Moody Blues - Tuesday Afternoon (1967) | Poal: Say what you want.

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This was written by lead singer Justin Hayward, who explained: "I sat down in a field, smoked a funny African cigarette, and that song just came out. It was a Tuesday afternoon." Justin Hayward had a dog named Tuesday, but the song has nothing to do with the pooch. Hayward explained: "It just so happened we were sitting in the field together, that's all. But it was a Tuesday afternoon and I did smoke a joint and it was down there where I come from in the West Country and this song just came out." Hayward was earning a living playing music by the time he was in his late teens, so unlike most working stiffs for whom Tuesday afternoon was a time to knuckle down and get some work done, that part of the week could be quite relaxing for him. "I did think about that and about being someone who's been lucky enough never having to do a proper job," he told us. "I wasn't hampered by any of that kind of stuff."

Justin Hayward wrote the song originally intending to name it "Tuesday Afternoon". At the insistence of producer Tony Clarke, it was named "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" for its release on Days of Future Passed. However, when it was released as a single a year later, its name was changed back to "Tuesday Afternoon", and it has been more commonly known by this name ever since. Some of the Moody Blues compilation and live albums list the song as "Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)" to reflect both titles.

The song features Hayward on lead vocals and acoustic guitar. The backing melody comes from the mellotron, which was played by Mike Pinder. There is also a short flute solo at the end played by Ray Thomas. The Moody Blues Mellotron wizard was Mike Pinder, who was a founding member of the band. He used to work for a company called Streetly Electronics, which made the instrument. He was one of the few musicians who could keep the unwieldy device operational, and The Moody Blues became the first high-profile band to use it in live performances. The instrument is a keyboard which triggers taped strips of a chosen instrument recorded at different pitches. It is not synthesized sound, but actual instrument recordings. In this song the recorded strips were strings. The strange and unique quality of the sound comes from the warble in the tape loops as they play back. It wasn't always smooth: one their first American tour, the Mellotron burst open, spewing its tape out the back. After a break while Pinder repaired the machine, the show continued.

The London Festival Orchestra, which was the name Decca Records gave to their collection of classical musicians, played on this track. This orchestral link between parts one and two of the song was recorded separately from the Moodys' portions. The link was arranged by Peter Knight, who arranged orchestral sections for the entire album. However, for the single release and subsequent releases on compilation albums, this orchestral finale was not included, and the song simply faded out during Thomas's flute solo.

This was written by lead singer Justin Hayward, who explained: "I sat down in a field, smoked a funny African cigarette, and that song just came out. It was a Tuesday afternoon." Justin Hayward had a dog named Tuesday, but the song has nothing to do with the pooch. Hayward explained: "It just so happened we were sitting in the field together, that's all. But it was a Tuesday afternoon and I did smoke a joint and it was down there where I come from in the West Country and this song just came out." Hayward was earning a living playing music by the time he was in his late teens, so unlike most working stiffs for whom Tuesday afternoon was a time to knuckle down and get some work done, that part of the week could be quite relaxing for him. "I did think about that and about being someone who's been lucky enough never having to do a proper job," he told us. "I wasn't hampered by any of that kind of stuff." Justin Hayward wrote the song originally intending to name it "Tuesday Afternoon". At the insistence of producer Tony Clarke, it was named "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" for its release on Days of Future Passed. However, when it was released as a single a year later, its name was changed back to "Tuesday Afternoon", and it has been more commonly known by this name ever since. Some of the Moody Blues compilation and live albums list the song as "Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)" to reflect both titles. The song features Hayward on lead vocals and acoustic guitar. The backing melody comes from the mellotron, which was played by Mike Pinder. There is also a short flute solo at the end played by Ray Thomas. The Moody Blues Mellotron wizard was Mike Pinder, who was a founding member of the band. He used to work for a company called Streetly Electronics, which made the instrument. He was one of the few musicians who could keep the unwieldy device operational, and The Moody Blues became the first high-profile band to use it in live performances. The instrument is a keyboard which triggers taped strips of a chosen instrument recorded at different pitches. It is not synthesized sound, but actual instrument recordings. In this song the recorded strips were strings. The strange and unique quality of the sound comes from the warble in the tape loops as they play back. It wasn't always smooth: one their first American tour, the Mellotron burst open, spewing its tape out the back. After a break while Pinder repaired the machine, the show continued. The London Festival Orchestra, which was the name Decca Records gave to their collection of classical musicians, played on this track. This orchestral link between parts one and two of the song was recorded separately from the Moodys' portions. The link was arranged by Peter Knight, who arranged orchestral sections for the entire album. However, for the single release and subsequent releases on compilation albums, this orchestral finale was not included, and the song simply faded out during Thomas's flute solo.

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