The View from the Hill

Last updated

The View from the Hill
The View from the Hill.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 15, 1996
Recorded1995–1996
Mullinetti Studios Recco Italy
Genre Rock
Length58:59
Label CMC International
Producer Phil Palmer
Justin Hayward chronology
Justin Hayward and Friends Sing the Moody Blues Classic Hits
(1994)
The View from the Hill
(1996)
Live in San Juan Capistrano
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

The View from the Hill is a solo album released in 1996 by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.

Contents

Background

In a 1996 interview, Hayward discusses making the album and how it was his first time recording an album from start to finish as a single batch of songs. He explains, "My other albums were collections of random bits of recording that I would finally put out once I had an album's worth of material. This is the first time I've ever done this, made an album from start to finish. It means a lot to me, and I know that it's good. At the very least, [The View from the Hill] will make your hi-fi sound good... It's a trippy, dreamy, romantic kind of thing. I came to the Moody Blues as a singer-songwriter, and that's always what I felt I was and am. If I'm writing for the Moodies, then I'm speaking for the rest of the band as well as myself. But when I write for myself, I feel it's much freer. It's probably a lot more from my heart and more revealing, more honest. Being a solo artist is more of a priority than it used to be. But I love doing both and selfishly want to have it both ways." [2]

Track listing

All songs written by Justin Hayward unless noted.

  1. "I Heard It" - 5:37
  2. "Broken Dream" - 5:52
  3. "The Promised Land" (Paul Bliss, Phil Palmer) - 7:26
  4. "It's Not Too Late" - 5:02
  5. "Something to Believe In" (Paul Bliss, Phil Palmer) - 4:22
  6. "The Way of the World" - 5:08
  7. "Sometimes Less Is More" (Dennis Lambert, Hayward) - 4:08
  8. "Troubadour" - 6:34
  9. "Shame" - 4:35
  10. "Billy" - 7:00
  11. "Children of Paradise" (Hayward, Mickey Féat) - 3:15

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Moody Blues</span> English band

The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964. The band initially consisted of drummer Graeme Edge, guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine, keyboardist/vocalist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Ray Thomas, and bassist/vocalist Clint Warwick. 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 left the band by the end of 1966, being replaced by guitarist/vocalist Justin Hayward and bassist/vocalist John Lodge. 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".

<i>A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra</i> 1993 live album by The Moody Blues

A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra is a live album by The Moody Blues, recorded from a live performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 9 September 1992. This performance was the first time The Moody Blues performed in concert backed by a full orchestra. The concert was held in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their second album, Days of Future Passed, which had featured the London Festival Orchestra. The full video of this concert was broadcast as a fundraising broadcast for PBS in the United States.

<i>A Question of Balance</i> 1970 studio album by the Moody Blues

A Question of Balance is the sixth album by the Moody Blues, released in 1970. The album reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom and No. 3 in the United States.

<i>On the Threshold of a Dream</i> 1969 studio album by the Moody Blues

On the Threshold of a Dream is the fourth album by the Moody Blues, released in April 1969 on the Deram label. The album reached the top of the album charts, the group's first No. 1 album in the UK. According to guitarist Justin Hayward, "I think Threshold is the defining album for the Moody Blues. And it's the one in the '60's that you would find in people's homes when you went, they would have that album."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Hayward</span> British musician, lead singer and guitarist of the Moody Blues

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.

<i>In Search of the Lost Chord</i> 1968 studio album by The Moody Blues

In Search of the Lost Chord is the third album by the Moody Blues, released in July 1968 on the Deram label.

<i>Seventh Sojourn</i> 1972 studio album by the Moody Blues

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.

<i>Octave</i> (album) 1978 studio album by the Moody Blues

Octave is the ninth album by the Moody Blues, released in 1978, and their first release after a substantial hiatus following the success of the best-selling Seventh Sojourn in 1972. Released after a considerable break, which saw The Moody Blues returning in an era of punk music and disco, Octave produced a reduced commercial outcome for the band, but reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom and went platinum in the United States, where the album reached No. 13. The album produced the hit single "Steppin' in a Slide Zone", which hit No. 39 in the US, in addition to "Driftwood". The album's title is a musical pun: it references both the notion of an octave; and as a word derived from the Latin octavus it refers to this being the eighth album by this line-up of the Moody Blues.

<i>Sur la Mer</i> 1988 studio album by the Moody Blues

Sur la Mer is the thirteenth album by the Moody Blues. It was released in 1988. It features the hit single "I Know You're Out There Somewhere", a sequel to their 1986 hit "Your Wildest Dreams". Much of the music on the album would fit in the "synthpop" genre, though it does incorporate more rock and acoustic influences than its predecessor.

<i>Keys of the Kingdom</i> 1991 studio album by the Moody Blues

Keys of the Kingdom is the fourteenth album by the rock band the Moody Blues, released in 1991. Although some of the tracks recall the songwriting on Sur la Mer, the failure of Keys of the Kingdom to produce any major hit singles would mark the beginning of the Moodies' decline in popularity with mainstream audiences after their success in the MTV video generation.

<i>Live in San Juan Capistrano</i> 1998 live album by Justin Hayward

Live in San Juan Capistrano is a live album by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues, recorded in San Juan Capistrano, California in April 1998 and released that same year. The live set featured Gordon Marshall, Mickey Féat and Paul Bliss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Know You're Out There Somewhere</span> 1988 single by The Moody Blues

"I Know You're Out There Somewhere" is a 1988 single by the English rock band the Moody Blues. It was written by guitarist Justin Hayward, and it is the sequel to the Moody Blues' 1986 single "Your Wildest Dreams", also written by Hayward. It is the band's final Top 40 single in the United States, peaking at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Anthology</i> (The Moody Blues album) 1998 compilation album by The Moody Blues

Anthology is a compilation album by the progressive rock band the Moody Blues. It was released in the US on 20 October 1998. It was not released in the UK until 2001 under the title The Collection with different artwork but with the same tracks as the US release.

<i>Hall of Fame</i> (The Moody Blues album) 2000 live album by The Moody Blues

Hall of Fame is a live album by the progressive rock band the Moody Blues. It was recorded at a concert performed at the Royal Albert Hall, which included backing by a live orchestra. The album was released on 8 August 2000. It is the second Moody Blues live album to feature a live orchestra, with the first being A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. This is the last live release to feature Ray Thomas.

<i>Lovely to See You: Live</i> 2005 live album by The Moody Blues

Lovely to See You: Live is a two-disc live album by The Moody Blues. Released on 15 November 2005, Lovely to See You: Live was recorded at a performance at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, California. The album is named after The Moody Blues song "Lovely to See You", from their 1969 album On the Threshold of a Dream. Unlike the Moody Blues' two previous live albums A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Hall of Fame, Lovely to See You: Live does not feature a live orchestra. It is also their first live album since Ray Thomas retired due to health issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say It with Love</span> 1991 single by The Moody Blues

"Say It with Love" is the lead single from The Moody Blues 1991 album Keys of the Kingdom. Written by Justin Hayward, it was released as a single in June 1991, with "Lean on Me (Tonight)" on the B-side. "Say It with Love" was moderately successful, and charted at number 22 on the Mainstream Rock chart in 1991. In Canada, it reached number 36 in the RPM Top 100 Singles and number 28 in the RPM Top 40 AC.

<i>Justin Hayward and Friends Sing the Moody Blues Classic Hits</i> 1994 studio album by Justin Hayward

Justin Hayward and Friends Sing the Moody Blues Classic Hits is an album by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues with the Frankfurt Rock Orchestra and Michael Sadler of Saga and Shaun Williamson as guest-singers. It's an album of tracks taken from the Moody Blues discography, played with orchestral arrangements with lead vocal duties being taken in turn by Hayward, Sadler, and Williamson.

<i>Spirits of the Western Sky</i> 2013 studio album by Justin Hayward

Spirits of the Western Sky is a solo album by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues. It was Hayward's first solo album since his 1996 album The View from the Hill.

<i>Days of Future Passed Live</i> 2018 live album by The Moody Blues

Days of Future Passed Live is a live album by The Moody Blues that consists of their live performance at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto in 2017. The album was released on 23 March 2018.

References

  1. Burger, Jeff. "The View from the Hill - Justin Hayward | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  2. Seigal, Buddy (2 December 1996). "Riding a Seesaw Between the Moody Blues and a Solo Career". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 February 2024.