The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord

After helping lay the groundwork for concept albums and progressive rock with 1967's orchestra-enhanced suite Days Of Future Passed, the Moodies retrenched for the follow-up. They abandoned the orchestra but kept their sound as rich as before by playing a multiple of instruments themselves, including everything from sitar to cello to oboe. At the time, it was remarkable enough for these instruments to appear on a rock record, much less to be played by the band itself. The string-laden conceptual pieces of Days were replaced by shorter, more concise songs that leaned more toward Beatlesque pop and displayed a pronounced Eastern influence.