Blue Jays (album)

1975 studio album by Justin Hayward and John Lodge

Blue Jays

Studio album by

Justin Hayward and John Lodge

Released| 10 March 1975 (US)
14 March 1975 (UK)
Recorded| June–December 1974 at Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London
Genre| Rock, progressive rock
Length| 47:12 (LP)
50:48 (CD)
Label| Threshold
Producer| Tony Clarke
Justin Hayward chronology
|  | Blue Jays
(1975)  | Songwriter
(1977)

|
|

John Lodge chronology
|  | Blue Jays
(1975)  | Natural Avenue
(1977)

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Singles from  Blue Jays

1. "I Dreamed Last Night"
Released: April 1975[1]
2. "Blue Guitar"
Released: September 1975[2]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [3]

Blue Jays is a 1975 album by Justin Hayward and John Lodge. It was recorded and released during the Moody Blues' five-year hiatus.

## History

[edit]

During work on the Moody Blues album that was to follow Seventh Sojourn, bandmates Lodge, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge summoned Hayward and producer Tony Clarke out of a recording session to call off the project. The tension-fraught recording of Seventh Sojourn and subsequent world tour had left the band exhausted and relationships frayed. Pinder, who had emigrated to the United States, was not happy in England and was determined to return home to California. According to Hayward:

> I was under a lot of pressure from Decca to come up with something to release. So I actually went to America to do something with Mike [Pinder], between the two of us. Then Tony Clarke and John [Lodge] turned up at Mike's house as well. Mike took me in the other room and said, "I don't want to work with anybody else. I'm out of this project." So then it became me and John and Tony Clarke, and we made an album called Blue Jays.[4]

The album was recorded, between June and December 1974, at Threshold Westlake Audio Studios in West Hampstead, London.[4]

On 10 March 1975 Blue Jays made its debut in the form of a staged playback of the album at Carnegie Hall. Hayward and Lodge wanted to pipe the music into the street, but New York police said they feared a traffic jam.[5] A short tour of the UK followed in November and December 1975. A recording of the 12 December show at Lancaster University, featuring Trapeze members Mel Galley (guitar) and Dave Holland (drums), is included in the 2013 Timeless Flight box set.

### Blue Guitar

[edit]

The track "Blue Guitar," originally released as a non-album single credited to Hayward and Lodge in September 1975 but performed by Hayward with the band 10cc, with John Lodge on bass guitar, was added to the album upon its re-release on CD in 1987. Hayward said, "After a couple of years, John and I had made the Blue Jays album and we were looking for something to release to promote it and I remembered this track and I brought it out and played it to John and our producer Tony Clarke. They liked it but thought it needed something so we took it back to our studio and John added some bass onto it and Tony mixed it in a really nice way and anyone who’s interested will notice it's got dual production credits of 10cc and Tony Clarke."[6]

The single stayed in the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks in 1975, peaking at No. 8 on 15 November.[7]

In 2004 the album was remastered and released on CD with the same bonus track.

## Original track listing

[edit]

### Side One

[edit]

1. "This Morning" (Justin Hayward) – 5:56
2. "Remember Me (My Friend)" (Hayward, John Lodge) – 5:28
3. "My Brother" (Hayward) – 3:28
4. "You" (Lodge) – 4:35
5. "Nights Winters Years" (Hayward) – 3:40

### Side Two

[edit]

1. "Saved by the Music" (Lodge) – 6:09
2. "I Dreamed Last Night" (Hayward) – 4:29
3. "Who Are You Now" (Hayward) – 2:29
4. "Maybe" (Lodge) – 5:38
5. "When You Wake Up" (Hayward, Lodge) – 5:23

### 1987 Bonus track (also 2004 remastered release)

[edit]

11. "Blue Guitar" (Hayward) – 3:37

## Personnel

[edit]

* Justin Hayward – guitar, vocals
* John Lodge – bass, guitar, vocals, pipe organ on "Maybe"
* Jim Cockey – violin, French horn
* Tim Tompkins – cello
* Tom Tompkins – viola
* Kirk Duncan – piano
* Graham Deakin – drums

### "Blue Guitar"

[edit]

* Justin Hayward – guitar, lead vocals
* Lol Creme – slide guitar, vocals
* Kevin Godley – drums, vocals
* Eric Stewart – guitar, vocals
* John Lodge – bass

[6]

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1975)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8] | 26
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] | 19
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] | 13
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[11] | 17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] | 12
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] | 16
UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 4
US Billboard 200[15] | 16

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Gold  | 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Justin Hayward and John Lodge – Single – I Dreamed Last Night – France". Webwriter.f2s.com. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
2. ^ "Justin Hayward and John Lodge – Single – Blue Guitar – Germany". Webwriter.f2s.com. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
3. ^ Eder, Bruce. Review of Blue Jays at AllMusic. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
4. ^ a b "Sammy Sultan Interviews: Justin Hayward (Full Interview)". YouTube. 9 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
5. ^ "11 March". The Doors in History. History.waiting-forthe-sun.net. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
6. ^ a b "Blue Guitar (Justin Hayward & John Lodge) – Jon Kutner".
7. ^ "Blue Guitar". Official Charts.
8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6136a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Justin Hayward & John Lodge – Blue Jays" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
11. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166\. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
12. ^ "Charts.nz – Justin Hayward & John Lodge – Blue Jays". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
13. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Justin Hayward & John Lodge – Blue Jays". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
15. ^ "Justin Hayward Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
16. ^ "British album certifications – Justin Hayward/John Lodge – Blue Jays". British Phonographic Industry.

## External links

[edit]

* Music video "I Dreamed Last Night" on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

The Moody Blues

* Graeme Edge
* Mike Pinder
* Ray Thomas
* Justin Hayward
* John Lodge

* Denny Laine
* Clint Warwick
* Rod Clark
* Patrick Moraz

Studio albums|

* The Magnificent Moodies
* Days of Future Passed
* In Search of the Lost Chord
* On the Threshold of a Dream
* To Our Children's Children's Children
* A Question of Balance
* Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
* Seventh Sojourn
* Octave
* Long Distance Voyager
* The Present
* The Other Side of Life
* Sur la Mer
* Keys of the Kingdom
* Strange Times
* December

Live albums|

* Caught Live + 5
* A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
* Hall of Fame
* Lovely to See You: Live
* Live at the BBC: 1967-1970
* Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
* Days of Future Passed Live

Compilations|

* This Is The Moody Blues
* Voices in the Sky: The Best of The Moody Blues
* Prelude
* Greatest Hits
* Time Traveller
* The Best of The Moody Blues
* Anthology
* Gold
* An Introduction to The Moody Blues

Singles|

* "Go Now"
* "I Don't Want to Go On Without You"
* "Life's Not Life"
* "Nights in White Satin"
* "Tuesday Afternoon"
* "Voices in the Sky"
* "Ride My See-Saw"
* "Never Comes the Day"
* "Watching and Waiting"
* "Question"
* "Melancholy Man"
* "The Story in Your Eyes"
* "Isn't Life Strange"
* "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)"
* "Steppin' in a Slide Zone"
* "Driftwood"
* "Gemini Dream"
* "The Voice"
* "Talking Out of Turn"
* "Blue World"
* "Sitting at the Wheel"
* "Running Water
* "Your Wildest Dreams"
* "The Other Side of Life"
* "I Know You're Out There Somewhere"
* "Here Comes the Weekend"
* "No More Lies"
* "Say It with Love"
* "English Sunset"

Related articles|

* Band members
* Discography
* Threshold Records
* Justin Hayward and Friends Sing the Moody Blues Classic Hits
* Moody Bluegrass
* Blue Jays

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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