7.5 When did the Moodies play songs live before they were released on an album?
All of Days of Future Passed along with "Legend of a Mind," "Ride My See-Saw," "The Dream" and "Have You Heard" began as the Moody Blues' stage show, which described a day in the life of "Moody Blue", an "everyman." The band also did a BBC performance in which they announce the song they're about to do as "In a Child's World" (later incarnated as "Another Morning" on Days of Future Passed).
"Question" - Was played at a concert in the Belfry Hotel, Sutton Coldfield on March 9, 1970 according to an article in "Disc" magazine of March 14, 1970. Also, at a concert at the Fillmore East on March 19, 20 or 21, 1970, Mike announces, "We'd like to carry on with a new song of Justin's. We finished recording it just before we left England, near [unintelligible bit] and we've been trying to work it on the stage. It's going to be a single and it's going to be released in about two weeks' time. It's about 5 minutes long so you'll only hear it on FM. [cheers from the audience] Maybe they'll send us some FM tapes over to England 'cuz that's the only way that they're going to hear it there as well. It's a song called "Question." It is probable that the Moodies played "Question" on the entire March-April US tour. The album A Question of Balance was released in August of 1970.
"And the Tide Rushes In" - Was played at a concert in the Belfry Hotel, Sutton Coldfield on March 9, 1970 according to an article in "Disc" magazine of March 14, 1970. The album A Question of Balance was released in August of 1970.
"Isn't Life Strange?" / "After You Came" was released as a single in the US and UK in April 1972, charting in both countries months before release of Seventh Sojourn (October 23, 1972 in the UK and late October in the US). This single is an oddity in that the two songs come from two different albums ("Isn't Life Strange?" from Seventh Sojourn and "After You Came" from Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.)Although not played in concert until the Blue Jays tour, "Isnt' Life Strange?" may have been performed live on some TV shows before the release of Seventh Sojourn.
"When You're a Free Man" and "The Land of Make-Believe" were played on the tour supporting Seventh Sojourn (according to an audio boot of the second show October 22, 1972 in Baltimore, MD). As noted above, the opening of this tour preceeded the UK release of the Seventh Sojourn by two days, and preceeded the US release by as much as eleven days.
"Strange Times" was first played during the 1997 US summer tour and was described as being from an album in work. Strange Times was released August 17, 1999.
On the tour beginning August 13, 1999, "English Sunset," "Haunted," "Words You Say" and "Nothing Changes" were played on three nights before the release of Strange Times on August 17, 1999.