The Beatles

[howardS]

That's a great perspective Vlad, thanks. SoundwordA.D., I think he may have a point in that younger people who discover them are blown away perhaps in one huge "aha" moment. Then again, of course, not everyone understands the context that goes along with the release of the tunes. Obviously though, you got it!

My daughter responded to a show in the same way. She was not a fan and of course had her own music that she loved but then I took her to see Sir Paul and it all changed. Proud dad moment: here is a review that my daughter, Cara, wrote after I took her to see Sir Paul. I think my favourite line from the review was "I’ll admit I only knew most of the songs from hearing them in my Dad’s car as I grew up". :) Anyhow, since then she travelled to Liverpool and London and visited many of Beatles sites around those towns. I think her pics on that site include pics from Penny Lane, the barber-shop, Strawberry Fields as well as others are on her site somewhere. She texted me right before she crossed Abbey Road so I could watch her on the webcam that is at the intersection broadcasting live 24 hours a day! Clearly, she also got it.

[SoundworldA.D.]

In retrospect, my choice of words was rather poor. I didn't mean to imply that The Beatles music couldn't have that same "wow" factor on all who hear it no matter what the age.

Rather just that we who were there at that time could "relate" to the meanings behind the songs more and can still get that elation/deja vu feel of remembering where we were the first time we heard "Day Tripper" or "Drive My Car" or "Tomorrow Never Knows." In other words, for us, it was an experience that only being there could bring.

I am quite chuffed that others that weren't there can still get gassed listening to their music, for that only confirms what Vlad was relating...that timeless classics are still timeless classics no matter how much time has gone by and The Beatles were not just great musicians, but great composers as well. Did they know they were using an Aeolian Cadence? Well no, but that is beside the point! ;-)

I had no idea you were that strong into The Who Vlad. In high school, I was known as "Mr. Who". As the resident "Who Freak", I had an entire wall in my bedroom devoted to them. As a lad, I had singles of "Pinball Wizard" and "Happy Jack" and knew about "Tommy" and "I Can See For Miles" but was unaware of much of their earlier stuff. Seeing a film clip of them at Monterey Pop playing "My Gen" and smashing up the stage totally blew me away and changed all of that.

I went on a quest and discovering all of their back catalogue and being even more impressed reminds me of your discovery of Beatles stuff. Anyway, "Live at Leeds" is still one of me all-time favourite live albums and soon thereafter, "Who's Next" and "Quadrophenia" would continue to dominate my turntable for several years. I recently watched the "Quadrophenia" documentary and was blown away by the impact it had on me. There I was instantly transported back to 1973 and remembering all that was going on in my life at that time with this truly fantastic record and another stunner with the title of "Dark Side Of The Moon" as the soundtracks to a teenage life.

All in all, we have to consider ourselves lucky, for after Robert Zimmerman laid the early groundwork for writing songs that incorporated more than just "moon-June" wordage and had thought provoking substance, we were blessed with the musings and commentaries of Lennon/McCartney, Townshend, Waters, Anderson, Morrison, Hendrix and so many others like The Moody Blues.

For me, it just doesn't get any better than that!

[Vlad_77]

Love it Soundworld and howardS!!!

Do you think the admins would kill me if I started a Classic Rock appreciation thread?

Soundworld, my "holy trinity" in rock is The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and The Who, with The Moody Blues being a sort of "pope." And there is this amazing connection among these four bands that for me at least is transcendent. Yes, I love Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, and all the prog - neo and otherwise that we keyboardists are required to be into, but, these four bands time and again never cease to blow me away and as much of a Beatlephile as I am, I STILL discover nuances in their music with each listening.

Thanks guys for enthusiastically jumping into my humble thread! I learned a LOT and it's so cool how music connects us despite the times we live in.

As a side note, I am finishing a Master's in Educational Technology and going on for a PhD in the same field. Last semester, I designed an online course devoted to the 1960s. Though I didn't experience that amazing - and sometimes quite tragic decade first hand, doing that extensive course brought me much closer to an understand of how the events shaped the music and vice versa.

Lastly, this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE_1V0phMW8 Due out mid October!!!!!!!!

Best,
Vlad

[howardS]

Thanks for posting that Youtube video, Vlad. That guy just keeps on working his craft!

Do you think the admins would kill me if I started a Classic Rock appreciation thread?

I think we are already here, Vlad. :)

[SoundworldA.D.]

Do you think the admins would kill me if I started a Classic Rock appreciation thread?

Ha! I had already started sort of one over at KF! I might as well post it over here as well since it displays not only 3 or 4 faves, but 30! I could have easily made it 50 or 60 or 100, but then it just gets a little too busy for easy dissemination. It is interesting to see others list and/or rank their tops of the pops!

For me, it was almost the same faves with the following exceptions:

1) The Beatles
2) The Who
3) Ther Moody Blues
4) Jethro Tull
5) Led Zeppelin
6) Pink Floyd

I also did an MTV appreciation one, but didn't get a lot of hits. Let's do that one as well!

[Andy Keys]

Personally. I'm more than happy with these Heroes and Villains threads. :)

[howardS]

Thanks, Andy!

[SoundworldA.D.]

Welcome Andy! Well it is after all the "Free Zone" but we always appreciate the support of the mods (and the rockers!). Had to throw that one in there since I ended up listening to Quadrophenia in its entirety yesterday. Blown away as usual. "I've Had Enough" had me so energized I almost had to reach for the powders!

Have to also throw in a few more proggers that have given me a lot of musical joy...

The Flower Kings, Marillion and Porcupine Tree and some offshoots from those like The Tangent and Transatlantic.

There's just so much good stuff out there!

[SoundworldA.D.]

Having fun with doing suprimposed pix and overlays and thought this "two-faced" one that illustrates the young versus older Beatles worked out great.

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In an earlier post Vlad had mentioned The Moody Blues "Visions of Paradise" which comes off of one of my all-time favourite Rock albums. Their third album and second with Justin Hayward released in 1968, it just had a magical feel to it. From energetic rockers like Ride My See Saw to the lovely light and whimsical Ray Thomas tune Dr. Livingstone I Presume, it keeps you guessing around every turn.

Another Ray Thomas tune, Legend of A Mind is one of his best ever and sets you up for what is about to come on side two, an otherworldly medley of songs that will take you on a trip to the outer reaches of the universe before lightly setting you down on the banks of the Ganges with OM.

This album can still take me back to those days in 1970 when I was 14 years old and I am still amazed that these blokes were writing such heady stuff while in their 20's!

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[Vlad_77]

I think The Beatles would be VERY cool with a Moody Blues discussion on this thread. :)

Soundworld, you mentioned In Search of the Lost Chord, that, and A Question of Balance are my two favorite Moodies albums. The Word/OM is, pardon the pun, truly transcendent. Yes, I agree there is that gentle laying down near The Ganges, but, that ending SOARS, infinitely it seems to the Infinite, to God, to whatever you want to call it.

I was listening to the Moodies last night and my girlfriend was doing some computer stuff next to me. In addition to playing keys, I am also a lead vocalist. I commented to her how beautiful Justin's voice is. She sort of nodded. I said to her, "this track I am listening to was something Justin did when he was 63 years old." After the track was over, I played something from In Search of the Lost Chord. She looked at me and her eyes widened and she said, "oh my GOD! You're right!!! He hasn't lost a note!! SO beautiful!!"

You see, I am converting her - and yes, stealth is a big factor. She used to HATE the Beatles. After seeing Sir Paul, she is a fan. She used to loathe Pink Floyd, she is slowly coming round to them since she has to hear their music every week as I am in a PF tribute band. She is listening more closely to The Moody Blues too. For perspective's sake, when she an I met, the bands she mainly listened to were Pantera, Type-O Negative (who BTW covered THREE Beatles songs), Alice in Chains, Adam Ant (God save me), and Duran Duran and a few others.

In fact the only artists we liked in common at first were Deep Purple, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac, and Duran Duran (I am into their later stuff from Ordinary World onward).

Not to offend Pantera fans as I love metal too (Black Sabbath, CRainbow, Dio, etc.), but, let's face it, those guys aren't remotely in the same league as The Beatles, Moodies, PF, etc. And for someone like her to realize that the artists she formerly loathed are truly great, truly influential attests to the greatness of these artists.

VERY cool artwork Soundworld! That image really tells quite a tale. :)

Best,
Vlad

[SoundworldA.D.]

When the original guitarist Denny Laine left the Moodies, they ran an advert in Melody Maker for a replacement. No doubt there were plenty of good guitarists around London in those days, but what are the odds that such a prolific songwriter, singer and guitarist like Justin Hayward would audition and get the job?

Suffice it to say that we are indeed lucky that he got it!

I bought my first car, a 1964 Oldsmobile Starfire for $400 USD in 1971 and immediately installed an 8-track player. I practically wore out To Our Childrens Childrens Children and Question of Balance while driving around town. Then, in my "psychedelic years" I rediscovered the Moody Blues with "Threshold" and "EGBDF" and a girl I worked with got me Seventh Sojourn for my birthday which became yet another favorite.

I have to give an honorable mention to John Lodge, who not only wrote some great songs, but just focus in sometimes on his magnificent bass lines! I remember well the first time I heard "It's Up To You" on the second side (that's right kids, albums were split into two discreet sides in them there days!) of "Question" and just being blown away.

[Vlad_77]

Thanks for mentioning John Lodge Soundworld! When musicians talk about great rock bass players from that era, two names tend to rise above all: Paul McCartney and John Entwistle. But John Lodge is a hell of bass player and quite a songwriter too as you know.

I saw the Moody Blues in 2010 and what a show! Justin was expectedly amazing, but, what I hadn't realized was what a showman Lodge is! In addition to impeccable bass, this guy is so animated on stage and he has this way of making each audience member feel as though he is laying just for that person.

I have one wish that I guess will never come true though. I wish that Mike Pinder would at least consider doing one more studio project with the Moody Blues. Not knocking Moraz or the guys that came after but Mike Pinder was a crucial to the sound of the Moodies as was Richard Wright was with Pink Floyd.

Cool story about the 8 track and wearing out the tapes Soundworld! THAT is what music is all about; reaching that state of being IN the music that no matter how much you listen, it is like listening for the very first time. :)

Damn I wish I was that good to touch people the way the legends do.

[SoundworldA.D.]

Good to hear that Lodge is still making such an impact. I never got to see them live but just have to be happy with several DVD's of old concert footage with the original lineup. Agreed that Mike Pinder was such an integral part of the band.

I mentioned "It's Up To You" and I always loved how Justin did this "question and answer" bit with his voice on the verses where he would slightly change the tone of his voice on the second lines. Another one that amazes is one of Graeme Edge's best off of EGBDF, "After You Came" where during the chorus, you get to hear four different voices in the same Q and A format. I can't detect Ray Thomas in there, but it sounds like you hear Graeme, followed by Pinder, followed by Hayward and then Lodge. Great stuff!

[Andy Keys]

I won two tickets to see the Moody Blues on their last UK tour. We didn't know what to expect as the are not a band that either myself of my girlfriend have followed, but we both really enjoyed it. It was a show. And I've since got hold of half a dozen of their albums. They (the albums) feel of their time to me, but there is some cracking, timeless stuff on there. Definitely albums to add to the "listen to on headphones whilst lying on the floor in a dark room" list.

[SoundworldA.D.]

I have one wish that I guess will never come true though. I wish that Mike Pinder would at least consider doing one more studio project with the Moody Blues. Not knocking Moraz or the guys that came after but Mike Pinder was a crucial to the sound of the Moodies as was Richard Wright was with Pink Floyd.

Agreed Vlad! Man I missed Pinder after he left. I continued to enjoy their post Octave work, especially Long Distance Voyager, but nothing will ever be able to eclipse these four in my heart.

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