| The Magnificent Moodies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 July 1965 | |||
| Recorded | October 1964 – March 1965 | |||
| Genre | Beat | |||
| Length | 34:23 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Moody Blues chronology | ||||
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The Magnificent Moodies is the 1965 debut album by British rock band the Moody Blues, released on Decca Records.
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]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Record Mirror | [4] |
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.
All lead vocals by Denny Laine except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'll Go Crazy" | James Brown | 2:13 |
| 2. | "Something You Got" | Chris Kenner | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Go Now!" | Larry Banks, Milton Bennett | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Can't Nobody Love You" | James Mitchell | 4:06 |
| 5. | "I Don't Mind" (lead vocals: Mike Pinder) | James Brown | 3:26 |
| 6. | "I've Got a Dream" (lead vocals: Denny Laine and Clint Warwick) | Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich | 2:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let Me Go" | Denny Laine, Mike Pinder | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Stop" | Laine, Pinder | 2:05 |
| 3. | "Thank You Baby" | Laine, Pinder | 2:30 |
| 4. | "It Ain't Necessarily So" (lead vocals: Ray Thomas) | George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | 3:21 |
| 5. | "True Story" | Laine, Pinder | 1:46 |
| 6. | "Bye Bye Bird" | Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Dixon | 2:49 |
| Total length: | 34:23 | ||
| Go Now: The Moody Blues #1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 28 July 1965 |
| Recorded | October 1964 – March 1965 |
| Genre | Beat |
| Length | 34:03 |
| Label | London |
| Producer | |
| No. | Title | Writer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'll Go Crazy (mistitled "I Go Crazy")" | James Brown | 2:08 |
| 2. | "And My Baby's Gone" | Laine, Pinder | 2:15 |
| 3. | "Go Now!" | Banks, Bennett | 3:10 |
| 4. | "It's Easy Child" | Kay Bennett, Sue Sandler, Gene Redd | 3:10 |
| 5. | "Can't Nobody Love You" | Mitchell | 4:00 |
| 6. | "I've Got a Dream (mistitled "I Had a Dream")" | Barry, Greenwich | 2:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let Me Go" | Laine, Pinder | 3:08 |
| 2. | "I Don't Want to Go On Without You" | Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler | 2:45 |
| 3. | "True Story" | Laine, Pinder | 1:40 |
| 4. | "It Ain't Necessarily So" | G Gershwin, I Gershwin | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Bye Bye Bird (mistitled "Bye Bye Burd")" | Williamson, Dixon | 2:50 |
| 6. | "From the Bottom of My Heart" | Laine, Pinder | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 34:03 | ||
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.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Source: [7]
| Chart (1965–1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [8] | 8 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [9] | 60 |
| Date | Label | Format | Country | Catalog | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 July 1965 | Decca | LP | UK | LK 4711 | Original release. |
| 1970 | Decca | LP | UK | LK 4711 | Repress of the original release. |
| 1988 | London | CD | US | 820 758-2 | Original CD release including thirteen bonus tracks. |
| 1 June 1989 | London | CD | Japan | P25L-25026 | |
| 10 July 2006 | Repertoire | CD | UK | REP 5077 | Reissue including fourteen bonus tracks. |
| 15 July 2006 | Air Mail Archive | CD | Japan | AIRAC-1228 | Reissue including seven bonus tracks. |
| 2007 | The Great American Music Company | CD | US | 085 350 063 3 | Reissue missing "Bye Bye Bird," includes five bonus tracks. |
| 15 December 2014 | Esoteric Recordings | CD | Europe | ECLEC 22473 | 50th anniversary deluxe edition. |
| CD | ECLEC 2474 | Reissue including fifteen bonus tracks. | |||
| 18 April 2015 | LP | ECLECLP 2474 | Reissue of the original release. |
The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964. The band initially consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist/vocals), and Clint Warwick (bass/vocals). Originally part of the British beat and R&B scene of the early–mid 1960s, the band came to prominence with the UK No. 1 and US Top 10 single "Go Now" in late 1964/early 1965. Laine and Warwick both left the band in 1966, with Edge, Pinder and Thomas recruiting new members Justin Hayward (guitar/vocals) and John Lodge (bass/vocals). They embraced the psychedelic rock movement of the late 1960s, with their second album, 1967's Days of Future Passed, being a fusion of rock with classical music that established the band as pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock. It has been described as a "landmark" and "one of the first successful concept albums".
Days of Future Passed is the second studio album by English progressive rock band the Moody Blues, released on 10 November 1967, by Deram Records. It has been cited by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and others as one of the earliest albums of the progressive rock genre and one of rock music's first concept albums.
David Justin Hayward is an English musician. He was the guitarist and frontman of the rock band the Moody Blues from 1966 until that group's dissolution in 2018. He became the group's principal vocalist and its most prolific songwriter over the 1967–1974 period, and composed several international hit singles for the band.
In Search of the Lost Chord is the third album by the Moody Blues, released in July 1968 on the Deram label.
To Our Children's Children's Children is the fifth album by the Moody Blues, released in November 1969.
Seventh Sojourn is the eighth album by the Moody Blues, released in October 1972. The album reached No. 5 in the United Kingdom, and became the band's first American chart-topper, spending five weeks at No. 1 there to close out 1972.
"Nights in White Satin" is a song by English rock band The Moody Blues, written by Justin Hayward. It was first featured as the segment "The Night" on the album Days of Future Passed. When first released as a single in 1967, it reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart and number 103 in the United States in 1968. It was the first significant chart entry by the band since "Go Now" and its recent lineup change, in which Denny Laine and Clint Warwick had resigned and both Hayward and John Lodge had joined.
Brian Frederick Hines, known professionally as Denny Laine, was an English musician who co-founded two major rock bands: the Moody Blues and Wings. Laine played guitar in the Moody Blues from 1964 to 1966, and he sang their hit cover version of "Go Now". Laine befriended Paul McCartney of the Beatles, who later asked him to join his band Wings.
Raymond Thomas was an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member of the English progressive rock band the Moody Blues. His flute solo on the band's 1967 hit single "Nights in White Satin" is regarded as one of progressive rock's defining moments. In 2018, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.
Graeme Charles Edge was an English musician, songwriter and poet, best known as the co-founder and drummer of the English band the Moody Blues. In addition to his work with the Moody Blues, Edge worked as the bandleader of his own outfit, the Graeme Edge Band. He contributed his talents to a variety of other projects throughout his career. In 2018, Edge was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.
John Charles Lodge is an English musician, best known as bass guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and songwriter of the longstanding rock band the Moody Blues. He has also worked as a record producer and has collaborated with other musicians outside the band. In 2018, Lodge was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.
Caught Live + 5 is a live album by The Moody Blues, consisting of a 12 December 1969 live show at the Royal Albert Hall and five previously unreleased studio recordings from 1967 to 1968.
An Introduction to The Moody Blues is a compilation album by the early Moody Blues, led by Denny Laine. It includes all songs from The Magnificent Moodies except "True Story" and "Thank You Baby", but contains other early singles, as well as "People Gotta Go", which was only included on a rare French-only EP.
"Go Now" is a song composed by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett and first recorded by Bessie Banks, released as a single in January 1964. The best-known version was recorded by the Moody Blues and released the same year.
Japanese Tears is the third album by guitarist Denny Laine, released shortly before the demise of Paul McCartney's band Wings, of which Laine was a member. The album was released in 1980.
Clint Warwick was an English rock musician and the original bassist for the rock band the Moody Blues.
Nicky James, born Michael Clifford Nicholls, was a British musician and songwriter.
Michael Thomas Pinder was an English rock musician. He was a founding member and the original keyboard player of the rock group the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's ninth album Octave in 1978. Pinder was renowned for his technological contributions to rock music, most notably in the development and emergence of the Mellotron in 1960s rock music. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues. He was the last surviving member of the group's original lineup.
"Life's Not Life" is a song written by Denny Laine and Mike Pinder, initially recorded by their group the Moody Blues. The song, inspired by the Four Seasons, was recorded in a period where the band saw little commercial success and instabilities in their line-up, and is their only release to feature Rod Clark on bass. Despite being recorded and sung by Laine in September 1966, Decca Records chose to release the single in January 1967 after guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist John Lodge had replaced him and Clark. The single received extensive radio play, but failed to chart. Reviews of the single were positive upon initial release.
