Review Of: The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

This may be the most controversial line on my blog: ‘Nights In White Satin’ is the best song produced by The Moody Blues. Now, I don’t want to start any kind of fight here, but this is my opinion; and music is a field wherein everyone has their own opinion regarding a certain song/artist. I know, I know… You all may be asking, “Why this song? Why not the other masterpieces like Question, Melancholy Man and Tuesday Afternoon?” Well, the answer is quite simple: ‘Nights In White Satin’ was the first (and the best) Moody Blues song I ever heard, and that dates way back to 1996. I still remember vividly – I was just 4 years old, and snoozing comfortably on my mom’s lap. There was apparently a power cut, so we had to resort to the battery powered radio to fulfill our entertainment needs (my family just can’t live without music). The song ‘I’d Love You To Want Me‘ (Lobo) just ended, and the next song which was on air was this. I’ll never forget that haunting melody. Anyways, back to the review!

The Moody Blues (Band) [Random]: Pinder, Edge, Hayward, Thomas, Lodge

History: ‘Nights In White Satin‘ is a song produced by the English rock band The Moody Blues. The song was included as a part of the album titled ‘Days of Future Passed‘. The song also has a quirky feauture – Majority of the background rhythm is monotonous (it is played in the E minor key and the Neapolitan chord F). The song did amazingly well around the world, grabbing the Number 1 position on several occasions such as the Cash Box (US), Canada, and many other instances. It also just about ended up losing the race with ‘Hey Jude’ (The Beatles), settling for the second position on the Billboard Hot 100. Other honorable mentions include the Number 9 (1972) and Number 14 (1979) on the UK SIngles Charts. For the complete list of Chart performances, click here. Here’s a very mysterious incident that occured with this song – After being demoted to Number 17 on the Hot 100 List (unfortunate, really), the song COMPLETELY vanished. How spooky is that? It did, however, reclaim the Number 9 position (1979 re-release) on the UK charts. Band member Justin Hayward wrote this song after a friend of his gifted him a satin sheet for his birthday. The last part of the song was composed by the London Festival Orchestra. There are three total versions of this song, which are the 7 Minutes 38 Seconds long Album Version, 3 Minutes 6 Seconds Single Edit, and another Single Edit spanning for 4 Minutes 26 Seconds. [Source – Wikipedia]

Review: Okay, I have to be frank with you – Getting a song which fitted the official release timelines was a very hard job. I happened to have a 5 Minute 3 Second song with me, and the Moody Blues CD that I own (Best Of The Moody Blues) has a 4 Minute 56 Second version of the song. However, I did find one that just about suits the timeline.

The reason why I call this song a masterpiece is because the song is composed of nothing but light use of percussion instruments (Ray Thomas & Graeme Edge), a heavy bass guitar (John Lodge) and haunting vocals (Justin Hayward) (and a flute [Ray Tomas] too, but later on). The song starts with a heavy bass outline, and the mild percussion instruments are heard in the backdrop (might have to strain your ears a bit). The vocals (starting from 00:23) are awesome, but the emotion Justin Hayward has put in this song is almost unreal. They seem to be a surge of emotions breaking – Desperation, loneliness, love, frustration, depression, hope, and the list goes on and on. My favorite line of the song?

“Letters Are Written, Never Meaning To Send”.

At around 00:44 (and henceforth), you can hear the alternative board percussions. The chorus is initiated for the first time at 00:59, which is like a roller coaster of vocal and instrumental pitches. To be frank, it really shouldn’t be called a ‘chorus’, because it is repeated two times after a short stanza; but we’ll go with the flow anyways. The flute interlude begins at 02:19 (right after the chorus). Now, I’m not accustomed of hearing flute interludes in a Rock song, but I have to say, this one gave me the chills. It is a touch on the psychedelic side, so if you close your eyes and let the soothing music flow through your ears, you’ll never know when sleep hit you. I have to admit, it’s the best damn flute solo I’ve heard – 53 seconds of pure ecstacy. Hayward commences the vocals at 03:12, with a previously looped stanza. The song spirals down to a trippy rhythm accompanied with “Cause l Love You”. The beats get dramatic, and slowly fades off, until it ends at 05:30. When it does end, I recommend checking your forearm, for if there aren’t any goosebumps, you definitely haven’t indulged yourself in the song. Yet another masterpiece from the amazing band! Hats off to the oldies!

Lyrics For ‘Nights In White Satin’: http://artists.letssingit.com/the-boat-that-rocked-lyrics-the-moody-blues-nights-in-white-satin-oncjpxm#axzz2cy0p3iOM

Download Link For ‘Nights In White Satin‘: http://fs.tistory.com/attach/4790/1081696519.mp3 (Right Click on link, click ‘Save Link/Target As’)

‘Nights In White Satin’ is a song by the band ‘The Moody Blues’ and a part of their album titled ‘Days Of Future Passed’.

Review Of: Steve Miller Band – Serenade (From The Stars)

“Serenade (From The Stars)” is one of those oldies which have a very particular feature – of all the people I know; the song has been heard by many, but recognized by very few. This phenomenon is; as I call it, “The Bull crap hypothesis.” Don’t know what I’m saying? Let me elaborate using an example:

Suppose you barge into an old acquaintance of yours at a local supermarket. You chat for a while, and decide to get together for dinner that night. Over the scrumptious food, and after all the boring “So, How are you?” stuff, you reach the point which really matters – Music. He asks you about some music you’ve already heard of; and you, in turn ask him – “Ever heard of Steve Miller Band’s Serenade?” So he thinks about it, acting as if he’s straining hard on his memory and suddenly says “Oh yes! That one! I remember now! It’s a beautiful song, really.” That expression he has on his face is enough to tell you that he doesn’t even know who Steve Miller Band is; leave alone the song. This attitude, my friends; is what I call “The Bull Crap Hypothesis.” Why? Because he knows he’s busted and doesn’t want to damage his ego, so he comes up with this scrunched up look on his face which says “So what if I don’t know who they are! I listen to bands you haven’t even heard about!” I guarantee you all must be having at least one friend who resembles this ‘acquaintance’ of mine. Anyways, enough of my theory. Let’s get reviewing!

Steve Miller Band (Band)

History: Damn, “Serenade (From The Stars)” is also one of those obscure types. I really had to dig into the internet to find the information of this song. I have to tell you – The history is not as detailed as the other ones, but I’ve tried my level best to set it to my standards. Here goes:

“Serenade (From The Stars)” is a song from Steve Miller Band‘s album (1976) titled “Fly Like An Eagle”. It is also included in the 1976 album compilation titled “Greatest Hits 1974-78.” This album went on to sell 13 Million copies worldwide, which helped it reach Number 37 on the Recording Industry Association of America‘s list of Best – Selling albums. The song has only one version – The 3 Minute 13 Seconds Album Version.

Review: All fans who religiously follow Steve Miller Band always prefer songs like “Fly Like An Eagle“, “Rock’n Me” and so on over “Serenade (From The Stars)”. But I like to stand out of that crowd; for my first love is Serenade. Anyways. back to the review:

The song kicks off with a drum cover, which merges with an acoustic – electrical guitar (It’s actually called a Punk guitar) and finally blends with the vocals at 00:18 to form the background rhythm. Steve Miller seems to have purposely given “Serenade (From The Stars)” psychedelic vocals, thus successfully making it a really addictive song. The vocals may seem shaky, but they accentuate the song beautifully. The rapid and continuous drum beats, coupled with the Punk guitar make an odd, but eerily great background rhythm. At some points in the song, one would think that the vocals and melody are completely off track. But in reality, they help each other and form an even more amazing tune (Insert ‘Opposites Attract’ mantra here). The first “Wake Up, Wake Up” rift (Also referred to as the chorus) starts at 00:35. The song is monotonous – Yes; no doubting that – But it is purposely made so. There’s a LONG “Ooh” interlude between the first and the second stanza (It’s so long, I give out a long breath of relief after the interlude). The “Ooh” feels as if it is on a roller coaster ride – It goes up, down, up again, and then to normal. The second stanza starts right after the interlude. Now, I know many of you don’t like monotonous songs; but really, this is one hell of a type. Even though the tone and the feel of the song remain monotonous, the effect it has on us is completely different. Now, about the lyrics – They are quite confusing, frankly. But it adds another spice of mystery in the song, making it sound even better. Back to the song, enter the “Ooh” interlude again at 01:54 (Yup, the same roller coaster ride). The third stanza begins (No guesses here!) right after it, only to be followed by another “Ooh” interlude; but this time – A little different (I would have definitely deducted a point if that same interlude was repeated – That would have made it 3 times in a row!). The song starts fading off during the course of the last “Ooh” interlude, and ends at 03:10; a little drum solo at the ending. (Fun fact: There are a total of 5 “Ooh’s” in the paragraph above – Just in case you weren’t counting!)

Review: When I first scrolled up to read the complete review for typos, I found that reading this review would encourage people to listen to the song; but with a hoard of warnings attached to it. It would feel as if I were saying, “Go listen to this song guys; it’s awesome. But remember, there are WAY too many interludes in the song.”

The song may look as bits of a puzzle when you read it, but the elements will surely piece themselves together when YOU yourself hear the song. A great drum cover to start the song off with; shaky, but beautiful vocals; mystic lyrics and two LONG “Ooh” interludes to top it all off – A perfect winner for me! A 10/10!

Lyrics For “Serenade (From The Stars)” : http://artists.letssingit.com/steve-miller-band-lyrics-serenade-g3m7m14#axzz2DsKv16GA

Download Link For “Serenade (From The Stars)” : http://www.ballikaya.com.tr/mp3/b1.mp3 (Right Click On Link, Click “Save Link/Target As”)

“Serenade (From The Stars)” is a song from two of Steve Miller Band’s albums titled “Greatest Hits 1974-78” and “Fly Like An Eagle”