The View from the Hill

The View from the Hill is a solo album released in 1996 by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.

Background
In a 1996 interview, Hayward discusses making the album and how it was his first time recording an album from start to finish as a single batch of songs. He explains, "My other albums were collections of random bits of recording that I would finally put out once I had an album's worth of material. This is the first time I've ever done this, made an album from start to finish. It means a lot to me, and I know that it's good. At the very least, [The View from the Hill] will make your hi-fi sound good... It's a trippy, dreamy, romantic kind of thing. I came to the Moody Blues as a singer-songwriter, and that's always what I felt I was and am. If I'm writing for the Moodies, then I'm speaking for the rest of the band as well as myself. But when I write for myself, I feel it's much freer. It's probably a lot more from my heart and more revealing, more honest. Being a solo artist is more of a priority than it used to be. But I love doing both and selfishly want to have it both ways."

Track listing
All songs written by Justin Hayward unless noted.


 * 1) "I Heard It" - 5:37
 * 2) "Broken Dream" - 5:52
 * 3) "The Promised Land" (Paul Bliss, Phil Palmer) - 7:26
 * 4) "It's Not Too Late" - 5:02
 * 5) "Something to Believe In" (Paul Bliss, Phil Palmer) - 4:22
 * 6) "The Way of the World" - 5:08
 * 7) "Sometimes Less Is More" (Dennis Lambert, Hayward) - 4:08
 * 8) "Troubadour" - 6:34
 * 9) "Shame" - 4:35
 * 10) "Billy" - 7:00
 * 11) "Children of Paradise" (Hayward, Mickey Féat) - 3:15

Personnel

 * Justin Hayward - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
 * Elio Rivagli - Drums, Percussion
 * Mickey Feat - Bass, Vocals
 * Paul Bliss - Keyboards, Pre-Production
 * Phil Palmer - Guitar, Vocals
 * Geoffrey Richardson - Voila, Mandolin, Various Pipes
 * Helen Liebmann - Cello
 * Tessa Niles - Background Vocals
 * Lynda Taylor - Background Vocals
 * Billy Nichols - Background Vocals