The Moody Blues stand out among their rock peers for the way that they so seamlessly incorporated classical music elements into their mix. That style only came after some turnover within the band’s lineup pushed them in that direction and away from the more traditional British Invasion sound that they originally cultivated.
Their excellent songwriting is the constant, helping them carve out space on the pop charts periodically over their long career. Here are the five songs that hit the biggest for The Moody Blues on the U.S. Top 40.
5. “Gemini Dream” (No. 12 in 1981)
It wasn’t easy being a rock band in the 1970s and trying to stick with the trends without losing your identity. The Moody Blues did that as well as most, mainly because their foundation was always the excellent writing. In the case of “Gemini Dream,” the band showed they deliver a churning groove to go with their typical melodism. The song also finds the band incorporating synthesizers in a fashion far more punchy than atmospheric, which was another change for them. It’s a track that sounded of a piece with their previous work, while also nodding to the discofied/New Wave-y times.
4. “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)” (No. 12 in 1973)
When the Moodies were at their best, they could rev up the pace while still nodding to those classical influences they liked to include. This rip-snorting track written by bassist John Lodge showcases that ability. There’s a breathlessness to the recording that’s quite invigorating, as it whirs by so quickly that the nuances of the instrumentation just wash over you in a smooth rush. Mike Pinder’s mellotron touches find all the right spots in between Graeme Edge’s furious beat. Lodge’s lyrics manage to be mystical and down-to-earth all at once, no easy feat.
3. “Go Now” (No. 10 in 1965)
The Moody Blues originally released “Go Now” in January 1964, but it didn’t start making inroads in the U.S. charts until The Beatles arrived and cleared a path for all their countrymen. Speaking of a Beatles connection, the song is sung by Denny Laine, who was the Moodies’ original lead singer before leaving after they struggled to follow up its success. Laine, of course, would become a stalwart member of Paul McCartney’s Wings. “Go Now” is a far cry from the orchestral rock the band would help pioneer, but Laine’s garment-rending vocals make it a winner anyway.
2. “Your Wildest Dreams” (No. 9 in 1986)
After their 1983 album The Present failed to capitalize on the momentum of its predecessor Long Distance Voyager, the future commercial prospects of the Blues looked dim. But they relied on the songwriting acumen that had served them so well in the past, and it helped them rise again. Specifically, they came up with a song with just enough modernity in the musical hooks that it sounded very at home in 1986. But Justin Hayward’s lyrics about long-ago lovers spoke directly to his own generation in moving fashion. A clever video helped seal the deal.
1. “Nights in White Satin” (No. 2 in 1972)
The path this song took to reach just shy of the chart’s pinnacle was a bit of a wayward one. It was a centerpiece of the band’s 1967 breakthrough album Days of Future Passed, which introduced their new classical-tinged sound. It didn’t do anything on the U.S. charts at the time. Five years later, progressive DJs dusted it off and started playing it again without any outside provocation to do so, and voilà, No. 2 here we come. “Nights in White Satin,” buoyed by the sweeping orchestral parts and Hayward’s suitably emotional vocal, is a baroque/prog masterwork. And if you’re not listening to the version with the poem at the end, you’re doing it wrong.
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