Justin Hayward & John Lodge - Blue Jays (1975) {2004, Remastered}

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Justin Hayward & John Lodge - Blue Jays (1975) {2004, Remastered}

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The Moody Blues began a five-year hiatus in 1973, and one of the first results was the Hayward/Lodge team-up known as the Blue Jays. The pairing was logical – Hayward and Lodge's joining the group in 1966 had precipitated the change in their sound and helped put them on the path to the psychedelic/romantic rock that made the band a success. Along with Mike Pinder, they were the principal songwriters in the band and each had a solid record of commercial songs and hit singles, with Hayward (author of "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights in White Satin") having the advantage.

The duo didn't last long, just enough for one LP and a follow-up single ("Blue Guitar") that involved the members of 10cc as their support band. Their sound was, naturally, close to that of the Moody Blues, with less of an emphasis on mysticism and more of the personal and romantic in their repertory. They and the Blue Jays album were far and away the most successful of the hiatus activities by the group members.

The most romantic album to come out of the Moody Blues' orbit, and the biggest success by any of the members during the group's five-year hiatus, Justin Hayward and John Lodge's Blue Jays actually started life as a busted collaboration between Hayward and Moody Blues keyboardist Mike Pinder, with Tony Clarke producing and John Lodge in a supporting role, until Pinder pulled out. Clarke then salvaged the early work by holding it together as a collaboration between Hayward and Lodge. Hayward has the more distinctive body of songs, but their strength as a unit lies in their vocal pairing, which is as strong here as it ever was with the group. The pair play the guitars and basses, backed by a group that includes members of Providence, who were signed to the Moodies' Threshold Records. Hayward wrote or co-wrote seven of the original album's ten songs, and most of it is fairly impressive as soft romantic rock, although "Nights Winters Years," which ended the original LP's first side, is a little bit too melodramatic, making Hayward's "Nights in White Satin" seem almost restrained by comparison. Lodge has one of the better rockers to come out of the group's orbit, however, in "Saved By the Music," which opened the original LP's second side. An alternately exuberant and reflective song that manages to be surprisingly spiritual, it has a great break and a better beat, and features harmonizing that will delight any fan of either musician or the original group. It's also the perfect lead into "I Dreamed Last Night," the best of Hayward's songs out of this entire project and period in his history. The production by Clarke echoes the best Moody Blues sound. The bonus track, "Blue Guitar," a follow-up single to the album that started life as a Hayward solo track recorded with his longtime friends the members of 10cc – with Lodge and Clarke adding their contribution for this release – is an added attraction to the CD. Blue Jays was reissued in the late spring of 2004 under the Decca Records imprint – initially, at least, only in England – with significantly upgraded sound and extremely thorough new annotation. It's definitely worth tracking down for the improved, audiophile-level sound quality.

~ Bruce Eder, All Music

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Justin Hayward & John Lodge - Blue Jays (1975) {2004, Remastered}

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Justin Hayward & John Lodge - Blue Jays (1975) {2004, Remastered}

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