The album represents a significant creative turning point for the band. The album is their first with guitarist and singer Justin Hayward, who replaced Denny Laine, and bassist John Lodge, who replaced Clint Warwick. The album is also their first to feature longtime producer and collaborator Tony Clarke and the first to feature keyboardist Mike Pinder on Mellotron.

The album was a moderate success upon release, but steady FM radio airplay and the success of hit single "Nights in White Satin", led the album to become a top ten US hit by 1972. New York magazine dismissed it as "a ponderous mound of thought-jello." However, the album has since received acclaim; for example, Spin cited it as a classic of progressive rock. By 2007, Rolling Stone — which had originally described Days of Future Passed as "an English rock group strangling itself in conceptual goo"— included it in its list of the essential albums of 1967.

TRACKLIST

The Day Begins
   The Day Begins
   Morning Glory (unlisted)
Dawn: Dawn Is A Feeling
The Morning: Another Morning
Lunch Break: Peak Hour

The After
   Forever Afternoon (Tuesday)
   (Evening) Time To Get Away
Evening
   The Sunset
   Twilight Time
The Night
   Nights In White Satin
   Late Lament/Resolvement (unlisted)