Pembury music enthusiast completes major work.
A MUSIC enthusiast's seven year labour of love has come to an end – for now.
Victor Rust, of the High Street, Pembury, has just completed a major work on the Moody Blues; a psychedelic rock band which is still recording and touring after four decades.
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BLUE NOTE: Victor Rust with the two encyclopaedia volumes he has written on The Moody Blues
The two-volume encyclopedia itemises every song and every album the band has produced, as well as all the people involved in the music's creation.
Each volume is 700 pages long and together they include more than 3,000 individual entries.
The British Airways website operator, who worked on the project in the evenings and weekends, admitted it became a "sort of obsession."
He added: "My wife couldn't really understand it to start with. But once she saw a copy of the first draft she thought it was incredible. Now she is immensely proud of it, as I am."
However, the painstaking hours of research and writing are not over just yet.
As the band keeps on touring and producing more music, including the digital remastering of old albums, Mr Rust will continue to catalogue their work.
Strangely, the keen musician and former bass in the London Philharmonic Choir said the hardest part of the process was actually listening to the music.
He said: "In many cases there are no listings of what the musicians played. I had to listen to each track and figure out what instruments were being played and who was playing them.
"My dad was a jazz discographer and I used to help him listen to the recordings and work out the difference between the instruments – you have to have a good ear to do it."
Researching even the smallest bits of information often opened up numerous other avenues of enquiry.
"I found out about every song and every album and all the people involved; the producers, engineers, the side projects – it was about giving a full picture."
The award-winning group was founded in Birmingham in 1964 and has had a total of eight band members over the years.
Their most well-known tracks include Go Now and one of the biggest selling singles of all time, Nights in White Satin. The band is currently made up of Justin Hayward, Graeme Edge and founding member John Lodge.
Speaking on what it was about them that captured his imagination, Mr Rust said: "There is a real serenity to the music and a beauty in how they constructed it."
The 45-year-old, who has been to more than 20 Moody Blues shows, added the group had been a big part of his life.
And with the publication of his work, Mr Rust can rest assured he has helped secure their legacy.
He said: "It's a work of art, my own personal work of art."
The Moody Blues Encyclopaedia: Volume 1 and 2 are available to buy for £25 each on www.thisiskent.co.uk/links
15 Comments
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by Ania, London
Tuesday, February 09 2010, 2:58PM
“I have tried to purchase this book for a while without success!
Is it still available and how can I get it?”
by Simon Aldridge, Aylesbury, England
Friday, July 31 2009, 1:38PM
“I have been a HUGE Moody Blues fan since 1967 - when I first heard Nights in White Satin - and I have also been a professional musician nearly all of my working life. I have always wondered if anyone would have what it takes to write such a tomb of work about them, and it turns out Victor Rust has done the deed, here in Kent, the garden of England! I am keen to procure my own copy and can only forward my admiration for the time and devotion obviously spent on compiling this masterpiece. Admired by many long-established professional musicians world-wide, this gem of a British band continue to perform, enthrall and inspire in equal measure to this very day. The story is by no means finished! Victor, I hope your ink doesn't run out anytime soon. Long live the Moody Blues!”
by Rose Watt, Silver Spring, Maryland
Saturday, April 04 2009, 1:27AM
“Wow, I can't wait to get my hands on your books. I love the Moody Blues and have seen them perform many, many times. I cannot comprehend the complexity of their music and what went into their works of art. Reading your books will give me a better picture of all the components that make up their songs. Thank you for doing this!”
by richard barnes, Hempstead, Gillingham, Kent, UK
Friday, February 06 2009, 12:17PM
“I bought "On The Threshold of a Dream" (LP) when it was first released. It blew me away. Recently I purchased the same album, but as the re-mastered CD with bonus tracks.
After 40 years it still has the same effect on me. Absolutely fantastic.”
by BRIAN LONG, COLCHESTER ESSEX UK
Friday, February 06 2009, 12:06PM
“I AM ALSO HAVING A PROBLEM TRYING TO FIND THE WEB SITS SO I CAN ORDER THE 2 BOOKS WHICH I LOOK FORWARD TO READING ONCE I HAVE LAID MY HANDS ON THEM.BY THE SOUNDS OF IT THEY WILL MAKE INTERESTING READING ARE THEY GOING TO BE PUT ON GENERAL SALE ? IF SO FOF TRUE MOODIES FANS IT WILL BE BRILLIANT BEST OF LUCK WITH THE BOOK.”
by Theresa Noga, CLEVELAND OHIO USA
Saturday, January 24 2009, 9:16PM
“I HAVE TRIED VERY HARD TO LOCATE THIS BUT CANT SEEM TO FIND THE BOOKS, WHERE CAN THEY BE PURCHASED? ANY HELP OUT THERE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
TERRI.”
by Bio Joe, NJ, USA
Saturday, January 17 2009, 8:09PM
“THANK YOU, Victor Rust!
I love the Moody Blues. My vote is for The Moody Blues in our Rock n Roll Hall of Fame! (long overdue)”
by Taran Berkeley, Arizona, USA
Tuesday, January 13 2009, 11:49PM
“It seems like there are so few people who have done serious work on the Moody Blues. How refreshing, and how well appreciated!”
by Taran Berkeley, United States
Tuesday, January 13 2009, 11:30PM
“This is incredible. As a fellow archivist, friends and I have been creating a resource site for Moody Blues.
Victor, if you're reading this, you're exactly the kind of member we would like to have--or anyone who is interested in factual Moody Blues history and artifacts. I have posted this information about your book in our news section. Best of luck to you!”
by theresa noga, ohio/usa
Saturday, January 03 2009, 10:44PM
“SOUNDS LIKE A DEVOTED FAN! I HOPE THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME WILL TAKE NOTE!
HOPE IT SOON WILL SELL IN THE USA!”