THE MOODY BLUES
Derek Morris Meets Justin Hayward & The Moody Blues !!
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
Derek Morris Meets Justin Hayward !!
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
(The Moody Blues: After the Beatles, The Best Band Of All Time!)
(Justin Hayward: After Lennon/McCartney, Best Singer-Songwriter Of All Time!)
Every Picture Tells A Story: I am in Santa Monica in August of 1986, visiting Robert and Annamarie Stanton for a few days. They get a call from a friend of theirs (who I had met once) who works for Jerry Weintraub, legendary concert promoter, film producer and then current manager of the Moody Blues. There are some extra tickets for their second and final show at Universal Amphitheatre that night. Did we want to go? Yes we do!! The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
The Moodies are playing two nights at Universal during their "The Other Side Of Life" album tour. The band is going through a big resurgence, fourteen years after they were perhaps the biggest band in the world in 1972-73. "Your Wildest Dreams" is a huge hit single on radio and MTV. Here they are in Los Angeles, center of the rock music world, managed by Jerry Weintraub, selling out shows in the LA concert market, and getting a ton of press from local and national media. For that brief moment in time, they are the toast of the town, and were even featured on the local Los Angeles TV news the night before.
We attend the show. Great seats. Performance is phenomenal. Afterwards, I try to talk Robert and Annamarie into hanging out and trying to get backstage, but they are ready to go home, not being hardcore fans like myself. We have taken separate cars just in case. So we say goodbye. I have no idea if I can get back stage. Their friend who works for Weintraub had not been asked about this possibility. But I'm going to try to find their Weintraub employee friend and make a valiant attempt!
Luckily, she is not hard to find - at the side of the stage monitoring the backstage guest list. (Wish we could remember her name - I'll find it sometime and add it.) She isn't even supposed to be at that post - she's substituting for someone who's been called back to deal with another issue. I re-introduce myself ... "hey remember me? - friends with Robert and Annamarie? Thanks so much for the tickets ... great show, etc etc." We chat briefly, and she then waves me in to join the small number of others (maybe 50-75 people?) for the backstage party. I'm in!
(Remember, this was 1986, before the era of highly marketed and expensive "VIP Access" tickets - a practice which I detest! - where people get charged another $100-200+ on top of the show price to "meet and greet" the band. VIP ... yeah right. I can't stand this practice. There must be a better hybrid way for serious fans to get to meet the band rather than simply auctioning spots off to the highest bidder. It seems like not the best way for the band to connect with long time fans who helped them get to the level they are at. More a way to extract money from the bubble-headed fake-tit bleach blonde and her tatted-up roided-out Ed Hardy-wearing douchebag boyfriend who wants to impress her by purchasing backstage access so he can get laid. Don't we have post-concert douchebag detector systems yet? Sadly, the Moodies today pull the VIP backstage bullshit often. Just another potential income stream in 2017 for them. They have done some other irritating marketing stuff in recent years - they are constantly spamming their "newsletter" list with new merchandise offers and new stuff they are selling; it is a constant sell sell vibe that is a total turnoff. Wish they could see how this spam appears to the typical fan. We want to connect with the band - not be sold shit. And their newsletter has nothing to offer in terms of "news" - it is all sales garbage today. A really stupid backasswards practice. But hey that is another story. That is today. Looking back at that 1986 moment in time, I'm right there in the middle of a true organic gathering of fans!)
Tangent ... back to the story.
So at this point I'm backstage at the party and starting to mingle. Everybody is excitedly talking to each other but still glancing over their shoulders, watching and waiting for a band member to appear. There is great catered food and beverages and waiters and waitresses and white tablecloths etc - a nice set-up. Some real true fans are there. I can tell.
After maybe fifteen minutes, in walks Justin Hayward. The crowd parts subtly and slowly, like Moses parted the Red Sea. He is quite tall - 6' 2" and quite lean and wearing dress shoes with heels - the overall effect is quite imposing; he was a track star/sprinter in his college years and used to be called "Legs" - I can now see why. He is dressed immaculately with a tie and freshly-pressed button down blue dress shirt. He looks like he had just showered and cleaned up after the show before going backstage to meet the fans which was nice of him; he was not the sweat-drenched, post-show rock star. He starts to slowly circulate; he is not mobbed and it is a well-behaved polite gathering. And after a while, as I subtly slide over in his direction, I find myself having a one-on-one conversation with Justin Hayward himself! I am surprised how accessible he is and that I didn't have to fight off fifty raving maniac fans to be able to speak with him! We speak for at least five minutes one-on-one. Perhaps longer - time is standing still at that moment; I'm amazed that I am connecting with Justin Hayward for as long as I am. Sorry to sound like a fanboy, but this is a dream come true. Am I really speaking to my musical hero, Justin Hayward?
What I remember best of our conversation (I'm surprised I remember anything) is that we discuss the sound equipment / guitar amps / effects devices he uses on stage versus the equipment he uses in the studio to get that great soaring violin-like sound on his signature red Gibson ES-335. Suffice it to say that he is not able to reproduce that unique sound that night. It was a studio creation then, though the technology is much better these days. A little closer but still not there.
I'm finding Hayward to be down-to-earth, polite, soft spoken, thoughtful, with no trace of arrogance or inflated ego or "Hey I'm a star look at me" vibe. Which confirms other accounts I've heard of the guy. He looks at me directly when he speaks and chooses his words carefully and is quite sincere. Hey, he is a human being! Go figure! He does not give off the vibe that he wanted to get the hell out of this, just another fan conversation, the type he has had thousands of times, but is respectful and treats me as an individual and is appreciative that I'm a fan of their music.
Some say, "never meet your heroes - you'll be disappointed." And often this is quite true. But that certainly is not the case here. Justin Hayward lives up to expectations. Again, pardon the fanboy gushiness.
Hayward also graciously agrees to pose for a photo. I later meet and speak briefly and take pictures with John Lodge and Graeme Edge. Lodge is friendly and upbeat and a bit distracted, allowing himself to be pulled in many directions at once by various fans backstage. He never seems to settle down to really speak with anyone, which is quite understandable. Graeme Edge is his typical playful wascally wascal, whimsical self, wisecracking, making faces, and goofing around but never settling down to talk with anybody either. A quick quip and on to the next group to perform again. He seems to already have had a few drinks in him by then. Edge and Lodge both seem understandably pumped up after a successful two-show run as the post-show party is starting on a Friday night at the end of their LA two-night run. Plus Edge has just worked his ass off playing drums for an hour and a half and he was probably exhausted. Drumming is incredibly draining. So let Edge party like a drummer! Ray Thomas never appears at the party. He has always seemed like the quietest, shyest and least animated band member.
Patrick Moraz is there but I have no interaction with him and make no effort in that regard. He seems to spend most of his time speaking in French to some friends who visiting from Switzerland, introducing his visiting longtime fellow Swiss friend "Bunny" (a guy) to a few people (I oddly remember this for some reason).
Again, my impression of Justin is that he made more of an effort to have a one-on-one connections with the fans. The photos here of me with Justin and the other Moodies backstage were taken by a hardcore Moody Blues fan I met at the party, Patty Throckmorton. She lives in San Jose and who has seen dozens of Moodies shows over the years and was "following them" for a few west coast shows during the current tour. She has attended the private annual Moody Blues Christmas party on the Thames in London. She has followed many tour legs over the years. I have not brought a camera of my own that evening; we have been told by the Amphitheatre "absolutely no cameras allowed period" so I don't bother hassling it. And this is the pre-cell phone camera era! A little harder to conceal a fat regular camera. I'm so lucky to have met Patty Throckmorton that night. Somehow she is able to bring in her camera. I owe her eternal thanks for offering to take the pictures and sending me the photos in the mail a couple of weeks later, after she got back home to San Jose and had the photos developed. (Remember the pre-digital photography era when photos were "developed?")
The Moodies are playing two nights at Universal during their "The Other Side Of Life" album tour. The band is going through a big resurgence, fourteen years after they were perhaps the biggest band in the world in 1972-73. "Your Wildest Dreams" is a huge hit single on radio and MTV. Here they are in Los Angeles, center of the rock music world, managed by Jerry Weintraub, selling out shows in the LA concert market, and getting a ton of press from local and national media. For that brief moment in time, they are the toast of the town, and were even featured on the local Los Angeles TV news the night before.
We attend the show. Great seats. Performance is phenomenal. Afterwards, I try to talk Robert and Annamarie into hanging out and trying to get backstage, but they are ready to go home, not being hardcore fans like myself. We have taken separate cars just in case. So we say goodbye. I have no idea if I can get back stage. Their friend who works for Weintraub had not been asked about this possibility. But I'm going to try to find their Weintraub employee friend and make a valiant attempt!
Luckily, she is not hard to find - at the side of the stage monitoring the backstage guest list. (Wish we could remember her name - I'll find it sometime and add it.) She isn't even supposed to be at that post - she's substituting for someone who's been called back to deal with another issue. I re-introduce myself ... "hey remember me? - friends with Robert and Annamarie? Thanks so much for the tickets ... great show, etc etc." We chat briefly, and she then waves me in to join the small number of others (maybe 50-75 people?) for the backstage party. I'm in!
(Remember, this was 1986, before the era of highly marketed and expensive "VIP Access" tickets - a practice which I detest! - where people get charged another $100-200+ on top of the show price to "meet and greet" the band. VIP ... yeah right. I can't stand this practice. There must be a better hybrid way for serious fans to get to meet the band rather than simply auctioning spots off to the highest bidder. It seems like not the best way for the band to connect with long time fans who helped them get to the level they are at. More a way to extract money from the bubble-headed fake-tit bleach blonde and her tatted-up roided-out Ed Hardy-wearing douchebag boyfriend who wants to impress her by purchasing backstage access so he can get laid. Don't we have post-concert douchebag detector systems yet? Sadly, the Moodies today pull the VIP backstage bullshit often. Just another potential income stream in 2017 for them. They have done some other irritating marketing stuff in recent years - they are constantly spamming their "newsletter" list with new merchandise offers and new stuff they are selling; it is a constant sell sell vibe that is a total turnoff. Wish they could see how this spam appears to the typical fan. We want to connect with the band - not be sold shit. And their newsletter has nothing to offer in terms of "news" - it is all sales garbage today. A really stupid backasswards practice. But hey that is another story. That is today. Looking back at that 1986 moment in time, I'm right there in the middle of a true organic gathering of fans!)
Tangent ... back to the story.
So at this point I'm backstage at the party and starting to mingle. Everybody is excitedly talking to each other but still glancing over their shoulders, watching and waiting for a band member to appear. There is great catered food and beverages and waiters and waitresses and white tablecloths etc - a nice set-up. Some real true fans are there. I can tell.
After maybe fifteen minutes, in walks Justin Hayward. The crowd parts subtly and slowly, like Moses parted the Red Sea. He is quite tall - 6' 2" and quite lean and wearing dress shoes with heels - the overall effect is quite imposing; he was a track star/sprinter in his college years and used to be called "Legs" - I can now see why. He is dressed immaculately with a tie and freshly-pressed button down blue dress shirt. He looks like he had just showered and cleaned up after the show before going backstage to meet the fans which was nice of him; he was not the sweat-drenched, post-show rock star. He starts to slowly circulate; he is not mobbed and it is a well-behaved polite gathering. And after a while, as I subtly slide over in his direction, I find myself having a one-on-one conversation with Justin Hayward himself! I am surprised how accessible he is and that I didn't have to fight off fifty raving maniac fans to be able to speak with him! We speak for at least five minutes one-on-one. Perhaps longer - time is standing still at that moment; I'm amazed that I am connecting with Justin Hayward for as long as I am. Sorry to sound like a fanboy, but this is a dream come true. Am I really speaking to my musical hero, Justin Hayward?
What I remember best of our conversation (I'm surprised I remember anything) is that we discuss the sound equipment / guitar amps / effects devices he uses on stage versus the equipment he uses in the studio to get that great soaring violin-like sound on his signature red Gibson ES-335. Suffice it to say that he is not able to reproduce that unique sound that night. It was a studio creation then, though the technology is much better these days. A little closer but still not there.
I'm finding Hayward to be down-to-earth, polite, soft spoken, thoughtful, with no trace of arrogance or inflated ego or "Hey I'm a star look at me" vibe. Which confirms other accounts I've heard of the guy. He looks at me directly when he speaks and chooses his words carefully and is quite sincere. Hey, he is a human being! Go figure! He does not give off the vibe that he wanted to get the hell out of this, just another fan conversation, the type he has had thousands of times, but is respectful and treats me as an individual and is appreciative that I'm a fan of their music.
Some say, "never meet your heroes - you'll be disappointed." And often this is quite true. But that certainly is not the case here. Justin Hayward lives up to expectations. Again, pardon the fanboy gushiness.
Hayward also graciously agrees to pose for a photo. I later meet and speak briefly and take pictures with John Lodge and Graeme Edge. Lodge is friendly and upbeat and a bit distracted, allowing himself to be pulled in many directions at once by various fans backstage. He never seems to settle down to really speak with anyone, which is quite understandable. Graeme Edge is his typical playful wascally wascal, whimsical self, wisecracking, making faces, and goofing around but never settling down to talk with anybody either. A quick quip and on to the next group to perform again. He seems to already have had a few drinks in him by then. Edge and Lodge both seem understandably pumped up after a successful two-show run as the post-show party is starting on a Friday night at the end of their LA two-night run. Plus Edge has just worked his ass off playing drums for an hour and a half and he was probably exhausted. Drumming is incredibly draining. So let Edge party like a drummer! Ray Thomas never appears at the party. He has always seemed like the quietest, shyest and least animated band member.
Patrick Moraz is there but I have no interaction with him and make no effort in that regard. He seems to spend most of his time speaking in French to some friends who visiting from Switzerland, introducing his visiting longtime fellow Swiss friend "Bunny" (a guy) to a few people (I oddly remember this for some reason).
Again, my impression of Justin is that he made more of an effort to have a one-on-one connections with the fans. The photos here of me with Justin and the other Moodies backstage were taken by a hardcore Moody Blues fan I met at the party, Patty Throckmorton. She lives in San Jose and who has seen dozens of Moodies shows over the years and was "following them" for a few west coast shows during the current tour. She has attended the private annual Moody Blues Christmas party on the Thames in London. She has followed many tour legs over the years. I have not brought a camera of my own that evening; we have been told by the Amphitheatre "absolutely no cameras allowed period" so I don't bother hassling it. And this is the pre-cell phone camera era! A little harder to conceal a fat regular camera. I'm so lucky to have met Patty Throckmorton that night. Somehow she is able to bring in her camera. I owe her eternal thanks for offering to take the pictures and sending me the photos in the mail a couple of weeks later, after she got back home to San Jose and had the photos developed. (Remember the pre-digital photography era when photos were "developed?")
Derek Morris Meets John Lodge !!
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
Derek Morris Meets Grame Edge !!
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
Derek Morris Meets The Moody Blues !!
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
The Moody Blues - Santa Barbara County Bowl
Saturday, August 20, 1988
Review by Derek Morris Published in Ojai Valley Voice, Sept 1988
Saturday, August 20, 1988
Review by Derek Morris Published in Ojai Valley Voice, Sept 1988
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Comments From Derek About Above 1988 Article
Note from DM (written around 2016): Obviously since the 1988 date of this above somewhat idealistic and very naive article I wrote, I believe I have learned more about why Mike Pinder left the Moody Blues. The above article paints Pinder's departure in a much more benign light; in truth it appears there was a lot of acrimony and friction taking place that led to his departure, and it appears that Pinder himself was the source of the lot of discord but I'm sure it is a complicated story.
Again I love the Moody Blues and love Mike Pinder's phenomenal contribution. His innovations on the Mellotron are revolutionary, and is a great songwriter and singer. He was a key collaborator with Justin Hayward in terms of production and orchestration of Justin's songs with the Mellotron. Justin frequently acknowledges this. And even his lyrics, which some criticize as bombastic, I think are upbeat and hopeful; it is when he went in the solo direction that I believe his ego and his lyrics started becoming a little over the top.
What follows is pieced together from various stories and reports as well as anecdotes from friends who knew people in the Moodies' organization, but lots of this is speculation.
Pinder had moved to the United States "permanently" after the band took a long hiatus after an extensive tour that ended in 1974. In the eyes of many, the Moodies had broken up. In the intervening four years between 1974 and 1978, Pinder had divorced, remarried an American woman, and moved to the United States, where he was trying to establish permanent residency. He was concerned that his immigration status would be threatened if he left the USA to record the next album in England and tour. Meanwhile, Justin Hayward was indeed emerging as the dominant force in the band and this his apparently grated on Pinder. He and Ray Thomas started the band and now Hayward was emerging as the leader and star.
Pinder at this point thought he was in a position to go to the next level as a solo performer and released a solo album in 1976. I personally feel that by this time he had an over-inflated view of his own talents and of the "cosmic wisdom" that we would "pass down" to the masses. He released a rather pompous "let me tell you how it is from on high" unsuccessful solo album, The Promise, in 1976 that was poorly received. With his solo career not taking off, perhaps he was more open to getting back together with his bandmates.
But because of Pinder's immigration issues, there was some compromisse reached. They would record their "comeback" album of 1978 - "Octave" - in the United States. They would record in Malibu in a high quality studio that of which Pinder was part owner. of. I am not sure if there was at the time an expectation that Pinder would tour with the band to support Octave. But by the time the album was finished, there had been so much discord that Pinder had left the band and newly hired keyboardist (an employee and not partner in the band) Patrick Moraz took over in that spot.
The California recording sessions were full of conflict from the beginning, and Pinder was difficult to deal with.This was the first time the Moody Blues recorded outside of their home base of London, away from their homes and families and their normal recording "routine." It was personally disruptive for the others to be away from home, especially considering that they would be spending more time away from home while on tour to support the album after it was released.
On top of the internal band friction during the recording sessions, the Los Angeles weather in January and February was uncharacteristically rainy - record shattering biggest rains. And Justin Hayward and Tony Clarke, the producer, were involved in a serious traffic accident on the Pacific Coast Highway that in part was caused by the heavy rains and their lack of familiarity with navigating the vary dangerous PCH. Hayward and Clarke were quite shaken up by the experience but the extent of their injuries was always downplayed and the fact that they were injured at all was not disclosed. Who knows if there were whiplash and orthopedic issues that resulted. It did cause a delay of at least a couple of weeks in the production while Hayward and Clarke were recuperating. And apparently the accident was one more factor that contributed to Clarke descending into a deep depression that really hampered his ability to function during the Los Angeles recording sessions. There are many stories about Justin Hayward walking on the beach with Tony trying to cheer him up and keep him from slipping further into a mental hole and going into an alcoholic haze. So the entire Octave sessions were very stressful for all involved; it is a miracle that an album as good as Octave resulted.
The Mellotron / Chamberlain was only used in the one song Pinder contributed- "One Step Into The Light." A Hammond B-3 style organ was used in places for the first time the Hammond appeared in a Moody Blues song. Three Moodies songs used actual string rather than Mellotron or Chamberlain strings.
Normally each member would contribute at least two songs to an album; here Pinder contributed one song and Hayward contributed four. Perhaps there was also internal discord over what songs would be used, which further exacerbated Pinder's frustration. By this point the balance of power and also balance of talent had shifted in Hayward's direction; this must have further irritated Pinder.
Again, I'm just speculating here based on what I have read and heard from people close to the situation, but I don't really know. The Moodies have always been very tight lipped about their internal band dynamics; Justin Hayward keeps it almost too close to the vest, but lately seems to be revealing bits and pieces of the story more frequently.
I must say that despite the friction described, there is much about Octave that is great - particularly the Justin Hayward songs. People speak of the "core seven" Moodies songs. I would almost call them the "Core 8+" albums. To me Blue Jays is almost at the level of the core seven albums, and Octave has some strong songs here. When combined, Blue Jays and Octave together must at least add up to 1, right? And that makes 8+ !!
So the Octave album tour did not include Pinder. Pinder ended up suing the band and the record label in England for an injunction to stop them from billing themselves as The Moody Blues on the tour. Pinder lost the lawsuit and of course by then was out of the band permanently. How he was compensated as a result of the band split-up is not clear, but it appears that he completely sold his interest to the rest of the Moody Blues for a surprisingly low dollar figure; some speculate that part of the reason was that he had accumulated large legal expenses (amount unclear) in the lawsuit, which under English law, when you are losing party to a tort suit, you as loser pay legal expenses for the winning party (too bad the US is not this way - it would cut down on frivolous lawsuits!) He of course retained all future royalties coming his way from songwriting and from album sales, but the impression I get is that he has not participated in future Moody Blues concert revenue, which in itself is very surprising to me. Steve Perry participates in Journey tour revenue. I wish I knew more about the internal business agreements that resulted from his leaving the band!
One additional thing, Pinder from all reports was going through a lot of personal stress and turmoil at the time and apparently said some nasty things to all members of the band and to producer Tony Clarke during the recording sessions. Maybe his overinflated ego was crashing on the cliffs of reality. The most famous incident that is widely reported: in the recording studio, Justin was discussing a production issue with Graeme Edge. Pinder hears them talking and loudly interjects to Justin: "Why are you asking him (ie Graeme Edge) about the song? He's only the drummer." This was apparently the kind of behavior really caused a rift within the band and poisoned Pinder's relationship with the other members (except for Ray Thomas, who he has remained close to). And I might add that Edge was a significant contributor to the Moodies beyond being a drummer - as a songwriter, and writer and narrator of a lot of the spoken word passages between songs in the early "Core 7" Moody Blues albums.
Many years later, Pinder apologized profusely on YouTube to Graeme Edge for what he said back then. It was really a full throated "I'm sorry, please forgive me kind of thing." Regardless, from all interviews I've heard and read, there is no way the existing remaining three Moody Blues - Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge (Ray Thomas retired in 2006) would ever work again with Pinder. Of course, if the Moodies ever get inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, that might change the dynamics a bit and get them together. But since the Rock Hall of Fame, which is controlled by Jann Wenner, is proving itself to be more inclined to induct zero talent hacks like Patty Smith, Lou Reed, NWA, Run DMC, and Joan Jett, I am not expecting a Moody Blues induction any time soon. Unless somehow Wenner goes away somehow (we can only hope!). ~ DM (written in 2016, before Moody Blues Rock Hall induction ... finally!)
Again I love the Moody Blues and love Mike Pinder's phenomenal contribution. His innovations on the Mellotron are revolutionary, and is a great songwriter and singer. He was a key collaborator with Justin Hayward in terms of production and orchestration of Justin's songs with the Mellotron. Justin frequently acknowledges this. And even his lyrics, which some criticize as bombastic, I think are upbeat and hopeful; it is when he went in the solo direction that I believe his ego and his lyrics started becoming a little over the top.
What follows is pieced together from various stories and reports as well as anecdotes from friends who knew people in the Moodies' organization, but lots of this is speculation.
Pinder had moved to the United States "permanently" after the band took a long hiatus after an extensive tour that ended in 1974. In the eyes of many, the Moodies had broken up. In the intervening four years between 1974 and 1978, Pinder had divorced, remarried an American woman, and moved to the United States, where he was trying to establish permanent residency. He was concerned that his immigration status would be threatened if he left the USA to record the next album in England and tour. Meanwhile, Justin Hayward was indeed emerging as the dominant force in the band and this his apparently grated on Pinder. He and Ray Thomas started the band and now Hayward was emerging as the leader and star.
Pinder at this point thought he was in a position to go to the next level as a solo performer and released a solo album in 1976. I personally feel that by this time he had an over-inflated view of his own talents and of the "cosmic wisdom" that we would "pass down" to the masses. He released a rather pompous "let me tell you how it is from on high" unsuccessful solo album, The Promise, in 1976 that was poorly received. With his solo career not taking off, perhaps he was more open to getting back together with his bandmates.
But because of Pinder's immigration issues, there was some compromisse reached. They would record their "comeback" album of 1978 - "Octave" - in the United States. They would record in Malibu in a high quality studio that of which Pinder was part owner. of. I am not sure if there was at the time an expectation that Pinder would tour with the band to support Octave. But by the time the album was finished, there had been so much discord that Pinder had left the band and newly hired keyboardist (an employee and not partner in the band) Patrick Moraz took over in that spot.
The California recording sessions were full of conflict from the beginning, and Pinder was difficult to deal with.This was the first time the Moody Blues recorded outside of their home base of London, away from their homes and families and their normal recording "routine." It was personally disruptive for the others to be away from home, especially considering that they would be spending more time away from home while on tour to support the album after it was released.
On top of the internal band friction during the recording sessions, the Los Angeles weather in January and February was uncharacteristically rainy - record shattering biggest rains. And Justin Hayward and Tony Clarke, the producer, were involved in a serious traffic accident on the Pacific Coast Highway that in part was caused by the heavy rains and their lack of familiarity with navigating the vary dangerous PCH. Hayward and Clarke were quite shaken up by the experience but the extent of their injuries was always downplayed and the fact that they were injured at all was not disclosed. Who knows if there were whiplash and orthopedic issues that resulted. It did cause a delay of at least a couple of weeks in the production while Hayward and Clarke were recuperating. And apparently the accident was one more factor that contributed to Clarke descending into a deep depression that really hampered his ability to function during the Los Angeles recording sessions. There are many stories about Justin Hayward walking on the beach with Tony trying to cheer him up and keep him from slipping further into a mental hole and going into an alcoholic haze. So the entire Octave sessions were very stressful for all involved; it is a miracle that an album as good as Octave resulted.
The Mellotron / Chamberlain was only used in the one song Pinder contributed- "One Step Into The Light." A Hammond B-3 style organ was used in places for the first time the Hammond appeared in a Moody Blues song. Three Moodies songs used actual string rather than Mellotron or Chamberlain strings.
Normally each member would contribute at least two songs to an album; here Pinder contributed one song and Hayward contributed four. Perhaps there was also internal discord over what songs would be used, which further exacerbated Pinder's frustration. By this point the balance of power and also balance of talent had shifted in Hayward's direction; this must have further irritated Pinder.
Again, I'm just speculating here based on what I have read and heard from people close to the situation, but I don't really know. The Moodies have always been very tight lipped about their internal band dynamics; Justin Hayward keeps it almost too close to the vest, but lately seems to be revealing bits and pieces of the story more frequently.
I must say that despite the friction described, there is much about Octave that is great - particularly the Justin Hayward songs. People speak of the "core seven" Moodies songs. I would almost call them the "Core 8+" albums. To me Blue Jays is almost at the level of the core seven albums, and Octave has some strong songs here. When combined, Blue Jays and Octave together must at least add up to 1, right? And that makes 8+ !!
So the Octave album tour did not include Pinder. Pinder ended up suing the band and the record label in England for an injunction to stop them from billing themselves as The Moody Blues on the tour. Pinder lost the lawsuit and of course by then was out of the band permanently. How he was compensated as a result of the band split-up is not clear, but it appears that he completely sold his interest to the rest of the Moody Blues for a surprisingly low dollar figure; some speculate that part of the reason was that he had accumulated large legal expenses (amount unclear) in the lawsuit, which under English law, when you are losing party to a tort suit, you as loser pay legal expenses for the winning party (too bad the US is not this way - it would cut down on frivolous lawsuits!) He of course retained all future royalties coming his way from songwriting and from album sales, but the impression I get is that he has not participated in future Moody Blues concert revenue, which in itself is very surprising to me. Steve Perry participates in Journey tour revenue. I wish I knew more about the internal business agreements that resulted from his leaving the band!
One additional thing, Pinder from all reports was going through a lot of personal stress and turmoil at the time and apparently said some nasty things to all members of the band and to producer Tony Clarke during the recording sessions. Maybe his overinflated ego was crashing on the cliffs of reality. The most famous incident that is widely reported: in the recording studio, Justin was discussing a production issue with Graeme Edge. Pinder hears them talking and loudly interjects to Justin: "Why are you asking him (ie Graeme Edge) about the song? He's only the drummer." This was apparently the kind of behavior really caused a rift within the band and poisoned Pinder's relationship with the other members (except for Ray Thomas, who he has remained close to). And I might add that Edge was a significant contributor to the Moodies beyond being a drummer - as a songwriter, and writer and narrator of a lot of the spoken word passages between songs in the early "Core 7" Moody Blues albums.
Many years later, Pinder apologized profusely on YouTube to Graeme Edge for what he said back then. It was really a full throated "I'm sorry, please forgive me kind of thing." Regardless, from all interviews I've heard and read, there is no way the existing remaining three Moody Blues - Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge (Ray Thomas retired in 2006) would ever work again with Pinder. Of course, if the Moodies ever get inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, that might change the dynamics a bit and get them together. But since the Rock Hall of Fame, which is controlled by Jann Wenner, is proving itself to be more inclined to induct zero talent hacks like Patty Smith, Lou Reed, NWA, Run DMC, and Joan Jett, I am not expecting a Moody Blues induction any time soon. Unless somehow Wenner goes away somehow (we can only hope!). ~ DM (written in 2016, before Moody Blues Rock Hall induction ... finally!)
The Moody Blues - Santa Barbara County Bowl
Saturday, August 20, 1988
Review by Derek Morris Published in Ojai Valley Voice, Sept 1988
Saturday, August 20, 1988
Review by Derek Morris Published in Ojai Valley Voice, Sept 1988
Moody Blues Santa Barbara Bowl 8/19/88 Photo by Toby Lampson
The Moody Blues - Oakland Coliseum Arena
January 31, 1974
January 31, 1974
The Moody Blues - Oakland Coliseum Arena
January 31, 1974
(Band members (L to R): John Lodge, Justin Hayward, Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder)
I was at this show at Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1974 - my first Moodies concert ever. I was a senior at UC Berkeley at the time. I went to the show with a friend who I grew up with in Monterey, Alan Herren, who was also going to school at Berkeley. We both vividly remember the vibe at the show as we got out of my car in the Coliseum parking lot and walked towards the concert hall. Everybody was oddly quiet - it was not a party atmosphere outside at all as one might expect, but more like some sort of religious pilgrimage!
I think for most people this was probably the first time they had seen the Moody Blues "live" and the anticipation level was off the charts. And as it turned out (as discussed above) this was the first and last time any of us in attendance would see the "original" five Moody Blues which included Mike Pinder, the keyboard-Mellotron genius singer-songwriter. This was the third-to-last show of the entire 1973-74 tour and as it turned out this was the third-to-last show Mike Pinder ever performed with the Moody Blues. (Pinder participated in the recording of the "reunion" album Octave in 1978 but quit the band due to internal conflicts before the Octave album was completed; meanwhile Patrick Moraz was hired to play keyboards on the Octave tour.)
Anyway, as we walked towards the Coliseum from the parking lot that night, we felt like we were all collectively being pulled into the Coliseum like some sort of tractor beam that had taken control over our bodies. It was like an huge Coliseum-sized alien spaceship had landed and we were robotically drawn towards the ship. Nobody approaching the building was talking it seemed - the people were oddly quiet and almost meditative but determined as if on a mission. I know this sounds rather overstated and hyped but I've spoken with others there that night who had the same experience. There was such a high level of anticipation - quite naive obviously - as if somehow this concert was going to change our lives and transform us into another level of consciousness. Yeah right! Ha ha. It is funny now but that was the pre-show atmosphere and vibe that Alan and I and many others experienced that evening. It was a combination of the deeply touching and profound and brilliant Moody Blues music as well as the naivete of the times perhaps. The show itself was great; I believe there was a bit of a delay between a couple of songs as Pinder fixed some glitch in the Mellotron, which was not uncommon given the complex tape loop technology that was prone to periodic breakdowns. But oddly, though the show itself was great and it was a thrill to hear the Moodies "live" for the first time, for some reason the most striking memory was the mystical pre-show "hive-mind" kind of vibe!
January 31, 1974
(Band members (L to R): John Lodge, Justin Hayward, Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder)
I was at this show at Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1974 - my first Moodies concert ever. I was a senior at UC Berkeley at the time. I went to the show with a friend who I grew up with in Monterey, Alan Herren, who was also going to school at Berkeley. We both vividly remember the vibe at the show as we got out of my car in the Coliseum parking lot and walked towards the concert hall. Everybody was oddly quiet - it was not a party atmosphere outside at all as one might expect, but more like some sort of religious pilgrimage!
I think for most people this was probably the first time they had seen the Moody Blues "live" and the anticipation level was off the charts. And as it turned out (as discussed above) this was the first and last time any of us in attendance would see the "original" five Moody Blues which included Mike Pinder, the keyboard-Mellotron genius singer-songwriter. This was the third-to-last show of the entire 1973-74 tour and as it turned out this was the third-to-last show Mike Pinder ever performed with the Moody Blues. (Pinder participated in the recording of the "reunion" album Octave in 1978 but quit the band due to internal conflicts before the Octave album was completed; meanwhile Patrick Moraz was hired to play keyboards on the Octave tour.)
Anyway, as we walked towards the Coliseum from the parking lot that night, we felt like we were all collectively being pulled into the Coliseum like some sort of tractor beam that had taken control over our bodies. It was like an huge Coliseum-sized alien spaceship had landed and we were robotically drawn towards the ship. Nobody approaching the building was talking it seemed - the people were oddly quiet and almost meditative but determined as if on a mission. I know this sounds rather overstated and hyped but I've spoken with others there that night who had the same experience. There was such a high level of anticipation - quite naive obviously - as if somehow this concert was going to change our lives and transform us into another level of consciousness. Yeah right! Ha ha. It is funny now but that was the pre-show atmosphere and vibe that Alan and I and many others experienced that evening. It was a combination of the deeply touching and profound and brilliant Moody Blues music as well as the naivete of the times perhaps. The show itself was great; I believe there was a bit of a delay between a couple of songs as Pinder fixed some glitch in the Mellotron, which was not uncommon given the complex tape loop technology that was prone to periodic breakdowns. But oddly, though the show itself was great and it was a thrill to hear the Moodies "live" for the first time, for some reason the most striking memory was the mystical pre-show "hive-mind" kind of vibe!
MOODY BLUES AUTOBIOGRAPHY
PUBLISHED JANUARY 2018
AUTHOR: MARK CUSHMAN
(Excerpt of email to friends in January 2018)
"Hey - here are some photos of the Moody Blues bio that came out January 15. Author Marc Cushman's publisher just sent me a signed hard-bound copy.
I am so excited that this book has come out - perfect timing with the Moodies being inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame this year. Yeah!!! About time!
Perhaps it is a bit of an overstatement to say I that I "co-authored" the book. haha ... OK, OK... But I was "credited" with providing the photo from the 1974 Moodies show at Oakland Coliseum Arena - I was at that Oakland show with Alan Herren - and Denis I think you were there that night - correct? I think you confirmed that you were. One of your 40 Moodies concerts - so far! This Oakland show ended up being Mellotron developer and genius (and Denny's "neighbor" in Grass Valley) Mike Pinder's 3rd to last performance ever with the band as is detailed in on my site's Moodies page.
I might add that the author Marc Cushman is a great guy and was great to deal with - we had many great email exchanges over the last 4 1/2 month since I had initially heard from him in September asking me if he could use that image. He is a hard core Moodies fan also!
www.derekmo.weebly.com/moodyblues
Amazon link to Marc Cushman's book is below - it is 796 pages plus preface, dedication, table of contents - etc - and this is just Volume 1 ! In addition to detailed stories and chronologies and results of interviews with Mike Pinder and Ray Thomas among others, there are lots of great rare photos from the band's history. This Volume 1 covers up through 1979 - sort of the end of the Mike Pinder era - when Octave was released and when they toured following release of that album. Octave was the last Moodies album Pinder appeared on - though he had quit the band while Octave was still being recorded at his own recording studio (Indigo Ranch) in Malibu - lots of internal band problems and many other disasters during that time - the recording studio burned to the ground and some band members had a car accident on PCH - producer Tony Clarke had a nervous breakdown, etc etc all presumably detailed in the book which I am hoping to start reading this weekend."
(Attached photo where I am credited is from page 459 - Chapter 20)
Volume 2 of the Moody Blues bio - which is I believe about 600 pages (1) - is coming out later in 2018 according to Marc Cushman.
Derek
Long Distance Voyagers by Marc Cushman
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Distance-Voyagers-Story-1965-1979/dp/0998866393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517530011&sr=8-1&keywords=long+distance+voyagers+cushman
PUBLISHED JANUARY 2018
AUTHOR: MARK CUSHMAN
(Excerpt of email to friends in January 2018)
"Hey - here are some photos of the Moody Blues bio that came out January 15. Author Marc Cushman's publisher just sent me a signed hard-bound copy.
I am so excited that this book has come out - perfect timing with the Moodies being inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame this year. Yeah!!! About time!
Perhaps it is a bit of an overstatement to say I that I "co-authored" the book. haha ... OK, OK... But I was "credited" with providing the photo from the 1974 Moodies show at Oakland Coliseum Arena - I was at that Oakland show with Alan Herren - and Denis I think you were there that night - correct? I think you confirmed that you were. One of your 40 Moodies concerts - so far! This Oakland show ended up being Mellotron developer and genius (and Denny's "neighbor" in Grass Valley) Mike Pinder's 3rd to last performance ever with the band as is detailed in on my site's Moodies page.
I might add that the author Marc Cushman is a great guy and was great to deal with - we had many great email exchanges over the last 4 1/2 month since I had initially heard from him in September asking me if he could use that image. He is a hard core Moodies fan also!
www.derekmo.weebly.com/moodyblues
Amazon link to Marc Cushman's book is below - it is 796 pages plus preface, dedication, table of contents - etc - and this is just Volume 1 ! In addition to detailed stories and chronologies and results of interviews with Mike Pinder and Ray Thomas among others, there are lots of great rare photos from the band's history. This Volume 1 covers up through 1979 - sort of the end of the Mike Pinder era - when Octave was released and when they toured following release of that album. Octave was the last Moodies album Pinder appeared on - though he had quit the band while Octave was still being recorded at his own recording studio (Indigo Ranch) in Malibu - lots of internal band problems and many other disasters during that time - the recording studio burned to the ground and some band members had a car accident on PCH - producer Tony Clarke had a nervous breakdown, etc etc all presumably detailed in the book which I am hoping to start reading this weekend."
(Attached photo where I am credited is from page 459 - Chapter 20)
Volume 2 of the Moody Blues bio - which is I believe about 600 pages (1) - is coming out later in 2018 according to Marc Cushman.
Derek
Long Distance Voyagers by Marc Cushman
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Distance-Voyagers-Story-1965-1979/dp/0998866393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517530011&sr=8-1&keywords=long+distance+voyagers+cushman
Derek Morris Meets Patrick Moraz of Moody Blues (!?!?)
Derek Morris Meets Patrick Moraz of Moody Blues (!?!?)
NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Trade Show
Anaheim Convention Center, California - January 1987
NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Trade Show
Anaheim Convention Center, California - January 1987
Moraz is former keyboardist for the Moody Blues from 1978 - 1991. Moraz was hired as their keyboardist in 1978 for the upcoming Octave album tour following the rather sudden resignation of band co-founder, Mellotron innovator and singer-songwriter Michael Pinder.
Moraz was with the Moody Blues at the time of this 1987 photo, taken at NAMM - the world's largest musical instrument trade show. Moraz was there demonstrating Kurzweil keyboards, synthesizers and sound modules.
Now, Moraz is quite a talented keyboardist and synthesizer expert and was an expert with the cutting-edge Kurzweil synthesizer technology. But in my mind, Moraz was never really a fit for the Moody Blues, though he lasted 12 years. I never cared for his keyboard style; full of cute little "tricks" and sequenced passages and over-stylized flourishes, sometimes with interesting sounds, but much of it to me rather mechanical and passionless. Too cute by a half. Moraz did not sing nor write songs so he had no vocal or song crafting influences within the band. But he did a good job in replicating Pinder's keyboard parts on stage. And some his instrumental parts - like the opening album instrumental intro preceeding "The Voice" (which he should have received songwriting credit for) were well done. And for hardcore fans, it is admittedly impossible to fill Mike Pinder's shoes.
More significantly, based on my personal experience with the guy, I found Moraz to be arrogant, condescending, and pretentious. After the above photo op, Moraz became irritated and dismissive anytime a question about the Moodies was asked by those visiting the booth. Moraz seemed to forget that the only reason he was at NAMM representing Kurzweil was because he had made a name for himself as keyboard player with the Moody Blues. As talented as he was, nobody gave a crap about his so-called solo "career," yet this narcissist seemed so offended when asked about the Moody Blues. It was quite bizarre to experience his reactions.
When asked about the Moodies, his typical reaction was controlled exasperation. His comments were essentially "hey I just play part time with that band - I do other things musically you know - the Moody Blues are just one of the many important musical projects I'm involved in." That is the vibe he gave off and what he was communicating. Again, the arrogance ... bordering on eccentric narcissistic nuttiness! He could have been a much better representative for Kurzweil and the Moody Blues. The response of many of us who witnessed this interaction seemed to be "wow, this guy really is an ass."
The Moodies must have gotten sick of dealing with Moraz. The more they knew him the less they liked him. That is what I have heard but who knows. Moraz was quite demanding from the very beginning in terms of his business relationship as a hired member of the band. It must have been exhausting to deal with him. The ongoing tension with Moraz apparently built up over the 12 years he was there. Reportedly the last straw was when Moraz was publicly highly critical and dismissive of The Moodies in an interview in Keyboard Magazine in 1991, where he stated that that he was bored with the Moody Blues' style which had become "stagnant." To him the Moodies presented "no more interesting musical challenges" to him. In another interview he said that the only other musicians in his league are Beethoven and Brahms. The guy is a self-deluded narcissist! Definitely a talent but who would want to deal with this guy as a "bandmate?" Now Moraz frankly may have been accurate in his assessment of the Moodies in that era - they were nothing like the 1967-1972 "classic seven albums" band that had created such magical material. Their post 1972 work has been spotty, admittedly. But to publicly trash the band - his employer - was just plain suicidal. What did he expect. The guy was delusional.
So soon after that the Keyboard Magazine interview came out in 1991, Moraz was finally terminated. He then sued the Moodies for wrongful termination and for his "partnership share" in the band earnings, claiming he was actually a full partner entitled to his proportionate share of tour earnings. The case went to trial quite quickly in Los Angeles, sometime in late 1992.
Moraz claimed in the suit that there was an "oral agreement" that made him a full partner in the band. Moody Blues lawyer Don Engel proceeded to systematically destroy the very weak Moraz case. Engel did an excellent, thorough job. If one watches the trial on YouTube, one can see that clearly there was no evidence of an oral agreement let alone a written agreement. It was funny watching Moraz and his attorney's dance around this issue when they had no facts to back them up. And Moraz himself was an embarassment on the stand.
The 1992 trial was shown on Court TV and extensive clips of the trial can now be found via a search on YouTube. It is 23-part series that runs over ten hours and includes almost all of the video recordings from the trial, including testimony from Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas, Moraz, the Moodies manager, Moraz' wife, attorneys and some other witnesses. For anybody into the Moody Blues history, the trial was fascinating, though at times boring and plodding. One thing that is clear from the trial: Patrick Moraz not only had a weak case, but he also hired an idiot for a lawyer - "entertainment attorney" (in quotes) Neville Johnson. I was completely unimpressed with the Moraz lawyer's wandering, meandering inability to ever get to the point; the lawyer even got a lot of historical band facts and chronologies wrong in his tangential opening statement, and meandered with totally unrelated side stories. Was he perhaps trying to distract the judge and jury in weaving his weak case? No I just think he was an idiot. He wasted so much time on irrelevant trivia. And all his questions of members of the Moodies who were on the stand sounded like fishing expeditions - as if they were being deposed for the first time (they had already all been individually deposed by the time of the trial). The Moraz attorney did not seem to have any sort of game plan and almost seemed to be making it up as he went, constantly fishing for little inconsistencies in testimony of the Moodies and he hoped to expose. But he found nothing and only succeeded in irritating the judge, jury and everyone there. As one Court TV commentator said, Johnson was fishing around with questions hoping for different answers than he received, and continuously got slammed back in the face with testimony that further and further weakened his position.
Towards the end of the trial, the judge admonished Moraz for his poor behavior throughout the trial and for his evasive responses to questions while on the stand. Everybody was getting exasperated by Moraz. The judge, Hon. Paul Noland, said that Moraz was making a mockery of the trail as the result of his evasive behavior as a witness in not answering questions directly. Judges don't admonish plaintiffs in this manner very often!
The judge similarly admonished Moraz' attorney, Neville Johnson, for being unprepared to present the case and for Johnson's own inappropriate behavior during the proceedings. The judge's comments for Moraz and Johnson were quite harsh and quite well-deserved. The experienced Court TV attorney guest commentators, all experienced litigators themselves, said that they have never seen a judge come down so harshly on both a plaintiff and their attorney for inappropriate and unprofessional behavior during the trial. Highly unusual. Yet for a Moodies fan, this trial is totally mesmerizing and entertaining!
Of course, Moraz lost the trial. And he made an idiot of himself throughout the proceedings and showed what a questionable character he is. Brilliant, well spoken, artistic, accomplished, but a bit nuts! Anybody watching this video can observe what a pompous and self-aggrandizing narcissistic ass he is. An immensely talented keyboard player, but probably impossible to deal with as a person. So the Moodies canned him. What took them so long?! Good riddance!
Moraz had sued for $3.8 Million and after fourteen days of trial and testimony of witnesses, the judge ruled in favor of the Moody Blues. It was not a partnership. He was a contract employee, hired and fired at will. All that remained at this point was a dispute over past royalties which was left to the jury. A number of accountants reviewing the books testified. The jury awarded Moraz a total $77,000 in his royalty claim. After the attorney's take of 1/3, Moraz is left with about $52,000. Ironically, before the trial started, the Moodies had offered to settle with Moraz for $400,000! But Moraz, genius that he is, decided to proceed with the trial ... and lost!
After the trial was all over, in watching the Court TV interview with the foreman of the jury, the foreman surprisingly said that the jury very much sympathized with Moraz and in deliberations wanted to award him punitive damages for his termination! Many in the jury felt that Moraz was treated unfairly by the Moodies in being fired and wanted to punish the Moodies for letting Moraz go. This jury believed and sympathized with Moraz, which I find incredible! I found Moraz to be a bald-faced evasive nutty liar on the stand. Plus his attorney was horrible!
Luckily for the Moodies, the jury was restricted in what they could do - the judge decided the partnership issue. That key issue was solely the judge's decision. The judge ruled that there was never a partnership; Moraz was an employee and a hired hand. And in the opinion of Court TV commentators, the final reward of $77,000 was more of an attempt by the jury to simply just give Moraz as much money as possible on his royalties claim because he had lost so badly in the partnership part of the dispute. Sort of a minor "jury nullification" in a way. So juries can be quite unpredictable! Again, luckily for the Moodies, the jury did not decide the partnership issue - it was set up as a bifurcated trial, where the judge made the decision on the partnership issue followed by the jury making the decision on any damages and monetary awards. (Don't know the legal / judicial mechanics of why it is done this way but that is how the case was conducted from the start.)
Hardcore Moody Blues fans will get a kick out of this series of 23 YouTube videos. Especially parts 17 and 18 of the YouTube clips where Moraz is testifying and getting hammered by the Moodies lawyer.
Moraz was with the Moody Blues at the time of this 1987 photo, taken at NAMM - the world's largest musical instrument trade show. Moraz was there demonstrating Kurzweil keyboards, synthesizers and sound modules.
Now, Moraz is quite a talented keyboardist and synthesizer expert and was an expert with the cutting-edge Kurzweil synthesizer technology. But in my mind, Moraz was never really a fit for the Moody Blues, though he lasted 12 years. I never cared for his keyboard style; full of cute little "tricks" and sequenced passages and over-stylized flourishes, sometimes with interesting sounds, but much of it to me rather mechanical and passionless. Too cute by a half. Moraz did not sing nor write songs so he had no vocal or song crafting influences within the band. But he did a good job in replicating Pinder's keyboard parts on stage. And some his instrumental parts - like the opening album instrumental intro preceeding "The Voice" (which he should have received songwriting credit for) were well done. And for hardcore fans, it is admittedly impossible to fill Mike Pinder's shoes.
More significantly, based on my personal experience with the guy, I found Moraz to be arrogant, condescending, and pretentious. After the above photo op, Moraz became irritated and dismissive anytime a question about the Moodies was asked by those visiting the booth. Moraz seemed to forget that the only reason he was at NAMM representing Kurzweil was because he had made a name for himself as keyboard player with the Moody Blues. As talented as he was, nobody gave a crap about his so-called solo "career," yet this narcissist seemed so offended when asked about the Moody Blues. It was quite bizarre to experience his reactions.
When asked about the Moodies, his typical reaction was controlled exasperation. His comments were essentially "hey I just play part time with that band - I do other things musically you know - the Moody Blues are just one of the many important musical projects I'm involved in." That is the vibe he gave off and what he was communicating. Again, the arrogance ... bordering on eccentric narcissistic nuttiness! He could have been a much better representative for Kurzweil and the Moody Blues. The response of many of us who witnessed this interaction seemed to be "wow, this guy really is an ass."
The Moodies must have gotten sick of dealing with Moraz. The more they knew him the less they liked him. That is what I have heard but who knows. Moraz was quite demanding from the very beginning in terms of his business relationship as a hired member of the band. It must have been exhausting to deal with him. The ongoing tension with Moraz apparently built up over the 12 years he was there. Reportedly the last straw was when Moraz was publicly highly critical and dismissive of The Moodies in an interview in Keyboard Magazine in 1991, where he stated that that he was bored with the Moody Blues' style which had become "stagnant." To him the Moodies presented "no more interesting musical challenges" to him. In another interview he said that the only other musicians in his league are Beethoven and Brahms. The guy is a self-deluded narcissist! Definitely a talent but who would want to deal with this guy as a "bandmate?" Now Moraz frankly may have been accurate in his assessment of the Moodies in that era - they were nothing like the 1967-1972 "classic seven albums" band that had created such magical material. Their post 1972 work has been spotty, admittedly. But to publicly trash the band - his employer - was just plain suicidal. What did he expect. The guy was delusional.
So soon after that the Keyboard Magazine interview came out in 1991, Moraz was finally terminated. He then sued the Moodies for wrongful termination and for his "partnership share" in the band earnings, claiming he was actually a full partner entitled to his proportionate share of tour earnings. The case went to trial quite quickly in Los Angeles, sometime in late 1992.
Moraz claimed in the suit that there was an "oral agreement" that made him a full partner in the band. Moody Blues lawyer Don Engel proceeded to systematically destroy the very weak Moraz case. Engel did an excellent, thorough job. If one watches the trial on YouTube, one can see that clearly there was no evidence of an oral agreement let alone a written agreement. It was funny watching Moraz and his attorney's dance around this issue when they had no facts to back them up. And Moraz himself was an embarassment on the stand.
The 1992 trial was shown on Court TV and extensive clips of the trial can now be found via a search on YouTube. It is 23-part series that runs over ten hours and includes almost all of the video recordings from the trial, including testimony from Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas, Moraz, the Moodies manager, Moraz' wife, attorneys and some other witnesses. For anybody into the Moody Blues history, the trial was fascinating, though at times boring and plodding. One thing that is clear from the trial: Patrick Moraz not only had a weak case, but he also hired an idiot for a lawyer - "entertainment attorney" (in quotes) Neville Johnson. I was completely unimpressed with the Moraz lawyer's wandering, meandering inability to ever get to the point; the lawyer even got a lot of historical band facts and chronologies wrong in his tangential opening statement, and meandered with totally unrelated side stories. Was he perhaps trying to distract the judge and jury in weaving his weak case? No I just think he was an idiot. He wasted so much time on irrelevant trivia. And all his questions of members of the Moodies who were on the stand sounded like fishing expeditions - as if they were being deposed for the first time (they had already all been individually deposed by the time of the trial). The Moraz attorney did not seem to have any sort of game plan and almost seemed to be making it up as he went, constantly fishing for little inconsistencies in testimony of the Moodies and he hoped to expose. But he found nothing and only succeeded in irritating the judge, jury and everyone there. As one Court TV commentator said, Johnson was fishing around with questions hoping for different answers than he received, and continuously got slammed back in the face with testimony that further and further weakened his position.
Towards the end of the trial, the judge admonished Moraz for his poor behavior throughout the trial and for his evasive responses to questions while on the stand. Everybody was getting exasperated by Moraz. The judge, Hon. Paul Noland, said that Moraz was making a mockery of the trail as the result of his evasive behavior as a witness in not answering questions directly. Judges don't admonish plaintiffs in this manner very often!
The judge similarly admonished Moraz' attorney, Neville Johnson, for being unprepared to present the case and for Johnson's own inappropriate behavior during the proceedings. The judge's comments for Moraz and Johnson were quite harsh and quite well-deserved. The experienced Court TV attorney guest commentators, all experienced litigators themselves, said that they have never seen a judge come down so harshly on both a plaintiff and their attorney for inappropriate and unprofessional behavior during the trial. Highly unusual. Yet for a Moodies fan, this trial is totally mesmerizing and entertaining!
Of course, Moraz lost the trial. And he made an idiot of himself throughout the proceedings and showed what a questionable character he is. Brilliant, well spoken, artistic, accomplished, but a bit nuts! Anybody watching this video can observe what a pompous and self-aggrandizing narcissistic ass he is. An immensely talented keyboard player, but probably impossible to deal with as a person. So the Moodies canned him. What took them so long?! Good riddance!
Moraz had sued for $3.8 Million and after fourteen days of trial and testimony of witnesses, the judge ruled in favor of the Moody Blues. It was not a partnership. He was a contract employee, hired and fired at will. All that remained at this point was a dispute over past royalties which was left to the jury. A number of accountants reviewing the books testified. The jury awarded Moraz a total $77,000 in his royalty claim. After the attorney's take of 1/3, Moraz is left with about $52,000. Ironically, before the trial started, the Moodies had offered to settle with Moraz for $400,000! But Moraz, genius that he is, decided to proceed with the trial ... and lost!
After the trial was all over, in watching the Court TV interview with the foreman of the jury, the foreman surprisingly said that the jury very much sympathized with Moraz and in deliberations wanted to award him punitive damages for his termination! Many in the jury felt that Moraz was treated unfairly by the Moodies in being fired and wanted to punish the Moodies for letting Moraz go. This jury believed and sympathized with Moraz, which I find incredible! I found Moraz to be a bald-faced evasive nutty liar on the stand. Plus his attorney was horrible!
Luckily for the Moodies, the jury was restricted in what they could do - the judge decided the partnership issue. That key issue was solely the judge's decision. The judge ruled that there was never a partnership; Moraz was an employee and a hired hand. And in the opinion of Court TV commentators, the final reward of $77,000 was more of an attempt by the jury to simply just give Moraz as much money as possible on his royalties claim because he had lost so badly in the partnership part of the dispute. Sort of a minor "jury nullification" in a way. So juries can be quite unpredictable! Again, luckily for the Moodies, the jury did not decide the partnership issue - it was set up as a bifurcated trial, where the judge made the decision on the partnership issue followed by the jury making the decision on any damages and monetary awards. (Don't know the legal / judicial mechanics of why it is done this way but that is how the case was conducted from the start.)
Hardcore Moody Blues fans will get a kick out of this series of 23 YouTube videos. Especially parts 17 and 18 of the YouTube clips where Moraz is testifying and getting hammered by the Moodies lawyer.
OJAI VALLEY VOICE
A READER REVIEW
THE MOODY BLUES AT SANTA BARBARA
These "Cosmic Rockers" Have Nourished Derek Morris
A Reader Review by Derek Morris
With Photography by Toby Lampson
A READER REVIEW
THE MOODY BLUES AT SANTA BARBARA
These "Cosmic Rockers" Have Nourished Derek Morris
A Reader Review by Derek Morris
With Photography by Toby Lampson
Note from DM: Obviously since the 1988 date of this somewhat idealistic and naive article written by me, I have learned more about why Mike Pinder left the Moody Blues The above article paints Pinder's departure in a much more benign light; it appears there was a lot of acrimony and friction taking place that led to his departure, and it appears that he was the source of the lot of discord.
Again I love the Moody Blues and love Mike Pinder's phenomenal contribution. His innovations on the Mellotron are revolutionary, and is a great songwriter and singer. And even his lyrics, which some criticize as bombastic, I think are upbeat and hopeful; it is when he went in the solo direction that I believe his ego and his lyrics started becoming a little over the top.
What follows is pieced together from various stories and reports as well as anecdotes from friends who knew people in the Moodies' organization, but lots of this is speculation.
Pinder had moved to the United States "permanently" after the band took a long hiatus after an extensive tour that ended in 1974. In the eyes of many, the Moodies had broken up. In the intervening four years between 1974 and 1978, Pinder had divorced, remarried an American woman, and moved to the United States, where he was trying to establish permanent residency. He was concerned that his immigration status would be threatened if he left the USA to record the next album in England and tour. Meanwhile, Justin Hayward was indeed emerging as the dominant force in the band and this his apparently grated on Pinder. He and Ray Thomas started the band and now Hayward was emerging as the leader and star.
Pinder at this point thought he was in a position to go to the next level as a solo performer and released a solo album in 1976. I personally feel that by this time he had an over-inflated view of his own talents and of the "cosmic wisdom" that we would "pass down" to the masses. He released a rather pompous "let me tell you how it is from on high" unsuccessful solo album, The Promise, in 1976 that was poorly received. With his solo career not taking off, perhaps he was more open to getting back together with his bandmates.
But because of Pinder's immigration issues, there was some compromisse reached. They would record their "comeback" album of 1978 - "Octave" - in the United States. They would record in Malibu in a high quality studio that of which Pinder was part owner. of. I am not sure if there was at the time an expectation that Pinder would tour with the band to support Octave. But by the time the album was finished, there had been so much discord that Pinder had left the band and newly hired keyboardist (an employee and not partner in the band) Patrick Moraz took over in that spot.
The California recording sessions were full of conflict from the beginning, and Pinder was difficult to deal with.This was the first time the Moody Blues recorded outside of their home base of London, away from their homes and families and their normal recording "routine." It was personally disruptive for the others to be away from home, especially considering that they would be spending more time away from home while on tour to support the album after it was released.
On top of the internal band friction during the recording sessions, the Los Angeles weather in January and February was uncharacteristically rainy - record shattering biggest rains. And Justin Hayward and Tony Clarke, the producer, were involved in a serious traffic accident on the Pacific Coast Highway that in part was caused by the heavy rains and their lack of familiarity with navigating the vary dangerous PCH. Hayward and Clarke were quite shaken up by the experience but the extent of their injuries was always downplayed and the fact that they were injured at all was not disclosed. Who knows if there were whiplash and orthopedic issues that resulted. It did cause a delay of at least a couple of weeks in the production while Hayward and Clarke were recuperating. And apparently the accident was one more factor that contributed to Clarke descending into a deep depression that really hampered his ability to function during the Los Angeles recording sessions. There are many stories about Justin Hayward walking on the beach with Tony trying to cheer him up and keep him from slipping further into a mental hole and going into an alcoholic haze. So the entire Octave sessions were very stressful for all involved; it is a miracle that an album as good as Octave resulted.
The Mellotron / Chamberlain was only used in the one song Pinder contributed- "One Step Into The Light." A Hammond B-3 style organ was used in places for the first time the Hammond appeared in a Moody Blues song. Three Moodies songs used actual string rather than Mellotron or Chamberlain strings.
Normally each member would contribute at least two songs to an album; here Pinder contributed one song and Hayward contributed four. Perhaps there was also internal discord over what songs would be used, which further exacerbated Pinder's frustration. By this point the balance of power and also balance of talent had shifted in Hayward's direction; this must have further irritated Pinder.
Again, I'm just speculating here based on what I have read and heard from people close to the situation, but I don't really know. The Moodies have always been very tight lipped about their internal band dynamics; Justin Hayward keeps it almost too close to the vest, but lately seems to be revealing bits and pieces of the story more frequently.
I must say that despite the friction described, there is much about Octave thatis great - particularly the Justin Hayward songs. People speak of the "core seven" Moodies songs. I would almost call them the "Core 8+" albums. To me Blue Jays is almost at the level of the core seven albums, and Octave has some strong songs here. When combined, Blue Jays and Octave together must at least add up to 1, right? And that makes 8+ !!
So the Octave album tour did not include Pinder. Pinder ended up suing the band and the record label in England for an injunction to stop them from billing themselves as The Moody Blues on the tour. Pinder lost the lawsuit and of course by then was out of the band permanently. How he was compensated as a result of the band split-up is not clear, but it appears that he completely sold his interest to the rest of the Moody Blues for a surprisingly low dollar figure; some speculate that part of the reason was that he had accumulated large legal expenses (amount unclear) in the lawsuit, which under English law, when you are losing party to a tort suit, you as loser pay legal expenses for the winning party (too bad the US is not this way - it would cut down on frivolous lawsuits!) He of course retained all future royalties coming his way from songwriting and from album sales, but the impression I get is that he has not participated in future Moody Blues concert revenue, which in itself is very surprising to me. Steve Perry participates in Journey tour revenue. I wish I knew more about the internal business agreements that resulted from his leaving the band!
One additional thing, Pinder from all reports was going through a lot of personal stress and turmoil at the time and apparently said some nasty things to all members of the band and to producer Tony Clarke during the recording sessions. Maybe his overinflated ego was crashing on the cliffs of reality. The most famous incident that is widely reported: in the recording studio, Justin was discussing a production issue with Graeme Edge. Pinder hears them talking and loudly interjects to Justin: "Why are you asking him (ie Graeme Edge) about the song? He's only the drummer." This was apparently the kind of behavior really caused a rift within the band and poisoned Pinder's relationship with the other members (except for Ray Thomas, who he has remained close to). And I might add that Edge was a significant contributor to the Moodies beyond being a drummer - as a songwriter, and writer and narrator of a lot of the spoken word passages between songs in the early "Core 7" Moody Blues albums.
Many years later, Pinder apologized profusely on YouTube to Graeme Edge for what he said back then. It was really a full throated "I'm sorry, please forgive me kind of thing." Regardless, from all interviews I've heard and read, there is no way the existing remaining three Moody Blues - Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge (Ray Thomas retired in 2006) would ever work again with Pinder. Of course, if the Moodies ever get inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, that might change the dynamics a bit and get them together. But since the Rock Hall of Fame, which is controlled by Jann Wenner, is proving itself to be more inclined to induct zero talent hacks like Patty Smith, Lou Reed, NWA, Run DMC, and Joan Jett, I am not expecting a Moody Blues induction any time soon. Unless somehow Wenner goes away somehow (we can only hope!). ~ DM
Again I love the Moody Blues and love Mike Pinder's phenomenal contribution. His innovations on the Mellotron are revolutionary, and is a great songwriter and singer. And even his lyrics, which some criticize as bombastic, I think are upbeat and hopeful; it is when he went in the solo direction that I believe his ego and his lyrics started becoming a little over the top.
What follows is pieced together from various stories and reports as well as anecdotes from friends who knew people in the Moodies' organization, but lots of this is speculation.
Pinder had moved to the United States "permanently" after the band took a long hiatus after an extensive tour that ended in 1974. In the eyes of many, the Moodies had broken up. In the intervening four years between 1974 and 1978, Pinder had divorced, remarried an American woman, and moved to the United States, where he was trying to establish permanent residency. He was concerned that his immigration status would be threatened if he left the USA to record the next album in England and tour. Meanwhile, Justin Hayward was indeed emerging as the dominant force in the band and this his apparently grated on Pinder. He and Ray Thomas started the band and now Hayward was emerging as the leader and star.
Pinder at this point thought he was in a position to go to the next level as a solo performer and released a solo album in 1976. I personally feel that by this time he had an over-inflated view of his own talents and of the "cosmic wisdom" that we would "pass down" to the masses. He released a rather pompous "let me tell you how it is from on high" unsuccessful solo album, The Promise, in 1976 that was poorly received. With his solo career not taking off, perhaps he was more open to getting back together with his bandmates.
But because of Pinder's immigration issues, there was some compromisse reached. They would record their "comeback" album of 1978 - "Octave" - in the United States. They would record in Malibu in a high quality studio that of which Pinder was part owner. of. I am not sure if there was at the time an expectation that Pinder would tour with the band to support Octave. But by the time the album was finished, there had been so much discord that Pinder had left the band and newly hired keyboardist (an employee and not partner in the band) Patrick Moraz took over in that spot.
The California recording sessions were full of conflict from the beginning, and Pinder was difficult to deal with.This was the first time the Moody Blues recorded outside of their home base of London, away from their homes and families and their normal recording "routine." It was personally disruptive for the others to be away from home, especially considering that they would be spending more time away from home while on tour to support the album after it was released.
On top of the internal band friction during the recording sessions, the Los Angeles weather in January and February was uncharacteristically rainy - record shattering biggest rains. And Justin Hayward and Tony Clarke, the producer, were involved in a serious traffic accident on the Pacific Coast Highway that in part was caused by the heavy rains and their lack of familiarity with navigating the vary dangerous PCH. Hayward and Clarke were quite shaken up by the experience but the extent of their injuries was always downplayed and the fact that they were injured at all was not disclosed. Who knows if there were whiplash and orthopedic issues that resulted. It did cause a delay of at least a couple of weeks in the production while Hayward and Clarke were recuperating. And apparently the accident was one more factor that contributed to Clarke descending into a deep depression that really hampered his ability to function during the Los Angeles recording sessions. There are many stories about Justin Hayward walking on the beach with Tony trying to cheer him up and keep him from slipping further into a mental hole and going into an alcoholic haze. So the entire Octave sessions were very stressful for all involved; it is a miracle that an album as good as Octave resulted.
The Mellotron / Chamberlain was only used in the one song Pinder contributed- "One Step Into The Light." A Hammond B-3 style organ was used in places for the first time the Hammond appeared in a Moody Blues song. Three Moodies songs used actual string rather than Mellotron or Chamberlain strings.
Normally each member would contribute at least two songs to an album; here Pinder contributed one song and Hayward contributed four. Perhaps there was also internal discord over what songs would be used, which further exacerbated Pinder's frustration. By this point the balance of power and also balance of talent had shifted in Hayward's direction; this must have further irritated Pinder.
Again, I'm just speculating here based on what I have read and heard from people close to the situation, but I don't really know. The Moodies have always been very tight lipped about their internal band dynamics; Justin Hayward keeps it almost too close to the vest, but lately seems to be revealing bits and pieces of the story more frequently.
I must say that despite the friction described, there is much about Octave thatis great - particularly the Justin Hayward songs. People speak of the "core seven" Moodies songs. I would almost call them the "Core 8+" albums. To me Blue Jays is almost at the level of the core seven albums, and Octave has some strong songs here. When combined, Blue Jays and Octave together must at least add up to 1, right? And that makes 8+ !!
So the Octave album tour did not include Pinder. Pinder ended up suing the band and the record label in England for an injunction to stop them from billing themselves as The Moody Blues on the tour. Pinder lost the lawsuit and of course by then was out of the band permanently. How he was compensated as a result of the band split-up is not clear, but it appears that he completely sold his interest to the rest of the Moody Blues for a surprisingly low dollar figure; some speculate that part of the reason was that he had accumulated large legal expenses (amount unclear) in the lawsuit, which under English law, when you are losing party to a tort suit, you as loser pay legal expenses for the winning party (too bad the US is not this way - it would cut down on frivolous lawsuits!) He of course retained all future royalties coming his way from songwriting and from album sales, but the impression I get is that he has not participated in future Moody Blues concert revenue, which in itself is very surprising to me. Steve Perry participates in Journey tour revenue. I wish I knew more about the internal business agreements that resulted from his leaving the band!
One additional thing, Pinder from all reports was going through a lot of personal stress and turmoil at the time and apparently said some nasty things to all members of the band and to producer Tony Clarke during the recording sessions. Maybe his overinflated ego was crashing on the cliffs of reality. The most famous incident that is widely reported: in the recording studio, Justin was discussing a production issue with Graeme Edge. Pinder hears them talking and loudly interjects to Justin: "Why are you asking him (ie Graeme Edge) about the song? He's only the drummer." This was apparently the kind of behavior really caused a rift within the band and poisoned Pinder's relationship with the other members (except for Ray Thomas, who he has remained close to). And I might add that Edge was a significant contributor to the Moodies beyond being a drummer - as a songwriter, and writer and narrator of a lot of the spoken word passages between songs in the early "Core 7" Moody Blues albums.
Many years later, Pinder apologized profusely on YouTube to Graeme Edge for what he said back then. It was really a full throated "I'm sorry, please forgive me kind of thing." Regardless, from all interviews I've heard and read, there is no way the existing remaining three Moody Blues - Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge (Ray Thomas retired in 2006) would ever work again with Pinder. Of course, if the Moodies ever get inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, that might change the dynamics a bit and get them together. But since the Rock Hall of Fame, which is controlled by Jann Wenner, is proving itself to be more inclined to induct zero talent hacks like Patty Smith, Lou Reed, NWA, Run DMC, and Joan Jett, I am not expecting a Moody Blues induction any time soon. Unless somehow Wenner goes away somehow (we can only hope!). ~ DM
Moody Blues To Be Inducted Into
Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame in April 2018
The Moody Blues are finally voted into the Rock Hall of Fame! About time! Sadly, Ray Thomas passed away January 4, 2018, just months before the induction ceremony.
Bob Lefsetz of the Lefsetz Letter ( http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ ) just wrote a very insightful tribute (on January 10, 2018) to the Moody Blues and to Ray Thomas, which it posted below.
Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame in April 2018
The Moody Blues are finally voted into the Rock Hall of Fame! About time! Sadly, Ray Thomas passed away January 4, 2018, just months before the induction ceremony.
Bob Lefsetz of the Lefsetz Letter ( http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ ) just wrote a very insightful tribute (on January 10, 2018) to the Moody Blues and to Ray Thomas, which it posted below.
From Bob Lefsetz:
"We listened to "Days Of Future Passed" on the drive to college. It was one of, if not the only, albums my father could tolerate, a man who was a huge music fan who never cottoned to rock and roll.
It was not like today, when hip-hop bears little resemblance to what came before, other than the borrowing of a riff, although that era is past, we all grew up with classical music and show tunes and had a soft spot in our heart for them.
And speaking of that soft spot, I don't think the Moody Blues could make it today. Because they filled a niche that no longer exists. One wherein you sat in your bedroom alone, disconnected from a world that was oftentimes unsatisfying, and basked in this mellifluous sound. Now everybody's networked and connected, no one is really that out there, and if you are, you're put down, whereas that was our link back then, we were alienated outsiders, now everybody wants to be an insider and even nerds are trumpeted, but not back then.
We all knew "Go Now," the Denny Laine-sung song that flew up the chart that still works today.
"We've already said goodbye"
Sounds so quaint now, but it wasn't back then, then it was dark and meaningful, like life. The truth is people haven't changed, despite protestations by so-called winners and social networking preeners, people have no clue, they're feeling it out as they go along, faking it until they make it. And this experimentation and ethos used to be embodied in music, which is why rock became so big, but Reagan legitimized greed and MTV made everybody a visual star and...
It was never quite the same again.
There was no London Festival Orchestra, just a made-up name, but that does not mean people did not embrace "Days Of Future Passed," it featured two instant smashes, even though it took years for "Nights In White Satin" to become ubiquitous, but I always preferred "Tuesday Afternoon," speaking of haunting, this is why I lay on my bed and listened to music incessantly, the sound was rich, a magic carpet that carried you away to a better place, if people could make this music I wanted to get on board.
And on that album, two songs were written and sung by Ray Thomas, "Another Morning" and "Twilight Time." "Another Time" was straight out of "Peter and the Wolf," we knew this sound, now it was filtered into a new generation. My father would sit in the front seat as the sound emanated from the Norelco cassette deck, the one in my hand, not in the dash, and nod his head and sing along, what more could you ask for, that was nearly the entire extent of our father/son bonding.
And Thomas's "Twilight Time" represented the magic hour well, it was after the brightness of the day.
But the next Moodys album I purchased was "On The Threshold Of A Dream."
After breaking through the Moody Blues went on their own hejira, in their own direction, there were opuses with no singles and you either were a member of the club or you were not, and in that era if you didn't buy the albums you were not, you just heard about them via clued-in friends.
"On The Threshold Of A Dream" had a gatefold cover and a lyric sheet and I'd lie on the floor and listen and read and the track I liked most was "Send Me No Wine," and "Never Comes The Day" almost as much, but the song that creeped me out, that affected me the most, was "Dear Diary." This was before blogs, when people still did that, write in diaries. And the track was melancholy and weird and all together different from the rest of the record. I had to know more, that's when I read about Ray Thomas, with his moustache and flute, was he really in this band? Yes, he was, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!
And there was an almost equally bizarre song on the second side by Thomas, "Lazy Day." This music was made in a vacuum, sans influences, it cared not a whit whether you were involved or not, you could open the door and enter its universe or not.
But if you did...
And just before I went to college for the very first time, the Moodys released their breakthrough LP, "A Question Of Balance." In retrospect, it was the weakest of the Hayward/Lodge era to that point, but the title cut was a radio smash, finally. But its best song was a Thomas composition, "And The Tide Rushes In." He was a master of this meaningful mood, this was less strange than his compositions on "On The Threshold Of A Dream," but still maintained that mood.
"You keep looking for someone
To tell your troubles to"
Isn't that what we're all looking for? So simple, yet so right.
And now I was in college, ensconced on the third floor of Hepburn Hall, all boys, just before the advent of coed dorms. And during winter term, right now, January of '71, I made friends with the stoner crowd, when that was people who imbibed instead of talked slowly and were out of it, and we'd meet every evening in Dave McCormick's room on the second floor and...
Dave had the missing albums, "In Search of the Lost Chord' and "To Our Children's Children's Children."
In retrospect, it's all about "In Search of the Lost Chord." It had little traction upon its release in '68, but it was a whole concept that once hooked you were completely engrossed by. Ultimately, John Lodge's "Ride My See-Saw" gained ubiquity, upon which Thomas contributed vocals, all members of the group but the drummer, Graeme Edge, did, but the key cut on the entire LP was something entitled "Legend of a Mind."
"Timothy Leary's dead
No, no, he's outside looking in"
Now you've got to picture it. We're a group of teenagers sitting in an overheated room in sub-freezing weather high on dope with the zilch dripping down and this six and a half minute opus was the soundtrack. The threshold to acceptance was barely there, and once you were enraptured you were taken away via the movements, singing "Timothy Leary," drifting along with the music when dope was still used mostly to aid your understanding and appreciation of the music. This is one of those cuts I think the younger generation would cotton to if they just heard it. It makes no reference to the top forty, it's in its own world, and when it hits the instrumental and surfs the zeitgeist you're flying above the earth, twisting and turning along with it, back when music wasn't in your face but in your pocket, a magical elixir that could change your life, no wonder we all followed it into this business.
Thomas also had another winner on "In Search of the Lost Chord," fans all know "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume."
"We're all looking for someone"
Now everybody tells us they have the answers, but back then the musicians did not, which drew us ever closer to them. They understood the game better than we did, we were jumping through the hoops of school, they'd jettisoned the system for an alternative world, the idea of selling out to the corporation was anathema, after all...
"I've still not found what I'm looking for"
"To Our Children's Children's Children" is a forgotten masterpiece, incredibly solid, sans hits, but you can play it from beginning to end without lifting the needle and when you do it's a revelation. I love "Candle Of Life," it's probably my favorite on the LP, no one does this anymore, meaningful without being sappy, especially a song that's not a single.
"Something you can't hide
Says you're lonely"
And we were. There was no Tinder, no dating apps, we went out to bars and clubs and were ignored, all we had to get us through were our records.
But the song that I think of when I think of "To Our Children's Children's Children" is Thomas's "Eternity Road."
"Traveling eternity road
What will you find there
Carrying your heavy load
Searching to find a piece of mind"
We were searching, that was what the sixties and seventies were all about. Today life is too harsh, people play it safe, otherwise you can't make it.
Thomas also wrote and sang "Floating" on "To Our Children's Children's Children," another solid track on a solid album.
Ultimately, Thomas wrote and sang "Our Guessing Game" and "Nice To Be Here" on 71's "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour," but the bloom was off the rose, they were completely serviceable, the latter better than that, but now it wasn't so much about the albums but the hits, and Justin Hayward had one in "The Story In Your Eyes," it eclipsed the rest of the record.
And "Seventh Sojourn" continued this paradigm. There was a modest hit, "Isn't Life Strange" and an even bigger one, "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)," which the Moody Blues really were not, they were their own paradigm, and not exactly filler, but nothing as magical as what had come before. Thomas's "For My Lady" was one of the strongest tracks on the LP, but I can't say that I played it incessantly.
And then I stopped, just as they did. They realized it was over, the well had run dry, and the band broke up and didn't reunite until '78 with "Octave." I was done, but I still listened to the old records, they were burned into my brain.
And now Ray Thomas is dead.
Pinder left the band long ago.
Thomas stopped touring around the millennium. And Hayward and Lodge needed the name to continue, so they did, along with Edge, and there's a band plying the boards but somehow the magic's been lost, if only the Moody Blues had all died in a plane crash, they'd be legendary today, living kills your career. Look at John Sebastian, who's also lost his voice, when are we gonna acknowledge the greatness of his work?
But the Moodys not only had a long run, but they started their own genre, which I'm hesitant to label, "symphonic rock," "art rock," "classical rock"? Who cares, but they were not limited by trends, they went their own way, and won.
And Thomas was and is overshadowed by the giants Hayward and Lodge became. The dignified guy who played the flute... But in hindsight, he was an integral member of the Moody Blues, and provided leavening no other member could, his compositions were not only for royalties, they added flavor.
But now he's gone.
But he was 76. That seems young today, when people regularly live into their nineties. But not everybody. Forget those who die via misadventure, the Big C is always lurking, the older you live the greater the odds something's gonna get you.
And it got Ray Thomas, mere months before the Moodys' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But that institution does not matter, it's the music that does. But having said that, so many undeserving acts got inducted before they did, thank god this wrong has been righted.
You see when you break the mold people don't like it. What category do you put the band in? You can't see Ray Thomas destroying hotel rooms. There was little personal mystery, few shenanigans, only music.
But that was enough.
I'm not sure if the Moody Blues will ever have a renaissance, they really haven't even gotten their victory lap, but if you were a fan, and they were legion, the band holds a special place in your heart, there was no competition, they set your mind free, took you on an adventure, AND IT ALL SOUNDED SO GOOD!
Ray Thomas was not a footnote.
The Moody Blues were not an also-ran.
They were part of the fabric when music drove the culture and ruled the world.
And in the eyes and ears of those who were there...
THEY STILL DO!"
(Bob Lefsetz 1/10/18 The Lefsetz Letter http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ )
(And here is a Moody Blues / Ray Thomas Spotify playlist that Lefsetz put together. http://spoti.fi/2AOiFp2 )
"We listened to "Days Of Future Passed" on the drive to college. It was one of, if not the only, albums my father could tolerate, a man who was a huge music fan who never cottoned to rock and roll.
It was not like today, when hip-hop bears little resemblance to what came before, other than the borrowing of a riff, although that era is past, we all grew up with classical music and show tunes and had a soft spot in our heart for them.
And speaking of that soft spot, I don't think the Moody Blues could make it today. Because they filled a niche that no longer exists. One wherein you sat in your bedroom alone, disconnected from a world that was oftentimes unsatisfying, and basked in this mellifluous sound. Now everybody's networked and connected, no one is really that out there, and if you are, you're put down, whereas that was our link back then, we were alienated outsiders, now everybody wants to be an insider and even nerds are trumpeted, but not back then.
We all knew "Go Now," the Denny Laine-sung song that flew up the chart that still works today.
"We've already said goodbye"
Sounds so quaint now, but it wasn't back then, then it was dark and meaningful, like life. The truth is people haven't changed, despite protestations by so-called winners and social networking preeners, people have no clue, they're feeling it out as they go along, faking it until they make it. And this experimentation and ethos used to be embodied in music, which is why rock became so big, but Reagan legitimized greed and MTV made everybody a visual star and...
It was never quite the same again.
There was no London Festival Orchestra, just a made-up name, but that does not mean people did not embrace "Days Of Future Passed," it featured two instant smashes, even though it took years for "Nights In White Satin" to become ubiquitous, but I always preferred "Tuesday Afternoon," speaking of haunting, this is why I lay on my bed and listened to music incessantly, the sound was rich, a magic carpet that carried you away to a better place, if people could make this music I wanted to get on board.
And on that album, two songs were written and sung by Ray Thomas, "Another Morning" and "Twilight Time." "Another Time" was straight out of "Peter and the Wolf," we knew this sound, now it was filtered into a new generation. My father would sit in the front seat as the sound emanated from the Norelco cassette deck, the one in my hand, not in the dash, and nod his head and sing along, what more could you ask for, that was nearly the entire extent of our father/son bonding.
And Thomas's "Twilight Time" represented the magic hour well, it was after the brightness of the day.
But the next Moodys album I purchased was "On The Threshold Of A Dream."
After breaking through the Moody Blues went on their own hejira, in their own direction, there were opuses with no singles and you either were a member of the club or you were not, and in that era if you didn't buy the albums you were not, you just heard about them via clued-in friends.
"On The Threshold Of A Dream" had a gatefold cover and a lyric sheet and I'd lie on the floor and listen and read and the track I liked most was "Send Me No Wine," and "Never Comes The Day" almost as much, but the song that creeped me out, that affected me the most, was "Dear Diary." This was before blogs, when people still did that, write in diaries. And the track was melancholy and weird and all together different from the rest of the record. I had to know more, that's when I read about Ray Thomas, with his moustache and flute, was he really in this band? Yes, he was, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!
And there was an almost equally bizarre song on the second side by Thomas, "Lazy Day." This music was made in a vacuum, sans influences, it cared not a whit whether you were involved or not, you could open the door and enter its universe or not.
But if you did...
And just before I went to college for the very first time, the Moodys released their breakthrough LP, "A Question Of Balance." In retrospect, it was the weakest of the Hayward/Lodge era to that point, but the title cut was a radio smash, finally. But its best song was a Thomas composition, "And The Tide Rushes In." He was a master of this meaningful mood, this was less strange than his compositions on "On The Threshold Of A Dream," but still maintained that mood.
"You keep looking for someone
To tell your troubles to"
Isn't that what we're all looking for? So simple, yet so right.
And now I was in college, ensconced on the third floor of Hepburn Hall, all boys, just before the advent of coed dorms. And during winter term, right now, January of '71, I made friends with the stoner crowd, when that was people who imbibed instead of talked slowly and were out of it, and we'd meet every evening in Dave McCormick's room on the second floor and...
Dave had the missing albums, "In Search of the Lost Chord' and "To Our Children's Children's Children."
In retrospect, it's all about "In Search of the Lost Chord." It had little traction upon its release in '68, but it was a whole concept that once hooked you were completely engrossed by. Ultimately, John Lodge's "Ride My See-Saw" gained ubiquity, upon which Thomas contributed vocals, all members of the group but the drummer, Graeme Edge, did, but the key cut on the entire LP was something entitled "Legend of a Mind."
"Timothy Leary's dead
No, no, he's outside looking in"
Now you've got to picture it. We're a group of teenagers sitting in an overheated room in sub-freezing weather high on dope with the zilch dripping down and this six and a half minute opus was the soundtrack. The threshold to acceptance was barely there, and once you were enraptured you were taken away via the movements, singing "Timothy Leary," drifting along with the music when dope was still used mostly to aid your understanding and appreciation of the music. This is one of those cuts I think the younger generation would cotton to if they just heard it. It makes no reference to the top forty, it's in its own world, and when it hits the instrumental and surfs the zeitgeist you're flying above the earth, twisting and turning along with it, back when music wasn't in your face but in your pocket, a magical elixir that could change your life, no wonder we all followed it into this business.
Thomas also had another winner on "In Search of the Lost Chord," fans all know "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume."
"We're all looking for someone"
Now everybody tells us they have the answers, but back then the musicians did not, which drew us ever closer to them. They understood the game better than we did, we were jumping through the hoops of school, they'd jettisoned the system for an alternative world, the idea of selling out to the corporation was anathema, after all...
"I've still not found what I'm looking for"
"To Our Children's Children's Children" is a forgotten masterpiece, incredibly solid, sans hits, but you can play it from beginning to end without lifting the needle and when you do it's a revelation. I love "Candle Of Life," it's probably my favorite on the LP, no one does this anymore, meaningful without being sappy, especially a song that's not a single.
"Something you can't hide
Says you're lonely"
And we were. There was no Tinder, no dating apps, we went out to bars and clubs and were ignored, all we had to get us through were our records.
But the song that I think of when I think of "To Our Children's Children's Children" is Thomas's "Eternity Road."
"Traveling eternity road
What will you find there
Carrying your heavy load
Searching to find a piece of mind"
We were searching, that was what the sixties and seventies were all about. Today life is too harsh, people play it safe, otherwise you can't make it.
Thomas also wrote and sang "Floating" on "To Our Children's Children's Children," another solid track on a solid album.
Ultimately, Thomas wrote and sang "Our Guessing Game" and "Nice To Be Here" on 71's "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour," but the bloom was off the rose, they were completely serviceable, the latter better than that, but now it wasn't so much about the albums but the hits, and Justin Hayward had one in "The Story In Your Eyes," it eclipsed the rest of the record.
And "Seventh Sojourn" continued this paradigm. There was a modest hit, "Isn't Life Strange" and an even bigger one, "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)," which the Moody Blues really were not, they were their own paradigm, and not exactly filler, but nothing as magical as what had come before. Thomas's "For My Lady" was one of the strongest tracks on the LP, but I can't say that I played it incessantly.
And then I stopped, just as they did. They realized it was over, the well had run dry, and the band broke up and didn't reunite until '78 with "Octave." I was done, but I still listened to the old records, they were burned into my brain.
And now Ray Thomas is dead.
Pinder left the band long ago.
Thomas stopped touring around the millennium. And Hayward and Lodge needed the name to continue, so they did, along with Edge, and there's a band plying the boards but somehow the magic's been lost, if only the Moody Blues had all died in a plane crash, they'd be legendary today, living kills your career. Look at John Sebastian, who's also lost his voice, when are we gonna acknowledge the greatness of his work?
But the Moodys not only had a long run, but they started their own genre, which I'm hesitant to label, "symphonic rock," "art rock," "classical rock"? Who cares, but they were not limited by trends, they went their own way, and won.
And Thomas was and is overshadowed by the giants Hayward and Lodge became. The dignified guy who played the flute... But in hindsight, he was an integral member of the Moody Blues, and provided leavening no other member could, his compositions were not only for royalties, they added flavor.
But now he's gone.
But he was 76. That seems young today, when people regularly live into their nineties. But not everybody. Forget those who die via misadventure, the Big C is always lurking, the older you live the greater the odds something's gonna get you.
And it got Ray Thomas, mere months before the Moodys' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But that institution does not matter, it's the music that does. But having said that, so many undeserving acts got inducted before they did, thank god this wrong has been righted.
You see when you break the mold people don't like it. What category do you put the band in? You can't see Ray Thomas destroying hotel rooms. There was little personal mystery, few shenanigans, only music.
But that was enough.
I'm not sure if the Moody Blues will ever have a renaissance, they really haven't even gotten their victory lap, but if you were a fan, and they were legion, the band holds a special place in your heart, there was no competition, they set your mind free, took you on an adventure, AND IT ALL SOUNDED SO GOOD!
Ray Thomas was not a footnote.
The Moody Blues were not an also-ran.
They were part of the fabric when music drove the culture and ruled the world.
And in the eyes and ears of those who were there...
THEY STILL DO!"
(Bob Lefsetz 1/10/18 The Lefsetz Letter http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ )
(And here is a Moody Blues / Ray Thomas Spotify playlist that Lefsetz put together. http://spoti.fi/2AOiFp2 )
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to those who have contributed to this site so far: Robert Stanton, Jeanne Stanton, Don Davison, Mark Smith, Joan Chapin, Kyle Wyatt, Martin Bradley, Marla Martin Anderson, Debbie Langdon Bradford, Lilly Hespen Menezes, Alan Herren, Mike Welch, Mary Jane Porter Perna, Susan Turner Pohlmann, Mark Bibler, Joe Cutrufelli, Jeff Sumida, Alice Valdez Gerschler, Jon Wren, Duke Quinones, Susie Rochon Henderson, Pat Duffy, Gerald Armstrong, Carl Becker, Dennis Taylor, Mike Ventimiglia, Jack Frost, Steve Martin, Tom Russo Sr., Chuck Della Sala, Mel Hagio, Rick Hattori, Eddie Van Houtte, Victor Henry and Dennis Copeland. We expect to be hearing from others soon!
Special thanks to those who have contributed to this site so far: Robert Stanton, Jeanne Stanton, Don Davison, Mark Smith, Joan Chapin, Kyle Wyatt, Martin Bradley, Marla Martin Anderson, Debbie Langdon Bradford, Lilly Hespen Menezes, Alan Herren, Mike Welch, Mary Jane Porter Perna, Susan Turner Pohlmann, Mark Bibler, Joe Cutrufelli, Jeff Sumida, Alice Valdez Gerschler, Jon Wren, Duke Quinones, Susie Rochon Henderson, Pat Duffy, Gerald Armstrong, Carl Becker, Dennis Taylor, Mike Ventimiglia, Jack Frost, Steve Martin, Tom Russo Sr., Chuck Della Sala, Mel Hagio, Rick Hattori, Eddie Van Houtte, Victor Henry and Dennis Copeland. We expect to be hearing from others soon!
