Editing The Moody Blues (section)

===''Days of Future Passed''===
[[File:Nights in White Satin - Billboard ad 1968.jpg|right|thumb|''Billboard'' advertisement, 17&nbsp;February 1968]]
By the autumn of 1967 the Moody Blues' contract with Decca Records was set to expire and they owed the label several thousand pounds in advances. They had the support, however, of Decca A&R manager [[Hugh Mendl]], who had been instrumental in the recent establishment of London/Decca's new subsidiary imprint [[Deram Records]]. With Mendl's backing, the Moody Blues were offered a deal to make a rock version of [[Antonín Dvořák]]'s ''[[Symphony No.&nbsp;9 (Dvořák)|New World Symphony]]'' to promote the company's new Deramic Stereo Sound audio format<ref name="nights_oral_history" /><ref name="Eder 2009">{{cite web |last=Eder |first=Bruce |title=The Moody Blues: Biography |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4948/biography|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[AllMusic]]|year=2009 |access-date=28 July 2009}}</ref> in return for which the group would be forgiven their debt.

The Moody Blues agreed, but insisted that they be given artistic control of the project, and Mendl (as executive producer) was able to provide this despite Decca's notoriously tight-fisted attitude to its artists.<ref name="INDObit">[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/hugh-mendl-producer-at-decca-records-876686.html Obituaries – Hugh Mendl: Producer at Decca Records] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517190104/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/hugh-mendl-producer-at-decca-records-876686.html |date=17 May 2017}}; ''[[The Independent]]'', 25 July 2008.</ref> According to the band, [[Peter Knight (composer)|Peter Knight]], who had been assigned to arrange and conduct the orchestral interludes, came to see them play live before the recording and liked their newly written songs so much he preferred to work on an album of those rather than the Dvořák assignment.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /><ref name="A History of The Moody Blues"/> An album of the Moody Blues' own new material was undertaken instead, with Decca/Deram executives not finding out about the change of plan until after the album was finished.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /><ref name="A History of The Moody Blues"/>

The Decca/Deram executives were initially sceptical about the hybrid style of the resulting concept album.<ref name="Eder 2009"/> Released in November 1967, ''[[Days of Future Passed]]'' peaked at No. 27 on the British LP chart.<ref name=":2" /> Five years later it reached No. 3 on the [[Billboard chart|''Billboard'' chart]] in the US.<ref name=":3" /> The LP was a [[song cycle]] or concept album that takes place over the course of a single day. The album drew inspiration in production and arrangement from the pioneering use of classical instrumentation by the Beatles, to whom Pinder had recommended the Mellotron in 1965 (the Beatles first used the instrument on their 1966 album ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'', specifically the track "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]", and would continue to use it sporadically for the next two years, while the Moodies' Decca/London labelmates the Rolling Stones used Mellotron heavily on their 1967 album ''[[Their Satanic Majesties Request]]'' and its preceding single "[[We Love You]]"). It took the idea of rock/classical fusion to new heights, using the [[London Festival Orchestra]]<ref name=pc49>{{cite web |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19826/m1/ |title=Show 49 - The British are Coming! The British are Coming!: With an emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. [Part 6&#93;: UNT Digital Library |website=Digital.library.unt.edu |date=21 August 2015 |access-date=26 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919223150/http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metadc19826/m1/ |archive-date=19 September 2015}}</ref> to provide an orchestral linking framework to the group's already written and performed songs, plus overture and conclusion sections on the album, including backing up Graeme Edge's opening and closing poems.

The orchestra and band never performed together during the recording. With the exception of the overdubbed strings on the latter part of Hayward's "[[Nights in White Satin]]", the orchestral sounds on the band's own songs were actually played by Pinder on Mellotron.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /> Despite being a lush concept album, it was recorded in a very workmanlike manner, with the band recording a particular song, then the track being presented to Peter Knight who quickly composed a suitable "linking" orchestral portion, which he and the orchestra then recorded. The album was as much an original work by Knight himself as the group.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /> The composing credit for the whole album was listed as Redwave/Knight (Redwave being a made-up collective name for the five Moody Blues), although "Nights in White Satin" and "[[Tuesday Afternoon]]" were written by Hayward, "Dawn Is a Feeling" and "The Sun Set" were written by Pinder, "Another Morning" and "Twilight Time" were written by Thomas, "Peak Hour" and "Evening (Time to Get Away)" were written by Lodge, and the opening and closing poems, "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament", were written by Edge.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /> The lead vocal on each track was provided by its writer, with the exception of "Dawn Is a Feeling", which was sung by Hayward<ref name="nights_oral_history" /> (although Pinder sang lead on the bridge section), and the two poems which were recited by Pinder.<ref name="nights_oral_history" />

Together with Tony Clarke, engineer Derek Varnals also contributed heavily to the creation of the Moody Blues' classic studio sound, working with Pinder and Clarke to create a more symphonic overlapping sound on the Mellotron as opposed to the sharp 'cut off' the instrument normally gave, partly achieved by removing all the "sound effects" tapes (trains, whistles, cockerel crowing, etc.) and then 'doubling up' the tapes of orchestral instruments' sounds, which combined with Pinder's knowledge of the instrument and ability at playing it, and Clarke and Varnals' recording skills, created an orchestral 'wave' sound that characterised the Moody Blues' music thereafter. It has been described as a "landmark" and "one of the first successful [[concept album]]s".<ref name="ray"/>

"Nights in White Satin" — despite eventually becoming a legendary classic — was very slow to gain popularity.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /><ref name="how_nights_fin_times" /> It was released as a single from the album and made No. 19 in the UK in late 1967/early 1968.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /><ref name="how_nights_fin_times" /> It  would eventually make No. 9 in the UK on re-issue in December 1972 and No. 14 on the charts in another re-issue at the end of 1979 — by which time it had been covered by several artists, including [[War (band)|Eric Burdon and War]], [[Giorgio Moroder]], [[The Dickies]] and eventually by various non-English-language artists, including [[Franck Pourcel]], [[Dalida]], [[Tommy Körberg]], and [[I Nomadi]].,<ref name="how_nights_fin_times" /> and American [[Bettye LaVette]]. Likewise, in the US, "Nights in White Satin" did not make the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] on its original release as a single in 1968 ("bubbling under" at No. 103),<ref name="how_nights_fin_times" /> although it reached No. 2 on re-release in 1972.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /> It is now regarded as the Moody Blues' signature song.<ref name="nights_oral_history" /> In the US "Tuesday Afternoon" was also released as a single and was more successful on initial release, peaking at No. 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref name="nights_oral_history" />