Moody Blues

After ditching their British Invasion disguise, the Moody Blues first showed their true progressive colors in 1967, with the astounding rock-classical masterwork Days of Future Passed. In league with the short-lived London Festival Orchestra, they gave us the signature tracks "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon."

Seventh Sojourn, from 1972, marked the end of an era for the Moody Blues, and it carries the scent of melancholy like after-shave at a funeral: the band was stressed to the breaking point during the recording, which may have inspired Justin Hayward to write the aching, lovely "New Horizons."

"Go Now!" is a diamond from the first-phase Moody Blues, a long way from the lush psychedelia that would take them global, but an incredible slice of mid-'60s pop-rock all the same. Representing high points from the backstretch of the band's glory years are "And the Tide Rushes In" (1970) and "Emily's Song" (1971).

The Moody Blues added Justin Hayward to their core lineup in 1966 from the same batch of job application letters that had been submitted to Eric Burdon for an Animals personnel reshuffling. But they quickly departed their R&B roots to launch a raft of grand psychedelic albums that would define the melodic face of prog-rock. The group's trump card was their Mellotron, a fancy tape-based keyboard that made everything sound more cosmic and groovy. We give you the Moody Blues.