The Justin Hayward lnterview
By Shawn Perry
Of all the bands that emerged from the British Invasion, the Moody Blues have the distinction of endurance, based largely on the loyalty of their fan-base. Their career has been a roller coaster of a run, dipping into areas you might not expect from a group of musicians with such humble beginnings. At the root of it is an R&B band that morphed into something else altogether different – songs built around sophisticated orchestrations and spiritual, almost cosmic-like lyrics. Over the course of almost 40 years, the Moody Blues have earned reputations as musical perfectionists and craftsman, apparently still in search of the lost chord.
My interview with the Moodies’ guitarist/singer/songwriter Justin Hayward came about after a couple of months of strategic coordination. I was originally supposed to talk with bassist/singer/songwriter John Lodge, but ended up speaking with his wife instead. She was extremely apologetic and explained that John was in London filming a television program. It was a simple miscommunication and we never rescheduled because of the holidays. Then I was offered Hayward, the man who composed “Night In White Satin” and “Question.” Sure, why not, I’ll talk to him. So I called him at his home in Monte Carlo and we engaged in some friendly chitchat. He was incredibly friendly and accommodating to my line of questioning. During the whole conversation, I kept wondering if he was wearing a tuxedo. I guess I’ll never know.
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It’s coming up on 40 years that the Moody Blues have been making music. You tour regularly and still make albums. So I have to ask -- how do you keep the band going?
Well, I suppose the music keeps us going. And we make music that has been known for the last three or four decades. People often say, "Aren’t you going to retire." But I don’t see how I personally can because there are people who are still interested in the music. You say, "Well, I don’t want to go on the road anymore." But that wouldn’t stop the day-to-day business with the catalog and dealing with the past. So it’s an ongoing thing. What I mean is, it’s not about personality or fame -- it’s about the music.
Ray Thomas recently departed, so now you’re down to three core members. With that in mind, is your outlook on the band’s future as positive and uplifting as the music you make?
That’s a good question. I’ve never really known what the band’s future is. I’m probably more certain of it now because there’s three people that want to do it. But I was never sure, even going back to 1966. I don’t think we ever made long-range plans then. We seem to be making more plans now. I don’t know what the future holds. I only know there’s another tour. And Universal is calling for a new album.
With Ray out of the band, does this mean “Legend Of A Mind” is cut from the set list?
Yeah it is. Shame, isn’t it? I really enjoyed that one.
Last Christmas, The Moodies released December. From what I understand, this is something you have wanted to do for some time.
We certainly thought about it and considered it for a long time. The question was how to do it right. We actually had most of the album together the year before, but then we couldn’t put the sort of touring things in place and the kind of promotion we wanted to do. But I think it was a good opportunity for us to do something that we wanted to do. It’s the first time we’ve included songs that weren’t all written by us.
I love your arrangements of Bach’s “In The Quiet Of Christmas Morning” and John Lennon’s "Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” Are these favorites of yours?
The Bach piece is. I heard a version on flute years ago, and I always really liked it. I learned the acoustic guitar bit to go along with it just for my own pleasure. It’s something that grew out of it, and I decided to do it seriously instead of just playing with it. The rest of the Christmas songs like the John Lennon thing, I was nervous about. But there was pressure to do them because I think everybody’s idea of a seasonal album needs to include a few of those songs. That song in particular, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” is probably the best Christmas song ever written by anyone of my generation. So it’s on there for a good reason.
You recorded the album in Genoa, Italy, where you’ve made several records in the last few years. What do you like about recording there?
I started working there more than 10 year ago, doing guest spots on other people’s records. It took me three or four years to convince the other guys to come down there. When they did they realized it was lovely. There’s a few good reasons. It was such a beautiful place to be -- lovely old house right on the Gregorian coast. The cooking was brilliant. The mother of the studio owner did all the cooking and she was just brilliant. The studio itself is run by a guy who always has state-of-the-art equipment. He’s a real fanatic about sound and how sonically things should be. Everything I took away from there sounded exactly the same as it did in there, wherever I played it. I was never disappointed and the sound was never different. I knew it would really work. It was just a comfortable place to be. And it’s a damn sight cheaper than working in the UK. The studios are outrageous there. >>>
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