BLUE JAYS

If you are a fan of The Moody Blues' classic era in the late 1960s and early 1970s, then Justin Hayward and John Lodge's Blue Jays is a must album for you. It maintains the sound of the Moodies from Days Of Future Passed through Seventh Sojourn. Hayward and Lodge utilize the Moodies' producer, Tony Clarke, some of the songs are orchestrated by Peter Knight, who orchestrated the Days Of Future Passed album, and even the cover art is done by Phil Travers, who illustrated six of the classic Moodies albums, from In Search Of The Lost Chord through Seventh Sojourn. Blue Jays has a mix of ballads and upbeat numbers, typical of a Moody Blues album. When released in 1975, while the Moodies were on hiatus and doing solo work, Blue Jays was treated by fans as a new Moodies album. Hayward and Lodge subsequently went on to record solo albums that were a bit more of a departure from the classic Moodies' sound. But Blue Jays marked the beginning of Hayward and Lodge as the performing and songwriting duo who would front the Moodies after they reformed in 1978. The Blue Jays CD release also includes the single Blue Guitar, which was originally recorded by Justin Hayward and 10cc, with John Lodge and Tony Clarke later adding their touches.