I’m fully aware it’s the cycle of life and people come and then they leave this earth. I never dwell on it day to day, but it’s a sad day for me when musicians, in this case Mike.. who have made music that has enriched my life take .. the stairway to the stars. It’s inevitable that my musical heroes from the 60’s and 70’s are disappearing these days, so I shouldn’t be surprised but it’s never going to get to the point that it doesn’t make me melancholy and mourn their passing. Mike’s music was big in my life.
I cannot even begin to count the times I have listened to Pinder's Moody Blues songs. There is something peaceful, transcendent and meditative about them, from his smoky voice to the subdued Mellotron stabs to the lyrics that often were, however existential and philosophical often had a very humane and down-to-earth quip; Will you think it's a joke? That's all right Do what you want to do I've said my peace And I'll leave it all up to you But if you want to play Stay right back on Earth Waiting for rebirth There was a time when the last song I listened to every night before I went to sleep was his My Song off the Every Good Boy Deserves Favour album. There's just something there that's pure and gentle and once you get into that atmosphere and it grabs you, you can never really get out of being in love with that music, having it layered somewhere in your back brain to pull it out whenever the mood strikes you or it feels important. I also remember drifting off to sleep during the Have You Heard suite and groggily coming back to life in Pinder's last verse where it just fades out and out and then off it goes, into the stars. Where I am sure he is now! Didn't expect this, though there was something oddly disconcerting about their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction where he didn't get to speak. He surely looked like himself. The Robert Heinlein of rock. Lol. Endless gratitude to Mr. Pinder and the vast volume of quality and peace and brilliance that the Moodies pulled off, all those years ago. RIP.
Sad news, but 82 is a good age. It must have given him a lot of satisfaction being part of such a great band creating that wonderful series of albums. He recommended the mellotron to the Moodies, and for me that was something which they used to great effect, really setting their work apart from most of their peers.
I was just listening to “In Search of the Lost Chord” when I read the news! Yikes! RIP Mike. Thanks for the great music.
VERY sad news, RIP Mike. First band I ever got into we're the Moodys and a lot had to do with him being it's heart and soul.
Without him the Moody Blues were devoid of the trademark sound and became more a vehicle for Justin. Later I could suggest that the band should just be renamed and called Justin Hayward’s Moody Blues
Sheer bliss is right...I remember talking about "Out and In" with my best friend from high school in 1973, which is when I bought the TOCCC LP. Just a phenomenal song.
RIP Mike. Honestly it’s hard for me to even imagine the Moody Blues without him… This is the Moody Blues might be the greatest 2 LP compilation ever released. The way they sequenced it and made it flow… every time I spin it I appreciate it more. Lot of great work from Pinder there and throughout the core 7 albums. Pretty timeless music.
I always preferred his and Justin's songs on the core 7 albums. He definitely contributed some of their more adventurous tracks. I know what I'm listening to this weekend. I found this earlier today.
A very sad day. The Moody Blues have been with me since I was about 12 years old and my love for their music - especially the classic seven albums - has never diminished. They are embedded into my life, a part of me. They were all heroes to me but I always felt a special awe for Mike's songs. His voice, his philosophy, his lyrics and that wonderful, wonderful sound. The mellotron was the heart of the Moodies' sound and some songs which faded out as if the band would carry on playing forever... thinking "My Song", "Island", "Have You Heard"..... He contacted me on Facebook once (at first I thought it might be a scam) and we exchanged messages on music and stuff as late as last year - he did not seem to me like someone who was suffering from dementia. I now wish I'd asked him some more questions for which I will never have the answers now. Such as about the session(s) which yielded "Island" which was just him and Justin, whether they tried out any other songs and why they stopped, about his solo career - I am surprised he was not more prolific, one album during the band's hiatus and then just the one album a couple of decades later does seem a very paltry return for such a talented artist. A page closes, a life ends but the music and the man will always be with us. RIP Mike.
Farewell and adieu to Mike Pinder, founding member of the Moody Blues and one of the prime movers in introducing the Mellotron and Chamberlin synths to progressive rock. In fact, Pinder literally gave Robert Fripp and King Crimson their first Mellotron. You're a Free Man Today, Mike. Oh, and I've always loved this B-side "Simple Game"...
Sad news - the entire original Moodies lineup is gone now. I know what I'll be listening to tomorrow. You've gotta make the journey out and in. Burn slowly the candle of life.
Mike was the soul of the Moody Blues, and I would argue the inventor of Progressive Rock, with Have You Heard/The Voyage. I get annoyed when people tell me that the Beatles used the Mellotron first. I have to remind them who showed Lennon the instrument and how to play it. A true pioneer, the like of whom we won't see again. Thanks for the music, Maestro.
RIP Michael. Thanks for the great music. From the beginning I always looked for the Pinder songs first. His music has had a lasting effect on me. The core 7 will be played tomorrow.
I’ve gone back to the Moody Blues so many times in my life. I must have owned their albums three times over in various formats. I’m talking only the ones Mike was on. I didn’t care for anything without him. Thankfully these days there are many more options out there. For instance some fab boots like this one below, which bring new life to the old songs i’ve listened to so many times. I only wish Mike had made some more music. Particularly Mellotron music. It’s what he was famous for, after all. It’s all people ever seem to ask him about. But there really was scant music from what i’ve seen. His lone album on Threshold hardly had any Mellotron on it and i think a few people, like myself, were disappointed by it. I mean how could one not be? It was called The Promise and looked totally cosmic. But it was mellow Mike in a california cowboy hat tunes more grounded and earthy than cosmic. I still like it. He seemed at peace with his old life and he must have had a good one in california. Mike is in my heart. His music was moving and profound. That stuff stays with you.
