Nights in White Satin: The Moody Blues' "Days of Future Passed" Turns 50 with First Reissue of Original Stereo Mix
October 10, 2017 By Joe Marchese 8 Comments
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The 50th anniversary of The Moody Blues' 1967 classic Days of Future Passed will be marked next month, on November 17, by UMe as a new deluxe edition featuring the CD debut of the original 1967 stereo mix and more.
The band's second album, Days of Future Passed paved the way for the birth of progressive rock with its overt classically-inspired elements - including its closing song, "Nights in White Satin," which went on to become a rock-era standard. The London Festival Orchestra conducted by Peter Knight joined the band to bring its lush psychedelic rock visions to life. In 1972, Days climbed to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard chart and "Nights in White Satin" made it to No.2 on the Hot 100. Yet owing to a damaged master tape of the original stereo mix, the album was remixed in stereo in 1978. (The official press release gives this date as 1972, the year the LP was mixed into four-channel quadraphonic sound.) That stereo mix has been the one used on the album's many CD reissues, per the band's wishes. UMe has announced that modern technology has allowed the original mix - with numerous variations in vocals and instrumentation from the 1972 version - to be restored for its CD debut on this reissue.
The Deluxe Edition presents both the 1967 and 1978 stereo mixes, as well as seven previously issued BBC Radio performances, plus a DVD with a new 5.1 surround sound mix derived from the album's original 1972 quadraphonic mix, and previously unreleased video footage of the band performing three Days Of Future Passed tracks at the MIDEM conference on January 24, 1968, eight weeks after the album's initial release. (Previous surround mixes were released in 2001 on DTS and 2006 on SACD.) The set also includes other bonus tracks and a poster designed by Ray Thomas. On the same date, the original 1967 stereo mix will also be released on 180-gram vinyl.
The bonus material from the 2006 CD/SACD Deluxe Edition has been carried over for this release, including six mono single mixes, four alternate takes, two studio outtakes, and seven BBC sessions. The studio outtakes are "Long Summer Days" and "Think About It" from Decca Studios circa May and June, 1967, respectively; these have been identified on the press release as BBC tracks but appear to be the original Decca recordings.
A psychedelic and progressive rock opus, Days of Future Passed will be available as a 2-CD/1-DVD set on November 17, along with a vinyl reissue of the original 1967 stereo version. Look for them at the links below!
The Moody Blues, Days Of Future Passed: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition [2CD/DVD] (UMe, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)
Original 1967 Stereo Mix (previously unreleased on CD) (Deram DES 18012, 1967)
THE DAY BEGINS
DAWN: Dawn Is A Feeling
THE MORNING: Another Morning
LUNCH BREAK: Peak Hour
THE AFTERNOON: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?) / Time To Get Away
EVENING: The Sun Set: Twilight Time
THE NIGHT: Nights In White Satin
Long Summer Days
BBC Saturday Club Session
BBC Easybeat Session
Love And Beauty
Leave This Man Alone
Peak Hour
BBC Dave Symonds Session
Fly Me High
Twilight Time
1978 Stereo Mix
Tuesday Afternoon (Alternate Mix)
DAWN: Dawn Is A Feeling (Alternate Mix)
The Sun Set (Alternate Version without orchestra)
Twilight Time (Original vocal mix)
I Really Haven't Got The Time (B-side single)
Fly Me High (A-side single)
Love And Beauty (A-side single)
Leave This Man Alone (B-Side single)
Nights In White Satin (A-side single)
Cities (B-side single)
5.1 Surround Sound Mix & 96kHz / 24-bit of original stereo album mix
British Gala Du MIDEM (France 1968): Peak Hour / Tuesday Afternoon / Nights In White Satin
CD 1 & CD 2 Bonus tracks previously issued on Deram 983 215-0, 2006
The Moody Blues, Days Of Future Passed [180g Vinyl LP of original 1967 stereo mix] (Deram DES 18012, 1967 - reissued UMe, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)
Categories: News Formats: CD, DVD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock Tags: The Moody Blues
Joe Marchese
JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.
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Looking forward to this & The Moody's FINALLY getting into the "Rock" Hall
BillyD says
Wasn't the SACD the quad mix? I waited too long when it was released and when the great SACD purge began the price skyrocketed. And I already had several discs so it wasn't a priority.
A couple weeks ago I picked up a pristine original pressing from Goodwill for $.99 . Haven't cleaned it yet, but maybe I will today.
I've got the 2006 SACD but I'll pick this up for the original mix and the video content. Everything else was on the 2006 version.
It's a little annoying that "Afternoon" is one track even though it has two songs (one of which, "Tuesday Afternoon," is enough of an evergreen that you'd think it would merit its own track number). Same with "Evening." But it's not a big deal. It's a classic album and I'm glad there will be a 50th anniversary commemoration, even if there are no surprises left in the vaults. I wish them luck with the Hall of Fame vote.
BJEvS says
YES!!! (regarding Hall of Fame inductee nomination).
And speaking of YES, and so many other so called "Prog Rockers", The Moodies set the stage for them. Especially, with the addition of Justin Hayward to "replace" the out-going Denny Laine (he went to Wings).
WTF is/was the R&R HoF originator's issue with delaying this so long? No excuse has satisfied me. As a 60's, 64 year old Boomer, and still hippie, this is an injustice, insult long due remedy.
My life of music would be really missing a significant group if never heard of The Moody Blue. Of course this is so very untrue. They are world-wide, multi-generational mega stars.
wardo says
I bought a new vinyl copy in 1984. Would that have been the original mix or the 1978 mix?
Louis Bova says
Wow... the original '67 stereo mix!!!
This is a must have release.
Well now I know my copy of Mobil Fidelity's, October 25, 1990 release, of "Days...." is not the original 1967 analog master, but the 1972/1978 master. This is a bit disheartening. Mobil Fidelity/MoFI/MFSL should do a redo of this classic as well, with the newly created 1967 master (vinyl and gold CD). Then they can REALLY profess (like we buyers presume, and they claim) to use the original analog master, and not 1972 or 1978 - whatever is right according to the comment in this article.
It's well known the MFSL CD is the remix. It is the original master (first generation) of the remix.
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