Seventh Sojourn
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| Seventh Sojourn | |||||
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| Studio album by The Moody Blues | |||||
| Released | 17 November 1972 | ||||
| Recorded | January and May-September 1972 | ||||
| Genre | Progressive rock | ||||
| Length | 39:29 | ||||
| Label | Deram / Polydor | ||||
| Producer | Tony Clarke | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| The Moody Blues chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Seventh Sojourn | |||||
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Seventh Sojourn, released in 1972, was the eighth album released by The Moody Blues.
In Seventh Sojourn, The Moody Blues replaced the Mellotron with a keyboard called the Chamberlin, a device similar to the Mellotron created by the original inventor of the device, Harry Chamberlin. It could simulate orchestral sounds more realistically and easily than the Mellotron.
Seventh Sojourn managed to reach #5 in the UK, and became the band's first U.S. chart topper, spending five weeks at the summit to close out 1972.
Two hit singles came from this album: "Isn't Life Strange" and "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)." However, both songs were overshadowed by the re-release of "Nights in White Satin," which had its first single release in 1967. Whereas both singles from Seventh Sojourn merely made the top 40, "Nights In White Satin" hit #9 in the UK and #2 in the U.S., which was the highest American chart position for a Moody Blues single.
On this album, the band made two strong political references. "Lost In A Lost World" alluded to the brutality of revolution ("Revolution never won/It's just another form of gun") and racial tension ("In their eyes it's nation, against nation, against nation/With racial pride"). "You And Me," like "Question" from two years earlier, alludes to the Vietnam War: "There's a leafless tree in Asia."
As this album proved difficult to record, with a 1973 follow-up quickly shelved after inception, the group decided to go on hiatus for starting in 1974 before reuniting for Octave in 1978 and its subsequent tour.
Seventh Sojourn was remastered in 2007 into SACD format and repackaged with four extra tracks.
[edit] Track listing
- "Lost in a Lost World" (Mike Pinder) – 4:42
- "New Horizons" (Justin Hayward) – 5:11
- "For My Lady" (Ray Thomas) – 3:58
- "Isn't Life Strange" (John Lodge) – 6:09
- "You and Me" (Hayward, Graeme Edge) – 4:21
- "The Land of Make-Believe" (Hayward) – 4:52
- "When You're a Free Man" (Pinder) – 6:06
- "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" (Lodge) – 4:18
2007 SACD bonus tracks:
- "Isn't Life Strange (Original Version)" (Lodge) – 8:10
- "You and Me (Beckthorns Backing Track)" (Hayward, Edge) – 6:33
- "Lost in a Lost World (Instrumental Demo)" (Pinder) – 4:41
- "Island" (Previously Unreleased) (Hayward) – 4:30
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
| Preceded by Catch Bull at Four by Cat Stevens |
Billboard 200 number-one album December 9, 1972 - January 12, 1973 |
Succeeded by No Secrets by Carly Simon |
[edit] Personnel
- Justin Hayward - vocals, guitar
- John Lodge - vocals, bass
- Ray Thomas - vocals, flute, tambourine
- Graeme Edge - drums, percussion, vocals
- Mike Pinder - vocals, chamberlain
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