 1:42
2. "Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling" (Mike Pinder) – 3:49
3. "The Morning: Another Morning" (Ray Thomas) – 3:56
4. "Lunch Break" – 5:29
   • "Lunch Break" (Peter Knight) – 1:53
   • "Peak Hour" (John Lodge) – 3:40
5. "The Afternoon" – 8:23
   • "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" (Justin Hayward) – 4:48
   • "Time To Get Away" (Lodge) – 3:35
6. "Evening" – 6:40
   • "The Sun Set" (Pinder) – 3:17
   • "Twilight Time" (Thomas) – 3:23
7. "The Night – 7:26
   • "Nights In White Satin" (Hayward) – 5:37
   • "Late Lament" (Edge) – 1:46

[edit] Additional SACD Deluxe Edition tracks

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

[edit] Personnel

• Justin Hayward: Guitars, piano, keyboards, vocals.
• John Lodge: Bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals.
• Michael Pinder: Keyboards, Organ, Piano, vocals.
• Ray Thomas: Flutes, Horns, percussion, keyboards, vocals.
• Graeme Edge: Drums, percussion.
• Peter Knight: Conductor, Arrangements.
• The London Festival Orchestra.

[edit] Production

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

The Moody Blues
Justin Hayward | John Lodge | Graeme Edge Former members: Ray Thomas | Mike Pinder | Patrick Moraz | Denny Laine | Clint Warwick
Discography
Studio Albums: The Magnificent Moodies | Days of Future Passed | In Search of the Lost Chord | On the Threshold of a Dream | To Our Children's Children's Children | A Question of Balance | Every Good Boy Deserves Favour | Seventh Sojourn | Octave | Long Distance Voyager | The Present | The Other Side of Life | Sur La Mer | Keys of the Kingdom | Strange Times | December
Live: Caught Live + 5 | A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra | Hall Of Fame: Live at the Royal Albert Hall | Lovely To See You Again
Compilations: This is The Moody Blues | Greatest Hits | Prelude | Time Traveller (Box Set) | An Introduction to The Moody Blues
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