John Lodge Is Keeping the Moody Blues Music Alive
John Lodge in on a mission of keeping the music of the Moody Blues alive.
As the band’s bass guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the iconic Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2018 inductees, The Moody Blues, he was the songwriter of such mega Moody Blues hits from “Ride My SeeSaw,” to “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock and Roll Band),” “Isn’t Life Strange?” and many more.
Lodge performed and recorded with The Moody Blues for more than five decades, selling more than 70 million albums. He has been voted one of the “10 most influential bass players on the planet,” and has been the recipient of many awards, including ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Publishers), an Ivor Novello Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Prog Magazine, to name just a few.
With the Moody Blues now no longer touring, John is passionate about “Keeping the Moody Blues Music Alive,” and John and his 10,000 Light Years Band provide a unique opportunity to continue to experience the magic of the Moody Blues.
John Lodge will perform Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn at the State Theatre in New Brunswick on July 13.
John Lodge Interview Excerpts
The Inspiration For Days of Future Passed – My Sojurn
I wanted to keep the Moody Blues music alive and I was trying to think how to do it. I decided to do a live version on stage of Days of Future Passed and I went to Graeme Edge just before he passed on, unfortunately.
And I said to Graeme, would you record your poetry? I’m thinking about doing Days of Future Passed on stage.
I said, as well as recording, I’m going to video you. So you’ll always have a place on stage with me.
And he said, John, I’d be honored. He said, I’ve never recorded my own poetry and yes, keep the Moody Blues music alive.
So during the rehearsals and as I was getting near to doing the concert live, I thought, we should record this. Because it’s so different. It’s a saying but different with Graeme on there and Jon Davison from Yes joining me.
And I’ve got a lot more electric guitar on the album. But it’s still the same essence of Days of Future Passed.
And I thought it’s really important for me because Days of Future Passed was the beginning for me and the Moody Blues. And it’s been part of my life forever. And so I wanted to reflect by saying, my sojourn, this is my life.
It’s started with Days of Future Passed. And that’s how the album came to be.
The Impact of Days of Future Passed
I suppose it goes back prior to (the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper) because when I worked for four years before the Moody Blues with Ray Thomas and during the time, I worked with Mike as well, Mike Pinder.
So when I joined the Moody Blues, I was talking to Mike and I said, what’s your image? What do you want to do? I said, because I don’t want to play any more cover songs.
We’d been playing cover songs for five years. I’ve never been to America. So how could I really interpret a song from Memphis or the Delta or Philadelphia or Detroit? I have no idea.
And Mike said, no, we’re going to write our own songs. And I said, that’s it. So we started writing our own songs and we ignored everyone else.
We decided not to go the AM (radio) route. We decided to go the underground route, which is called other time. We didn’t know we ever get a record contract. So we started playing our own material on stage.
We realized what people wanted to listen to. And we were experimenting with the sound, Mike got the mellotron.
And of course, Ray Thomas on the flute and our harmonist, it just was different in itself. And we realized we weren’t going to play the blues anymore or rock and roll. We just going to play our music.
And it was an interaction with all of us because all of a sudden, it was interaction and all that that gave us a sound.
The Moody Blues Get the Bluegrass Treatment
Yeah, (Moody Bluegrass) was amazing, as the Greg called Randy at Nashville said, I want to do bluegrass and Moody Blues. And he was like, you what? We couldn’t believe it. And he did it. And I thought, that’s really different.
And I like bluegrass anyway. I like country music.
And he said, well, we’re going to have a show and feature the album at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the Grand Ol’ Opry. He said, will you and Justin (Hayward) come along, and Graeme and come see the show?
And I said, yeah, well, when we got there, of course, we saw the Ryman Auditorium, saw the piece of wood where Elvis stood and everyone else. And Randy said, John, do you want to sing on stage with the guys?
I said, I love to. Let’s do it.
So I went on stage with Justin and I sang “Send Me No Wine.” And it was interesting, really, because when they introduced the band, they said, this is so and so 15 Academy awards with it. This is so for three Grammys. And they came to me and said, oh, nothing.
It was great concert. I love Nashville.
The Moody Blues and 1960’s Technology
I think we mastered that, to be honest, because we took the songs of the recording and decided which which are the main bits of the song that people can associate with. That’s what we’ve got to capture on the stage, because, you know, the PAs were not brilliant at the time, you know, they’re stuck in the side of the stage.
And we were using, I think, a 400 watt bass amps and full speaker cabinets, the wind coming from the speakers was immense.
But we just decided which is a main part of each song. And we projected that on our live concerts and people recognized the sound from their highlights of the song.
MORE ALL MIXED UP – Interviews and Playlists
10 Classic Jersey Rock Songs That SHOULD Have Been Big Hits
10 Classic Jersey Rock Songs – Each in my humble opinion- should have been bigger hits than they were on radio and in record sales. (Ahhhhh who remembers record sales? – I still love vinyl)
It’s Terrie Carr, and being a music lover and Jersey girl all of my life, I have always (even pre-WDHA days) been enamored with the incredible talent in the Garden State. Recently I was watching the HBO Documentary about Steven Van Zandt – “Disciple” (Check out the trailer below) and kept asking myself – “How were these tunes not bigger hits”? Every time I hear “Forever” – I go nuts! A love song- with THE quintessential New Jersey sound. I also came across an old “Frankie and The Knockouts” record when cleaning the basement- Such a GOOD jersey band and “Sweetheart” was a classic. Do you remember?
So- Let’s Feature Some Jersey Songs That SHOULD Have Been Bigger!
As I usually do, I tried to keep my list diverse. Metal, Singer Songwriter, Stoner Rock, the common thread is THESE tunes (from New Jersey artists exclusively) are solid, unique, and never got what they deserved. How did I choose? Well, being from the state of New Jersey is not the only qualifier.
NOW, why not include a band like Trixter? (I know someone is going to ask me) Because their songs were the #1 most requested on MTV. I’m talking, tunes that went under the radar, from artists who deserved more from their crafting of these gems than they got. Whether it’s in the writing or delivering of the tune. I can hear a hit. A song that makes you feel good. A song that rocks. A song that connects.
So Why Doesn’t A Song Become a Hit If It’s Solid?
Sometimes timing is EVERYTHING when releasing music. There are many factors including changing musical climates, record company staff and priorities, contractual issues, and band dynamics just to name a few. Some of the bands on this list got caught up in musical trends holding them back, confusion with labels and management, and just plain bad timing.
I remember when I heard that #10 on my list got dropped from his record label I was shocked! So much potential- such a killer debut. WDHA tried to find hitmakers in the early days with a series of “WDHA N.J. ROCK” albums- boy was that fun!
So check out my list and hit me up with your suggestions at [email protected]
Follow me on Instagram too and I’ll follow you back – Follow Terrie Carr @TCROCKDOG
Also See
- Why Jersey Metal Rules
- Do You Remember Jamming At These NJ Rock Clubs? Who Remembers The NJ Daytrip?
- Jon Bon Jovi Catches Up W/ TC On Reconnect With Rockers
Rock On Jersey!
