The Moody Blues

• Genre: Art & Progressive Rock
• Hometown: Birmingham
• The Moody Blues Website

About

Yes, they were part of the original British Invasion. And yes, they had a substantial hit in the 1980s. But the Moody Blues will always be remembered for their marriage of rock band and orchestra as heard on Days of Future Passed(1967). Embraced by flower children and art rock lovers alike, the album-story winds through a prototypical day before ending with their most famous song, "Nights in White Satin." Over the top? Absolutely. Pretentious? Possibly. So, the Moodies dropped the orchestra and placed more importance on keyboardist Mike Pinder's mellotron and the rest of the group's ability as multi-instrumentalists. The streamlined sound served them well, especially on songs such as the joyous rocker "Ride My See-Saw." After making a series of albums in this vein, the band went on hiatus, only to reemerge in the late 1970s. They never again broke new ground in popular music, but they did have enjoy a few more hits, most notably "Your Wildest Dreams" (1986). The band has continued frequent touring and the sporadic release of records into the present day, with Keys of the Kingdom, Strange Times and December appearing in 1991, 1999 and 2003, respectively.

- Will Lerner