BMG

BMG

Moody Blues singer/bassist John Lodge‘s upcoming solo compilation, B Yond: The Very Best Of, features new renditions of two of his band’s late-1960s gems, including “Legend of a Mind,” a 1968 song written and originally sung by late Moodies flute player Ray Thomas.

Lodge’s version of the psychedelic tune, an homage to late LSD advocate Timothy Leary, has premiered on Billboard.com. John tells Billboard that he recorded the song as a tribute to Thomas, who died in January 2018, shortly before The Moody Blues’ induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

“We were 14 or 15 when we [met],” Lodge says of Thomas, “and it’s just my sort of thank you to Ray for being a friend and a musical friend as well.”

“Legend of a Mind” is one of three older songs that Lodge re-recorded for B Yond, along with the 1967 Moody Blues tune “(Evening) Time to Get Away” and the 1980 solo rarity “Street Café.” John used the same Fender Precision bass on these recordings that he played on all the early Moody Blues classics.

The retrospective also features new remixes of two songs from Lodge’s 1977 solo debut, Natural Avenue, as well as selections from his 2015 studio album, 10,000 Light Years Ago, and his 2017 concert album, Live from Birmingham. Among the live tunes are renditions of The Moody Blues’ “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band),” “Gemini Dream,” “Isn’t Life Strange” and “Ride My See-Saw.”

Lodge recently told ABC Radio that in putting together B Yond, he wanted to “rethink about who I am,” while giving new exposure to some of his “deep cuts.”

B Yond will be available August 23 digitally and on CD.

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