"To Our Children's Children's Children" is the fifth album by The Moody Blues, released in November 1969. It marked the band's first album released on their newly formed Threshold record label, which was named after their previous album On the Threshold of a Dream. The album was inspired by the 1969 Moon landing, a moment in history that influenced the band's themes of space exploration and the passage of time. Drummer Graeme Edge recalled the excitement of the era, saying they saw the album as a "time capsule" of their thoughts on living in such a momentous time. Keyboardist Mike Pinder saw it as a way to let listeners experience space travel through music, allowing them to "go to the moon" with their earphones on.
The album is a concept album, like many of the band's works, with a unifying theme. The band's inspiration came directly from the space race and the Apollo 11 moon landing, which took place during the album's sessions. The album also reflects on time and the future, with bassist John Lodge imagining the thoughts of people traveling to space, asking what they would think or feel as they left Earth. The idea behind the album was that it would act like a time capsule, buried for future generations to discover.
The album opens with a poem by Graeme Edge, "Higher and Higher," recited by Mike Pinder, accompanied by a musical recreation of the sound of a rocket launching. Initially, the band sought to use the actual sound of the Apollo launch, but after the recording from NASA proved unsatisfactory, they created their own version using musical instruments. The track begins with the rumble of a rocket's blastoff, created with layers of guitar amplifiers, keyboards, and drums.
Other tracks on the album, like "Eyes of a Child" and "Floating," further explore the theme of space and the wonder of discovering new worlds. "Eyes of a Child," written by John Lodge, reflects on the innocence and awe of space exploration, while "Floating" by Ray Thomas imagines a low-gravity walk on the moon. The band also delves into the emotional side of space travel, with songs like "I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Hundred" and its counterpart "I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Million," which reflect on the passage of time.
One of the most notable tracks, "Beyond," features a heavily customized Mellotron used to create otherworldly effects, evoking the experience of traveling past the gas giants in our solar system. The song takes inspiration from The Planets by Gustav Holst. Another track, "Out and In," captures Pinder's fascination with space, drawing from his childhood experiences of looking at the stars and his lifelong passion for astronomy.
The album's closing track, "Watching and Waiting," was written by Justin Hayward and became the band's only single from the album. While the band had high hopes for the song, it failed to capture the public's imagination in the same way that "Nights in White Satin" had, which led to some disappointment. Hayward had modified the song's lyrics to fit the album's space theme, transforming it from a love song into a more mystical reflection on a lost world.
The album was recorded at Decca Studio One in London in 1969, with additional overdubs done in August. It was produced by Tony Clarke, who had also worked with the band on their previous albums. The album's lush production and complex arrangements made it difficult to replicate live, and the band found it challenging to perform many of the songs on stage. As a result, they decided to simplify their approach on their next album, A Question of Balance.
The cover art, designed by Phil Travers, reflects the theme of the album as a timeless artifact, with a cave painting depicting an airplane and rifle, anachronisms suggesting that the album would be unearthed centuries in the future. The inner sleeve features an image of the band gathered around a fire on a distant planet, reinforcing the concept of the album as a record to be discovered by future generations.
To Our Children's Children's Children was the first album released on The Moody Blues' Threshold label, which they established under Decca Records. The band sought more artistic control over their music and album packaging, and Threshold allowed them to release their music the way they envisioned it. The album is often regarded as a reflection of the band's growing artistic vision and their desire to create something lasting and meaningful. Despite its initial mixed reception, it has since become an important part of The Moody Blues' discography and is noted for its ambitious concept and lush musical arrangements.
