Natural Avenue
Natural Avenue is an album by John Lodge of The Moody Blues, released in 1977 during the Moody Blues' five year hiatus. During the five years, Lodge also collaborated with Justin Hayward for an album titled Blue Jays. While Natural Avenue wasn't exactly a hit, the album fared slightly better than Hayward's release of Night Flight three years later. Music critic Robert Hillburn gave the album a favorable review in the Los Angeles Times. The album's cover features artwork by English artist Roger Dean.
Natural Avenue | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 28, 1977 | |||
Recorded | 1976 at Threshold Studios, London; mixed at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 45:26 (album) 49:28 (Original CD) 53:45 (Reissue CD) | |||
Label | Threshold/Decca | |||
Producer | Tony Clarke | |||
John Lodge chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Prog | [2] |
The album was originally released on the London label in 1977. It was subsequently re-released on CD, now on the Threshold label in 1987. This release included one bonus track, "Street Café" (originally released as a single in 1980).
It was released yet again on Threshold in May 1996, with the additional bonus track "Threw It All Away" (the B-side of the "Street Café" single).
Track listing
Side 1
- "Intro to Children of Rock 'n Roll" (John Lodge) – 1:04
- "Natural Avenue" (John Lodge) – 3:56
- "Summer Breeze" (John Lodge) – 5:22
- "Carry Me" (John Lodge) – 5:42
- "Who Could Change" (John Lodge) – 6:04
Side 2
- "Broken Dreams, Hard Road" (John Lodge) – 4:33
- "Piece Of My Heart" (John Lodge) – 3:56
- "Rainbow" (John Lodge) – 3:53
- "Say You Love Me" (John Lodge) – 6:25
- "Children Of Rock 'n Roll" (John Lodge) – 4:31
1987 CD Bonus Track
- "Street Café" (John Lodge) – 4:02
1996/2014 Reissue CD Bonus Tracks
- "Street Café" (John Lodge) – 4:02
- "Threw It All Away" (John Lodge) – 4:17
"Street Café" produced by Pip Williams
"Threw It All Away" produced by Pip Williams
Personnel
- John Lodge – 6- and 12-string acoustic guitars (1–7, 9, 10), bass (2–10), harmonica (2), piano (5), vocals
- Steve Simpson – Spanish guitar (1, 9), 6-string acoustic guitars (1, 3–6, 10), electric guitar (2, 6), vocals
- Kenney Jones – drums & percussion (2–10)
- Mick Weaver – piano & organ (2–6, 8–10), electric piano (7), celeste (7)
- Mel Collins – soprano saxophone (2)
- Martin Dobson – alto saxophone (2)
- Jimmy Jewel – saxophone (3, 6)
- Brian Rogers Orchestra – (3–10)
- Chris Spedding – electric guitar (5, 7–10)
- Dennis Lopez – percussion (5)
- Gary Osborne – vocals
- John Richardson – vocals
- Allan Williams – vocals
- Billy Lowrie – vocals
Chart positions
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1977 | UK Albums Chart | 38 |
1977 | Billboard 200 | 121 |
References
- Natural Avenue at AllMusic. Retrieved 21:20, 17 May 2016 (UTC).
- Sexton, Paul. "John Lodge: Natural Avenue". Retrieved 2018-12-31.
- Natural Avenue at AllMusic. Retrieved 21:20, 17 May 2016 (UTC).