Does anyone want a new Moody Blues record anymore?

The Moody Blues are preparing for a busy schedule, that will almost certainly include celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Justin Hayward and John Lodge.

“We will start an American tour next month,” reveals Lodge. “And the dates run through most of the summer. We’ll then have a short break.”

The Moodies will be playing shows in the UK next June. “The dates are being booked now,” reveals Hayward. “I’m not giving anything away when I say the band will be playing at the usual venues.”

While this year marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation, of more interest is that in two years’ time, they reach the half-century mark for Hayward and Lodge joining in 1966, when the band as we know it today was born. And, says Lodge, the Moodies intend to commemorate this landmark occasion.

“We don’t quite know what we’ll do as yet. But we are all determined to do something special. Maybe we’ll do a series of dates concentrating on specific albums throughout our career. Or there might be a major release. All that’s still up in the air.”

But one thing fans shouldn’t expect is a new album from the band.

“Does anyone really want this?” says Hayward. “I don’t believe people are waiting for a new Moody Blues record. Our last one was December in 2003, but if there’s interest then we’d certainly consider doing a new one. But at the moment, we’re not thinking about it.”

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.