The Moody Blues Mike Pinder

1 moody blues

1.1 years
1.2 core 7 period
1.3 band hiatus
1.4 band reformation, octave , departure

the moody blues
early years

pinder, thomas , members of other successful birmingham bands (singer/guitarist denny laine, singer/bassist clint warwick , drummer graeme edge) formed moody blues in 1964. initial single, steal heart away on decca, failed chart. second release, go became uk no.1 in january 1965. band went on have further uk hit don t want go on without , release first album magnificent moodies (decca) in mono only, on pinder took lead vocal on cover of james brown s don t mind . bye bye bird album big hit band in france. album released in usa, retitled go on london records.

pinder , guitarist/lead vocalist laine began songwriting band, providing b-sides on 1965–66 period, including don t (all time) , , baby s gone , house (but nobody calls) , can win . progressed writing a-sides, including uk chart hits everyday , bottom of heart (both 1965), boulevard de la madeline (1966), , life s not life (issued in january 1967 recorded earlier in 1966), before bassist/vocalist warwick , frontman laine left group.

a rare non-uk pinder–laine song era people gotta go , released on france-only ep boulevard de la madeline , later included bonus track on cd release of magnificent moodies in 2006. song known send people away .

core 7 period

pinder instrumental in selection of young swindon guitarist/vocalist/songwriter justin hayward laine s replacement. pinder phoned hayward , collected him @ railway station. old friend john lodge el riot days came in replace temporary rod clarke permanent bassist/vocalist, completing classic moodies line-up.

after initial abortive attempt continue r&b material, band decided drop covers , record original songs. pinder , hayward led way: hayward s fly me high first release revised line-up, released on decca in 1967 pinder s older-style rocker haven t got time b-side.

a recorded unreleased pinder song time (1967) jazz-blues ballad please think , later included on caught live + 5 double album issued decca in 1977.

pinder obtained secondhand mellotron streetly and, after removing special effects tapes (train whistles, cock crowing, etc.) , doubling string section tapes, used on numerous moody blues recordings. began single love , beauty , flower power song written , sung pinder, , moodies a-side after 1966. pinder introduced mellotron friend john lennon. beatles subsequently used instrument on strawberry fields forever .

pinder s dawn (is feeling) – lead vocals hayward, , pinder singing bridge section – began days of future passed album, on pinder contributed sun set , narrated drummer edge s opening , closing poems, morning glory , late lament .

pinder, along moodies recording engineer derek varnals , longtime producer tony clarke (a decca staff producer assigned them fly me high onwards) managed devise innovative way of playing , recording unwieldy mellotron make sound flow in symphonic waves, opposed sharp cutoff instrument gave. symphonic sound characterise of later seen moodies 7 major albums between 1967 , 1972.

pinder 1 of first musicians use mellotron in live performance, relying on mechanical skills had gained time streetly keep unreliable instrument in working order. typical of travails moodies first concert. when band struck first harmony, of mellotron fell open , of tape strips cascaded out. pinder grabbed tool box , got instrument working order in 20 minutes time, while light crew entertained audience projecting cartoons.

in addition mellotron, organ , piano, pinder played harpsichord, moog synthesizer, tablas, various forms of keyboards , percussion, autoharp, tambura , both acoustic , electric guitars on moody blues recordings 1967 onwards, providing key vocal harmonies 1964 1978 , lead vocals. pinder acted group s main musical arranger 1978.

the 1969 concert on caught live + 5 album , live @ isle of wight festival 1970 dvd show pinder , thomas acting group s onstage spokesmen.

pinder wrote several of moodies more progressive, mystic numbers, including (thinking is) best way travel , om (both 1968 s in search of lost chord), plus innovative symphonic rock piece have heard/the voyage/have heard (part two) concluded 1969 album on threshold of dream. parts of track later featured on loving awareness jingles on radio caroline during 1970s. pinder continued narrate edge s poems, notably word (1968); in beginning (with edge himself , hayward) , dream (both 1969); , balance (1970).

on edge s higher , higher (1969) pinder s mellotron simulated sound of rocket blasting off open our children s children s children album, wrote , sang sun still shining , rare co-written song (with john lodge), out , in , on sang lead vocals. pinder s mellotron stands out particularly on tracks such edge s instrumental beyond , hayward–thomas closing track watching , waiting .

pinder s earlier non-album song simple game (1968), won ivor novello award, used b-side of uk hit single ride see saw on deram; both song , pinder s other on threshold of dream song deep within (1969) both later covered 4 tops.

on 12 october 1968 moodies had cut unissued version of simple game , featuring hayward on lead vocal, considering song potential uk single never materialised. version sung pinder used instead. rare hayward version later appeared bonus track on remastered cd version of in search of lost chord, issued in 2006.

pinder s 1970 album track melancholy man (from question of balance) became no.1 hit overseas single in france year. pinder s how (we here) other song contribution (a working title; mike s number 1 album sessions has since surfaced later cd release). 3 songs had him singing lead vocals, case compositions.

pinder s composition , lead vocal song , deep, reflective atmospheric item, concluded moodies 1971 album every boy deserves favour, on took co-credit entire band unusual opening track procession (an attempt aurally depict evolution of vocal , musical harmony through time). sang featured co-lead vocal , solo spot along hayward, lodge , thomas on edge s song after came .

also in 1971 pinder guested on john lennon s imagine album on songs don t wanna soldier (i don t wanna die) , jealous guy , playing tambourine rather mellotron intended play, because pinder s account tapes in lennon s mellotron looked bowl of spaghetti , hence switch tambourine.

in 1972 moodies, @ height of popularity, retreated mike pinder s home studio record seventh sojourn, included 2 pinder-penned , -sung contributions: lost in lost world , , when re free man , dedicated timothy leary. however, pinder switched similar-sounding less-troublesome chamberlin album.

band hiatus

the moody blues took break recording in 1974, , pinder relocated california, releasing solo album promise in 1976 through moodies threshold label.

band reformation, octave , departure

in 1977 band returned recording , performing; pinder declined full participation, although collaborated on 1978 release octave recording unused promise-era song 1 step light band. added synthesizer , backing vocals album, notably album intro lodge s steppin in slide zone , instrumental climax on edge s ll level ; stopped coming sessions when interpersonal conflicts (mostly edge) arose. during time, pinder in new relationship resulting in marriage , children, preferred not tour band @ time. result, band hired swiss keyboardist patrick moraz formerly of yes in place. mike s youngest sons, matt , michael lee, grew pop music stars , writing/recording artists in own right.