Days of Future Passed (1967)

Days of Future Passed is the second studio album by English progressive rock band the Moody Blues, released on 17 November 1967, by Deram Records. It has been cited by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and others as one of the earliest albums of the progressive rock genre and one of rock music's first concept albums.

The album represents a significant creative turning point for the band. The album is their first with guitarist and singer Justin Hayward, who replaced Denny Laine, and bassist John Lodge, who replaced Clint Warwick. The album is also their first to feature longtime producer and collaborator Tony Clarke and the first to feature keyboardist Mike Pinder on Mellotron. These changes, combined with a shift away from R&B covers toward original compositions and a thematic concept, helped define the band's sound for the next several albums and earned the group new critical and commercial success. The album was recorded to showcase the stereo recording techniques of Decca Records' new imprint, Deram. The label had requested the group record covers of pop and classical music along with an orchestra. Instead, the album features original compositions expressing the day in a life of an everyday person, interspersed with orchestral interludes arranged and conducted by Peter Knight and performed by the London Festival Orchestra.

The album was a moderate success upon release, but steady FM radio airplay and the success of hit single "Nights in White Satin", led the album to become a top ten US hit by 1972. It has since been listed among the most important albums of 1967 by Rolling Stone.

Background

The Moody Blues had started out as a rhythm and blues band, and had achieved commercial success in late 1964/early 1965 with the UK No.1 and US Top 10 single "Go Now". However, by late 1966, they had run into financial difficulties and personnel changes; as such, the band decided to change their creative course. Guitarist/singer Denny Laine and bassist Clint Warwick left the group to pursue other interests, allowing John Lodge, former bandmate and friend of Ray Thomas, to join the group on bass. The band would find guitarist and singer Justin Hayward through Eric Burdon of the Animals who had put out an advert for a new bandmember and passed on the responses he had rejected. The addition of Lodge and Hayward brought two additional songwriters into the group, allowing the band to pursue a new creative direction, which included writing about what they knew, rather than about American themes when they had not yet visited America. After a complaint about the poor quality of their R&B covers, the band focused on their own material