The Magnificent Moodies

Infobox Album |
Name = The Magnificent Moodies
Type = studio
Artist = The Moody Blues


Released = LP 22 July 1965, CDs 1988, 1992, 2006
Recorded = October 1964-March 1965
Genre = R&B
Length = 34:03
Label = Decca Records, London Records, Intermediate Records, Repertoire Records
Producer = Denny Cordell, Alex Murray
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:se5zefwk2gf8 link]
Last album =
This album = "The Magnificent Moodies"
(1965)
Next album = "Days of Future Passed"
(1967)

The Magnificent Moodies is the 1965 debut album by The Moody Blues first released in the UK and the first and only album featuring their R&B lineup of guitarist Denny Laine, bassist Clint Warwick, keyboardist Mike Pinder, flute player/percussionist Ray Thomas, and drummer Graeme Edge. The album is a collection of R&B and Merseybeat type songs, including the cover of "Go Now", produced by Alex Wharton that had been a Number 1 hit single the previous year. For the U.S. release (under the title Go Now – The Moody Blues #1), four songs were replaced and the tracks repositioned (see below).

Laine and Warwick left the group in 1966, and were replaced by guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist John Lodge.

In 1985 Intermediate Records reissued the album on vinyl and cassette as Go Now with a mixture of songs from the original U.K. and U.S. LPs plus songs that would eventually end up as bonus tracks on the CD issues. Decca Records U.K. first issued The Magnificent Moodies on CD in 1988 with 13 bonus tracks, mastering by Anthony Hawkins. Repertoire Records issued an abridged version of the CD in the 1990s with only 7 bonus track. In 2006, the CD was reissued again, this time with 14 bonus tracks including the rare "Peope Gotta Go" not found on the original 1988 Decca version. The CD also boasts for the first time a speed corrected and distortionless version of "Go Now". The 2006 Repertoire CD was remastered by Eroc (Joachim Ehrig). Eroc lead the 1970s German rock band Grobschnitt.

This what Eroc had to say about the project at stevehoffman.tv.

"When I got the job for the "Magnificent Moodies" from REP some time ago I also got the order to try to get the intro of "Go Now" better. So I sat down and analyzed the distortion and then restored the waveforms very carefully. This can be done by "drawing" out each single harsh peak by hand. It took me some days but I wanted to find out, what can be done in general. The result is for the first time ever a much more natural sounding intro which also is pitched correctly.

I see this as an alternative for all those who always were bothered by that harsh "electric" piano-sound. I think many of them will like the new alternative and I myself prefer it a lot compared to the "technical distroyed" original. Others may hate it because it differs from the version they got used to over the decades. But in each case it's worth a qualified discussion."

UK Decca Records track listing (The Magnificent Moodies)

ide one

# "I'll Go Crazy" (James Brown) – 2:08
# "Something You Got" (Chris Kenner) – 2:47
# "Go Now" (Larry Banks, Milton Bennett) – 3:07
# "Can't Nobody Love You" (James Mitchell) – 3:57
# "I Don't Mind" (Brown) – 3:22
# "I've Got a Dream" (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) – 2:48

ide two

# "Let Me Go" (Denny Laine, Mike Pinder) – 3:09
# "Stop" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:01
# "Thank You Baby" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:24
# "It Ain't Necessarily So" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:15
# "True Story" (Laine, Pinder) – 1:41
# "Bye Bye Bird" (Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Dixon) – 2:45

U.S. London Records track listing (Go Now - The Moody Blues #1)

ide one

# "I'll Go Crazy" (Brown) – 2:08
# "And My Baby's Gone" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:15
# "Go Now" (Banks, Bennett) – 3:10
# "It's Easy Child" (Kay Bennett, Sue Sandler, Gene Redd) – 3:10
# "Can't Nobody Love You" (Mitchell) – 4:00
# "I've Got a Dream" (Barry, Greenwich) – 2:50

ide two

# "Let Me Go" (Laine, Pinder) – 3:08
# "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" (Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler) – 2:45
# "True Story" (Laine, Pinder) – 1:40
# "It Ain't Necessarily So" (G Gershwin, I Gershwin) – 2:47
# "Bye Bye Bird" (Williamson, Dixon) – 2:50 (Misspelled on back cover and label as "Bye Bye Burd")
# "From the Bottom of My Heart" (I Love You) (Laine, Pinder) – 3:20

Intermediate Records 1985 track listing (Go Now)

ide one

# "Go Now" (Banks, Bennett) – 3:10
# "Steal Your Heart Away" (Parker) – 2:10
# "Lose Your Money" (Mike Pinder) – 1:56
# "I Don't Mind" (Brown) – 3:23
# "Let Me Go" (Laine, Pinder) – 3:11
# "I'll Go Crazy" (Brown) – 2:08
# "Time Is On My Side" (Campbell, McAleese) – 2:59 (Songwriting credit is probably an error as "Time Is On My Side" was written by Norman Meade.)

ide two

# "It's Easy Child" (Kay Bennett, Sue Sandler, Gene Redd) – 3:07
# "Something You Got" (Chris Kenner) – 2:48
# "I've Got a Dream" (Barry, Greenwich) – 2:47
# "Stop" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:03
# "Come Back (I Don't Want to Go on Without You)" (Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler) – 2:41
# "From the Bottom of My Heart" (I Love You) (Laine, Pinder) – 3:21
# "Can't Nobody Love You" (Mitchell) – 3:58

Decca/London Records 1988 CD track listing (The Magnificent Moodies)

# "I'll Go Crazy" (James Brown) – 2:14
# "Something You Got" (Chris Kenner) – 2:55
# "Go Now" (Larry Banks, Milton Bennett) – 3:15
# "Can't Nobody Love You" (James Mitchell) – 4:06
# "I Don't Mind" (Brown) – 3:30
# "I've Got a Dream" (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) – 2:55
# "Let Me Go" (Denny Laine, Mike Pinder) – 3:15
# "Stop" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:08
# "Thank You Baby" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:32
# "It Ain't Necessarily So" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:24
# "True Story" (Laine, Pinder) – 1:47
# "Bye Bye Bird" (Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Dixon) – 2:55 ((Misspelled on CD tray card as "Bye Bye Burd")

Bonus Tracks

# "Steal Your Heart Away" (Parker) – 2:17
# "Lose Your Money (But Don't Lose Your Mind)" (Mike Pinder) – 2:02
# "It's Easy Child" (Kay Bennett, Sue Sandler, Gene Redd) – 3:16
# "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" (Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler) – 2:48
# "Time Is On My Side" (Norman Meade) – 3:05
# "From the Bottom of My Heart" (I Love You) (Laine, Pinder) – 3:28
# "And My Baby's Gone" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:25
# "Everyday" (Pinder, Laine) – 1:50
# "You Don't (All The Time)" (Pinder, Laine) – 2:24
# "This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:38
# "Life's Not Life" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:38
# "He Can Win" (Pinder, Laine) – 2:29
# "Boulevard De La Madelaine" (Pinder, Laine) – 2:55

1990s CD track listing (The Magnificent Moodies)

Contains the first 19 songs from the above CD

Repertoire Records 2006 CD track listing (The Magnificent Moodies)

# "I'll Go Crazy" (James Brown) – 2:14
# "Something You Got" (Chris Kenner) – 2:55
# "Go Now" (Larry Banks, Milton Bennett) – 3:15
# "Can't Nobody Love You" (James Mitchell) – 4:06
# "I Don't Mind" (Brown) – 3:30
# "I've Got a Dream" (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) – 2:55
# "Let Me Go" (Denny Laine, Mike Pinder) – 3:15
# "Stop" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:08
# "Thank You Baby" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:32
# "It Ain't Necessarily So" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:24
# "True Story" (Laine, Pinder) – 1:47
# "Bye Bye Bird" (Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Dixon) – 2:55

Bonus Tracks

# "People Gotta Go" (Laine, Pinder) -2:33
# "Steal Your Heart Away" (Parker) – 2:17
# "Lose Your Money (But Don't Lose Your Mind)" (Mike Pinder) – 2:02
# "It's Easy Child" (Kay Bennett, Sue Sandler, Gene Redd) – 3:16
# "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" (Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler) – 2:48
# "Time Is On My Side" (Norman Meade) – 3:05
# "From the Bottom of My Heart" (I Love You) (Laine, Pinder) – 3:28
# "And My Baby's Gone" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:25
# "Everyday" (Pinder, Laine) – 1:50
# "You Don't (All The Time)" (Pinder, Laine) – 2:24
# "Boulevard De La Madelaine" (Pinder, Laine) – 2:55
# "This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:38
# "Life's Not Life" (Laine, Pinder) – 2:38
# "He Can Win" (Pinder, Laine) – 2:29

Personnel

*Denny Laine: guitars, harmonica, vocals
*Mike Pinder: piano, organ, vocals
*Clint Warwick: bass guitar, vocals
*Ray Thomas: percussion, flutes, vocals
*Graeme Edge: drums, percussion.Supporting musicians
*Elaine Caswell: percussion