I'm often asked if I listen to music when I write. I do on occasion, though during such sessions, it's more classical/soundtrack and/or ambient constructions that I favor, such as Michael Ferentino's Bedtime for Robots, Tangerine Dream and various experimental, Eighth Tower examples, where transcendental draws persist, prompting my words to bounce in a sublime succession.
For the interludes (the lead-ups that prompt my actual composing), I lean on the Moody Blues. Through the band's compositions, I'm able to calm down and then dream and aspire, allowing any number of ideas to flourish.
The Moodies have the same impact on lots of folks. In this respect, it's obvious why they're revered (inducted, no less, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), but at the same time, they've never received the fullest degree of respect they deserve. That the Moodies exist, or have existed, is more than enough cause to express endless jubilation and exaltation and yet ...
The peculiar, understated passings of John Lodge and Ray Thomas epitomize the problem. When the two left this Earth, the mainstream media turned a blind eye. It was heartbreaking (maybe more so, infuriating) for me (and a legion of fans) to learn of their departures months after the fact.
Despite this unpardonable injustice, the Moodies' mind-expanding flights have enchanted generations of listeners, pulling them from their oppresive doldrums time and again. For example, I've been revisiting To Our Children's Children Children, but then I tend to do so (for whatever pensive prompt) whenever autumn approaches. It's a welcome tradition, and I'm all the better for it.
I'll be attending a Justin Haywood concert this September. I saw the Moodies perform at the Philadelphia Spectrum in 1986 (with another underrated but excellent band, the Fixx); the impact of that event has never left me. The Haywood concert will be a marvelous way to bookend the inspiring stretch.
Well, I hope my little, creative-catalyst share enlightens your mood, as much as the magnificent Moodies have enlightened mine.🎵
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