THE VETERAN COSMIC ROCKER
The Moody Blues founding member, flautist, singer and composer Ray Thomas sadly passed away at the beginning of 2018. Here, his bandmates pay tribute to the “always cheerful”, “superb songwriter” who will be greatly missed.
Listen to Nights In White Satin again. Seriously, don’t just play it, but listen. Do you know part of the reason why it’s so iconic? There’s a flute solo in the middle by Ray Thomas.
“Ray’s contribution to the song was so important,” says Moody Blues bassist John Lodge. “The solo he did was so haunting and magical, and added so much to the atmosphere. Ray played the flute differently to anyone else. Maybe that’s partly due to the way he breathed, and he was also self-taught.”
Lodge had known Thomas since 1959, when they formed El Riot & The Rebels in Birmingham, a band that also featured future Moodies keyboard player Mike Pinder.
“I first met Ray when I was 14,” recalls Lodge. “And then a year later we put together what was really a blues band. We used to wear Mexican outfits, even sombreros. Ray always
“The world is always DIMINISHED by The loss of a GOOD MAN, and RAY THOMAS was a FINE HUMAN BEING.” Mike Pinder
called me Rocker after that, while I referred to him as El Riot.”
Thomas and Pinder founded the Moody Blues in 1964, quickly bringing in Graeme Edge on drums. Two years later, Lodge and guitarist Justin Hayward were recruited to complete what many would view as the classic line-up. But despite being a guiding force in starting the Moodies, Thomas never threw his weight around, as Lodge reveals.
“Ray wasn’t even somebody who wanted to be a bandleader. Every decision we made had to be unanimous, otherwise it wasn’t accepted. We used to sit around a coffee table in the studio and whenever someone had a song idea they’d put it forward and everyone else would add their own touches to it.”
“Ray and I were like brothers and we developed as musicians and songwriters together,” adds Pinder. “The music of the Moodies was very collaborative. When
Ray brought a song to the table that he was working on, I would add my touches and vice versa. It was part of the magic of what has been called the ‘Core Seven’ albums.
Ray was an integral part of the engine and magic in the Moody Blues.”
Thomas would have his own unique manner of getting across a song structure, as Lodge remembers with amusement.
“Ray would always give us the melody for anything he was working on. And he had a smile on his face. That was the way he was – always cheerful. Because he never dealt in chords, he would indicate whether something was a major or minor chord by the expression on his face.
“Ray was a superb songwriter, and he was out on his own. No one else could have come up with the material he did. Who else could have written Legend Of A Mind, which was about Timothy Leary, but done with a twinkle in his eye? And then there’s a backwards message that ends Veteran Cosmic Rocker.
That was his own idea, and typical of him.
“If you play Dear Diary,” Lodge adds,
“you can hear him talking on that as well. He just came out with these phrases, which were a little eccentric, but represented his personality. We all loved it when he would do that sort of thing in the studio.”
Thomas was also renowned as a fine singer. And while Pinder, Lodge and Hayward also have expressive vocal delivery, it was Thomas who was regarded as arguably the best in the band on this front.
“Ray had a beautiful voice, and this was a distinct part of the band’s sound,” insists Pinder.
“He had a Welsh father, and was very proud of his tenor voice,” laughs Lodge.
“He always claimed this came from his
Welsh background. And I’m sure it was because of his voice that Ray had his own way of breathing when he played the flute.”
Pinder has no doubts as to Thomas’ qualities as a person, which immeasurably added to his role as a team player in the band.
“Ray and I were friends for almost 60 years. Ray was Welsh to the bone and headstrong. But to balance his stubborn tendencies he was fiercely loyal and I could always count on his honesty and integrity. Ray was generous and magnanimous as well. He was quick to give of himself to others, and that’s often a rare trait nowadays.”
Lodge admits to being impressed with the way in which Thomas took everything in his stride. “Nothing would phase him. And when you’re on the road, you have to be prepared for things to go wrong. They always do, and if you don’t have the right temperament, then you can be easily distracted and get stressed out. That’s never a good sign as it causes a lot of tension within a band. However, Ray was always calm under those circumstances, and because of the way in which he dealt with those problems, it had a soothing effect on the rest of us. You were certain that Ray would shrug his shoulders and move on. Nothing ever got him down.”
Thomas also had a sense of humour that added to the positive feelings Lodge has of his one-time bandmate.
“Oh, Ray was a funny person, and he could see the humour in any situation. There are so many stories which come to mind that highlighted his ability to laugh at anything.
For instance, there was the time he drove us to a party at a country mansion. Now, let me point out right here that I passed my driving test before he did, and I even gave him his first lesson.
“Anyway, once he had his licence, Ray got his own car. We were supposed to be rehearsing in Birmingham, but Ray persuaded me that we should escape and go to the opening of this new club he’d heard about. So, we left and Ray drove us down these narrow country roads to the mansion. It was like something from a Harry Potter film! Wroughtiron gates, imposing pillars on either side with huge balls on top. Ray drove through the gates, and guess what? He hit one of the pillars, and the ball crashed down on the roof of the car!
“For most people this would have been a nightmare situation, and I was on the verge of panicking, even though it was Ray who caused the accident, and it was his car anyway. But he just shrugged it off, got out and called a breakdown van. We never made that party, but the memory of it is still with me today! ”
“Ray and I were the same age,” says Pinder. “Our birthdays were two days apart – he was on December 29, and I’m on December 27. We were born in 1941. And when we talked to one another, we did this strange thing of calling each other by our mothers’ names.
So, he was Elsie and I was Gladys!
“We did so much as a pair in the 60 years we knew one another. We walked across Germany together, and we both contributed
“ray was a FUNNY person, and he could see The
HUMOUR in any siTuaTion.”
John Lodge
harmony vocals and played the harmonica on two songs by The Beatles. These were I Am The Walrus and The Fool On the Hill. That’s how close we were tied to each other.”
On April 14, the Moody Blues will finally be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. And Lodge recalls talking to Thomas about the honour just before he died.
“Every year I sent Ray a birthday card, and just before Christmas 2017, I phoned to wish him a happy birthday. He said to me, ‘Rocker, could you do me a favour and pick up my award for me? I’m not well enough to make the trip over to Cleveland [where the ceremony will be].’ I was happy to agree to do this, but now there’s an added sadness about it all.
“Then he added something that was typical of him: ‘Hey, now we’re in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, does that mean we’ve become famous at last?’ He had his tongue firmly in his cheek, as was so often the case with him.”
“Ray and I started a band in Birmingham and made music that changed people’s lives,” says a proud Pinder. “When we found out that the Moodies are to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, we laughed. It’s nice for our fans who have wanted the band to be given this honour for a long time, but our legacy has always just been the impact on the listeners that has endured for over 55 years.”
Lodge has no doubts that Thomas’ influence had much to do with the way in which the Moodies stood apart from other bands.
“We’ve never followed what others wanted us to do. Ray wasn’t a person easily impressed by what the powers that be at our record company demanded from the band. Can you believe that after Nights In White Satin became a hit, Deram asked us to do a cover version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow? Ray just laughed out loud at the very idea, and the rest of us were equally unimpressed. All of the band had the same attitude, and that was to do things the way we wanted. Maybe that was part of the reason why the Moodies never became as big as we might have been, but it suited who we were as people, and it certainly fitted in with Ray’s approach to his life.
“You never knew what would inspire him to write a song. There’s Veteran Cosmic Rocker, which was based on a phrase used in a review by an American journalist. He called us ‘veteran cosmic rockers’. Ray saw that, and off he went. And he did it with a humour he never lost.”
Justin Hayward is still upset by Thomas’ death, and felt unable to talk openly about his feelings. However, he did send Prog the following heartfelt comment: “Ray was a kind, generous and ‘giving’ musician and friend through all those magical years for the group. I treasure the songs he and I wrote in the early years of the band, which were a joy for me, as they were, I know, a delight for him.
“Ray always gave great support to me, and without his input and encouragement the songs would never have been the same. I loved working up his words and melodies too; he was always open to ideas. And Ray always made it fun to work with him.”
Maybe the best tribute, though, comes with these words from Pinder: “The world is always diminished by the loss of a good man, and Ray Thomas was a fine human being.”
The current Moodies line-up finished their US tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Days Of Future Passed back in January, a live DVD and CD is out this month and there are plans in hand to bring the show to Britain.
“Of course we have to do that,” says Lodge. “There has been a discussion about multiple nights at a prestigious London venue, but right now, I can’t say any more, because it’s far from being confirmed. However, I hope our fans UK fans don’t think we’re ignoring them, because that’s certainly not the case.”
The band are also delighted that their annual cruise continues to be a huge success.
“When we started this, we had no idea it would prove to be so popular,” admits Lodge. “We love doing it, and are already planning for one in 2019. It’s a great way to bring together so many different bands, and to give the fans a different way of enjoying our music. It’s quite relaxing, which for guys of our age is important!”
Now, go and listen to Nights In White Satin one more time!