The Moody Blues’ first album of the Nineteen Eighties was created in a storm of line-up modifications, manufacturing alterations and authorized battles. However regardless of all of the chaos surrounding, by some means the band produced what they consider to be one of the vital essential information in Lengthy Distance Voyager. In 2014 Prog appeared again with John Lodge and Justin Hayward.
It was the album that firmly introduced The Moody Blues into the Nineteen Eighties. It was additionally the one which precipitated a probably damaging courtroom case between the band and a former member, whereas additionally seeing them lastly recording in their very own studio – practically a decade after it was constructed. The album was Lengthy Distance Voyager, and it gave the Moodies a large industrial and inventive enhance, proving their determination in 1977 to reunite after a three-year hiatus was a reputable transfer.
“The Octave album [1978] was a troublesome one to make,” recollects bassist and vocalist John Lodge. “We started it on the Document Plant in LA, nevertheless it burned down. So we moved to Indigo Ranch Studios, however we had quite a lot of bother there.”
Including to their issues, keyboard participant Mike Pinder determined he didn’t wish to tour any extra, forcing them to herald former Sure man Patrick Moraz for the highway journey in help of Octave. And he was the apparent alternative to interchange Pinder for the subsequent album.
“Patrick introduced a higher consciousness of contemporary expertise into the band,” says guitarist and vocalist Justin Hayward. “He launched us to programming, sampling and what computer systems might do normally for our music. Our private relationship with him wasn’t nice – however there’s no doubting he did quite a lot of sensible issues musically.”
The lack of founding member Pinder wasn’t the one radical change dealing with Lodge, Hayward, Ray Thomas (flute/harmonica/vocals) and Graeme Edge (drums). Lengthy-time producer Tony Clarke, who had labored on each Moody Blues album since 1967’s Days Of Future Handed, additionally determined to bow out.
“We have been all having private issues on the time of Octave,” says Lodge. “Tony determined to stroll away. The man I instantly considered to supply us was Pip Williams. I’d labored with him on the tune Threw It All Away, which was the B-side of my 1980 solo single Road Café. Pip had labored with Standing Quo, and he introduced that edge into what we have been doing.”
Hayward additionally feels that engineer Greg Jackman performed an important position within the studio. “I met Greg after I was doing a little recording at RAK Studios in London. He’d been intently related to Mickie Most, and we felt he can be an important companion for Pip on the manufacturing aspect.
“Greg had a really trendy strategy to recording. This was, for example, the primary time we’d ever used timecode. That meant we didn’t should get issues spot on all through. If I made a mistake it could possibly be simply corrected with out having to do the complete sequence over again.”
We simply weren’t prepared to enter the studio by the point we have been alleged to. However it labored in our favour
John Lodge
For the primary time, they used their very own Threshold Studios in Cobham, Surrey, for a Moody Blues file. “Justin and I had accomplished the Blue Jays album there in 1975,” says Lodge. “And I’d accomplished my Pure Avenue solo file there two years later. However we’d simply not accomplished a Moodies album on the place.”
“There’s a easy purpose,” says Hayward. “It might need been inbuilt 1972, nevertheless it hadn’t been prepared for us to go in and do a Moody Blues file. By then it was, so it appeared daft to spend cash elsewhere once we had this facility accessible.”
The band have been initially to begin recording in October 1980. However in the long run the work was delayed by 4 months, attributable to modifications they’d been going by.“We simply needed to rethink what we have been doing,” admits Lodge. “We simply weren’t prepared to enter the studio by the point we have been alleged to. However it labored in our favour – once we did get issues finalised, the songs and our angle couldn’t have been higher.”
The album was recorded in a two-month interval. Each Hayward and Lodge giving huge credit score to Williams for the best way it got here throughout. “Pip labored so nicely with us,” says Lodge. “He made the complete course of painless, and in addition gave the music an actual raise.”
“What Pip did was replace The Moody Blues with out altering us,” provides Hayward. “We’re troublesome to supply, but surprisingly straightforward to engineer. However Pip received past the issues and revitalised us. It was such a breath of recent air after Octave.”
It’s usually been debated whether or not Lengthy Distance Voyager is an idea album in any respect. It seems that the definitive reply to this query from the band themselves is… nicely, there’s no definitive reply.
It’s superb how many individuals take a look at the duvet and don’t spot the spacecraft
Justin Hayward
“So far as I’m involved, there’s a free idea linking among the songs,” says Lodge. “I suppose you may say it’s about, ‘The additional issues are taken on a private stage, the extra they continue to be the identical.’ However not all of the tracks are linked in that method, which is why there was no preconceived plan to make it an idea album as such.”
“There’s no idea in any respect,” states Hayward. “No material hyperlinks the songs. We truly had the title Lengthy Distance Voyager in thoughts earlier than we completed recording, nevertheless it was only a jumble of phrases that appealed to us. There was no grand design behind the selection in any respect.”
The quilt additionally occurred accidentally, as Lodge explains. “We did a photograph session in London, at a museum, and on the wall was a sepia print that caught my consideration. It appeared to inform the story of the Lengthy Distance Voyager, so I instructed we should always use it for the album sleeve, simply including within the Voyager spacecraft – and it labored rather well. A while later, I got here throughout the unique portray in a South London antiques retailer and acquired it.”
“It’s superb how many individuals take a look at the duvet and don’t spot the spacecraft,” laughs Hayward. “I believe it was so a lot better than the Octave cowl, which has the band on it. There’s much more element to carry folks’s consideration.”
In Could 1981, when Lengthy Distance Voyager was scheduled for launch, it was flip of the band’s label, London/Decca, to endure main upheaval. That will have been of appreciable concern to most huge acts signed to the corporate – however as Hayward explains, it labored to The Moody Blues’ benefit.
“Lots of people working for the label noticed us as being nicely previous our industrial peak. Octave had accomplished OK (No.6 within the UK and No.13 in America), however there hadn’t been an enormous hit single on it (though Steppin’ In A Slide Zone received to No.39 within the US), and the sensation we received was they didn’t care in regards to the band any extra.
“Then, all of the sudden, all these folks have been gone, and the brand new lot who got here in have been extremely obsessed with us! They thought Lengthy Distance Voyager fitted completely into what FM radio was doing within the States, which was changing into extra pop-oriented. Our strategy was precisely proper for the brand new format.
“We’d been fortunate as soon as earlier than with US radio, as a result of Days Of Future Handed got here out when FM first occurred, and it had had the precise sound to come back throughout brilliantly on air.”
Nevertheless, the band confronted a courtroom battle earlier than they may lastly chill out and get the album out. It was a lawsuit introduced in opposition to them by a mixture of Pinder and Clarke. “Mike had introduced the unique case in opposition to us,” explains Hayward. “And his legal professionals determined so as to add weight to their aspect by together with Tony Clarke.”
What was the crux of the lawsuit? “Mike and Tony felt that with out their involvement, we shouldn’t be utilizing the identify The Moody Blues,” shrugs Lodge. “We knew it was coming – the label had inside data on what they have been planning, and warned us what to anticipate. However we stored on the sidelines and let our authorized folks take care of all of it. The case did find yourself in courtroom, however the closing judgement was in our favour so it didn’t derail us in any respect.”
Pinder appeared to really feel that the band had sidelined him, and whereas he wasn’t ready to tour, he’d been able to contribute within the studio. However the declare is hotly disputed by Lodge. “So far as we have been all involved, Mike had totally left us. He by no means mentioned he needed to stay a recording member. He gave us the impression he was quitting The Moody Blues completely. We by no means froze him out.”
Lengthy Distance Voyager received to No.7 within the UK charts, a spot decrease than Octave, however in America it was their second chart-topper following Seventh Sojourn in 1972. Its success was propelled by two Prime 20 hits within the States: Gemini Dream, which peaked at No.12, and The Voice, which received to No.15.
It was a case of the precise album on the proper time. It was very introspective but additionally accessible
Justin Hayward
“Gemini Dream was initially known as Touring The USA,” says Lodge. “It was the primary tune we recorded for the album, and it was written after we’d spent 18 months on the highway in America. It was about the best way you turn out to be two totally different folks while you’re in a high-profile band – there’s the individual onstage, after which there’s the non-public model of you.”
“We by no means thought Gemini Dream can be an enormous single for us,” admits Hayward. “Come to think about it, The Voice by no means stood out for us both. These selections have been left to the label. They understood that kind of factor higher than us.”
Each Hayward and Lodge now consider Lengthy Distance Voyager ought to be thought of one of many Moodies’ most vital releases. “I regard it as being the pure successor to Seventh Sojourn,” says Hayward. “It was a case of the precise album on the proper time. It was very introspective but additionally accessible.”
“It was the beginning of a brand new chapter in our profession,” says Lodge. “Each tune on the album was approached otherwise; we have been firing on all cylinders, the environment within the studio was nice, and it gave us a brand new lease of life.
“However it did spoil issues a bit of for us,” he provides. “We tried to recreate the vibe on our subsequent album, The Current, working once more with Pip and Greg. However it didn’t work. That made us respect how particular Lengthy Distance Voyager was.”