Nostalgia Central

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  Established in 1998, Nostalgia Central is your one stop reference guide through five decades of music, movies, television, pop culture and social history


THE BAND

Denny Laine 
Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Mike Pinder 
Keyboards
Ray Thomas 
Flute, vocals, harmonica
Clint Warwick 
Bass
Graeme Edge 
Drums
John Lodge 
Guitar, bass, vocals
Justin Hayward 
Bass, vocals
Patrick Moraz 
Keyboards

The Moody Blues


The Moody Blues were formed in Birmingham (UK) in 1966 with Clint Warwick, Mike Pinder, Denny Laine, Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge. Their second single (a cover of Bessie Banks' Go Now) topped the UK chart in 1964, at which point singer Denny Laine and bassist Clint Warwick promptly quit the group.

Justin Hayward and John Lodge then joined and they embraced grisly prog, orchestral symphonies and cosmic guff such as Nights In White Satin (the low-point of the Beatles-influenced Days Of Future Passed album).

The Moodies were derided by purists for their cosmic Brummie jive, their pop sensitivities and for failing to look the part. They started out playing hippie pop and ended up with the keyboard player from Yes. Go figure! They Gregorian chanted as well as The Yardbirds, they structured their song cycles wonderfully, they made better use of the Mellotron than anyone, and nobody sang daft lyrics more beautifully.

On the other hand, Justin Hayward's solo albums, Songwriter (1977) and Night Flight (1980), are purely for lovers of songs with titles like Lay It On Me, Crazy Lovers and Nostradamus.

The Moody Blues staged a successful come-back in 1986, hitting platinum with their LP, The Other Side Of Life, and playing months of sold-out shows in auditoriums filled with - among others - the children of their original fans.