''Seventh Sojourn'' is the eighth 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 c ...

, 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 described " I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" as a response to fans who mistakenly read guru-like wisdom into the Moodies' lyrics. Instrumentally, singer/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 ...

, in addition to the

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. ...

used on previous Moody Blues albums, used a similar keyboard device called the

Chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are several ...

Reception

''Seventh Sojourn'' reached #5 in the United Kingdom, and became the band's first American chart topper, spending five weeks at #1 to close out 1972. Two hit singles came from this album: " Isn't Life Strange" (#13 UK, #29 US) and " I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" (#36 UK, #12 US). However, both songs were overshadowed by the re-release of "

Nights in White Satin "Nights in White Satin" is a song by the Moody Blues, written and composed by Justin Hayward. It was first featured as the segment "The Night" on the album '' Days of Future Passed''. When first released as a single in 1967, it reached number 19 ...

," which had been first released in 1967. Whereas both singles from ''Seventh Sojourn'' made the top 40, "Nights In White Satin" bested both, hitting #9 in the UK and #2 in the United States and gaining the highest American chart position for a Moody Blues single.

Aftermath

As this album proved difficult to record, with a 1973 follow-up quickly shelved after inception, the group decided to go on hiatus after their tour of Asia in 1974 (Mike Pinder's last tour with the group), before reuniting in 1977 for ''

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 ...

'' (1978) and its subsequent tour without Pinder. In April 2007 the album was remastered into SACD format and repackaged with four extra tracks. "Island", the fourth bonus track, is an unfinished recording from 1973, made during the brief sessions for a follow-up album that never happened. In 2008 a remaster for standard audio CD was issued with the same bonus tracks.

Track listing

Personnel

Justin Hayward David Justin Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the rock band the Moody Blues. Hayward became the group's principal lead guitarist and vocalist over the 1967–1974 ...

― vocals, guitars * John Lodge ― vocals, bass, acoustic guitar *

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 " Nigh ...

― vocals, flute, tambourine, saxophone,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

Graeme Edge Graeme Charles Edge (30 March 1941 – 11 November 2021) was an English musician, songwriter and poet, best known as the co-founder and drummer of the English band the Moody Blues. In addition to his work with the Moody Blues, Edge worked as t ...

― drums, percussion, vocals *

― vocals,

, piano,

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

Production

*Producer - Tony Clarke *Recording engineers - Derek Varnals and Tony Clarke ("Isn't Life Strange") *Assistant engineer - David Baker *Cover and liner art - Phil Travers *Innersleeve - The Moodies *All instruments played by The Moody Blues *Recorded at Tollington Park Studios, London

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control The Moody Blues albums 1972 albums Threshold Records albums Albums produced by Tony Clarke (record producer)