UMe
UMe
In 1975, Moody Blues guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist John Lodge teamed up to record a collaborative side project called Blue Jays. Now, the long-out-of-print album is set to be reissued as a vinyl LP on October 4.
The 10-track collection was recorded during The Moody Blues’ five-year hiatus that began after the release of 1972’s Seventh Sojourn, and ended with the 1978 arrival of Octave. Blue Jays featured three songs written by Hayward, three tunes penned by Lodge and two co-written by Justin and John. The record was produced by longtime Moody Blues collaborator Tony Clarke.
Blue Jays peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200, and yielded a minor hit single in the U.S., “I Dreamed Last Night,” which reached #47 on the Hot 100 tally. A non-album single called “Blue Guitar” released in 1975 and credited to Hayward and Lodge, was a #8 hit in the U.K. The track actually featured Justin backed by the band 10cc.
In a recent interview with ABC Radio, Lodge said he wasn’t aware of plans to reissue Blue Jays, which he called “a really special album.”
Both Hayward and Lodge have been performing songs from Blue Jays at their respective recent solo concerts. John included a live version of one of the tunes, “Saved by the Music,” on his recently released solo compilation B Yond: The Very Best Of.
The Blue Jays LP is available for pre-order now. Here’s the full track list:
Side A
“This Morning”
“Remember Me (My Friend)”
“My Brother”
“You”
“Nights Winters Years”
Side B
“Saved by the Music”
“I Dreamed Last Night”
“Who Are You Now”
“Maybe”
“When You Wake Up”
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