Deram Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
With unabashed earnestness, betraying their roots in 1960s youth culture, this British quintet pondered the riddles of existence with thought-provoking lyrics and bracing, adventurous music. They became one of the world’s most popular, beloved, and enduring bands. Their vast body of songs offered a counterpoint of hopefulness and idealism to the darker currents of a warring and polluted planet. Few artists of their stature devoted themselves so assiduously to shining the light of love on a fraught, despairing world. But they also set rock on a boldly progressive course, infusing it with symphonic grandeur and experimental reach. Parke Puterbaugh, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Essay
Except for a few songs I loved as a child, I was a Moody Blues skeptic for many years. Both parents were huge fans and saw them live several times, but while the Moodies were a big part of their youth, they weren’t a big part of mine. I didn’t really begin to appreciate them until 2014, when my mother and I decided to record our thoughts on each of the Core Seven albums with the intent to publish them as podcasts. That idea fell to the wayside after the first recording, because our natural mode of communication mingles English and French. We decided to continue with the recordings, then translate the French into English and publish them as “reviews” on this site. That didn’t work either, so after a year or so, I pulled them out of circulation.
I was still a skeptic during those conversations, but as time went on, I found myself returning to their music and listening more carefully. As the world started to plunge downhill with global warming and the stupid fucking Americans handing Trump the keys to the castle, their music became more and more relevant because of that “hopefulness and idealism.” When we were trying to come up with a song that Alicia and I could sing together at our wedding, my mother suggested the middle part of Justin Hayward’s “Question” and we fully embraced the idea.
In mid-2025, I concluded that the Moody Blues deserved better from me, so I vowed to review all of the Core Seven before the end of the year and give them a spot on the menu bar. All links will become active over time.
To Our Children’s Children’s Children
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
