The Sunset (song)

"The Sunset" is a song from The Moody Blues 1967 album Days of Future Passed. It is the second of three songs on the album representing the evening, along with "(Evening) Time to Get Away" (which is actually on "The Afternoon" track), and "Twilight Time." Written by keyboardist Mike Pinder, "The Sunset" is a very low-key song describing the scene in the sky as the sun sets. At the end of the song, an orchestral transition is used to segue the song into "Twilight Time." This orchestral transition also includes a brief orchestral excerpt from "Forever Afternoon" (which is better known as "Tuesday Afternoon"). "The Sunset" is one of two songs written by Mike Pinder for Days of Future Passed, with the other being "Dawn is a Feeling."

The original LP featured piano underneath the mellotron part of the song. In 1978, the entire album was remixed due to deterioration of the original master tapes, and the piano backing was removed.

"The Sunset" should not be confused with the Moody Blues later song "English Sunset", which was released in 1999 on Strange Times.

Personnel

• Mike Pinder: lead vocal, tambura, mellotron
• Justin Hayward: sitar (on the original album only), piano (on the original mix only)
• John Lodge: bass guitar (on the original mix only)
• Ray Thomas: flute, percussion
• Graeme Edge: drums, percussion
• Peter Knight and the London Festival Orchestra: orchestral arrangements