To Our Children's Children's Children
To Our Children's Children's Children is the fifth album by The Moody Blues, released in November 1969.
| To Our Children's Children's Children | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 November 1969 | |||
| Recorded | May–September 1969 at Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London, England | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 40:15 | |||
| Label | Threshold | |||
| Producer | Tony Clarke | |||
| The Moody Blues chronology | ||||
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| Singles from To Our Children's Children's Children | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
"Watching and Waiting" was released as a single to promote the album, but sold poorly. On the other hand, "Gypsy (Of a Strange and Distant Time)" became a fan and album oriented rock radio favorite, despite never being released as a single, and remained in the band's concert setlist through the 1970s.
Background
The album was the first released on the group's newly formed Threshold record label, which was named after the band's previous album from the same year, On the Threshold of a Dream. It was inspired by the 1969 moon landing.[2] In the opening track, "Higher and Higher", sound effects of a rocket launching begin the song and last for the first minute.
Release
While the extracted single, "Watching and Waiting," did not do well in that market, To Our Children's Children's Children was critically well-received and sold well, reaching number 2 in the UK albums chart[3] and number 14 in the US.[4] The album was mixed and released in both stereo and quadraphonic.
The album was one of those listened to, on cassette tape, by the crew of Apollo 15 in 1971.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Higher and Higher" | Graeme Edge | Pinder (narration) | 4:07 |
| 2. | "Eyes of a Child I" | John Lodge | Lodge | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Floating" | Ray Thomas | Thomas | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Eyes of a Child II" | Lodge | Lodge | 1:20 |
| 5. | "I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Hundred" | Justin Hayward | Hayward | 1:05 |
| 6. | "Beyond" | Edge | instrumental | 2:59 |
| 7. | "Out and In" | Mike Pinder, Lodge | Pinder | 3:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gypsy (Of a Strange and Distant Time)" | Hayward | Hayward | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Eternity Road" | Thomas | Thomas | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Candle of Life" | Lodge | Lodge, Hayward | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Sun Is Still Shining" | Pinder | Pinder | 3:40 |
| 5. | "I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Million" | Hayward | Hayward | 0:34 |
| 6. | "Watching and Waiting" | Hayward, Thomas | Hayward | 4:16 |
In March 2006, the album was remastered into SACD and repackaged into a 2CD Deluxe Edition.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gypsy" (Alternate version) | Hayward | 4:17 |
| 2. | "Candle of Life" (Alternate version) | Lodge | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Sun Is Still Shining" (Extended version) | Pinder | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Gypsy" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Hayward | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Sunset" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Pinder | 3:54 |
| 6. | "Never Comes the Day" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Hayward | 4:42 |
| 7. | "Are You Sitting Comfortably" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Hayward, Thomas | 2:54 |
| 8. | "The Dream" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Edge | 0:58 |
| 9. | "Have You Heard Pt. 1/The Voyage/Have You Heard Pt. 2" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Pinder | 5:42 |
| 10. | "Nights in White Satin" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Hayward | 3:12 |
| 11. | "Legend of a Mind" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Thomas | 4:37 |
In 2008, a remaster for single standard audio CD was issued with the five bonus tracks.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Gypsy" (Alternate version) | Hayward | 4:16 |
| 15. | "Candle of Life" (Alternate version) | Lodge | 4:55 |
| 16. | "Sun Is Still Shining" (Extended version) | Pinder | 4:03 |
| 17. | "Have You Heard Pt. 1/The Voyage/Have You Heard Pt. 2" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Pinder | 5:36 |
| 18. | "Legend of a Mind" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969) | Thomas | 4:33 |
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | UK Albums Chart | 2 |
| 1970 | Billboard 200 | 14 |
Personnel
- Justin Hayward – vocals, guitars, sitar
- John Lodge – vocals, bass guitar, harp, acoustic guitar
- Ray Thomas – vocals, flute, tambourine, bass flute, oboe
- Graeme Edge – drums, percussion
- Mike Pinder – vocals, Mellotron, piano, EMS VCS 3, Hammond organ, acoustic guitar, celesta, double bass
References
- To Our Children's Children's Children at AllMusic
- "Watch To Our Children's Children's Children - BFI Player". BFI Player. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- "Moody Blues | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- "The Moody Blues – Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- "HSA Space Exploration and Aviation Auction Catalog #6000". Heritage Capital Corporation. 1 February 2008.
External links
- To Our Children's Children's Children at Discogs (list of releases)