Early Blues
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Album Summary
Now listen here, children — 'Early Blues' is exactly what it says on the tin. Released in 1985, this compilation takes you way back to the raw, hungry early days of The Moody Blues, before the orchestral grandeur and the cosmic concept albums, back when these Birmingham boys were sweating it out on the R&B circuit doing what their heroes taught them. This collection pulls together recordings from the mid-1960s that capture the group in their earliest incarnation — a straight-up rhythm and blues outfit heavily influenced by American soul and blues. The tracks were originally recorded for Decca, the label that first signed the band in the UK, and this release served as a retrospective document of that foundational period, giving listeners a chance to hear the soulful, gritty side of a band the world would come to know in a very different light.
Reception
- As a retrospective compilation rather than a new studio offering, 'Early Blues' was received primarily by dedicated fans and collectors with an interest in the band's pre-psychedelic roots, generating modest commercial attention.
- Critics who engaged with the release noted its value as a historical document, acknowledging that tracks like 'Go Now' and the surrounding R&B material revealed a rawer, more blues-driven Moody Blues than casual listeners had ever encountered.
- The album did not chart prominently upon its 1985 release, functioning more as an archival treasure for the faithful than a mainstream commercial event.
Significance
- This album stands as a vital testament to the blues and soul foundation that The Moody Blues were built upon, documenting a period when the group was deeply rooted in American R&B tradition — a side of their identity that would largely give way to progressive rock as the decade wore on.
- 'Go Now,' leading off the collection, remains one of the defining British R&B singles of the early 1960s era, and hearing it alongside tracks like 'I'll Go Crazy' and 'Time Is On My Side' places The Moody Blues squarely within the broader British Invasion generation of bands mining American blues and soul for their own voice.
- The album preserves the sound of a band in transition — young, ambitious, and steeped in the church of James Brown and the blues masters — making it an irreplaceable piece of British rock history that shows just how deep those roots truly ran.
Tracklist
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A1 Go Now 118
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A2 Steal Your Heart Away —
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A3 Lose Your Money —
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A4 I Don't Mind 166
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A5 Let Me Go 174
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B1 I'll Go Crazy 121
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B2 Time Is On My Side —
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B3 It's Easy Child —
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B4 Something You've Got —
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B5 I Had A Dream —
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C1 From The Bottom Of My Heart —
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C2 Can't Nobody Love You 79
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C3 Stop 112
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C4 Come Back (Don't Want To Go On Without You) —
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D1 Bye Bye Bird 111
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D2 Thank You Baby 86
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D3 It Ain't Necessarily So 138
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D4 True Story 183
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D5 And My Baby Is Gone —
Artist Details
The Moody Blues were a magnificent British rock outfit that came together in Birmingham, England back in 1964, weaving together psychedelic rock, classical orchestration, and philosophical lyricism into a sound so lush and cosmic it practically invented the art rock and progressive rock genres before anyone even had a name for them. Their landmark 1967 album Days of Future Passed, recorded with the London Festival Orchestra, was a groundbreaking fusion of rock and classical music that shook the industry to its core and proved once and for all that rock and roll could be a serious, soul-stirring art form. These cats left an undeniable mark on music history, influencing generations of artists and earning a well-deserved induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, their dreamy, transcendent sound forever a reminder that music at its finest can lift the spirit straight to the stars.
