Veteran Cosmic Rocker
"Veteran Cosmic Rocker" is a 1981 song by the progressive rock band the Moody Blues. It was written by the band's flautist Ray Thomas. "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" first appeared as the final track of the Moody Blues' 1981 album Long Distance Voyager, and was later released in November 1981 on the B-Side of "Talking Out of Turn."
| "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" | |
|---|---|
| Single by The Moody Blues | |
| from the album Long Distance Voyager | |
| A-side | "Talking Out of Turn" |
| Released | November 1981 |
| Recorded | February 1980 – April 1981 |
| Length | 3:05 |
| Label | Threshold |
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Thomas |
| Producer(s) | Pip Williams |
"Veteran Cosmic Rocker" is the third and final song in a suite that concludes Long Distance Voyager. The first song in this suite is "Painted Smile," which is then followed by "Reflective Smile," a short poem connecting the themes of the two songs.
Ray Thomas performs a harmonica solo about halfway through the song. At the beginning of the song, Ray Thomas can be faintly heard saying the line "I'll have a Scotch and Coke please, Mother!" At the end of the song is a backward message in which Thomas can be faintly heard saying "What happens anyway, you know?"
Personnel
- Ray Thomas – lead vocals, flute, harmonica
- Justin Hayward – sitar, electric guitars
- John Lodge – bass
- Patrick Moraz – Minimoog, Mellotron, Oberheim Custon double 8-voice synthesizer, piano, Roland Jupiter-4
- Graeme Edge – Simmons electronic drums, Simmons Clap Trap drum machine, maracas, bell-tree, drums
- Pip Williams – electric guitar, electric sitar