94-648: Hotlegs (very briefly Doctor Father ) was a short-lived English band best known for their hit single " Neanderthal Man " in 1970. The band consisted of Eric Stewart , Kevin Godley , Lol Creme and – briefly – Graham Gouldman . In 1972, the band re-branded themselves as 10cc . Stewart had earlier enjoyed success as a member of the 1960s pop band The Mindbenders and had delivered the vocals for that band's best-known track, " A Groovy Kind of Love ". The Mindbenders disbanded in November 1968 and Stewart teamed with Peter Tattersall,
188-432: A Feeling" and "The Sun Set" were written by Pinder, "Another Morning" and "Twilight Time" were written by Thomas, "Peak Hour" and "Evening (Time to Get Away)" were written by Lodge, and the opening and closing poems, "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament", were written by Edge. The lead vocal on each track was provided by its writer, with the exception of "Dawn Is a Feeling", which was sung by Hayward (although Pinder sang lead on
282-478: A former road manager for Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas , and Gouldman, a fellow Mindbender and successful songwriter, to become joint owners of a Stockport recording studio which in 1969 was renamed Strawberry Studios . Stewart and Gouldman enlisted Godley and Creme, longtime friends of Gouldman who had earlier launched an abortive career under entrepreneur Giorgio Gomelsky as duo Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon, and
376-586: A four-track machine. (At that time, Gouldman was in New York City working out the final six months of his contract with Super K Productions .) The song consisted primarily of a chanted chorus backed by Stewart's and Creme's acoustic guitars and a lumbering drum rhythm provided by Godley. The song was released as a single under the moniker Hotlegs and reached No.2 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1970 and No. 22 in
470-479: A fusion of rock with classical music (performed with the London Festival Orchestra ) that established the band as pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock . It has been described as a "landmark" and "one of the first successful concept albums ". The group released six more albums and toured extensively until they went on hiatus in 1974. Their records from this period were among
564-673: A good holiday I flew off to Antigua . We'd been working ever since we'd left college and we were knackered, so Lol and I just bought the tickets to Antigua and off we went. We also bought cars as soon as we came back and then went into the studio to make the LP. "We did the whole thing wrong. We should have stayed in England, gone on tour, made promotional appearances, given interviews to the Press and TV and so on, but we just vanished to Antigua. And when we came back Hotlegs had gone cold. The record had now gone out of
658-504: A lot of people were very influenced by 'Neanderthal Man', which was something new in drum sounds, using four drums on a four-track machine. When Gary Glitter came along with his records, I thought I could hear the same sort of sound deep down in there. I think there were a lot of other people who copied the sound, maybe unintentionally." Stewart recalled that when the recording equipment had been set up, Kevin Godley set up his drum kit, Lol Creme got out his guitar and Stewart sat down at
752-473: A lovely girl at the time, a receptionist called Kathy, and she used to wear these hot pants, and we always used to call her 'hot legs', and so we thought we'll call the group Hotlegs". Neanderthal Man (song) " Neanderthal Man " is a song by Hotlegs , an English pop band that was later relaunched as 10cc . The song, initially created only as a studio exercise to test drum sounds on new recording equipment, sold over two million copies and reached No. 2 in
846-482: A new band name for the release of "Umbopo" was consistent with the trio's operating procedure of the previous year: working with Kasenetz, Katz and Manchester songwriter Graham Gouldman , they had recorded a large number of songs under names including Silver Fleet, Fighter Squadron and Festival. Creme later recalled: "Singles kept coming out under strange names that had really been recorded by us. I've no idea how many there were, or what happened to them all." After "Umbopo"
940-645: A new musical influence to the band with his folk -inspired songwriting style. In April 1967 they were introduced to Decca staff producer Tony Clarke , who produced the band's next single, their first record with Hayward and Lodge, "Fly Me High" (written and sung by Hayward) with "Really Haven't Got the Time" (written and sung by Pinder) as the B-side, released in May 1967. Sometimes known to fans as "the Sixth Moodie", Clarke would remain
1034-499: A number of tracks from the attempted 1966 album included. Most of the songs for this second album were Laine/Pinder originals, with Tim Hardin 's "Hang On to a Dream" being the only cover. Laine would go on to join Paul McCartney's post-Beatles band Wings in 1971. Along with Paul and Linda McCartney , Laine was one of the three members to remain with Wings from their formation to their 1981 split. The three remaining members of
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#17328839272221128-508: A sheet we were going to fireproof one of the doors with – and then at the right moment we had hit it with a hammer. The hammer blow gave it such a shock frequency-wise that the equipment just couldn't take it. At the time this was an embarrassment to all of us, but that faded into insignificance when we found ourselves with such a massive hit on our hands." The song reached No. 2 in the UK on 15 August 1970 and remained there for two weeks, kept off
1222-406: A very melodic buzzing guitar-solo sound. The Moody Blues had by now become a bill-topping act in their own right and appeared at both the 1969 and 1970 Isle of Wight Festivals (an album and DVD of their 1970 performance would be released in 2008). The title of the band's next album, 1971's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour , was derived from a mnemonic used to remember the musical notes that form
1316-730: The Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a certified million-seller; the song had "bubbled under" the Hot 100 charts on its original release. The song also returned to the UK charts, reaching No. 9, ten places higher than its original release in 1967. The Moodies were one of the earliest rock acts to start their own label, following the Beatles' Apple Records . In 1969 they created Threshold Records , prompted in part by disputes with Decca over album design costs (their gatefold record jackets and expensive cover art were not popular with company executives). The idea
1410-622: The Billboard chart in the US. The LP was a song cycle or concept album that takes place over the course of a single day. The album drew inspiration in production and arrangement from the pioneering use of classical instrumentation by the Beatles, to whom Pinder had recommended the Mellotron in 1965 (the Beatles first used the instrument on their 1966 album Revolver , specifically the track " Tomorrow Never Knows ", and would continue to use it sporadically for
1504-621: The 1970s, A Question of Balance . This album, No. 1 in the UK and No. 3 on the Billboard chart in the US, was indicative of the band's growing success in America. Hayward's "Question" was issued as a single, reaching No. 2 in the UK. Pinder's "Melancholy Man" would be released as a single in France, reaching No. 1 there. Hayward began an artful exploration of guitar tone through the use of numerous effects pedals and fuzzboxes and developed for himself
1598-538: The 1980s they took on a more synth-pop sound, having hits with " Gemini Dream " (1981), " The Voice " (1981), " Your Wildest Dreams " (1986) and " I Know You're Out There Somewhere " (1988). "Your Wildest Dreams" made the Moody Blues the first act to earn each of its first three Top 10 singles in the United States in three different decades. Moraz departed in 1991, followed by Thomas in 2002. The band's last studio album
1692-644: The B-side, in September 1964. Despite some publicity, including an appearance on the cult television programme Ready Steady Go! , the single failed to chart. The band's big breakthrough came with their second single, a cover of Bessie Banks ' " Go Now ", released in November 1964. Promoted on television with one of the first purpose-made promotional films in the rock and pop era, it reached No. 1 in Britain (where it remains their only No. 1 single) and No. 10 in America , where it
1786-459: The Beatles and Marianne Faithfull among others. The day after the party, as Laine later recalled, "we called up the Ridgepride office and said we needed £100 to pay for the drinks bill. They told us they would be right over to see us, but they never showed up. When we went around to the office we discovered they had closed it down and run to the hills, leaving us in the lurch!". Ridgepride left
1880-728: The Beginning", leading into Hayward's "Lovely to See You". His "Never Comes the Day" was issued as a UK single, while Thomas contributed wry observations of life in "Dear Diary" and "Lazy Day". Pinder contributed the closing track on side one, "So Deep Within You". Side two closed with the "Dream Sequence", Edge's poem "The Dream" leading into Pinder's "Have You Heard?" parts I and II with the two parts separated by his classically themed instrumental piece "The Voyage". The band's music continued to become more complex and symphonic, with heavy amounts of reverberation on
1974-607: The British beat and R&B scene of the early–mid 1960s, the band came to prominence with the UK No. 1 and US Top 10 single " Go Now " in late 1964/early 1965. Laine and Warwick both left the band in 1966, with Edge, Pinder and Thomas recruiting new members Justin Hayward (guitar/vocals) and John Lodge (bass/vocals). They embraced the psychedelic rock movement of the late 1960s, with their second album, 1967's Days of Future Passed , being
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#17328839272222068-412: The British charts and was the sole release by Doctor Father. A brief sample of the song was included on The History Mix Volume 1 by Godley & Creme in 1985, while the full version – along with the shorter Crazy Elephant version – appeared on the 2003 Castle Music collection Strawberry Bubblegum: A Collection of Pre-10CC Strawberry Studio Recordings 1969–1972 . The decision to create
2162-607: The Diplomats (formed 1962), with vocalist and guitarist Denny Laine and another future ELO member, drummer Bev Bevan . El Riot & the Rebels split when Lodge went to technical college in 1963, with Thomas and Pinder forming a new band, the Krew Kats. At the end of 1963, after a disappointing spell in Hamburg , Germany, Thomas and Pinder began making plans to start a new band. Meanwhile, by
2256-527: The Four Tops , with the former winning Pinder an Ivor Novello Award . Elkie Brooks later covered Hayward's "Nights in White Satin". Pinder also appeared on John Lennon 's Imagine album in 1971, providing additional percussion on " I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier (I Don't Want to Die) ". In late 1972, a re-issue of the five-year-old "Nights in White Satin" became the Moody Blues' biggest US hit, reaching No. 2 on
2350-486: The Lost Chord , included " Legend of a Mind ", a song written by Ray Thomas in tribute to LSD guru Timothy Leary which encompassed a flute solo performed by Thomas – four members of the group had taken LSD together for the first time in early 1967. Lodge provided a two-part song "House of Four Doors" set either side of Thomas's epic piece. Hayward began playing sitar and incorporating it into Moody Blues music ("Voices in
2444-460: The Moody Blues' own new material was undertaken instead, with Decca/Deram executives not finding out about the change of plan until after the album was finished. The Decca/Deram executives were initially sceptical about the hybrid style of the resulting concept album. Released in November 1967, Days of Future Passed peaked at No. 27 on the British LP chart. Five years later it reached No. 3 on
2538-584: The Moody Blues, Pinder, Thomas and Edge, assembled a new line-up in October 1966. The new members were bassist and vocalist (and ex-El Riot & the Rebels member) John Lodge and guitarist and vocalist Justin Hayward . Hayward was formerly of the Wilde Three with famed UK singer Marty Wilde (father of future pop star Kim Wilde ). He was recommended to Pinder by Eric Burdon of the Animals . Pinder phoned Hayward and
2632-504: The Sky", "Visions of Paradise", "Om"), having been inspired by George Harrison. Hayward's "Voices in the Sky" charted as a single in the UK (No. 27), as did Lodge's "Ride My See-Saw" (No. 42, No. 15 in France), which featured a non-album track, Pinder's "A Simple Game", as the B-side. Pinder contributed " The Best Way to Travel " and album's closer "Om". Graeme Edge found a significant secondary role in
2726-668: The UK and No. 22 in the US. It reached No. 1 in Italy and Germany and was also a Top 20 hit in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland and Japan. The song was the first to be recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport , England, on new four-track Ampex equipment purchased by studio owners Eric Stewart , Graham Gouldman and Peter Tattersall. It featured a simple repeated chorus and a heavy drum rhythm that Gouldman's manager, Harvey Lisberg , has claimed became influential in pop music. He said: "I think
2820-426: The UK. Unable to get gigs, they had no choice but to play the cabaret circuit. This lasted only a short time and after a confrontation with an audience member at one show, who went backstage to berate the band on their performance, the band realised that continuing to play rhythm and blues covers without Laine, whose voice had been the best suited to that style, was not working (in a 2005 interview, Hayward stated that
2914-686: The US Top 20 (with two reaching No. 1) and eight of which made the UK Top 20 (with three reaching No. 1). They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, for "over 50 years of exhilarating and significant music that has influenced countless musicians and rocked fans around the world". In 1958, rock and roll band El Riot & the Rebels formed in Birmingham , England, featuring vocalist and harmonica player Ray Thomas ("El Riot") and bassist John Lodge . At
Hotlegs - Misplaced Pages Continue
3008-457: The US, and reached No. 5 in the UK. The album saw Pinder using the new Chamberlin instrument. His stirring lament "Lost in a Lost World" opened the album, while he also contributed a sympathetic ode to Timothy Leary, "When You're a Free Man". The album also included one of Thomas's most popular songs, "For My Lady". Lodge's songs " Isn't Life Strange " and " I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) " (the latter written in response to some of
3102-505: The US, "Nights in White Satin" did not make the Billboard Hot 100 on its original release as a single in 1968 ("bubbling under" at No. 103), although it reached No. 2 on re-release in 1972. It is now regarded as the Moody Blues' signature song. In the US "Tuesday Afternoon" was also released as a single and was more successful on initial release, peaking at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band's next album, 1968's In Search of
3196-640: The US, ultimately selling two million copies worldwide. The band recorded a follow-up album, Thinks: School Stinks , for Philips , which was released in March 1971. Before the release of Thinks: School Stinks , Hotlegs rebranded themselves as Doctor Father in August 1970 for the release of a single, "Umbopo" (backed with "Roll On"), on the Pye Records label. "Umbopo" was written by Godley and Creme, produced by Creme and featured Godley on lead vocals. Released on Pye, it
3290-543: The album and made No. 19 in the UK in late 1967/early 1968. It would eventually make No. 9 in the UK on re-issue in December 1972 and No. 14 on the charts in another re-issue at the end of 1979 — by which time it had been covered by several artists, including Eric Burdon and War , Giorgio Moroder , The Dickies and eventually by various non-English-language artists, including Franck Pourcel , Dalida , Tommy Körberg , and I Nomadi ., and American Bettye LaVette . Likewise, in
3384-446: The album included a Lodge/Pinder collaboration, "Out and In". Lodge provided his two-part "Eyes of a Child" and "Candle of Life", while Pinder contributed "Sun Is Still Shining". The album closed with its only single, " Watching and Waiting ", sung by Hayward and composed by him and Thomas. It was during 1969 that the band established their own label Threshold Records under licence to Decca Records. To Our Children's Children's Children
3478-427: The album, including backing up Graeme Edge's opening and closing poems. The orchestra and band never performed together during the recording. With the exception of the overdubbed strings on the latter part of Hayward's " Nights in White Satin ", the orchestral sounds on the band's own songs were actually played by Pinder on Mellotron. Despite being a lush concept album, it was recorded in a very workmanlike manner, with
3572-401: The album. The track listing includes all of the original tracks as well as the title track and the US stereo mix for " Neanderthal Man ". This was the first CD release for the album which includes all the tracks that Stewart, Godley & Creme recorded as Hotlegs. According to Eric Stewart , in the 2009 BBC radio documentary The Record Producers , the band's name came about because "there was
3666-423: The band as a writer of poetry, with all their late 1960s albums beginning with various band members reciting poems by Edge that were conceptually related to the lyrics of the songs that followed. Edge narrated his brief "Departure" poem on Lost Chord , although Pinder recited the majority of Edge's poetry, as according to Edge, he had the best voice for it due to "smoking more cigarettes and drinking more whisky at
3760-445: The band bankrupt with several debts, taking all the money earned from their records up to that point, including the No. 1 hit "Go Now", with them. Now without Ridgepride, the band signed directly to Decca Records in the UK and London Records in the US, with the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein taking on management of the Moody Blues. Their next single "Everyday", another Laine/Pinder original,
3854-498: The band continued playing their biggest hit "Go Now" after he and Lodge joined, with different members attempting lead vocal, but that it never sounded right). Although the band had only released original songs on record after The Magnificent Moodies in July 1965, the R&;B covers were still the main focus of their live show until this point, after which the band focused primarily on playing their own original songs, with Hayward bringing
Hotlegs - Misplaced Pages Continue
3948-525: The band obtained a management company, Ridgepride, formed by Alex Wharton (later known as Alex Murray), who had been in the A&;R division of Decca Records . They signed a recording contract with Ridgepride, who then leased their recordings to Decca. They released their first single, a cover of Bobby Parker 's "Steal Your Heart Away" with the Laine/Pinder original "Lose Your Money (But Don't Lose Your Mind)" as
4042-491: The band recording a particular song, then the track being presented to Peter Knight who quickly composed a suitable "linking" orchestral portion, which he and the orchestra then recorded. The album was as much an original work by Knight himself as the group. The composing credit for the whole album was listed as Redwave/Knight (Redwave being a made-up collective name for the five Moody Blues), although "Nights in White Satin" and " Tuesday Afternoon " were written by Hayward, "Dawn Is
4136-574: The band returned to their homes in Manchester expecting something else to turn up. "But nothing happened," he said. "It was really quite amazing. We'd opened a tour with the Moody Blues ;... we were expecting offers of work to arrive, but no one asked us to do anything. The next Hotlegs records flopped and we didn't get a single offer of work. It was extraordinary. We'd had a hit record that had sold two million copies and nobody wanted us." The group
4230-401: The band reverted to Hotlegs. In October 1970 the band was invited to tour Britain with The Moody Blues . Gouldman, newly returned to the U.K., joined the band on bass, marking the gigs as the first at which the four future members of 10cc played live on stage. After just four shows, however, the tour was cancelled when John Lodge of the Moody Blues contracted a virus. Gouldman recalled that
4324-519: The band were unable to make any television appearances in the US during the tour, although the live concerts still went ahead. In July 1966, Warwick retired from the group and the music business. After unsuccessful attempts to recruit Klaus Voormann (who took up a simultaneous offer to join Manfred Mann instead) and the Who 's John Entwistle , the band hired Rod Clark as Warwick's replacement on bass. At
4418-653: The band's hippie fans, who mistook the Moodies as spiritual leaders due to the philosophical themes of many of their lyrics) were lifted as singles from Seventh Sojourn, both reaching the Top 40 in the UK and US. In an interview following the release of Seventh Sojourn , Edge told Rolling Stone : "We've got two Christians, one Mystic, one Pedantic and one Mess, and we all get on a treat." By this time, other bands were picking up their work. Pinder's songs "A Simple Game" (1968) and "So Deep Within You" (1969) were successfully covered by
4512-411: The band's producer for the next eleven years. "Fly Me High" picked up both radio airplay and favourable reviews, but failed to chart in the UK. The track showed elements of the folk rock and psychedelic styles that were pervading rock music during this time. The band went further in the psychedelic direction on their next single, Pinder's "Love and Beauty", which was issued in September 1967. This too
4606-522: The beginning of 1963 they were joined by keyboardist Mike Pinder , who had just returned home from time in the army. Other Birmingham rock and roll bands around during these years included Danny King & the Dukes (formed 1958), with bassist Clint Warwick , Gerry Levine & the Avengers (formed 1959), with drummer Graeme Edge and future Electric Light Orchestra member Roy Wood on guitar, and Denny &
4700-408: The beginning of 1964, Warwick, Edge and Laine had all left their previous bands and begun working together in a new band, the R&B Preachers. Thomas and Pinder formed their new band in May 1964, recruiting Edge and Laine with the line-up completed by Warwick after Lodge turned down an offer to join; the other members intended to move to London as a professional band after a few local gigs, while he
4794-413: The beginning of October, Laine also left the band, followed by new member Clark a few days later. Shortly after Laine and Clark left, Epstein announced that he no longer represented the Moody Blues. While the Moodies appeared to be disintegrating, Decca released their new single, "Boulevard de la Madeleine" with "This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" as the B-side, just a few days after Laine's departure
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#17328839272224888-485: The bridge section), and the two poems which were recited by Pinder. Together with Tony Clarke, engineer Derek Varnals also contributed heavily to the creation of the Moody Blues' classic studio sound, working with Pinder and Clarke to create a more symphonic overlapping sound on the Mellotron as opposed to the sharp 'cut off' the instrument normally gave, partly achieved by removing all the "sound effects" tapes (trains, whistles, cockerel crowing, etc.) and then 'doubling up'
4982-498: The charts and no one had ever really discovered who we were. The follow-up single 'Lady Sadie' just bombed out and the album hardly sold at all – though I still say that was a bloody good album. Basically it included the songs and the ideas that we had been hoping to bring into that LP for Giorgio Gomelsky. Most of the tracks were from the Frabjoy period and it's an interesting LP." After Thinks: School Stinks received worldwide release, it
5076-406: The control desk. "It was the first time we'd had a real control desk with a four-track machine and we were excited to try it all out," he said. "The whole thing was just an experiment because Kevin wanted to lay all sorts of different drum beats down that he hadn't recorded before, and there was this crazy sort of nursery rhyme that had just got into our heads." " As we laid down the drum tracks, Lol
5170-430: The deeper drama of Hayward's "You Can Never Go Home", Lodge's "One More Time to Live" and Pinder's "My Song". Edge started writing lyrics intended to be sung, rather than verses to be spoken – his "After You Came" featured each of the other four members taking a vocal section. The album saw the band moving away from the Mellotron as their primary keyboard instrument, with the synthesizer starting to take its place. The album
5264-443: The group Hotlegs." Stewart said Philips were not entirely content with the song, however: "The next thing that happened after we'd done the deal was that we got a phone call from them. 'We like the record,' they said, 'but we can't hear the words!' We had about three phone calls about that, and each time I explained that they weren't supposed to hear the words. Eventually they agreed to release it just as we wanted it." He said there
5358-419: The group's earlier recordings; however, it became a far more featured instrument from this point onwards as the psychedelic influences became stronger in the band's music. By the autumn of 1967 the Moody Blues' contract with Decca Records was set to expire and they owed the label several thousand pounds in advances. They had the support, however, of Decca A&R manager Hugh Mendl , who had been instrumental in
5452-672: The lines of the treble clef: EGBDF. One of the Moodies' most experimental albums, the opening track, "Procession", depicted the "evolution" of music, leading into Hayward's " The Story in Your Eyes ", which was released as a single in the US where it reached No. 23. "Procession" is the only Moody Blues song credited to the entire band (not counting the Redwave credit on Days of Future Passed ). Lodge's contributions included "Emily's Song", written for his newly born daughter, while Thomas's reflective "Our Guessing Game" and whimsical "Nice to Be Here" offset
5546-451: The management firm, with the band's next single, the Laine/Pinder original "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)", being produced by Denny Cordell , who would remain their producer into 1966. The single was released in May 1965 and did better than "I Don't Want to Go On Without You", reaching No. 22 in the UK. In July 1965, the band released their first album, The Magnificent Moodies . It
5640-454: The most successful in the progressive rock genre, and produced FM radio hits such as " Nights in White Satin " (1967; charting again in 1972), " Tuesday Afternoon " (1968), " Question " (1970), " The Story in Your Eyes " (1971), " Isn't Life Strange " (1972), and " I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) " (1973). After resuming activities in 1977, Pinder left the following year and was replaced by former Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz . In
5734-495: The next two years, while the Moodies' Decca/London labelmates the Rolling Stones used Mellotron heavily on their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request and its preceding single " We Love You "). It took the idea of rock/classical fusion to new heights, using the London Festival Orchestra to provide an orchestral linking framework to the group's already written and performed songs, plus overture and conclusion sections on
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#17328839272225828-481: The project, and Mendl (as executive producer) was able to provide this despite Decca's notoriously tight-fisted attitude to its artists. According to the band, Peter Knight , who had been assigned to arrange and conduct the orchestral interludes, came to see them play live before the recording and liked their newly written songs so much he preferred to work on an album of those rather than the Dvořák assignment. An album of
5922-411: The recent establishment of London/Decca's new subsidiary imprint Deram Records . With Mendl's backing, the Moody Blues were offered a deal to make a rock version of Antonín Dvořák 's New World Symphony to promote the company's new Deramic Stereo Sound audio format in return for which the group would be forgiven their debt. The Moody Blues agreed, but insisted that they be given artistic control of
6016-513: The resident band. The band's name quickly evolved from the M&;B5 to the Moody Blues. Aside from incorporating the M&B letters, the name was also a subtle reference to the Duke Ellington song " Mood Indigo ". Pinder also stated in a later interview that, at the time, he was interested in how music can affect and change people's moods. The "Blues" was also a reference to the band's set at
6110-475: The singles by Stewart's former band The Mindbenders on its Fontana label) was in the Manchester area on business and visited the studio. When he asked Stewart what they had been working on, Stewart played the "Neanderthal Man" tape they had just completed. Stewart said Leahy immediately claimed, "It's fabulous! It's a hit record!" and offered a £500 advance. The advance was particularly timely for Stewart, who
6204-406: The tapes of orchestral instruments' sounds, which combined with Pinder's knowledge of the instrument and ability at playing it, and Clarke and Varnals' recording skills, created an orchestral 'wave' sound that characterised the Moody Blues' music thereafter. "Nights in White Satin" — despite eventually becoming a legendary classic — was very slow to gain popularity. It was released as a single from
6298-400: The team gained work writing and performing bubblegum songs under a variety of band names for US producers writer-producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz of Super K Productions , as well as other session work. " Neanderthal Man " was created by the trio of Stewart, Godley and Creme as they dabbled with newly installed recording equipment at Strawberry Studios, perfecting drum layering on
6392-399: The time Laine and Clark departed, the Moody Blues had been in the process of recording their second album, to be titled Look Out! , with Cordell still producing. The album was shelved and "Really Haven't Got the Time" is the only song title mentioned in the article. In 2014 Cherry Red Records , on their Esoteric Records imprint, released a double CD edition of The Magnificent Moodies with
6486-429: The time consisting mostly of rhythm and blues . During their first year together, as well as playing their own shows and making their own records, the Moodies (as they were often nicknamed by fans and the band themselves) also provided backing for various blues performers touring England, including Sonny Boy Williamson and Memphis Slim . The Moody Blues moved to London in the summer of 1964. Soon after they arrived,
6580-469: The time". In Search of the Lost Chord was the band's first album to feature artwork by Phil Travers, whose striking surreal scenic imagery would continue for all their albums through to 1972's Seventh Sojourn . The band released two albums in 1969. The first, On the Threshold of a Dream , became their first No. 1 album in the UK. It opened with Hayward, Edge and Pinder sharing narration on Edge's "In
6674-401: The time." The band returned to the studios to work with other performers. Stewart said: "We sat down one day and said, 'Hotlegs is defunct – let's face it.' And we decided to carry on with our production work." Godley, in a 1976 interview, described the band as "doomed": "I'm afraid we blew the whole thing. The first thing we did was take a holiday, and because I'd never been able to afford
6768-557: The top spot by Elvis Presley 's " The Wonder of You ". The song also became a hit across Europe and reached Top 20 in Canada and Top 30 in US and number 24 in Australia. "Neanderthal Man" was the only hit by Hotlegs. An album, Thinks: School Stinks and a follow-up single, "Lady Sadie", differed markedly from the sound of "Neanderthal Man" and drummer Kevin Godley later admitted the band failed to properly capitalise on their hit with interviews or other promotional work. "Neanderthal Man"
6862-499: The track, "there's a great big bit in the middle where nothing happens, it was supposed to be Ray playing flute"). "I Don't Want to Go On Without You" was also included on a four-track EP, simply titled The Moody Blues , in April 1965 which reached No. 12 on the UK EP chart. The other tracks included were "Go Now", "Steal Your Heart Away" and "Lose Your Money". Around this time Alex Wharton left
6956-406: The vocal tracks. The second album of 1969, To Our Children's Children's Children , was a concept album inspired by the first Moon landing . The album peaked at No. 2 on the UK charts. The opening track, "Higher and Higher", saw Pinder simulate a rocket blast-off on keyboards, then narrate Edge's lyrics. Thomas contributed the songs "Floating" and "Eternity Road", while Hayward provided "Gypsy" and
7050-447: Was a mix of rhythm and blues covers and Laine/Pinder originals, the latter showing more of a Merseybeat influence. The album also included a cover of the George and Ira Gershwin standard " It Ain't Necessarily So ". The back cover featured a specially-written prose poem by Donovan . The band held a launch party for the album, with guests including George Harrison and Paul McCartney of
7144-425: Was a very mediocre pop song." The album also presented a problem, he said: "That was so different to 'Neanderthal Man' that it was totally alien to what people were expecting from us. It was a good record, a little ahead of its time. It was similar to the things we are doing now. It was very melodic with chord structures that hadn't been used before – and some of the sounds that we used on that album hadn't been heard at
7238-428: Was also one of the earliest records to feature electronic drums, played by Edge. Every Good Boy Deserves Favour became the band's second consecutive, and third overall, No. 1 album in the UK and reached No. 2 in the US, their highest album chart placement there so far. In 1972, the band returned to the more lush sound of their late 1960s albums with Seventh Sojourn , which became their first album to reach No. 1 in
7332-461: Was an expanded reworking of "There Ain't No Umbopo", a song the trio had recorded in 1969 under the guise of American bubblegum pop group Crazy Elephant . That song had emerged from an intense three-month period at Strawberry Studios in Stockport , near Manchester , writing and performing songs for American hitmakers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz of Super K Productions . Despite regular airplay on Radio Northsea , "Umbopo" did not appear on
7426-611: Was announced (the single had been released in the US in June 1966, though the A- and B-sides were switched for the UK release). A further single, " Life's Not Life ", was issued in January 1967. This single's release is often listed in discographies as being cancelled, though both promo and regular stock copies have been seen over the years. In the November 1966 issue of Hit Week , Dutch interviewers Hans van Rij and Emie Havers wrote an article saying that at
7520-400: Was considering selling his house and moving to something smaller to provide him with more funding for the studio. He said the first task was to create a name for the band: "We had no name for the group, of course. But we had a girl at the studio… Kathy Gill, I think her name was, who had very, very nice legs and she used to wear these incredible hot pants. Green, leather hot pants. So we called
7614-630: Was featured in a number of 10cc compilation albums, including 1997 The Very Best of 10cc , 2006 Greatest Hits ... And More , 2017 Before, During, After - The Story of 10cc . "Neanderthal Man" was sampled in the song "Son of Man" by GG/06, a collaboration between Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman. The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964. The band initially consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist/vocals), and Clint Warwick (bass/vocals). Originally part of
7708-513: Was impressed when Hayward played him his single "London Is Behind Me" (released in January 1966) during their car ride to meet the other members in Esher . Around this time "Boulevard de la Madeleine" became a hit single in Belgium and with the band's commercial success floundering in the UK, they relocated there almost immediately after Hayward and Lodge joined. By February 1967 the band had returned to
7802-456: Was not a UK hit, but was significant for being the first Moody Blues track to feature Mellotron , played by Pinder. Prior to the Moody Blues' formation, Pinder had worked for the company that manufactured the Mellotron, though he had not been able to afford one until 1967. Pinder's Mellotron work would become a major part of the band's sound for the next several years. Primarily playing harmonica up to this point, Thomas had played flute on some of
7896-452: Was one further hitch before the song was released: a loud metallic burst towards the end of the song blew a £1200 cutter head as the track was being mastered in the Phonogram cutting suite. He explained: "We had a sound on that track that was something that had never been recorded before. We'd made the sound by taking a large 6 ft by 4 ft sheet of steel into the studio. It was actually
7990-552: Was put with comedian John Paul Joans in order to record a single aimed at the Christmas market, and the result – "The Man From Nazareth" – was a top 30 hit. Another Hotlegs single was released in Britain – "Lady Sadie" (1971, a very naughty lyric with a standard arrangement) – and two others overseas ("Run Baby Run", US and "Desperate Dan", Germany and Spain), but none charted. In 1976 Stewart, by then achieving success with 10cc, admitted: "'Lady Sadie' had no class and no originality. It
8084-408: Was relaunched as 10cc . Thinks: School Stinks was reissued by One Way Records in 1994 on CD. This edition included the line up from the original album release only. You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think of It was reissued by 7T's (a division of Cherry Red) on 22 October 2012. The reissue featured a new cover commissioned for the new release and a booklet with information on the making of
8178-459: Was released as a single there in December 1965. In early December 1965, the Moody Blues were the support band for the Beatles on what would ultimately be the Beatles' last British tour . The Moodies then spent late December 1965 into January 1966 on their first tour of North America. What could have been a valuable appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show had been booked prior to the tour; however, visa issues upon their arrival in New York City meant
8272-457: Was released in October 1965. The single stalled at No. 44 in the UK, where the band would not release any more records for a year. They were still in demand for live gigs though, and while their chart success was declining in the UK and North America, they were still successful in some other countries during this time, particularly France where their cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's " Bye Bye Bird " from The Magnificent Moodies reached No. 3 when it
8366-506: Was released on London Records . The band struggled to continue the success of "Go Now". They enjoyed a minor British hit with a cover of the Drifters ' " I Don't Want to Go On Without You ", reaching No. 33 in February 1965. Wanting to capitalise quickly on the No. 1 hit, Decca had rush-released the single before the band had completed its recording (as Edge recalled in a 1978 interview regarding
8460-493: Was repackaged (in the UK) by the Philips label in December 1971 as Song , with several tracks replacing originals, including "Neanderthal Man". A compilation album was issued in Britain in 1976 as You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think of It putting together previously released material. The lack of further chart activity saw Hotlegs labelled as a one-hit wonder . In 1972, Hotlegs
8554-421: Was singing in the studio with Kevin keeping time – and after we'd laid four drum tracks down Lol's voice came through at a very high level, sounding like something none of us had ever heard before on a record. It really sounded very strange, so we carried on working on the number, adding little bits of piano to it. " By good fortune, Dick Leahy of Philips Records (the record company that had released all
8648-512: Was still in college and determined to finish. The new band hoped to receive sponsorship from the local Mitchells & Butlers Brewery (who owned numerous live music clubs), even naming themselves the M&B5, though the sponsorship failed to materialise. The M&B5 played their first live show a few days after their formation, at the Carlton Ballroom (later to become rock music venue Mothers ) on Erdington High Street , where they became
8742-588: Was the Christmas album December (2003), after which they decided against recording any further studio albums. They continued to tour throughout the 2000s and later reunited periodically for events, one-off concerts, short tours and cruises, until Graeme Edge, the last remaining original member, retired in 2018. Clint Warwick died in 2004, followed by Ray Thomas in 2018, Graeme Edge in 2021, Denny Laine in 2023, and Mike Pinder in 2024. The Moody Blues sold 70 million albums worldwide, including 18 platinum and gold LPs. They produced 16 studio albums, six of which made
8836-463: Was the first of their albums to be released on their own label. Although the Moodies had by now defined themselves with a lush, atmospheric and high-production psychedelic style, which had been an influence on the then-burgeoning progressive rock genre, by 1970 the band were finding it difficult to recreate their sound in concert and decided to record an album that could be played live more easily, losing some of their lush sound for their first album of
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