BLUE JAYS

J is for..Just sensational!

Between 1972 and 1978, the Moody Blues took a break from recording together. While "Seventh Sojourn" had been an excellent album, it had apparently been "difficult" in terms of the internal relationships within the band. They continued to tour together, but chose to work on solo albums, and collaborations with others outside the group.

While the Moody Blues were nominally a band of equals, Justin Hayward and John Lodge always dominated the song writing, and performances. These two decided to continue to work together going on to create an album called "Blue Jays" (a play on the name of the band plus the first letter of Justin and John).

"Blue Jays" is the best album the Moody Blues never made. Despite the absence of three of the band members, it has all the hallmarks of a Moodies album, Hayward's distinctive vocals and guitar work, perfect harmonies, strong melodies, and even orchestration by Peter Knight (who had first worked with the band on "Days of Future passed"). There is a coherence and magic to the album which sets it apart as a criminally under recognised masterpiece of its time.

Usually, I choose to mention a selected number of key tracks from an album, to give a flavour for the contents. Here though, every track is worthy of note.

"This morning" an appropriate title for an opening track, is composed by Hayward, who writes or co-writes all but three of the tracks. The song has a deceptively complex structure which builds twice through three distinct melodies to a harmonic climax. A clever twist is used here, whereby the guitar work is used to pull back from the vocal crescendo, and return the music to a softer starting point from which to rebuild. The track runs off with some superb guitar work from Hayward, before it segues into "Remember me my friend". The use of segues to merge tracks on Moody Blues albums is one of the distinctive qualities of their albums, and continues to be used to great effect here.

"Remember me my friend" is the first of just two compositions to bear joint song writing credits. It combines punchy but sparse verses with a great hook in the chorus. The track ends with an increasingly fast guitar solo which too quickly fades. Strangely, on the cassette version of the track the solo is allowed to continue for more than a minute longer before fading.

"My brother" is a slightly softer ballad, with a really strong melody which led to it being released as a moderately successful single. It differs from the first two tracks in that it has a constant pace throughout. "You" is the first solo Lodge composition on the album. It has a slightly softer but strongly melodic vein, with more of Hayward's fine guitar work. In fact, those who find Hayward's guitar sound to be among the best in the business will find "Blue jays" to be something of a holy grail.

"Nights winters years" closes the first side with a "Nights in white satin" style ballad by Justin Hayward with powerful orchestration, and a climactic finale.

"Saved by the music" once again has a multi-part structure. Starting softly, with gentle verses, it gradually builds to a much faster chorus akin to "I'm just a singer" from "Seventh Sojourn". The pace is dropped for each of the three verses, the final one being a brief refrain from the first which then builds more dramatically to the final chorus. That final chorus is then delayed by a flute segment (a cameo by Ray Thomas perhaps?) before finally bursting through and concluding with Hayward and Lodge singing "This time we're... Saved", holding in a high harmony on the word "Saved". Oh and Hayward slips in a wonderful guitar solo between the second verse and chorus too! My words here do not adequately describe the wonderful structure and performance of this track, but hopefully give a hint of the magic at work here.

Hayward's vocals are at their most emotional on "I dreamed last night". The song has echoes of the earlier works of the Moody Blues, around the time of "In search of the lost chord", being supremely melodic, with classic harmonies. It flows seamlessly into "Who are you now", a brief soft ballad, haunting in its simplicity and with a beautifully reflective lyric to match.

"Maybe" is in the mould of "Isn't life strange" with slow sparse verses building to climactic choruses. Peter Knight's participation comes to the fore here , as he unleashes the full spectrum of the orchestra to bring the track to a climactic conclusion.

The final track on the original album, "When you wake up", drifts in with floating verses with an almost lullaby feel. these are abruptly interrupted by the louder, lyric free choruses. Hayward and Lodge display the full force of their classic harmonies one last time as the album fades to a glorious conclusion.

The CD version of the album includes "Blue guitar" as an extra track. This was recorded by Justin Hayward assisted by 10CC, and released as a single under the "Blue Jays" name. It fits in well with the album, with some beautifully melodic guitar, and of course Hayward's fine vocals.

As you'll have gathered by now, this is a mightily impressive album. The luxurious gatefold sleeve of the LP presented one of Phil Travers most beautiful illustrations. The album also contained a fold out lyric sheet with a further Travers illustration. Had it born the Moody Blues name, which it could easily have done, "Bluejays" would undoubtedly have ranked as one of their best, if not THE best. If you enjoy the music of the Moody Blues, this is an essential album.

Certainly the best side project/solo album any of the boys ever produced, and better than any Moody Blues album to come after its release. Roughly half the album is A-list material, and the rest isn't bad. The addition of orchestral instrumentation is a plus, not a hindrance. I'm surprised that none of the recent live albums producd by the Moody Blues included any of these songs, because doing so might have led more listeners to discover this brilliant effort.

The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (published in 1983) dismissed this out of hand as a mediocre Moody Blues album. If they listened to the record before reaching that conclusion, they needn't have. In their jaundiced world, there was little place for plaudits in the Moodies canon, so they stuck a blue ribbon on the obvious choice (Days of Future Passed) and snuck past the other animals thinking no one would notice. On the surface, Blue Jays would seem to be the Moodies at half mast. But it soars, simply soars. The songs are more intimate than their work as a band, equally ambitious (an orchestra appears on several tracks) but infused with a keener sense of melody and form. In fact, Blue Jays sounds very much like a very good Barclay James Harvest album. Both leaned on the minor key legacy of The Beatles, and it's easy to imagine songs like "Remember Me, My Friend," "You" and "My Brother" spilling from the pen of an inspired George Harrison. The opening "This Morning" is a harbinger of good things to come, swelling with melodic invention. Without a strong unifying theme (loneliness, friendship, love and the search for an intangible answer are familiar themes on Blue Jays, but the same could be said for most Moodies albums), Blue Jays lacks the grand statement of a Days of Future Passed or On The Threshold of a Dream, but it contains at least as many good ideas (and maybe more) than those albums. I'd rank Blue Jays right up there with the Moodies most successful forays, especially if you couldn't wait for the next Justin Hayward or John Lodge track to roll around on those albums. The pair seem interested in returning to their pastoral roots on Blue Jays, so don't expect anything as agitated as "I'm Just A Singer" or "The Story In Your Eyes." Instead, relax and ride on Blue Jay's back by wings of strings and a tail pointed in the direction of pure melody.

By 1974 the (real!) Moody Blues had been together for 7 long intense gruelling years. After 7 top-drawer albums and now a seemingly everlasting world tour they were jaded and more than ready for a break. Justin Hayward convened with Mike Pinder at Mike's ranch in USA to initiate some recording, but after both John Lodge and then Tony Clarke had become interested, Pinder dropped out of the project. Thus was born the Blue Jays, a Moodies spin off album that would keep us more than happy for a while.

It has rightly been opined that Blue Jays is the missing link between Seventh Sojourn and Octave. Like a true Moodies album, it fits nicely into the gap, being perhaps a little more free flowing than Seventh Sojourn yet not as disjointed as Octave. Perhaps the key is the presence of long time producer Tony Clarke whose unique style helps to root Blue Jays firmly in the Moody Blues camp. Yet some key elements are absent: Ray Thomas's rich deep voice; Mike Pinder's Mellotron; and a more varied songwriting. In their stead we are treated to an orchestra, three members of a string quartet (violin/cello/viola) and a pianist all of whom add some wonderful textures to the album.

I must here applaud the remastered CD (Decca, 2004) for its amazing clean sound quality and superb clarity courtesy of Paschal Byrne. Numerous small details become apparent, even down to bows rasping across cello or viola strings, and individual voices in harmonies. A brilliant job which really involves you in the music. This is not such an easy task because of a typically full and busy production, especially the trademark multi-layered vocals of Hayward and Lodge. But nothing is sacrificed, those gorgeous rich sounds are still there and as enticing as ever.

This Morning gets the ball rolling, a soaring Hayward speciality with a complex multi-sectioned developing structure full of vitality and energy, yet that mournful catch in his voice exuding pathos and heartache. It is both the best song on the album and also a statement of intent, laying out their stall for the next 40 minutes or so. Hayward's guitar work on this track, as indeed on the whole album, is amongst the best he has done.

After such a fantastic start, Remember Me brings the adrenalin level down a couple of notches to a more gentle song with a lovely melody and the 'string quartet' in evidence, though I find over-repetition of a simple chorus has me hovering over the FFW button. My Brother, too, is a fair song, apparently a barbed note aimed at Mike Pinder, another mid-paced romp in similar style to This Morning but not so majestic. So far the main voice heard has been Hayward's, but You brings Lodge to the fore for the first time. This is a typically gentle Lodge song, made memorable by an excellent sympathetic arrangement on which both musicians play lead guitar.

Nights Winters Years is the first of two big voice-with-orchestra songs, featuring orchestrations by Peter Knight. This is Hayward's contribution and my least favourite track on the album. It is done exceptionally well of course, but it goes on a little too long for my taste. Saved By The Music is a stonking return to form from John Lodge. Fundamentally an up tempo song very reminiscent of In Search Of A Lost Chord, yet it features a slow quiet verse building into a wonderful ensemble piece full of swooping guitars, flute and cello.

Hayward's I Dreamed Last Night initially drops the pace again to a quieter lilting level, before slowly building throughout a long verse structure to a final crescendo complete with orchestra. Who Are You Now is another timeless Hayward classic, essentially an acoustic arrangement in the mold of I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Million but with the addition of an excruciating blissful cello solo and some stunning vocals. Next is John Lodge's turn to sing along to the orchestra on Maybe, which has a more adventurous arrangement than Hayward's effort, though the orchestra can be a little overpowering.

The finale of the album proper is yet another classic. When You Wake Up has Hayward drifting "a little further to the stars", initially with some acoustic instruments but building to a great rousing climax awash with Moodies trademark sounds, and topped by guitar soloing in an extended coda to fade. Of course, the 2004 re-issue doesn't finish there, as Justin Hayward's solo single Blue Guitar is tucked on at the end as a bonus. This too is a fine song in its own right, though somehow it doesn't quite belong here ....

So, does Blue Jays sit comfortably alongside the Moodies discography as a prized and highly recommended piece of work? Definitely! Do we miss the other three musicians? Well, sadly, no not really. The very high standard of songwriting on show, and the energy with which Hayward and Lodge undertook this project, suggest the others may have diluted the effort had they been present, that Hayward and Lodge felt a sense of release from the shackles of the parent group, to enable all this extra creativity to burst forth.

The saddest thing about Blue Jays is they didn't repeat it, deciding instead to go on to solo projects before resurrecting the old band. In my opinion, only once more would they come anywhere near the heights of creativity and excellence achieved here. This therefore remains as a little enigma, almost the last flowering of the great period of Moodies world domination. It is, of course, absolutely essential to all Prog lovers!

Should it be the Moody Blues missing piece? Well, could be, why not? We know that in the last 30 years the two moodies, Justin Hayward and John Lodge, who signed this album have gotten the band's leadership. Songs from BLUE JAYS are included in Moody Blues compilations and are presented in their live concerts. Also the sound, the instrumentation, the general atmosphere remember clearly an MB output. Not a great mistake if one says this is a Moody Blues work!

Hayward & Lodge & guest musicians gave definitely a moodie flavor in BLUE JAYS, well, a bit more poppish than the usual, at least for the release date, but it's easy to notice it now, since we all know the history - The Moody Blues that had always flirted with pop, via ballads and love songs went through marriage and the commitment ceremony happened certainly here. However, the result is above average; the mentioned Hayward and Lodge are talented guys: great musicians and fine singers too - all concur to produce an enjoyable album.

"This morning", the opening track, brings some smells of classical MB stuff; the guitar riff is very characteristic although singing pace has a style much more heard in years/albums to follow. The following track, "Remember me, my friend" is audible but offers little and the next track, "My brother", even balladesque, has fine arrangements and fair vocals.

Next three pieces are very pop ones: "You" is pleasant and soft, with another great orchestration and some rock spices. "Nights winters years", with its pompous symphonic touch is a clear attempt to re-create a new "Nights in white satin" (starting with the title), but we know that the lightning only hits the same place once. "Saved by the music" is fair and agreeable, hence forgettable.

"I dreamed last night" continues the general panorama seen in the last tracks, mellow vocals, few challenges to ears and minds. "Who are you now?" is truly a beautiful love song, not prog but somehow uplifting in spite the sad lyrics - there's a hope a happy end will occur finally; also string arrangements are worthy. The orchestral approach returns in "Maybe" with a beginning reminding us old MB's stuff or maybe Procol Harum just to leave room for a somewhat dull lullaby; metals accompaniment give no help to the song.

"When you wake up" is the proggiest song in the album, it certainly could fit DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED extravaganza. Now a sense of deviation, defying and disillusion is clearly felt together with great singing, fine guitar playing and once again accurate strings and piano presence. "Blue guitar" finishes quite well this release, a nice farewell to make us forget some less illustrious moments of the album.

Wouldn't it be Prog Archives and this album could be rated high, but being it not the case I would rate BLUE JAYS for collectors/fans only however one cannot deny that it's a good work, although not essential. Final rating: 3.

Great to see this album on the site. I had no idea ( Maybe I should read the sleeves more) that Eric Stewart/10cc had such an influence on the production and engineering on this album. It is as people say like a lost jewel in the Moody Blues reportoire. Stands up there with their finest studio albums. The whole album is excellent although the closer ' Blue Guitar' my personal favourite.Other great tracks are ' My Brother', the fragile ' I Dreamed Last Night' and ' Remember Me ( My Firend'. This is like Steve Hacketts- Voyage of the Acolyte or David Cousin's - Two Weeks Last Summer, both worthy 'band' studio albums in their own right as is the Blue Jays.

Just got this from Amazon.co.uk yesterday. My, my, this takes me back! I bought it back in '75, when it first came out, and I was stunned at the time over the sheer musicianship, the songwriting, the orchestration, the production and Justin's guitar. The tracks run into each other which tends to add to the album's completeness, in my view. My cd is the remastered version, and it sounds really crisp coming out of the speakers. Every track is wonderful, and the album is easily comparable with the best work the Moodies ever did. As commented on already, this does in fact sound uncannily close to a Moodies album. 'This Morning' is a highlight, the guitar work especially standing out and a very emotional melody in both verse and chorus. 'Remember Me (My Friend)' is softer, with nice acoustic guitar at the beginning, though the harmonies here are a little fragile in places. 'My Brother' is a mid-paced track that has another wonderful melody, whilst 'You' is ridiculously catchy, with the piano work in particular worth mentioning. 'Nights Winters Years' is the big ballad on the album, Justin singing it with full orchestral backing. This is classic Haywood material and goes down a treat, especially on dark winter nights, in front of an open fire. (Ours is gas, unfortunately!) In fact, the whole album has a wintry feel to it, or late autumn at least. 'Saved By The Music' is probably my least fave track, simply because the verse is almost child-like in its quality, especially in the vocals, maybe too simple for me, but the chorus is memorable, and, as the song fades, you hear that wonderful Haywood guitar soloing out nicely. 'I Dreamed Last Night' is another highlight. More acoustic guitar here, with a strong melody, and gorgeous harmonies in the chorus. Percussion work, here and throughout, is top notch. 'Who Are You Now' is quieter, with gentle acoustic guitar the predominant instrument. Another introspective Haywood song, with effective harmonies again. 'Maybe' is another orchestral-backed ballad, this time sung by John. He doesn't quite have the strength in his voice that Justin has, but he sings it well enough, and the song fades out nicely with some good instrumentation. Then fades in the third highlight, 'When You Wake Up', which was the B side of the single 'Blue Guitar'. This track is full of Haywood's guitar work, beautifully played, winding its way sinously through the track. The melody is strong, and the chorus is climatic in character. Finally comes the bonus track, the aforementioned single 'Blue Guitar', which starts with some absolutely superb spacey guitar from Haywood, before leading into yet another strong melody, and ending with more excellent guitar. This is a shorter track, and strangely doesn't feature John Lodge at all. But it fits nicely on the album. It has been wonderful revisiting this album, and it is recommended for anyone who wants to listen to strong melodies without any pyrotechnics or metal riffs. In fact, it is recommended for anyone who has the Moodies albums and would like to hear another one! Four stars.

The keyboards (and in particular mellotron) which were hallmarks of the Moody Blues sound were absent for this album, recorded by Hayward and Lodge to fill time during the Moodies' mid-1970s hiatus, and in their place is a string section backing which gives the album a sound reminiscent of classic baroque pop releases of the 1960s. The overall effect is close enough to the duo's Moodies compositions that the album will appeal to listeners of that band - indeed, it's a sufficiently good companion to their Moody Blues work that few fans would want to be without it - but it's definitely its own entity at the same time.

Equally, it's hardly an essential entry in the Moodies story - it boils down to Hayward and Lodge trying to keep the band's soft prog formula bubbling just a little bit longer, and it had already been feeling a little tired out before the band took their hiatus.

The years 1967-1972 produced seven classic albums of THE MOODY BLUES and had not given much time to have a break. After The Seventh Sojourn the band didn't exactly break up, but the members felt the need to have some distance from each others. (An anecdote tells how they used to give numbers to their jokes: -"Number eight." - "Hahahaha...") The most prolific song-writer Justin Hayward however started to feel the urge to get back into the recording studio, so he stayed at Mike Pinder's home in Los angeles hoping to make some music together. Soon also John Lodge and the producer Tony Clarke wanted to join, which made Pinder to withdraw from such re-grouping. The long and winding process resulted in an album that definitely deserves its place in the MB legacy.

Additional musicians were hired from groups of the Moodies' own label Threshold, dor example string players from the American Providence. The one thing that clearly separates Blue Jays from the MB output is the absence of Pinder, Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge. Clarke is again a master as the producer, and the orchestrations for three songs were written by Peter Knight, the man they worked with on Days of Future Passed.

Over half of the songs are by Hayward whose song-writing pen was in good shape. The duo shares credits for two songs, of which 'Remember Me (My Friend)' Clarke edited down to 3½ minutes from the original nine minutes. Lodge's own compositions are 'You', ''Saved by the Music' and 'Maybe', all rather romantic songs but in my opinion slightly from the better end of his output. No, nothing as gorgeous as e.g. 'Candle of Life' (1969) but at this time the vintage Moody Blues magic was of course more or less left behind.

The whole album's atmosphere is soft and emotional, but not commercially sentimental as the latter day Moody Blues tend to be. The oroginal album release was followed by the single 'Blue Guitar'. Hayward's basic track is a collaboration with the 10cc musicians, dating from 1973. That laid-back, dreamy song is naturally included in the album's CD release. Even with the absence of the original quintet's synergy and many-sidedness in song-writing, Blue Jays beats almost anything released as the Moody Blues since their comeback album Octave (1978). Before Octave each member released solo album or two. Only Justin Hayward has made a considerable solo career, starting with a good album Songwriter (1977).

Review Nº 325

"Blue Jays" is a studio album recorded in 1974 and released in 1975 by Justin Hayward and John Lodge, two of The Moody Blues' members. The album was recorded and released during The Moody Blues' hiatus of five years. Between 1972 and 1978, after the release of their album "Seventh Sojourn", The Moody Blues took a break from recording together and the band's members improved to release their solo albums. So, it was in this context that Hayward and Lodge joined together and released "Blue Jays". The album had originally been a project of Hayward and Michael Pinder but as soon as Pinder left, Lodge entered. For many people "Blue Jays" is the lost The Moody Blues' album. Despite the absence of the other three band's members, it has the distinctive marks of an album released by the band.

At least in terms of sound, Hayward and Lodge have created with "Blue Jays" the ultimate The Moody Blues' album. It has the same sound that established the band's mass popularity in 1968 with their album "Days Of Future Passed". Basic rock instrumentation heavily overlaid with mellotron or string orchestra, and vocals treated as instruments in the Wagnerian manner. In strictly musical terms, however, The Moody Blues are far from Wagnerian. Simple and melodic themes are elongated to accommodate a dramatic and emotional swelling orchestration and a gargantuan crescendo.

The line up on the album is Justin Hayward (vocals and guitar) and John Lodge (vocals and bass). The album had also the participation, as guest musicians, of Jim Cockney (violin), Kirk Duncan (piano), Tom Tompkins (viola), Tim Tompkins (cello), Graham Deakin (drums), Mark Singer (drums) and Del Newman on the orchestral arrangements, too.

"Blue Jays" has ten tracks. The first track "This Morning" written by Hayward is a fantastic opener. It's one of the best songs on the album and I think it's also one of the best compositions of Hayward. This is a very beautiful song with a very emotional melody and it's also a song with a very complex musical structure. It's really a great track. The second track "Remember Me (My Friend)" written by Hayward and Lodge is the first song on the album co-written by both musicians. It's a very good song with a nice lovely melody and also with a great and beautiful chorus work. The third track "My Brother" written by Hayward is a nice and soft ballad, very melodic with fine arrangements and nice vocals too. It's another song with a wonderful melody. The fourth track "You" written by Lodge is another beautiful and soft ballad on the album. It's a typical Lodge's song, very pleasant and with a strong melodic sound and also with a great orchestration, as happen in the whole album. The fifth track "Nights Winters Tales" written by Hayward is a very beautiful and powerful ballad very well orchestrated. It's an exceptional classic piece of music that reminds us the soundtrack of a real film. The sixth track "Saved By The Music" written by Lodge is a nice and agreeable song with good guitar, flute and cello works and especially with a fantastic memorable chorus. The seventh track "I Dreamed Last Night" written by Hayward is another beautiful song completely in the vein of The Moody Blues' music. It's a fantastic song with a very strong melody, acoustic guitars and once more with great harmony in the chorus work. The eighth track "Who Are You Now" written by Hayward is essentially an acoustic song very melodic and beautiful. It's a short song, but despite that, is in my humble opinion, the most beautiful song on the album and it's one of my favourites too. This is really a very beautiful song. The ninth track "Maybe" written by Lodge is another song superiorly orchestrated. It's another soft song with a beautiful and calm melody and also with some good instrumentation. This is my favourite Lodge's song on the album. The tenth track "When You Wake Up" written by Hayward and Lodge is the other song co-written by both musicians. It's the song which was the B side of the single "Blue Guitar". This is a nice song with a strong melody, very beautifully played with good guitar work and also with a good work on the chorus. Finally we have the last song on the album, the bonus track and the A side of the single, "Blue Guitar", written by Hayward. This is a very short track, but it's a song with a nice and melodic guitar work. Despite be a good song and finishes quite well the album, I have the sensation that this is, somehow, a different song and in some way it doesn't belongs to "Blue Jays".

Conclusion: "Blue Jays" is a fantastic album, is the most romantic and the most successful album released by any The Moody Blues' members in their hiatus. In my humble opinion, "Blue Jays" proves three things. First, if this album had been released by the group would be one of their best works. Second, once again it was demonstrated how good this duo of composers is. Third, how a simple musical work can be an excellent album with a superior orchestration. So, and in short, the harmonies are probably the most notable characteristic of the songs on this album. Hayward and Lodge have always harmonized well and those harmonies are exploited for full effect on this album. These two artists are masters of the mellow rock. If you are looking for listening simple music, turn out the lights and listen to this, really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)