sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk Veteran rocker Justin Hayward is pretty happy with life. He may be the frontman of The Moody Blues, but he is anything but grumpy. His talent for and love of music has given him a wonderful life – and his love of music shines through as he talks about being back on the road with the famous ‘Moodies’ as he calls them. “Music is always about enjoyment,” he says. “Every day of the Moodies had pressure on it. “It’s a serious business, but ultimately, I think music is trival. “However, it’s huge in my life and brings enjoyment to others.” The Moody Blues are on the road with Timeless Flight – The Polydor Years tour, which arrives at Sheffield City Hall next week. Justin says: “I hope there’s something for everyone in the set list. “We do songs from most of the albums. “The first half is stuff from the 1980s, the Polydor years, from Long Distance Voyager through to Sur La Mer. “The second half is the stuff you can’t go off stage without playing. “There’s something there in the set from every incarnation of the Moodies. “We have been exploring our catalogue of songs recently and we’ll be playing some songs on stage that we only experienced for a day or so in the studio the first time around.” With a string of hit singles – including UK number one Go Now and US smash hit Nights in White Satin – to choose from, there is something there in the set for every fan. And Justin is proud the band have kept their fanbase for so many years. “People love the music of their youth thankfully and that stays with them,” he says. “The songs young kids are falling in love to, that will stay with them. “We do get a lot of young people in the audience to see us. “There’s a lot of people who identify with the stuff we made when we were young.” And he admits he is proud songs such as Nights in White Satin, which he wrote, have stood the test of time. “I am just grateful some of the music we have made has lasted,” he says. “I am very proud and pleased with that. “However, the other side of that is that after Nights, people were asking: ‘Can you write another?’ “Sometimes, I thought I had, but sometimes you write music that people are into, and some they’re not.” And Justin has urged people to come out and see the show in Sheffield next week. “Dedicated Moodies fans will be out in force, and we love it,” he says. “I can say this is the best incarnation of this great band I have been in. “It’s certainly the happiest and truly faithful to the Moody Blues spirit. “How long will it continue for us? “I have no idea - none of us would have thought in our Wildest Dreams we would still be up there – but it’s a fabulous ride and as long as we’re still playing from the heart and the fans are with us I’m in.” The Moody Blues play Sheffield City Hall next Thursday, June 18. For tickets, priced from £41.50, visit www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk.

CTNow.com Few bands get to enjoy a first act, let alone a second one. Somewhere near the post-"Sgt. Pepper" intersection of psychedelic and progressive rock, U.K.'s Moody Blues crafted memorable album-length statements like "Days of Future Past" (1967), "In Search of the Lost Chord" (1968) and "On the Threshold of a Dream" (1969), while cracking the charts with "Nights in White Satin," a pocket symphony that still sounds futuristic. But like a lot of 1960s bands, the Moodys struggled in the early 1980s. Producer Tony Visconti, who had already worked with Wings and David Bowie among others, was brought on board for 1986's "The Other Side of Life," their Polydor Records debut, and it worked; the album was a surprise smash, scoring two hits with "Your Wildest Dreams" and the sequencer-heavy title track. A couple of catchy videos later, the Moodys had recaptured their fans while reeling in a younger, MTV-primed crowd. Those crucial Polydor years are the focus of the current Moody Blues tour, which brings them to the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford on Sunday, March 22. CTNow spoke with singer and guitarist Justin Hayward about the band's struggle to rebuild in the '80s as well as the legacy of the Moody's earlier prog-rock epics. CTNow: The current tour celebrates the Polydor years in the mid-1980s. What can you tell me about that time? Justin Hayward: Of course, it was wonderful to have success the second time around in your life like that, and to have such big success with a couple of really big hit singles. There's no doubt, from where I was standing, that we were in decline in about 1983. Ticket sales had really gone down. There was nothing really fresh in the band. The music business was moving so fast. It was very transient. One day, I had the good fortune to meet Tony Visconti, who I knew vaguely as a producer. We got together and did something for the BBC, and we hit it off so well that I persuaded the other guys that he would be the right producer for the band. The first thing we did with the band was "The Other Side of Life," and it gave us a huge record. The sound of the record, I think, just changed everything, and the way the people saw the group was in the sound. Suddenly we weren't a dated '60s and '70s band anymore. Sonically, the group had come right up to date. It was a wonderful time for us. I think a lot of people who came to the band in that period, around 1985 to 1987, are the people who are still with us today. That's the core audience for us. With "Your Wildest Dreams" and "The Other Side of Life," our audience grew immensely. We got back into big venues and selling out places, and we haven't looked back since. CTNow: What was it about Visconti's approach that made the band sound so good? JH: He was one of the first people who understood programming. I was doing things on MIDI in my own music room, and I was able to bring my own demos into the studio. Instead of remaking them from scratch with the group, I was able to use them as the basis for the songs, because I had time codes on them and everything. He was a keyboard player and a bass player, and he could see the value in keeping the spark and the original magic of any of our demos of any of our songs and including them in the final recordings. It was magic. He worked very, very quickly. The album before, which was called "The Present," there was one song on it that took 13 weeks to record. With a lot of cocaine going down, or whatever, it was just insane. We needed a big shake-up. Tony worked from 11 in the morning until 7 at night, and that was it, and it was intense. At five past seven, he'd be out the door, and you'd be thinking, "I'm actually exhausted, but I've had a great day." That's what he brought to the band. He was like a time-and-motion-study bloke of the perfect order. He was a legend. He would come in at 10 a.m. every morning to meet people who'd made the pilgrimage to come and meet him, obviously because of the work he'd done with David Bowie and Marc Bolan. He had a lot of young fans of his own who'd make the pilgrimage to come and see him. I'm pleased to still be very close to him today. CTNow: Looking back even further: the Moody Blues worked with orchestras and made gestures toward classical music. Does the band get credit for those innovations? JH: I'll leave that one alone. I don't have any feelings about it, and I don't have any regrets about it, because getting credit for something is not what I really yearn for. The fact is that we've gotten to the age we're at and we can still sell out venues. I'm very lucky to have a great solo career and a great label for my solo stuff. I'm not really worried about that. But I'm very grateful that, after all these years, I'm still there and able to do it, and to have a choice of what to do with my own solo acoustic show and the big productions of the Moodys. It's absolutely wonderful. CTNow: Rock musicians in the late 1960s were suddenly doing things that were previously unheard of. What gave you that license, that feeling that you could take rock music a little more seriously? JH: The most valuable commodity — still — in the music business is youth, and we had that on our side. We had a generation that we could rebel against, the one that was immediately before us, so that was hugely convenient. Also, it was the perfect combination of the days of the record companies having big recording studios with fantastic technicians and engineers. We found ourselves like the Beatles with EMI and Abbey Road with a label. After "Days of Future Past," our first record, there was a whole series of accidents. Nobody can claim that it was planned or anything like that. It just worked out that way. But it caught the imagination. Decca, our record company, had these wonderful recording studios, mostly to do with classical music and middle-of-the-road artists. But literally, the chairman of Decca, Sir Edward Lewis, who was a lovely man, did come and see us, and he said, "I don't know what you're doing, but people really love it, so just get on with it. Here's the studio. Just do what you want. You can have lunch, dinner and tea in there. It's yours all day long." For us, it was like being kids in a toy shop. It was wonderful for us. I think a lot of groups in the 1960s who were given that great gift — the Beatles, of course, were like that, and the Kinks — had these wonderful places available to them, and it gave you time and space to think about creative kinds of things. And of course, the album was becoming the format that people really loved. CTNow: Was there a sense that you had a bigger canvas — the album — to express your ideas? JH: It was certainly the turning point of people buying stereo systems, and albums became the thing to record. I feel for artists nowadays. I'm guilty of it myself, just buying singles again, like I did when I was a kid, listening to Buddy Holly or the Everlys or something, and not really giving enough attention to people's albums, or buying them as a unit. We tend to buy singles again now, don't we? A lot of times we don't even know who they're by. We just Google the first line, or something, that we like, and we buy it. But the 1960s and '70s — and we were lucky to be in the forefront of that — was the time when people were interested in albums. You'd go around to somebody's house or apartment and you'd play the whole album. It was a great time, and we were very lucky to be a part of it. CTNow: The upcoming tour: you're going all the way through June, and you're going to be in both the U.S. and the U.K. You've mentioned in interviews that U.S. audiences tend to be louder. Is that true? JH: Yes, I think that's a cultural thing, which is very nice. You're a member of the greatest nation on Earth: speak up! I'm doing a solo tour in the summer, just me and my guitar player Mike Dawes, who's a fabulous player, and I'm a little bit worried to be in Europe and the U.K. I know how quiet they are. You can hear a pin drop. But it's always refreshing; America is the land of our heroes. It's the home of rock and roll music, and I think people are used to going to concerts and experiencing that energy in the U.S., and that's a wonderful thing to share.

Justin Hayward spoke with Alan Thompson on BBC Radio Wales which originally was broadcast on March 15th. Alan explores Justin Hayward's new album and celebrates the seventieth birthday of guitarist Eric Clapton. Justin's segment begins at about 21:38. LISTEN HERE.

Telegram.com By Richard Duckett TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF It wasn't 10,000 light years ago that John Lodge joined the Moody Blues. Still, a lot has happened since 1966 when Lodge and Justin Hayward became Moodies just as the band was about to change mood, music and direction. The future has become the past, but the Moody Blues are still present. The British progressive rock band will be at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester for a show at 7:30 p.m. March 19 that kicks off its 2015 "Timeless Flight — The Polydor Years" U.S. tour in support of the recent release of six retrospective CDs and two DVDs. "When the Moody Blues are on stage, we bring together everything we've learned over the last 50 years," said Lodge, bassist and vocalist and one of three core Moodies (with vocalist and guitarist Hayward and drummer Graeme Edge) performing March 19 with other musicians rounding out the sounds. "We're not looking back when we perform. When we perform this we're playing this today with everything we've learned about it," Lodge said. Later during the tour, on May 5, "10,000 Light Years Ago," Lodge's first solo album since "Natural Avenue" in 1977, will be released. This atmospheric album has guest contributions from former Moody Blues members flutist Ray Thomas and keyboardist/mellotron player Mike Pinder. Veteran guitarist Chris Spedding is also speedily and pleasingly recognizable. "Days of Future Past," the Moodies' big album smash from 1967 with hits such as "Nights in White Satin," explored time, and Lodge, a prodigious songwriter ("Isn't Life Strange") continues in that vein with "10,000 Light Years Ago." "I think that this theme has continued in the music of the Moody Blues and in my music, and it's a musical record of our generation traveling through life. With '10,000 Light Years Ago,' I have continued this theme of constant evolution, as everything in the future remains in reach, and although the past is behind us, it once was our future." Lodge, 69, is originally from Birmingham, an industrial city in the Midlands and England's second-largest (to London). But he was quite a long way from Birmingham rain when interviewed by telephone last week. He spends a lot of his winters in Barbados, where he can "get away from the inclement weather in the UK," as he put it. Hopefully, some of Worcester's snowbanks will have disappeared by March 19. But let's go back to the past again. The Moody Blues had been formed in Birmingham in 1964 as an R&B group (Edge is the only original member) and had a hit that same year with a cover of the Bessie Banks classic song "Go Now." The personnel changes in 1966 (Lodge and Moodies co-founder and flutist Ray Thomas were old friends) were indicative of a band pondering its future. "Yeah, because I'd been playing in clubs everywhere since I was 14, 15," Lodge said. "And they were all cover songs — what was the latest fad coming out of the United States, really. And we felt we needed to find our identity. We all felt that — that we needed to find our way as musicians." The Moodies hung out in Belgium for a few months, writing new material and bonding. "Whenever anyone writes it becomes our song." Trying it out publicly, "In a very short time we realized the audience preferred our own songs. We dropped all the covers," Lodge said. "Days of Future Past" was a concept album taking the listener through a day ("The Day Begins," "Tuesday Afternoon," "Nights in White Satin") as rock (sometimes psychedelic) and lyrics that could be called moody were accompanied by full orchestration and the London Festival Orchestra. It was a rich and persuasive mix, but Lodge recalled that promoters used to the old sound needed to be persuaded that this was the Moodies' future. Not all were. "We had to find different promoters because everyone wanted to dance, and some said, 'They rock and roll and then there's a waltz.' " The Moodies started appearing on campuses. "Colleges and universities were perfect. People would sit on the floor and it didn't matter. Then there was FM radio." Other "high pop concept" albums would follow, including "On the Threshold of a Dream" and "A Question of Balance," with total sales in excess of 70 million. Another big hit was "Isn't Life Strange." Asked if there was anything that sparked that song, Lodge said, "It's an acceptance that sometimes the truth is right in front of your eyes." As for "10,000 Light Years Ago," "I've been wanting to record a new album for probably the last 10 years. Either the Moody Blues or myself," Lodge said. (The Moodies haven't released a studio album since "December" in 2003.) "I wanted to make an album as we would have done in the old days where all the musicians contributed.…For me it sounds like a group album." Getting people together as a group can be a challenge, which isn't such a bad thing in Lodge's eyes because when like-minded musicians do contribute, you know what the mood is going to be. "It's very important that we have our own independence. The reason you're together is to make music. We all have our own lives and come together as the Moody Blues," Lodge said. For his part, "There was a saying in the '60s, 'Have guitar, will travel.' That's who I am, to be honest. I do enjoy playing every day. Even in Barbados, I'll go and play in a jazz band because I'm asked and I enjoy playing." In the present.

Parade.com Music legends don’t come along every day, so I am always thrilled when one decides to take a moment to share his or her journey with me. But when Justin Hayward, the legendary Moody Blues’ guitarist and vocalist joined me for my podcast Whine At 9, I was happily caught off guard. Gifted musicians specialize in making magic for their audiences, and Hayward is no exception. However, Hayward’s wisdom, unique sensitivity, eloquent disclosure, and artistic passion made me feel as though I’d been chatting with a dear friend who happened to be a philosopher– oh yeah, and a rock icon. No doubt, these characteristics have been a driving force in his career longevity and the continued synergy of The Moody Blues. In a revealing conversation, Hayward shared with me his journey with the band, the mystery behind writing hit songs, the inspirational conflict behind Nights in White Satin, and a solo tour that will precede the upcoming “Moodies” tour. Watch a video of Justin Hayward’ s solo performance of Nights in White Satin here. It is difficult to imagine The Moody Blues as a startup, but when Justin Hayward joined the band in 1966, there was no flashy stage show or fleet of tour buses. Says Hayward, “Suddenly I found myself in the band. And off we went– You know really with no money, but we did have a van that we could put our equipment in. Actually– I was the only one with an amplifier at that time, but we made due. And we went to Belgium and got some gigs. And that’s how we started really.” And while some fans may believe that the infamous group quickly rose to fame, the climb to the top wasn’t an especially speedy one. “Success didn’t happen overnight, that’s for sure,” notes Hayward. “And the next big milestone really was recording our own material. Because when I came to The Moody Blues, we were a rhythm and blues band. I was lousy at rhythm and blues– I think the rest of us were. The two guys who were good at it had left (the band). And anyway, I was persuading the other guys to include some of my songs in the set, and so was Mike (Pinder). But then our break came about a year later when we’d written a stage show which was all our own material and we were doing that on stage. And we got to record that for Decca (Records). And that became an album called Days of Future Passed with (songs) Nights in White Satin and Tuesday Afternoon. But still, the success and any royalties and any fame or fortune took maybe 5 years. Even Days of Future Passed, even though it was released in 1967, it didn’t get to #1 in America until 1972. So through those ‘60s years, we were pretty kind of hard up.”

The Moody Blues - The Polydor Years

DURATION: 04:31 Moody Blues legend Justin Hayward on his new CD and DVD.

Due for release on November 24, the superbly packaged eight disc (six CDs and two DVDs) set brings together, for the first time, remastered editions of all The Moody Blues’ Polydor era albums, spanning the period 1986-1992. The package - The Polydor Years 1986-1992 - includes 17 bonus tracks, 11 of which are being released for the first time, including a 1991 BBC radio session. The set also includes a previously unreleased concert recording from the group’s July 1986 appearance in Cleveland, Ohio, during their “Other Side of Life” tour, and a fully remastered edition of the September 1992 “Red Rocks” concert with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. The DVD features the newly remastered and previously long-time unavailable release of the “Night at Red Rocks” concert, plus the rare documentary “The Other Side of Red Rocks.” Housed in a slipcase with an accompanying 64-page hardbound book, the entire set is topped off with the inclusion of a 7” blue vinyl single of “Al Fin Voy A Encontrarte,” the rare Spanish version of “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.” The Moody Blues have been at the forefront of the classic rock music scene for more than 40 years, and have continued to be a mainstay of concert stages, recording studios and the airwaves to the present day. During their immensely successful career, they have sold millions of albums worldwide, and have been the recipients of numerous prestigious awards. During the latter half of the 1980s, The Moody Blues continued to enjoy huge success, particularly in the U.S., largely due to the release of their hit album, “The Other Side of Life” and its massive hit single, “Your Wildest Dreams.” At the time, the group embraced the then burgeoning video age, and made a series of music videos, which gained them heavy airplay on MTV, which in turn built them a large new audience. The Polydor Years 1986-1992 celebrates this exciting and developmental period in the career of The Moody Blues.

Pre-Order Your Copy Today from the Official Moody Blues Online Store.

1. Your Wildest Dreams
2. Talkin’ Talkin’
3. Rock n’ Roll Over You
4. I Just Don’t Care
5. Running Out of Love
6. The Other Side of Life
7. The Spirit
8. Slings and Arrows
9. It may Be a FireBonus tracks:
10. Your Wildest Dreams (single version) Released in April 1986 - Previously unreleased on CD
11. The Other Side of Life (single edit)
12. Nights in White Satin (live – recorded at Wembley Arena in 1984) A & B sides of single – Released in August 1986 Previously unreleased on CD
13. I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band (live: recorded Wembley Arena 1984) Previously unreleased
14. Rock n’ Roll Over You (live) Taken from the “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” CD EP – Released in May 1988
15. The Other Side of Life (live) B-side of 12” single – Released in October 1988 Previously unreleased on CD

1. Gemini Dream
2. The Voice
3. Tuesday Afternoon
4. Your Wildest Dreams
5. Isn’t Life Strange
6. The Story in Your Eyes
7. It May Be a Fire
8. Veteran Cosmic Rocker
9. I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)
10. Nights in White Satin
11. Legend of a Mind
12. Question

1. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere
2. Want to Be With You
3. River of Endless Love
4. No More Lies
5. Here Comes the Weekend
6. Vintage Wine
7. Breaking Point
8. Miracle
9. Love is on the Run
10. Deep Bonus tracks:
11. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere (single edit) Taken from the “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” CD EP Released in May 1988
12. No More Lies (radio edit) A-sides of single – Released in October 1988 Previously unreleased on CD
13. Question (1989 version)
14. Isn’t Life Strange (1989 version) Taken from the album “The Moody Blues Greatest Hits” Released in 1989
15. Al Fin Voy A Encontrarte (“I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” Spanish version) A-side of single – Released in the USA in November 1988 Previously unreleased on CD

1. Say it With Love
2. Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)
3. Is This Heaven?
4. Say What You Mean (Part One and Two)
5. Lean on Me (Tonight)
6. Hope and Pray
7. Shadows on the Wall
8. Once is Enough
9. Celtic Sonet
10. Magic
11. Never Blame the Rainbows for the Rain Bonus tracks:
12. Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back) US Radio Remix – Previously unreleased
13. Highway B-side of single – Released in 1991
14. Forever Autumn
15. Say it With Love
16. Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)
17. Never Blame the Rainbows for the RainBBC Radio One acoustic session – 1991 Previously unreleased

1. Overture
2. Late Lament
3. Tuesday Afternoon
4. For My Lady
5. Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)
6. Emily’s Song
7. New Horizons
8. Lean on Me (Tonight)
9. Voices in the Sky
10. Lovely to See You
11. Gemini Dream
12. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere
13. The Voice

1. Say it With Love
2. The Story in Your Eyes
3. Your Wildest Dreams
4. Isn’t Life Strange
5. The Other Side of Life
6. I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)
7. Nights in White Satin
8. Legend of a Mind
9. Question
10. Ride My See Saw

1. Overture (Excerpts)
2. Late Lament
3. Tuesday Afternoon
4. For My Lady
5. New Horizons
6. Lean on Me (Tonight)
7. Lovely to See You
8. Gemini Dream
9. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere
10. The Voice
11. The Story in Your Eyes
12. Say it With Love
13. Your Wildest Dreams
14. Isn’t Life Strange
15. The Other Side of Life
16. I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)
17. Nights in White Satin
18. Question
19. Ride My See Saw

Live Nation is delighted to announce the ‘Timeless Flight 2015’ Tour from The Moody Blues, one of the most enduring, creative and consistent groups in the world. Tickets go on sale on 19 September 2014 from www.livenation.co.uk or www.ticketmaster.co.uk. VIP Packages go on presale Wednesday 17 September at 9am at Ticketmaster.co.uk HERE. Their remarkable music has enthralled generations of fans since the 1960’s and their recorded legacy contains some of the most important and ground breaking work in the history of popular music, having generated over 55 million sales throughout the world. The Moody Blues - Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge - carry on their magical musical legacy from generation to generation, year after year. The legacy of The Moody Blues continues to live on, as the band tours throughout the world, delighting their loyal fans. Justin Hayward said, “We are always so happy to be returning to the UK to play. All of these venues are dear to us and many, like the New Theatre Oxford and Newcastle City Hall, are the gigs we remember fondly from our youth when we played them as headliners for the first time. We felt then that we had really 'made it' at last and all our work had paid off. Dedicated Moodies fans will be out in force, and we love it. We have been exploring our catalogue of songs recently and we'll be playing some songs on stage that we only experienced for a day or so in the studio the first time round. They work brilliantly. We believe there's something for everybody in our show and we are playing songs from just about every album. I can say this is the best incarnation of this great band I have been in. It's certainly the happiest and truly faithful to the Moody Blues spirit. How long will it continue for us? I have no idea - none of us would have thought in our ‘Wildest Dreams' we would still be up there - but it's a fabulous ride and as long as we're still playing from the heart and the fans are with us I'm in!" John Lodge said, “Our Timeless Flight Tour returns to England and Wales in 2015. It is always special to me to be on stage in the UK. Every city on the tour seem to welcome the Moody Blues as their own, this is a very special feeling. To everyone who has been on this journey with us… Thank you”. A legendary band with an enviable repertoire and reputation, The Moody Blues remain one of the top-grossing album and touring bands in existence. Graeme Edge explains the continuing popularity of the group thus; “It’s all about the music. The music is everything for us. We’ve always put the music before anything else, and that’s why I think we’ve been able to endure for so long.” JUNE 2015 Sat 6^th Plymouth Pavilions Sun 7^th Cardiff St David’s Hall Mon 8^th Brighton Centre Tues 9^th Bristol Colston Hall Thurs 11^th Bournemouth BIC Fri 12^th London Eventim Apollo Sat 13^th Ipswich Regent Theatre Sun 14^th Oxford New Theatre Tues 16^th Manchester Apollo Weds 17^th Nottingham RCH Thurs 18^th Sheffield City Hall Sat 20^th Birmingham LG Sun 21^st Liverpool Philharmonic Mon 22^nd Newcastle City Hall Thur 25th Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall Tickets are priced at £41.50 regional and £48.50 London and can be booked online through www.livenation.co.uk or www.ticketmaster.co.uk (all tickets subject to a booking fee). VIP Ticket Packages will be available via www.Ticketmaster.co.uk