Review – John Lodge – Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn – by John Wnelock-Smith

The deaths of Ray Thomas in 2017 and Graeme Edge in 2021 were the final nail in the coffin (sorry) for the almost sixty year period of existence for the Moody Blues, an era which the band had seen many highs and lows. This period saw their early transition from humble beginnings as a R n’ B band in Birmingham, along with contemporaries like The Idle Race and the Spencer Davis Group, through to their reinvention and revitalisation with the addition of John Lodge and Justin Hayward, replacing Denny Laine and Clint Warwick. This led to a the string of successes including their debut album ‘Days Of Future Passed’ in 1967 and the legendary Nights In White Satin single that took the charts by storm, not just once but three times, in1967, 1972 and 1979! It was an album that introduced the world to a new sound, aided in part with the unveiling of brand new sounds with the Mellotron.

‘Days Of Future Passed – My Sojourn’, this new interpretation from John Lodge, will take you back to that time in 1967 when ‘Days Of Future Passed’ was initially released on the new progressive imprint of Decca Records, Deram, that was created in order to publicise the new Deramic sound from the label. This sound was actually a false stereo sound, until this time most music was released in mixed in mono, both for ease of mixing but also because the public tended to hear music from single speaker playback like the Dansette or transistor  radios. The Decca Panoramic Sound (later shortened to Deramic) was a huge step forward to the stereo sounds that emerged shortly afterwards and this album was the flagship release to unveil this new sound and ,with which, Decca hoped to sell their radiograph to the public.

It is possibly hard to conceive today just what a huge improvement in sound this system was. It was actually ground breaking and innovative and this album was able to reap the benefits of the system and, as such, was a major step in sound engineering, even now, nearly 60 years on, this is still astonishing. I often think that The Moody Blues did not receive the full respect and admiration that they were due, as without them their innovations prog as we know it would not have existed. Now, 56 years, on John has revisited this pivotal album and recreated it anew with a few tweaks and additions. To my ears, he has done an excellent reinterpretation of this seminal work.

John has utilised his 10,000 Light Years Band on this album, with particular mention to musical director Alan Hewitt who has done a wonderful job in the orchestrations the album utilises in such an enlivened manner, meaning it is not just a pale recreation, it is a really impressive piece of work. This new imagining really benefits from the time that has elapsed since the original album, as the technological advances in that time allow for a fuller sound, one in which every instrument has space to be heard clearly. I also really like that John was able to get Graeme Edge involved in the project, with his poetry on Morning Glory opening the album and, on Late Lament, drawing the album to a close.

The album is composed of seven parts across its 17 tracks, these range from very brief interludes to the longer tracks that round out the album and the album sounds really spacious. The record also has Jon Davison of Yes singing on Tuesday Afternoon and Nights In White Satin, alongside John himself. I was especially taken with the great bass sounds the album has and the excellent ensemble playing of the 10,000 Light Years Band, especially the guitar work of Alan Duffy and the keyboards of Alan Hewitt, who both shine throughout.

You tend to forget just what a huge step forward the original album was and the run of success that followed in its wake, as the run of albums that followed bridged the gap between the past and the present. The Moody Blues were at the forefront of progressive music at the time and were really pushing the envelope in terms of sound and craftsmanship.

It helps if you can hear the two versions together as you can hear the difference in sound immediately and can enjoy the journey the album takes you on. For me, the longer and rockier tracks like Tuesday AfternoonPeak Hour and Nights In White Satin are the standouts, the guitar runs on Tuesday Afternoon are magical, light and dextrous, as are the two poetry/spoken words segments with Graeme Edge’s Brummie voice clearly present. This is the first time he had actually read his own poems on record, normally Mike Pinder had read them on the albums. This was Graeme’s last ever recording as he sadly died very soon after this, so, for this reason alone, it is good to hear him on this album,

The production is lush, crisp and clear and the album artwork is really warm and wonderfully crafted with the definite touch of Roger Dean, although this is not credited.

This is an album that will reach into your heart with its gentleness and beauty and will refresh your soul as its hidden depths are re-discovered. I urge you to hear this masterpiece as a balm for modern times, it is most highly recommended.

Released 22nd September, 2023.

Order from Burning Shed here:

John Lodge (burningshed.com)

Interview with John Lodge – by John Wenlock-Smith

Picture by Frank Piercy

JWS: Hello John, it’s John from Progradar here.

JL: Hello John.

JWS: How are you?

JL: I’m fine thanks and you?

JWS: Yes I’m fine as well, let’s talk about your new album (‘Days of Future PassedMy Sojourn’). I’ve heard it and I think it’s great, a bold reimagining off a truly classic album, reworked for the modern times.

JL: Thank you very much, I tried to stay true to the emotion of ‘Days of Future Passed’ but with a twist for 2023. Hopefully people can relate to it, especially the younger fans. Hopefully they will wonder what the original version was like.

JWS: Well, I went back to the original and compared the two versions. I really enjoyed going back and hearing it again but I also liked the new version as well. I especially liked the way your bass was more prominent.

JL: When we made the original, we recorded it with two four-track machines. Now, of course, we have far more technology available to use so we were able to get the sound we’d originally envisaged for it. We were able to give the sound for the bass more room and, indeed, all the instruments were given more space, their own space.

JWS: Well I think it’s worked well, it’s a great idea. You’ve not just taken an album, you’ve not merely replicated it, you’ve reimagined it and made it sound more modern and contemporary.

JL: Well that was what I was hoping for, I’m glad you like it.

JWS: I also like that you have Jon Davison of Yes singing Tuesday Afternoon on the new version, I think he sounds really great.

JL: John is a good guy, a great singer writer and a great guy as well. I know him from 2017 and the Royal Affair tour I did with Yes and Asia where I joined them for an encore of John Lennon’s Imagine. Jon joined me for a version of Ride My See Saw, which Jon has done on several occasions very memorably.

JWS: I also liked that you managed to get Graeme Edge involved with his poetry,

JL: Yes I asked Graeme if he be willing to be involved and he said that he’d love to as he’d never read his own poetry before. So Graeme and I went into the studio in Florida where he recorded his poetry, sadly he passed the next week, so he never got to hear the finished recording. but at least I was with him near the end.

JWS: You were big friends with Ray Thomas as well?

JL: Yes I first met Ray when I was 15 and we’ve worked together ever since. I do a song in his memory in my show, Legend of a Mind, in his honour. He was a remarkable man really, I miss him dreadfully .

JWS: It’s good that you uphold their memory in such a manner.

JL: Well I want keep these songs alive otherwise they will fade away! They don’t get played much, unless it’s in a medley, and they deserve more than that really.

JWS: Well I have both of Ray’s albums, and both of Graeme’s, on my shelf. I was listening to some of your back catalogue recently, including a set on the ‘Timeless Flight’ boxset of the ‘Blue Jays’, live from Lancaster University. You had the Trapeze boys with you on that show.

JL: Yes, Dave Holland, Terry Rowley and Mel Galley, fabulous chaps one and all! I produced their ‘Medusa’ album, they were a great band.

JWS: Listening to your albums, as I have been doing over the past few days, has given me a fresh appreciation for just how ground-breaking you were as a band. The music on those first six albums was beautifully crafted, intelligent and well thought out. I think people simply failed to recognise that beauty.

JL: I’m glad you said that because I feel that way as well. People tend to overlook that, I don’t think the media ever gave us a fair chance really but we were pushing the boundaries of where music was.

JWS: I used to love the sleeve artwork as they told the story as well, with their imagery and artwork supporting the music in a complementary manner.

JL: Well that’s what I’m so glad that vinyl is making a comeback. This new album is being released on vinyl in November, I’ve just had the masters from Germany, and it sounds great.

JWS: I think kids today miss the sheer joy of trawling through crates of vinyl, discovering stuff for themselves.

JL: That’s the issue I have with streaming, they dictate what you hear so, say Lennon’s Imagine, you only get to hear certain songs and omit songs like Jealous Guy.

JWS: Well John, my time has gone so I’d better let you go, but thank you for talking with me about things, I really enjoyed it and appreciate your tim.

JL: Well, thank you as well John, I’ve enjoyed talking with you too.

‘Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn’ was released 22nd September, 2023.

Order the album here:

John Lodge – Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn (slinky.to)