The Moody Blues UK tour
Relaxing at his home in the south of France, Justin Hayward is neither moody or blue, and as lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for The Moody Blues, he’s feeling good about things.
“Everything’s pretty good in the band, we’re three guys who really want to go out and play. For me, this is the best incarnation of the band, and it’s all very enjoyable.”
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Hide AdThe Moody Blues were formed in the early sixties by Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder, Clint Warwick and Denny Laine, but after a number one hit with the R’n’B song Go Now, things didn’t go too well.
Laine and Warwick left in 1966 and were replaced by Justin and John. The band’s dynamic changed and their first album with the new line up became a classic.
Days Of Future Passed contained the hit singles Tuesday Afternoon and the song for which they will always be remembered Nights In White Sati'.
A string of hit albums and singles followed, and the band became one of the biggest in the world and was one of the first so-called ‘Stadium Rock’ bands.
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Hide AdOn The Threshold Of A Dream, A Question Of Balance and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour all topped the album charts in 1969, 70 and 71 respectively, while Seventh Sojourn hit the top in America in 1972. (Long Distance Voyager returned them to the top in America in 1981.
Singles included the likes of Isn’t Life Strange, Voices In The Sky and the sublime I Know You’re Out There Somewhere, which charted in 1988.
Going back to the single Question, when it charted in 1970, it had an impact on the band as Justin told me. “We hadn’t had experienced that kind of hit single before. Nights In White Satin was a slow burner really (it only reached 19 in 1967, but returned to the charts in 1972 reaching nine and got to 14 in 1979).
“Question had an immediate impact and then everything looked a bit different for us. We played the Isle Of Wight Festival on the back of this huge record.”
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Hide AdThe enduring popularity of the band — apart from the excellent music — all started with a bit of good timing.
“We went to America in 1968 and it was the best thing we ever did. It was just as FM radio was starting over there and our music was perfect for it.”
Justin has been a member of The Moody Blues for over 40 years and he is still enjoying it. “I love it even more than I did before; I wasn’t sure for the first 20 years,” he laughed.
For this tour, the nucleus of the band, Justin, John and Graeme, will be augmented by four other musicians.
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Hide AdAs regards the set the band do have a slight problem, as Justin explains. “The problem is not what we put in, but what we have to leave out. There will be songs from most of the albums in the set, and we tend to speak on the tour bus and work out what we're going to leave out and put in.
“We want to rediscover some of the songs we haven’t played for a while or even at all. Songs like You and Me, one of John’s songs called Nervous, and not well-known numbers as such, but the Moodies’ fans know them.
“We might also put in Driftwood, The Day We Meet Again and Say It With Love as well.”
Justin has recently released a solo album entitled Spirits of the Western Sky, but it won’t feature in the show.
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Hide AdJustin, might be 66 now, but he is still optimistic for the future of The Moody Blues.
“The Moody Blues is my band — by that I don’t mean that I have any proprietorial hold on the band, it just means that I belong to the band. I can’t see us stopping at the moment, but if one of the three of us stopped then it would be hard for just two to continue. I hope it doesn’t happen because it’s great music to play.”
The Moody Blues will bring their exemplary catalogue of music to the Sheffield City Hall on Friday June 14. Tickets are priced at £39.50 and are available from all the usual agencies or online from www.livenation.co.uk and www.ticketmaster.co.uk .