This idea is not accepted by everyone. Both Ed Macan and Bill Martin tend to margianlize the Moody Blues in a sort of "proto-prog" category in some ways suggesting any notion of a true prog recording before King Crimson's 1969 release of In the Court of the Crimson King is somehow not possible. Paul Stump also places the band in a "pre-prog" ghetto along with early proggers Procol Harum and the Nice, and in cynical fashion proclaims the Moodies claim to prog fame lies with the use of orchestra, al-be-it not in any innovative manner on Days of Future Passed. Everywhere you read the Moody Blues tend to get maligned in some fashion. I'm of the opinion that the Moody Blues tend to get glossed over by virtue of their recent pop-oriented musical style more than from a careful analyses of their work in 1967.

In order to fully analyse this work it's necessary to look once again at the criteria I've established for the defining characteristics. My methodology is simple. Every form of music tends to adhere to known characteristics for it to be recognizable as that style. For example you would have little trouble in identifying a Reggae tune because it incorporates those elements compositionally and stylistically that make it sound like a Reggae song. The same would be true of any number of other musical genres. I suggest this same principle can be applied to Progressive Rock. Given the complex nature of Progressive Rock not every composition will incorporate all the elements at the same time. But we should be able to identify or even attempt to create a progressive rock composition if we incorporate characteristics such as, complex arrangements, predominantly longish songs, a mixture of loud and soft passages, the use of a Mellotron or string synth, and so on. I shall deal with each of the characteristics to show how Days of Future Passed qualifies for that heralded spot as the first Progressive Rock recording.

For its day, November 1967, Days of Future Passed was more than a milestone, it was a crowning achievement in many senses. But for those coming into the picture late a review is perhaps appropriate. The Moody Blues had released an album before this. They even had a significant hit single with "Go Now." Unfortunately for them, but perhaps fortunately for us, they split up and in a reforming effort convinced the record label to let them record with the London Festival Orchestra conducted by Peter Knight. Coincidentally, the record label was trying to show off its new stereo capability and this seemed like the right project to do it with. Little did they realise the impact the album would have on future generations. What made this music possible was the addition of Justin Hayward and John Lodge into the Moodies. Their presence cemented the direction the band would take. Days Of Future Past even left it's mark on the charts with "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon." The Moody Blues more than made up for originally breaking up after the first album. As evidenced by their shift to more pop oriented material in their later life, The Moody Blues have always had a high regard for melody. Some consider this a "fault." It's extremely rare to find angularity and dissonance in their compositions. That's not what the Moody Blues were about.

Executive producer Hugh Mendl said this: "In Days of Future Passed, the Moody Blues have at last done what many others have dreamed of and talked about: they have extended the range of pop music, and found the point where it becomes one with the world of the classics." This concept LP took as its theme a day in the life of an ordinary man. The work begins with the orchestra announcing the dawn of a new day in "The Day Begins" and goes through the entire 24-hour period ending with "The Night" or as the sub heading refers to it, "Nights in White Satin." This proved to be a so-so hit single when it was first released in late 1967, but did much better when it was re-released in 1972. This was no doubt due in part to the public's developed interest in Progressive Rock at the time.

Now, with regard to the defining characteristics outlined in The Progressive Rock Files, let's take a closer look at the recording in question. We'll explore each one to see how it applies to this recording. First it should be stated that this progressive rock effort showcases some universal prog attributes, namely it is melodic, symphonic, dramatic and unpredictable. Having said that lets look at the details…

• Complex arrangements usually featuring intricate keyboard and guitar playing. While not as complex as some progressive rock was to come, such as that performed by King Crimson, the music here, for its day was quite over-the-top. There are many time and tempo changes that occur throughout. Given the time of development plus the fact the Moody Blues have always been on the more melodic side, these tend to be of a generally subtle nature, but there none-the-less.

• Songs predominantly on the longish side, but structured, rarely improvised. While many of the songs tend to fall in the three to four minute category, there are two that approach or exceed the 7-minute range. It's worth noting that because of the production, the way some of the songs were knitted together there is the appearance of longer compositions. And while instrumental solos are short, there is the distinct feeling of structure to it all. At no time do you get the feeling the band is looking for an opportunity to "let it all hang out."

• A mixture of loud and soft passages with musical crescendos adding to the dynamics of the arrangements. This characteristic is noticeable throughout the LP and is most obvious on side two in "The Afternoon" and "The Night," which is perhaps the most dramatic track.

• The use of a Mellotron, string synthesiser or a full orchestra to create a symphonic backing. The Moody Blues use both a full orchestra and Mellotrons. They would later go on to concentrate more on the Mellotron, but here the orchestra takes centre stage on "The Day Begins" and is helped along with narration from Ray Thomas. The first appearance of Mellotron is during the second cut, Dawn. In fact the Mellotron makes an appearance in virtually every song in some way. On some cuts it replicates a flute (The Afternoon), other tracks strings and on 1 track trumpet stabs ("The Morning").

• Extended instrumental guitar and keyboard solos, spotlighting musical virtuosity. As already mentioned, soloing is kept to a minimum, but it should be noticed that the musicianship on each track was certainly beyond what was happening in the Pop world of the day. There are still moments where you notice the bass playing or the acoustic guitar work on certain tracks providing a contrast to the fullness of other fully orchestrated parts.

• The inclusion of musical styles outside of the rock genre. The obvious influences are there including classical, middle-of-the-road TV theme music into to Lunch break before the band comes in, and the Eastern themes in a portion of "Evening."

• A blending of acoustic, electric and electronic instruments where each plays a vital role in translating the emotion of compositions which typically contain more than one mood. There is wonderful interplay with the acoustic orchestra and the electric instruments of the band as well as isolated instances of electric and acoustic guitar, traditional flute and mellotron flute. In terms of moods being created, as in so much progressive rock the overall emotional setting for the piece is created musically and is wonderfully brought to fruition with the orchestra's dawn and busy-ness of Lunch and the drama of "The Evening."

• Multi-movement compositions that may or may not include a recurring musical theme. While on the surface there are no melodic recurring themes, the LP starts with the orchestra and Ray Thomas's moody narration signalling the start of the day and concludes with a variation on the musical theme and a similar closing narration. All this before the big finish that in many ways wraps up the musical package. Individual songs also contain multiple movements, "Evening" for example that begins with the Eastern flavour, then moves into the pop song portion and closes with the classical extro.

• Multi-sectional compositions created from unrelated musical parts. i.e. "Supper's Ready." While the LP cannot be considered one singular composition, it is clearly a series of songs strung together to make the point. All the songs are joined together with all but invisible breaks. The orchestra tends to perform the role of joining the segments together. Songs like "The Afternoon" and "The Night" best represent how the Moody Blues created musical sections and weaved them together, always incorporating more than one musical motif or theme.

It must be said again, that many in the progressive rock community tend to give the Moodies short-shrift, and that's unfair, because as outlined at the outset our views of the band tend to be tainted by their more recent pop-ier material. And while it's pop of a high caliber, it's never-the-less a long ways away from the ground-breaking efforts of their first seven recordings, all completed by the way before 1972. From the album-cover design to the musical results The Moody Blues were one of a handful of early prog bands to set the stage for the hundreds that would follow in their footsteps.

This is hopefully the first of a series of articles that will expand on some of the points I have written about in The Progressive Rock Files. I expect that some of the comments made will stir up some controversy and I certainly appreciate hearing from you and perhaps engage in a lively debate.

About the Author:
Jerry Lucky is the author of the book The Progressive Rock Files, now entering its 5th edition. Please feel free to send feedback to Jerry at www.jerrylucky.com.