Isn't Life Strange
Encyclopedia
"Isn't Life Strange" is a 1972 single by the English rock band The Moody Blues
. Written by bassist John Lodge, it was the first of two singles released from their 1972 album Seventh Sojourn
, with the other being "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)
" (also written by Lodge). "Isn't Life Strange" is one of the Moody Blues longer songs, lasting for over six minutes.
"Isn't Life Strange" opens with a slow duet of the flute
(played by Ray Thomas
) and the Chamberlin
(played by Mike Pinder
), with John Lodge and Justin Hayward
providing vocals. The song's chorus features the band's traditional line-up, and vocals provided by Hayward, Lodge, Pinder, and Thomas.
When the Moody Blues perform "Isn't Life Strange" live, John Lodge uses a double neck guitar
with a standard 6-string on one neck, and a 4-string bass on the other. He uses this since he generally plays the 6-string guitar during the verses, and the bass during the chorus since Justin Hayward takes over electric guitar during the chorus. Also, whenever the Moody Blues perform live backed by a full orchestra
, the orchestra's brass section performs a solo of the chorus twice throughout the song, once in the middle, and once at the end.
The original version of "Isn't Life Strange" is extended by two minutes and includes a slow instrumental duet of Ray Thomas' flute and Mike Pinder's Chamberlin which was deleted, possibly due to time restraints. For the re-issue of "Seventh Sojourn" this version has been restored and added as a bonus track. Its multi-part structure and the obvious classical
influences make the piece sound similar to progressive rock
, a genre which was popular in the early 1970s
.
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
. Written by bassist John Lodge, it was the first of two singles released from their 1972 album Seventh Sojourn
Seventh Sojourn
Seventh Sojourn, released in 1972, is the eighth album by The Moody Blues.In Seventh Sojourn, The Moody Blues used, besides the Mellotron, a keyboard called the Chamberlin, a device similar to the Mellotron created by the original inventor of the device, Harry Chamberlin...
, with the other being "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)
I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)
"I'm Just a Singer " is a hit 1973 single by the English progressive rock band The Moody Blues. It was first released in 1972 as the final track on the album Seventh Sojourn. "I'm Just a Singer " was later released as a single in 1973, with "For My Lady" on the B-side...
" (also written by Lodge). "Isn't Life Strange" is one of the Moody Blues longer songs, lasting for over six minutes.
"Isn't Life Strange" opens with a slow duet of the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
(played by Ray Thomas
Ray Thomas
Ray Thomas is an English musician, best known as the flautist and as a singer and composer in the rock band, The Moody Blues.-Career:...
) and the Chamberlin
Chamberlin
The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by Iowa, Wisconsin inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. Various models and versions of these Chamberlin music instruments...
(played by Mike Pinder
Mike Pinder
Michael Thomas "Mike" Pinder is an English rock musician, and is a founding member or the British rock group, the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's album, Octave, in 1978...
), with John Lodge and Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
providing vocals. The song's chorus features the band's traditional line-up, and vocals provided by Hayward, Lodge, Pinder, and Thomas.
When the Moody Blues perform "Isn't Life Strange" live, John Lodge uses a double neck guitar
Double neck guitar
A multi-neck guitar is a guitar that has multiple fingerboard necks. They exist in both electric and acoustic versions. Although multi-neck guitars are quite common today, they are not by any means a modern invention...
with a standard 6-string on one neck, and a 4-string bass on the other. He uses this since he generally plays the 6-string guitar during the verses, and the bass during the chorus since Justin Hayward takes over electric guitar during the chorus. Also, whenever the Moody Blues perform live backed by a full orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, the orchestra's brass section performs a solo of the chorus twice throughout the song, once in the middle, and once at the end.
The original version of "Isn't Life Strange" is extended by two minutes and includes a slow instrumental duet of Ray Thomas' flute and Mike Pinder's Chamberlin which was deleted, possibly due to time restraints. For the re-issue of "Seventh Sojourn" this version has been restored and added as a bonus track. Its multi-part structure and the obvious classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
influences make the piece sound similar to progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, a genre which was popular in the early 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
.
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | UK Singles Chart | 13 |
| 1972 | Billboard Hot 100 | 29 |
Personnel
- Justin HaywardJustin HaywardJustin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
– electric guitar, vocals - John Lodge – bass guitar, vocals
- Mike PinderMike PinderMichael Thomas "Mike" Pinder is an English rock musician, and is a founding member or the British rock group, the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's album, Octave, in 1978...
– Chamberlin, backing vocals - Ray ThomasRay ThomasRay Thomas is an English musician, best known as the flautist and as a singer and composer in the rock band, The Moody Blues.-Career:...
– flute, backing vocals - Graeme EdgeGraeme EdgeGraeme Charles Edge is best known as the drummer and a songwriter for the Moody Blues, but has also led his own outfit, the Graeme Edge Band.-Biography:...
– drums, percussion