Shortly before joining the Wilde Three, Justin Hayward asked the rhythm guitarist and drummer (Jeff Bull) from his late 50's/early 60's band, The Off-Beats, to record six demos with him. All six songs were written by Justin.
The paragraphs below were written by Victor Rust:
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After forty-five years since they were recorded, the titles have been lost to failing memory unfortunately. However, I have taken the step of studying the lyrics and applying a title (for reference assistance more than anything else) based on the tenor of the song or the repetition of key words or phrases. So with that in mind, here are the six:
- She Said
- Stay
- Stay Right by Me
- Have You Seen Her?
- I Can't Believe It
- Only You Can Save Me Now
These were recorded in December 1963, with Justin Hayward (vocals, guitar), Ken Emerson (guitar) and Jeff Bull (drums, percussion). They are all ballads in style with clearly romantic flavours to each.
My personal favourite is the first one: it has echoes of The Pretenders' I Go to Sleep in its rhythmic device (although, chronologically speaking, perhaps that should be stated the other way around). Hayward was just seventeen at the point of recording and this song is about an older woman who invites him back to her place. The final line shows Hayward's crackling wit superbly, something which is often forgotten with his shy performing persona and the legacy of the deliberately moody projection of the band during the Core Seven period.
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Moody Blues Attitude would like to thank Victor Rust for providing this information before it was available to the public.
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