Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed

The Moody Blues, as a band, are currently rather inactive and focused only on (necessary) celebrations of their masterpieces, which year after year don't age but rather - like the fine Italian wine John loves so much - improve and leave an ever deeper mark on the history of rock music. John Lodge, on the other hand, the band's longtime bassist and singer as well as the composer of many great hits, isn't standing still: he's releasing splendid singles, playing live (health situation permitting) and celebrating the music of his historic band in the best possible way. "The Sun Will Shine" is the latest single the tireless seventy-six-year-old musician offers his audience. Over to Mr. John Lodge.

So, dear John. March 2020: a sold-out show in Massachusetts, and then the lockdown. How did you experience this bizarre moment, and how did it influence your singles "In These Crazy Times" and "The Sun Will Shine"?

Yes, I finished the tour and went to Naples - not in Italy, but in Florida, where my family lives. We were supposed to celebrate my grandson's birthday on March 14th, but that never happened because we immediately went into lockdown. I have a condo in Naples, because my whole family lives there, but I didn't have any equipment, so I thought about building a small studio with Apple, GarageBand and M-Audio gear, keyboards and microphones. I started practising every day just to play, purely for my own enjoyment. Then one day I was there, playing, and I started singing all by myself: I suddenly realised that at that very moment, all over the world, probably everyone was doing the same thing. It was the only moment when the entire world found itself locked down at the same time. So, when I wrote the song "In These Crazy Times", I was thinking precisely about the fact that the whole world was in lockdown simultaneously, and my thoughts were probably the same thoughts as everyone else's. The only way out is to get out of it together: I wrote the song, recorded it in my little studio, my wife - who has never sung before - recorded the backing vocals for me, my son played electric guitar, and I sent the files to Jon Davison of Yes (John Lodge's son-in-law, ed.) so he could record more backing vocals. So it was all made in my little room in my apartment in Naples, Florida.

Speaking of "The Sun Will Shine" from the standpoint of composition, arrangement and production, how would you describe this song?

You know, when I write for the Moody Blues some songs seem to come together on their own. I love Italian opera arias very much: they start quietly and grow, grow, grow until they reach their peak. I wrote and arranged "The Sun Will Shine" that way, once I found myself in lockdown again, but in this case, once I made the demo, I sent the files to the guys in my band, the 10,000 Light Years Band. Everyone recorded their part in their own studio, and once all the files came back for the mix, Jon Davison of Yes recorded my voice and my bass. The bass I played is my Fender Precision, which I've used on every Moody Blues song: I bought it in 1960.

Wow, that's the original one!

It's the original one, and I think it was the very first Fender Precision bass ever sold in Birmingham, England, where I was born.

So this time you recorded "The Sun Will Shine" in the UK?

No, some of it was recorded in America, some in England, and then it was mixed in Los Angeles.

What message do you want to convey with the song's lyrics?

The real message of the song is that when we come out of the emergency and when the pandemic becomes endemic, hopefully we'll have a positive attitude; once we return to our dear old world, if we live serenely and joyfully, that will also be reflected towards others, and we'll all become like the sun lighting up a beautiful new day. The excitement for a new day.

So can "The Sun Will Shine" be considered a sort of continuation of "In These Crazy Times"?

Yes, I think that for me "In These Crazy Times" represents the crazy times we started from, from the bottom. With "The Sun Will Shine" we've almost gotten back to the top, and whatever comes after the song will be a new day.

Once the health emergency is over, what can we expect on the live front from the 10.000 Light Years Band?

A tour in Europe, one in America between March and April. In April I'll do a cruise with Procol Harum, the Hollies, the Zombies and many other artists. We'll set off from Florida and arrive in the Caribbean within a week: a floating festival. But I'd really love to do a European tour and come to Italy, where I've never played.

No? You mean never in your life?

No, never. I've taken part in TV shows in Italy, I've recorded many songs and many albums in Italy, but I've never played there.

In terms of recorded music, what can we expect in the future both from you as a solo artist and from the Moody Blues?

I don't believe there's anything coming from the Moody Blues beyond compilations and the celebration of "On The Threshold Of A Dream" or things like that. As for me, in 2019 I did a tour with Yes, and in September I'll be releasing a live album called "The Royal Affair". It's a live record drawn from my series of concerts with Yes but also from the tours with my 10.000 Light Years Band. There will be Moody Blues songs: one by Mike Pinder, one by Ray Thomas and one by Justin Hayward - I want to keep the Moody Blues' music alive.

"Long Distance Voyager" really means a lot to me. What do you remember about working on that record, and how do you see its music forty years after its release?

For me "Long Distance Voyager" was a truly exciting moment: we recorded it in a studio we'd put together in London, called Westlake Audio Studio. It's the only record we made there as the Moody Blues, and it was, so to speak, a return to working together; the lyrics of "Gemini Dream" begin with the line "long time, no see", and that was really important to me in terms of getting back out playing, meeting people, having a live audience and playing our music.

So it was an exciting time during the production and recording of the record too?

Truly exciting, because we had a new producer, Pip Williams, who had all the gear that was coming out at the time: Apple, computers, programs for writing and recording.

What music do you like to listen to in your free time, to relax?

I like every kind of music, I listen to everything: classical music, opera, pure rock'n'roll, West Coast music... I don't like electronic music: I love music that's actually created by an artist, created by a musician, that's an important criterion for me.

What final message and greeting would you send to your fans here in Italy?

Ciao (laughs)!

…we'll be waiting for you!

Absolutely! To all the Italian fans: please get in touch with your booking agencies and ask them to bring John Lodge to Italy. Because I love Italy, my wife and I go there at least two or three times a year.

We'll try to organize some shows, then.

I'd really love to come, even without making any money on it… I'll enjoy the pasta and wine!

(June 27, 2021)

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google