Days of Future Passed [Vinyl]

(180 Gram Audiophile Pressing) Compositions and arrangements for pop group and symphony orchestra belong to the British pop scene like the Queen to the Commonwealth. The Moody Blues, one of a seemingly never-ending number of groups which sprang up in the North of England, ventured early into new territory in that they undertook an ambitious project which sought to mediate between classical tradition and modern music and which might very well be described as real ''crossover''.

Their very first long-playing record, made in 1967, was a smash hit right from the start. The album Days of Future Passed jumped into the US charts within a few weeks and remained there for almost two years, bringing the group their first Gold Disc. As the title suggests, the six individual recordings fit together within the programmatic framework of a passing day. This synthesis of orchestral music and original ''flower power sound'', where the past melts with the future, results in Nights in White Satin, a timeless super-hit. What is more, the brilliant tonal definition of DECCA's patented ''Deramic Sound System'' does not cease to amaze and certainly does justice to this extraordinary recording.

Recording: November 1967 at Studio 1, Broadhurst Gardens, London by Derek Varnals. Production: Hugh Mendl.