Top 10 John Lodge Songs

It was put to John Lodge a couple of years ago that, given his contributions to the band and subsequent works on his own, he was the true rock ‘n’ roller in the Moody Blues.

His response; “I think so, yeah. Ray Thomas always called me The Rocker, from day one. I’ve always loved rock ‘n’ roll coming over a 12-inch speaker and have a bass booming at me.”

Writing and singing the likes of “Ride My See-Saw,” “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)” and “Steppin’ in a Slide Zone,” Lodge — who passed away “suddenly and unexpectedly” this week at the age of 82, according to his family — did live up to that moniker.

But he was more than a just a singer in that rock ‘n’ roll band. He was also the force behind songs such as “(Evening) Time to Get Away” and “Isn’t Life Strange,” and when striking out on his own he explored paths such as folk, bluegrass and singer-songwritery pop.

“I just love music,” he told UCR during 2023. “I’ve loved music since I discovered it…I don’t think until I was 13, but when I discovered it I was like, ‘Whoo! This is just fantastic!’ I don’t think a day goes by when I don’t pick up my guitar, bass or the piano and play. It’s given me an incredible opportunity, not only to play music but to travel and see where this music came from.”

All of that was certainly channeled into a diverse and ambitious creative output throughout his life, and with that in mind we present these as the 10 songs to best remember Lodge by…

“(Evening) Time to Get Away”
From: Days of Future Passed (1967)

Having joined he Moodys with Justin Hayward, Lodge made his mark on the group’s thematic masterwork first with “Lunch Break: Peak Hour” but more memorable with the airy “(Evening) Time to Get Away),” part of “The Afternoon” suite that kicked off side two in tandem with Hayward’s “Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?).” The latter was the single that, along with “Nights in White Satin,” gave Hayward a higher profile, but these contributions made clear that Lodge would also be a strong contributor moving forward.

“Ride My See-Saw”
From: In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)

“It started, really, like a lot of my rock ‘n’ roll songs, as a rhythm track building up,” Lodge told us about this rocking, group-sung track from the Moodys’ third album, which peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but appears in virtually every Top 10 list of the band’s songs. “I wanted it to be this chorale, where we’re all singing these harmonies through the song — it’s interesting that way,” he added. Lodge also “wanted it to be the story of me,” a lament that he “left school with a first-class pass/ started work, but a second class” — a life he obviously left behind to be, well, a singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band.

“Isn’t Life Strange”
From: Seventh Sojourn (1972)

Lodge was in a philosophical mood as he penned this first single from what would be the final album if the Moodys’ “classic” era, before the band went on a five-year hiatus. The symphonic, string-laden construction is one of the bassist’s most ambitious compositions, and the echo/hiccup phrasing among his most unique vocals. There’s a certain indulgence, of course, but it made sense in `72 and the proggy landscape around it.

“I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)”
From: Seventh Sojourn (1972)

Lodge took the lead again for this Top 20 track, the last single of the Moody’s first phase. Lodge’s message was world peace through music, singing that “I’m just a-wandering on the face of this earth/Meeting so many people who are trying to be free…Now we’ve found the key.” The song — which earned Lodge an ASCAP songwriting award — also marked the last time the group used a Mellotron, which was one of its sonic hallmarks, while the saxophone sound came from a Chamberlin keyboard.

“Saved By the Music”
From: Blue Jays (1975)

Part of the album Lodge and Hayward made together during the Moodys’ hiatus, this kicked off side two with symphonic bombast, pulled back for a mellow first verse the led into a proggy ebb-and-flow well-fitted to the times. Its theme, established in the title, maintained Lodge’s heartfelt believe in the divine (spiritually more than religiously) power of music.

“Natural Avenue”
From: Natural Avenue (1977)

Lodge going Sun Records, ala Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two, wasn’t on the bingo card but it did provide the title track to his first solo album — and a different look at where this Moody Blue came from. You can hear a joyous liberation as he sings, “All my life I`ve tried/ Oh how I’ve tried/ Suddenly I’m there…I can feel it” as the song shuffles along. Check out his harmonica break in the middle, too.

“Steppin’ in a Slide Zone”
From: Octave (1978)

Lodge had the first word on the Moodys’ comeback album another rocker that declared the group’s return with power and lyrics that, somewhat obliquely, told the story of the band to that point (“‘Help me, please,` I thought I said/ Then something happened in my head/ Music came from all around/ And I knew what I had found”). “I recorded four songs on that album with a broken arm,” Lodge recalled.

“I actually had my arm set in a way that it could actually play my bass.” “…Slide Zone” gave the Moodys its first Top 40 hit in five years — since Lodge’s “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band),” in fact, while Octave was the band’s first platinum album in the U.S. since 1970’s A Question of Balance.

“Gemini Dream”
From: Long Distance Voyager (1981)

Lodge teamed with Hayward to co-write and share lead vocals on this first single from the follow-up to Octave, an even more successful album than its predecessor (with ex-Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz replacing Mike Pinder in the lineup). “Gemini Dream” emerged from a jam session built from a dance-floor targeted beat, with Lodge’s chugging bass pushing the groove. Lodge’s original title, by the way , was “Touring in the USA” while Hayward came up with “Backstage Pass;” they settled on “Gemini Dream” as a representation of their dual personalities. They two received an ASCAP songwriting award for the track whose No. 12 peak was the Moody’s best for a new song in eight years.

“Send Me No Wine”
From: Moody Bluegrass Two…Much Love (2011)
Lodge popped up as a guest on this second tribute set of bluegrassed Moody songs, recreating the group-sung track he penned for 1969’s On the Threshold of a Dream. He fits in well with the track’s easygoing roll, a pleasing and different look at a Moodys deep cut. Bandmates Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder and Graeme Edge also contributed to the project.

“Simply Magic”
From: 10,000 Light Years Ago (2015)

From Lodge’s second solo album, this is simply, a, well, a heartstring tugger thanks to the presence of Moodys mates Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder, who have both since passed away. Lodge said at the time that the acoustic-flavored elegy was written for his grandson and was intended as “my reflection about children and the hope for the future and everything else.”

He used a Thomas flute sample during the songwriting, then called Thomas — who was a neighbor at the time in England — to come play a new part. “Then Ray said, ‘Mike would love to play on this,'” Lodge recalled, “so I got in touch with Mike and said, ‘Would you like to play some keyboards, mellotron?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, fabulous.’ So it was a nice little reunion for the three of us and it felt completely right to me.”