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Moody Blues guitarist and vocalist Justin Hayward has shared a new video for his latest single cover of Life In A Northern Town, which was a No. 7 hit for baroque pop trio The Dream Academy in 1986.
The new single is a collaboration with producer, director and conductor musician and arranger Mike Batt, with whom Hayward worked on a 1987 live performance the former’s The Hunting Of The Snark, a musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s 1876 poem, and who produced Hayward’s 1989 covers album Classic Blue.
“Mike and I have known each other since we were young,” explains Hayward. “I always loved the atmosphere and mood he created, and didn’t hesitate when he asked me to be part of his production of Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of The Snark in 1987. Soon we were putting together the album Classic Blue, featuring Mike’s orchestral arrangements of some of our favourite songs. It was the first time since The War Of The Worlds that I had enjoyed the responsibility of being the featured voice, as opposed to being the writer, the guitar player and arranger of my own songs – and I loved it.
“Most of the songs were recorded live, with me in the vocal booth, and Mike conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing his gorgeous arrangements. These are the moments we love and live for. The chance to revisit those feelings was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up.”
“It has always been one that Justin and I have had on our list: to do “one day”,” adds Batt. “One day arrived, a few months ago, and we still had it on top of the list, so we did it! Vocally, this single is basically Justin singing the verses and me singing the choruses. It just turned out that way – whereas the original Classic Blue project was clearly a Justin solo album with me doing backup vocals. The absence of a rhythm section gives more space for the voice to occupy. It also means the arrangement isn’t obscured, so you can hear the inner orchestral parts. I do think there’s a chemistry we tap into when we work together. I think it’s just because we’ve known each other so long, and we’re musically comfortable together”.”
Both Hayward and Batt are currently remaining tight-lipped over whether this new collaboration will bear further fruit but suggest you “watch this space”!
Hayward heads out on his Forever Autumn tour of the UK in October.
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