|
- CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE
WEEK
- The Moody Blues "Days Of Future Passed" 1967 (UK)
This
week we are combining the relatively new "Beautiful Music To End Your
Tuesday" segment of the programme with ye olde Classic Album of the
Week. The Moody Blues were a huge deal from 1967-1972, combining
a proggy sensibility with romantic and philosophical pop rock. These
days they are among the more ubiquituos groups of their era to be found
in used record store bargain bins, for nobody else ever followed
their direction which combined high fallutin' conceptual rock with
English melancholy melodies, orchestras, flutes and of course poetry
(written by their drummer Graeme Edge). Thus, like Emerson Lake &
Palmer, the Moodys wind up being a dead limb on the tree of Rock music,
appreciated mainly by fogies who remember when and afficianados of the
Heavy music era (who aren't afraid of some light classical sounds). The
album that kicked off this group's period of great success is this
week's CAOTW, which is also the first rock album with fully integrated
orchestral arrangements and among the very first "concept albums"
that defined the progressive rock era. And as far as concept
albums go, this one is far more musically and conceptually coherent
than most (a song cycle about the hours of the day beginning with dawn
and ending with "Nights In White Satin"). But, ya know, it's basically a
classic of PSYCHEDELIC EASY LISTENING music as well! |
