''Octave'' is the ninth album by

The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to ...

, released in 1978, and their first release after a substantial hiatus following the success of the best-selling ''

Seventh Sojourn ''Seventh Sojourn'' is the eighth album by the Moody Blues, released in 1972. Music and lyrics Although the album's lyrics address political concerns, in the 1990 documentary ''The Moody Blues: Legend of a Band'', bassist John Lodge describ ...

'' in 1972. The album proved to be the last for the group with keyboardist

Mike Pinder Michael Thomas Pinder (born 27 December 1941) is an English rock musician, and is a founding member and original keyboard player of the British rock group the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's ninth album ''O ...

, who left during the album's sessions and declined an offer to tour with the group. He had just started a new family in California, and found that he was not getting along with his bandmates as he previously had. Pinder would be replaced by former

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

keyboardist

Patrick Moraz Patrick Philippe Moraz (born 24 June 1948) is a Swiss musician, film composer and songwriter, best known for his tenures as keyboardist in the rock bands Yes and The Moody Blues. Born into a musical family, Moraz learned music at a young age a ...

in time for their 1978-1979 tour, beginning a new era in the band's history. ''Octave'' would also be the final studio album from the band produced by

Tony Clarke Anthony or Tony Clarke may refer to: * Tony Clarke (British politician) (born 1963), English Labour Party politician, MP for Northampton South from 1997 to 2005 * Anthony Clarke (judoka) (born 1961), Australian athlete *Tony Clarke (activist) (born ...

. The album's title is a musical pun: it references both the notion of an

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

; and as a word derived from the Latin ''octavus'' it refers to this being the eighth album with the then-current band configuration (following on from the previous album title ''

''). The cover art was designed by artist

John Kosh John Kosh, known simply as Kosh, is an English art director, album cover designer, graphic artist, and documentary producer/director. He was born in London, England and rose to prominence in the mid-1960s while designing for the Royal Ballet a ...

, famous for his work with

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

, among others. ''Octave'' was considered a departure from previous Moody Blues albums, mainly because of the group's use of lounge-style organs and

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s in place of a

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

or Chamberlin (Pinder's song "One Step Into the Light" references the Mellotron). Real strings were used on three songs: "Under Moonshine" and "I'm Your Man" (both written by Ray Thomas), as well as "Survival" (written by John Lodge). Released after a considerable break, which saw The Moody Blues returning in an era of punk music and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

, ''Octave'' produced a reduced commercial outcome for the band, but reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom and went platinum in the United States, where the album reached No. 13. The album produced the hit single "

Steppin' in a Slide Zone "Steppin' in a Slide Zone" is a 1978 single by the English progressive rock band the Moody Blues. It was the first single the Moody Blues had released in five years, after the band's temporary hiatus. It was written by bassist John Lodge, and was ...

", which hit No. 39 in the US, in addition to " Driftwood". In November 2008, the album was remastered and released on CD, with five previously unreleased, live, bonus tracks.

Original track listing

Side One

" ( John Lodge) – 5:29 (lead singer: John Lodge) #"Under Moonshine" (

Ray Thomas Raymond Thomas (29 December 1941 – 4 January 2018) was an English multi-instrumentalist, flautist, singer, founding member and composer in the English progressive rock band the Moody Blues. His flute solo on the band's 1967 hit single "Night ...

) – 5:00 (lead singer: Ray Thomas) #"Had to Fall in Love" ( Justin Hayward) – 3:42 (lead singer: Justin Hayward) #"I'll Be Level with You" ( Graeme Edge) – 3:48 (lead singers: Justin Hayward, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, John Lodge) #" Driftwood" (Hayward) – 5:03 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)

Side Two

#"Top Rank Suite" (Hayward) – 3:42 (lead singer: Justin Hayward) #"I'm Your Man" (Thomas) – 4:21 (lead singer: Ray Thomas) #"Survival" (Lodge) – 4:09 (lead singer: John Lodge) #"One Step into the Light" (

) – 4:29 (lead singer: Mike Pinder) #"The Day We Meet Again" (Hayward) – 6:19 (lead singer: Justin Hayward) The 8-track tape version of this album has the distinction of being one of the few 8-tracks that is arranged exactly like the album, with no song breaks. The original album was released on clear blue vinyl.

2008 CD Expanded Edition tracks (UK)

"Steppin' in a Slide Zone (Live in Seattle 25 May 1979)" (Lodge) - 4:57
"I'm Your Man (Live in Seattle 25 May 1979)" (Thomas) - 4:51
"Top Rank Suite (Live in Seattle 25 May 1979)" (Hayward) - 4:28
"Driftwood (Live in Seattle 25 May 1979)" (Hayward) - 5:02
"The Day We Meet Again (Live in Houston 7 December 1978)" (Hayward) - 7:16

Personnel

*Justin Hayward – vocals, guitars, keyboards *John Lodge – vocals, bass, keyboards *Mike Pinder – vocals, organ, synthesizer,

, piano, electric piano, acoustic guitar *Ray Thomas – vocals, flute, harmonica, tambourine *Graeme Edge – vocals, drums, percussion * Ted Jensen – mastering

Additional personnel

*R. A. Martin - horns, saxophones *Patrick Moraz - keyboards on live bonus tracks

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Octave (Album) The Moody Blues albums 1978 albums Decca Records albums Albums produced by Tony Clarke (record producer)