The Magnificent Moodies

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The Magnificent Moodies
The magnificent moodies.jpg
Studio album by
Released23 July 1965 (1965-07-23)
RecordedOctober 1964 – March 1965
Genre Beat
Length34:23
Label Decca
Producer
The Moody Blues chronology
The Magnificent Moodies
(1965)
Days of Future Passed
(1967)

The Magnificent Moodies is the 1965 debut album by British rock band the Moody Blues, released on Decca Records.

Contents

Background

The Magnificent Moodies is the only album by the original line-up of Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Clint Warwick (bass/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (flute/harmonica/percussion/vocals) and Graeme Edge (drums). Lead vocals were shared by Laine, Pinder and Thomas. The album is a mix of rhythm and blues covers, including "Go Now" which had been a Number 1 hit single for the band earlier that year, and original songs by Laine and Pinder which show more of a Merseybeat influence. Also included is a cover of the George and Ira Gershwin standard "It Ain't Necessarily So".

The album was produced by Denny Cordell, with the exception of "Go Now" which was produced by Alex Wharton. [1] In-between "Go Now" and The Magnificent Moodies the band had released two more singles, "I Don't Want to Go On Without You" and "From the Bottom of My Heart", neither of which were included on the album. For the American and Canadian release on London Records, with the title Go Now: The Moody Blues #1, four songs were replaced with those two preceding singles and two B-sides, with a different running order of the tracks. One of the tracks that was replaced, "Stop", was released as a single in America and Canada later that year. The American and Canadian album also titled three of the songs incorrectly ("I'll Go Crazy" became "I Go Crazy", "I've Got a Dream" became "I Had a Dream" and "Bye Bye Bird" became "Bye Bye Burd"). [2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Release history

The sleeve notes on the back cover of the original UK release include an (undated) review by Virginia Ironside, music critic of Daily Mail , which concludes, "With the Moody Blues, all you need to write is "MAGNIFICENT" in pink lipstick and leave it at that". A specially-written prose poem by Donovan recommending the band was also included. The Donovan poem was also included on the back cover of the US release.

The band held a launch party for the album, with guests including George Harrison and Paul McCartney of the Beatles and Marianne Faithfull. [5]

The album did not make the Record Retailer / Music Week chart even though it reached number 5 in August 1965 in the New Musical Express album chart. The US album did not make the Billboard chart. It did however reach number 8 in Finland during the spring of 1966. [6]

After the album's release, the band issued two further non-album singles, "Everyday" in October 1965 and "Boulevard de la Madeleine" in June 1966 (in the US, the B-side of the latter, "This is My House (But Nobody Calls)", was the A-side). Warwick left the group in July 1966, and was replaced by Rod Clark on bass for a few months before he and Laine both departed in October 1966. One track recorded with Clark, "Life's Not Life", was released as a single in January 1967, by which time Edge, Pinder and Thomas had recruited new members Justin Hayward (guitar/vocals) and John Lodge (bass/vocals). The new line-up would release two more singles during 1967 – "Fly Me High" in May and "Love and Beauty" in September – before releasing the Moody Blues' second album Days of Future Passed in November that year.

At the height of The Moody Blues' U.S. success in 1970, Deram Records reissued the US version of the album with a new cover and title, In the Beginning (DES-18051). As with the original album, the reissue did not chart.

In 1976, a double compilation album entitled A Dream, which included the entire Magnificent Moodies album as well as single A- and B- sides from the pre-Days of Future Passed 1964 to 1967 period, was issued in much of western Europe, but only available on import in the UK.

Decca Records UK first issued The Magnificent Moodies on CD in 1988 with 13 bonus tracks, with mastering by Anthony Hawkins. Repertoire Records issued an abridged version of the CD in 1992 with only 7 bonus tracks. In 2006 the CD was reissued again, this time with 14 bonus tracks including the rare "People Gotta Go" not found on the 1988 Decca version. The CD also included, for the first time, a speed-corrected and undistorted version of "Go Now". The 2006 Repertoire CD was remastered by Eroc, who was the leader of the 1970s German rock band Grobschnitt.

Track listing

British version (The Magnificent Moodies)

All lead vocals by Denny Laine except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriterLength
1."I'll Go Crazy" James Brown 2:13
2."Something You Got" Chris Kenner 2:49
3."Go Now!" Larry Banks, Milton Bennett3:14
4."Can't Nobody Love You"James Mitchell4:06
5."I Don't Mind" (lead vocals: Mike Pinder)James Brown3:26
6."I've Got a Dream" (lead vocals: Denny Laine and Clint Warwick) Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich 2:50
Side two
No.TitleWriterLength
1."Let Me Go" Denny Laine, Mike Pinder 3:14
2."Stop"Laine, Pinder2:05
3."Thank You Baby"Laine, Pinder2:30
4."It Ain't Necessarily So" (lead vocals: Ray Thomas) George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin 3:21
5."True Story"Laine, Pinder1:46
6."Bye Bye Bird" Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Dixon 2:49
Total length:34:23

American and Canadian version (Go Now: The Moody Blues #1)

Go Now: The Moody Blues #1
Go Now- The Moody Blues.jpeg
Studio album by
Released28 July 1965 (1965-07-28)
RecordedOctober 1964 – March 1965
Genre Beat
Length34:03
Label London
Producer
Side one
No.TitleWriterLength
1."I'll Go Crazy (mistitled "I Go Crazy")"James Brown2:08
2."And My Baby's Gone"Laine, Pinder2:15
3."Go Now!"Banks, Bennett3:10
4."It's Easy Child"Kay Bennett, Sue Sandler, Gene Redd3:10
5."Can't Nobody Love You"Mitchell4:00
6."I've Got a Dream (mistitled "I Had a Dream")"Barry, Greenwich2:50
Side two
No.TitleWriterLength
1."Let Me Go"Laine, Pinder3:08
2."I Don't Want to Go On Without You" Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler 2:45
3."True Story"Laine, Pinder1:40
4."It Ain't Necessarily So"G Gershwin, I Gershwin2:47
5."Bye Bye Bird (mistitled "Bye Bye Burd")"Williamson, Dixon2:50
6."From the Bottom of My Heart"Laine, Pinder3:20
Total length:34:03

50th Anniversary Editions

On 15 December 2014, Esoteric Recordings issued a single CD version (ECLEC 2474) as well as a double CD deluxe version (ECLEC 22473) of the album in honor of the Moody Blues' 50th anniversary and the album's upcoming 50th anniversary. The single CD version and the first CD from the double CD version are identical and both versions utilize the original UK album artwork.

The single CD version and the first CD on the double CD version comprises the complete discography of the original 1964–1966 line-up of the Moody Blues. Tracks 1–12 are the original British Magnificent Moodies album, while the remaining tracks are single A- and B-sides and EP tracks. It also includes a previously unreleased early take of "Go Now".

Tracks 1–7 on the second CD are a previously unreleased demo session on 24 July 1964, tracks 8-19 are from the BBC's Saturday Club radio sessions in 1965, track 20 is a Coca-Cola commercial the band recorded in 1965 and the remaining tracks are previously unreleased 1966 recordings for a proposed second album.

All tracks are in mono except for tracks 21–29 on CD 2, which are in stereo.

CD 1
No.TitleLength
1."I'll Go Crazy"2:12
2."Something You Got"2:53
3."Go Now"3:13
4."Can't Nobody Love You?"4:03
5."I Don't Mind"3:28
6."I've Got a Dream"3:28
7."Let Me Go"3:13
8."Stop"2:06
9."Thank You Baby"2:29
10."It Ain't Necessarily So"3:21
11."True Story"1:45
12."Bye Bye Bird"2:54
13."Lose Your Money (But Don't Lose Your Mind)" (single A-side, 1964)2:00
14."Steal Your Heart Away" (single B-side ("Lose Your Money"), 1964)2:15
15."Go Now!" (first version recorded 1964, previously unreleased)3:49
16."It's Easy Child" (single B-side ("Go Now"), 1964)2:54
17."I Don't Want to Go on Without You" (single A-side, 1965)2:47
18."Time Is on My Side" (single B-side ("I Don't Want to Go on Without You"), 1965)3:04
19."From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" (single A-side, 1965)3:27
20."And My Baby's Gone" (single B-side ("From the Bottom of My Heart"), 1965)2:22
21."Everyday" (single A-side, 1965)1:49
22."You Don't (All The Time)" (single B-side ("Everyday"), 1965)2:22
23."Boulevard de la Madeleine" (single A-side, 1966)2:55
24."This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" (single B-side ("Boulevard de la Madeleine"), 1966)2:35
25."People Gotta Go" (France-only Boulevard de la Madeleine EP, 1966)2:36
26."Life's Not Life" (single A-side, recorded 1966, released 1967)2:36
27."He Can Win" (single B-side ("Life's Not Life"), recorded 1966, released 1967)2:25
Total length:75:01
CD 2 (all tracks previously unreleased)
No.TitleLength
1."Go Now!" (second version, 1964)3:54
2."Lose Your Money (But Don't Lose Your Mind)" (early version, 1964)2:04
3."Steal Your Heart Away" (early version, 1964)2:20
4."I'll Go Crazy" (first version, 1964)2:12
5."You Better Move On" (recorded 1964)4:00
6."Can't Nobody Love You" (first version, 1964)3:32
7."23rd Psalm" (recorded 1964)2:34
8."Go Now" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)3:12
9."I Don't Want To Go on Without You" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)2:44
10."I'll Go Crazy" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)1:58
11."From The Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)3:25
12."Jump Back" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)2:42
13."I've Got A Dream" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)2:42
14."And My Baby's Gone" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)2:16
15."It's Easy Child" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)3:06
16."Stop" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)1:58
17."Everyday" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)1:41
18."Interview with Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge / You Don't (All The Time)" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)3:25
19."I Want You to Know" (Saturday Club radio session, 1965)1:52
20."Coca Cola Commercial" (recorded 1965)1:05
21."Sad Song" (recorded 1966)2:21
22."This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" (first version, 1966)2:47
23."How Can We Hang on to a Dream" (first version, 1966)2:17
24."How Can We Hang on to a Dream" (remake, 1966)2:22
25."Jago & Jilly" (recorded 1966)2:45
26."We're Broken" (recorded 1966)3:12
27."I Really Haven't Got the Time" (early version, 1966)3:18
28."Red Wine" (recorded 1966)2:59
29."This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" (stereo mix, 1966)2:25
Total length:77:08

Musical personnel

The Moody Blues

Source: [7]

Additional personnel

Technical personnel

Charts

Chart (1965–1966)Peak
position
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [8] 8
French Albums (SNEP) [9] 60

Release history

DateLabelFormatCountryCatalogNotes
23 July 1965 Decca LP UKLK 4711Original release.
1970DeccaLPUKLK 4711Repress of the original release.
1988 London CD US820 758-2Original CD release including thirteen bonus tracks.
1 June 1989LondonCDJapanP25L-25026
10 July 2006 Repertoire CDUKREP 5077Reissue including fourteen bonus tracks.
15 July 2006Air Mail ArchiveCDJapanAIRAC-1228Reissue including seven bonus tracks.
2007The Great American Music CompanyCDUS085 350 063 3Reissue missing "Bye Bye Bird," includes five bonus tracks.
15 December 2014 Esoteric Recordings CDEuropeECLEC 2247350th anniversary deluxe edition.
CDECLEC 2474Reissue including fifteen bonus tracks.
18 April 2015LPECLECLP 2474Reissue of the original release.

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References

  1. Liner notes on Decca 4711.
  2. "Go Now – the Moody Blues | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. Eder, Bruce. "The Moody Blues: The Magnificent Moodies". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  4. Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (24 July 1965). "The Moodyblues: The Magnificent Moodles" (PDF). Record Mirror . No. 228. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  5. The Magnificent Moodies 50th Anniversary Edition liner notes page 18 (Media notes).
  6. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 179. ISBN   951-31-2503-3.
  7. "Go Now – the Moody Blues | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  8. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  9. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – M". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.Select Moody Blues from the menu, then press OK.