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Wolu-City [Woluwe-St-Laurent, Belgium] / Vintage 1968

Brian Auger - Julie Driscoll
The Moody Blues

Jean Jième: Wolu-City 68 - new edition. On the program the group Trinity consisting of Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll with headliners the Moody Blues. This come on the release of their international hit Nights in White Satin, a gorgeous slow dance song, coloured in tune with the gilt of the mellotron. Success, shouts of enthusiasm and applause! The public loves them. Yet the event was nearly spoiled by rioters.

The account of Christian Duponcheel, ex-organist of Lagger Blues Machine, present on the scene:

Some young Mods, nostalgic for the hot atmosphere of the "damage" experience with The Who, the year before, wanted to make a statement of their disappointment. Not only did they feel that the Moody Blues weren't weighty enough, but also they liked to think of them as having sold out to commercial success with Nights in White Satin. To mark their disapproval they threw empty coke bottles at the stage. Before such aggression, the musicians refused to play creating more commotion with the public.

The organizers had to intervene with force to restore calm and to permit the group to give their concert with no further delay to the schedule. In reality, the audience of Wolu City was a mixed crowd. One could find good family men accompanied by their kids as well as true fans of English music and some "true purists", plus branches of progressive rock or underground.

They finally took to the stage, close together, on a basic podium, with a tarpaulin put up over them above their heads. Fortunately, it didn't rain. The lighting was more than rough. But the Moody Blues created a graceful atmosphere with their symphonic rock-type melodies.

The Moody Blues: A Legendary Group

Made up of bright musicians, the "Moody Blues" debuted in 1964 and quickly became one of the best rhythm 'n blues groups from England. Under contract with the Marquee, the legendary club where the best groups are featured, they rapidly won their public. "Go Now" became their first hit. The press compared them to "The Animals" and to "Manfred Mann". They've put out 45's as well as an album. One will remember "From The Bottom Of My Heart" (1965), "Bye Bye Bird" (1966), where Ray Thomas's harmonica and Denny Laine's voice compete in skill.

In the middle of the summer of 1966, Denny Laine quit the group. Some time later, he founded Wings with Paul and Linda McCartney. Stepping in were John Lodge (bassist) and Justin Hayward (guitar and singer). Impacted by the change of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, they have a sense of the psychedelic age that they proclaim. They decided to radically end their rhythm 'n blues period. They shut themselves in the studio to make a different musical experience. They recorded "Days Of Future Passed", one of the most important albums of 1967 since it marks the debut of progressive rock.

In this quintet, each is from then on an author, songwriter, performer. And each possess his own style: John Lodge, influenced by the Californian music, puts forward a kind of acid rock often refreshing ("Peak Hour"); Ray Thomas, flutist and multi-instrumentalist, excels in the upbeat and light ("Another Morning"); Mike Pinder, organist, launches out in more complex searches and often the more confusing; Graeme Edge recites poems; whereas Justin Hayward puts in the thousand graces to one calm and basic pop song, half English, half American…with one of their pieces, "Nights In White Satin", the Moody Blues are truly a hit. Slow dance song of the summer, it inspired the Léo Ferré song "C'est Extra". To read the complete bio see www.musique.ados.fr.

I Drove The Moody Blues In My Car

Jean Jieme: I helped at the show with great delight. I particularly appreciated the unity of the flute and organ by Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder. The singer Justin Hayward is handsome like a god and his voice captivates the venue. With wild applause on their descent from the stage, they rushed towards a parked trailer some meters away. The young people chasing them were blocked from the way. None were being bad, only curious. The girls and the boys wanted to see them up close, to touch them. But the musicians were in a hurry to go back to their hotel. They dived into the trailer. I helped during this distressing spectacle. Sometimes dozens of excited (no doubt the same ones that were admonished at the start of the show) felt the need to throw themselves at them.

I saw several cops running to try and hold back the movement of the crowd, but none to help the poor musicians. I approached the trailer with difficulty, elbowing my way, when the door opened and I saw a head emerge that yelled out: A car, we need a car. I immediately responded: Follow me, I got a car. Believing I saved the day for the group, the group's manager grabbed me from the mob and followed me. I then showed him where my Peugeot was parked some ten meters away. The manager went back to the trailer, got the musicians out on the edge of a nervous breakdown. They cleared a path through the mob, racing through. I was already at the wheel. They dove in, four in the back seat and two in the front. I pulled away, blasting my horn. I barely realized what was happening to me.

Arriving at Place Rogier, the manager of the group, a certain Mc Cormick, invited me to have a drink in the bar at the Sirius to thank me. I can never get over my daringness. That night I returned home more and more persuaded that I had found my life's calling.

The day after this memorable day, I returned to the hotel with my camera. I asked to see Mc Cormick who had given me permission to take some snapshots of the group. He told me that they had little time because they were leaving right away for London. I followed them on the way to the airport. And there, with much kindness and fair-play, they granted me a few minutes to take some photos. I realize that I am the only one to have these exclusive photos of the Moody Blues.

***

First photo: Photo taken at the airport, the morning after their performance at Wolu City.

Second photo: I'm on the way to Siruis followed by the Moody Blues. This photo was recently passed on to me by Erick Machielsen who was on the spot.

Third photo: I saw them off at the airport with a little sadness. I think that I really saw myself in the profession of managing groups.