November 10, 1967: The Moody Blues Release "Days of Future Passed"

Left to right: Mike Pinder, Justin Hayward,

Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge and John Lodge.

November 10, 1967: The British rock band The Moody Blues release their 2nd album, Days of Future Passed. It was one of the earliest albums to feature what became known as "progressive rock."

It is also a concept album, mixing rock and roll with orchestral music, played by the London Festival Orchestra, conducted by Peter Knight; and telling a story of a single day. Side One includes "The Day Begins," written by Knight and the band's drummer, Graeme Edge, divided into the instrumental "The Day Begins" and keyboard player Mike Pinder's recitation of "Morning Glory"; "Dawn: Dawn Is a Feeling," written by Pinder, sung by Pinder and guitarist and usual lead singer Justin Hayward; "The Morning: Another Morning," with Ray Thomas writing and singing lead; and "Lunch Break: Peak Hour," written and sung by the band's bass guitarist, John Lodge.

Side Two includes "The Afternoon," divided into "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)," which became the hit single "Tuesday Afternoon," and "(Evening) Time to Get Away," written and sung by Hayward and Lodge; "Evening," divided into "The Sunset," written and sung by Pinder, and "Twilight Time" (not to be confused with the 1958 Number 1 hit of the same title by The Platters), written and sung by Thomas; and "The Night," divided into "Nights in White Satin" and "Late Lament/Resolvement."

That last movement, "The Night," deserves further discussion. "Nights in White Satin" was written by Hayward, Edge and Knight, and sung by Hayward, it lasts 5 minutes and 38 seconds (hence the time of this posting), and includes a flute solo by Thomas. It reached Number 19 on the British charts, but failed to reach the U.S. Top 100. It was released again in 1972, and hit Number 2, kept out of the top spot by Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now."

AM radio played only "Nights in White Satin," but FM radio, and oldies stations since, played it and added "Late Lament/Resolvement," a recitation by Pinder, lasting 1 minute and 46 seconds. It is one of the most expressive poems in the English language:

Breathe deep the gathering gloom.

Watch light fade from every room.

Bed sitter people look back and lament
another day's useless energy spent.

Impassioned lovers wrestle as one.

Lonely man cries for love and has none.

New mother picks up and suckles her son.

Senior citizens wish they were young.

Cold hearted orb that rules the night
removes the colors from our sight.
Red is gray, and yellow, white.
But we decide which is right --

and which is an illusion.

And it closes with a gong strike by Pinder.

Conductor Peter Knight, significantly older than the band members, died in 1985. Producer Tony Clarke died in 2010. The Moody Blues were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Ray Thomas died earlier that year. Graeme Edge died in 2021. As of November 10, 2022, Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Mike Pinder are still alive.

(UPDATE: Pinder died in 2024, Lodge in 2025, leaving Hayward as the last survivor.)

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November 10, 1967 was a Friday. On the same day, Cream, rock's 1st band to be called a "supergroup," released their album Disraeli Gears. It included their best-remembered song, "Sunshine of Your Love."

Baseball was out of season. No NHL games were scheduled. Pro football was in midweek.

There was 1 college football game: The University of Miami beat Georgia Tech, 49-7 at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

There were 3 games played in the NBA:

* The Boston Celtics beat the Baltimore Bullets, 115-144 at the Boston Garden. Sam Jones scored 39 points.

* The St. Louis Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons, 143-140 in overtime at Cobo Hall (now Huntington Place) in Detroit. Zelmo Beaty led all scorers on the night with 41 points.

* And the San Francisco Warriors beat their replacements in their former hometown, the Philadelphia 76ers, 123-104 at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium.

And there were 3 games played in the new American Basketball Association:

* The New Jersey Americans (the team now known as the Brooklyn Nets) lost to the Minnesota Muskies, 120-110 at the Teaneck Armory in Teaneck, New Jersey.

* The Dallas Chaparrals (the team now known as the San Antonio Spurs) beat the Kentucky Colonels, 104-102 at Freedom Hall in Louisville.

* And the Denver Rockets (the team now known as the Denver Nuggets) beat the Houston Mavericks, 88-86 in overtime at the Denver Auditorium Arena.