It is said that you never get
over your first love. Now, while I've spent most of the last few
years trying to forget all of the awful experiences I had with regards
to my teenage loves (mostly of my own doing, of course), I would say that this statement is 100% true in the realm of music.
Indeed, the Moody Blues were the first group to put me under the "these
guys are awesome, I need all of their albums" spell (I'm quite sure that
my friends and associates remember quite well my obsession, devotion and
compulsive desire to get other people into the group during my last year
and a half in high school). And even today, when my music collection is so
much more than just Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and A
Question of Balance, I still really love these guys. Of course,
Rolling Stone hates them with a passion, but that's all the more reason
for me to dislike Rolling Stone.
Basically, there are three things
which attracted me to this band from almost the beginning. The first is
the singing voices of all of the guys. With the possible exception of the
Beatles, I can honestly say that no group has ever amazed and enchanted me
harmony-wise than this quintet/quartet. If they wanted to be trippy, they
could do it. Majestic? Yup. Playful? You bet. Simply gorgeous stuff. And
their individual voices weren't any slouch either. In particular, primary
(at least, in the sense that the band's greatest hits were mostly done by
him) vocalist Justin Hayward could make a legitimate claim to being the
greatest male rock singer for about fifteen years. High notes, low notes,
and everything in between, he had force and power that simply could not be
approached by any other. And even when he started to get older and his
range was cut, he never really sounded bad; rather, he reinvented
his voice as a beautiful, lovely, and ultra-syrupy pop sound. I like it!
Anyways, the other four (well, actually, three, since drummer Graeme
Edge didn't really sing a whole bunch) weren't horrid on their own either.
Ray Thomas, with his trembling, childish tenor, was in many ways one of
the primary trademarks of the group, and the amazing thing is that he got
better as he got older. Compare his voices on the original Legend of a
Mind and the version from the Red Rocks concert and you will be absolutely astounded at how
deep and lush his voice became in the last years of the band. Next, John Lodge has always had a very
sad, mournful tone to his singing, but this never hurt his songs and often
enhances them. And he also had perhaps the finest falsetto in all of pop
music for about ten years (another band trademark). Finally, we had the
heart and soul of the group, the man who put the Moody in Moody Blues, Mr.
Mike Pinder. The deep, bass foundation of all of the group's vocal
togetherness, great tunes such as I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll
Band could not sound as classic without his anchor.
The next thing
which attracted me to the group was, obviously, the songs. I will admit
that they had their share of stinkers, yes, but more often than not, they
all demonstrated a total, intuitive comprehension of what a great melody
should sound like. Their 'core seven' are all filled with phenomenally
beautiful songs, and even when the band changed many parts of their
original style as the 80's came along, they were still able to make music
which was, well, terrific in spite of itself. It's not just
the melodies, though. The arrangements were almost always gorgeous and
always very different from what others were doing (more on that in a bit)
and the lyrics were always profound, bombastic (if you prefer,
'overblown') and memorable. Mostly though, it's the fact that everyone in
the band (they all contributed songs) was willing and able to be honest to
the world and bear their heart and soul in the music. Now, keep in mind,
this is one of the main criticisms that Rolling Stone has of them, but if
you have a sensitive bone in your body, this stuff can't help but move
you. They set moods beautifully simply because they didn't need to fake
any of it. Of course, getting away from that is a large part of the reason
that their late 80's work is really bad, but that's for the reviews
themselves.
Finally, we have the general sound of the group;
suffice it to say, this was not a normal rock band, and if you're in the
market for "kick ass rock and roll tunes," look elsewhere. It's not that
Hayward was at all bad on his guitars or Lodge on his bass (his playing,
btw, is highly underrated - listen closely to the pulsating licks
in Story in Your Eyes and tell me that you're not impressed), and Edge was
very solid on drums.
It's just these were not the primary catalysts of the group's sound.
First, Ray Thomas was one of a VERY select few to make extensive use of
the flute in pop music. Now, he didn't use it in the Ian Anderson
make-the-flute-rock-as-hard-as-the-guitars manner, but rather he used it
for pure melodic beauty and to add to the grandeur of the tunes. Even more
predominant in the sound, however, was the mellotron of Mike Pinder. No,
he was not a keyboard virtuoso on the level of Keith Emerson or Rick
Wakeman, or even Rick Wright. But the very fact that he had such skill in
controlling and taming the mellotron in and of itself qualifies him as one
of the great underrated keyboardists of all time. Indeed, the mellotron has always
been considered one of the greatest, most monstrous enemies of keyboard
players through the ages, and most of today's developments in synth sound
were driven for the sole purpose of putting the mellotron in the past. A
couple of short examples: Robert Fripp, when asked how one tunes a
mellotron; "Tuning a mellotron doesn't." John Paul Jones on his keyboard
setup; "Uhn, the mellotron ... I spent my whole career trying to replace
the mellotron ... I would approach it with this sense of fear and
forboding, not knowing what sound would come out of it when I played it;
could be strings, could be a trumpet, maybe an oboe ... over time moisture
would buildup in it and the tapes would get warped and stretched ..." You
get the idea. If you don't believe me, suffice it to say, in addition to
what has already been said, that the pitch of the sound depends on how
hard you press down on the keys. And yet, Mike Pinder created crystal
clear sound which lifted the band to a whole other level.
Before I go
onto the actual albums, I would like to be fair and say something negative
about the band, perhaps to convince you, the reader, that I am not a
totally blind devotee. The main weakness of the Moody Blues was that their
work was extremely formulaic and most definitely had a set style. A
grandiose intro, maybe a poem, a 'rocker', the main body of the album, and
a closing piece to bring it all together. Now, they usually managed to
throw in just enough wrinkles to keep it mildly fresh, but it nevertheless was
always the 'classic' Moodies sound (note, this primarily refers to the
'core seven'). On the other hand, though, I don't think that's a
completely bad thing. Sure, diversity is nice, but I'm not a stickler about
change for change's sake. They had a formula, and an extremely
successful one at that, and they managed to squeeze every last ounce of
melodic and lyrical beauty that they could out of it, and even when the
group was in its last days (before returning, of course), they still
produced the goods. In any case, I've rambled enough. The albums
await!
PS: If I see one more "The Moodies suck now, BRING BACK MIKE PINDER" post
by anybody on the internet, I'm going to shoot something. I love Mike too,
but he isn't coming back, and that's a fact. Get over it. And please don't
send me any comments along those lines.
PPS: Many years after writing this introduction, I've found that, while I agree with what I originally wrote, there are a couple of extra points I wish to include here (without disturbing my original ramblings). My thoughts mainly pertain to the question of what it is that makes this band so appealing to me and others like me and so repulsive to so many others. I can tell you for sure that this is definitely one of those bands that falls into the "you either get it or you don't" camp, which in turn raises a question in my mind: what the heck is "it?" I've come to understand over the years that, more than anything else, the classic Moodies albums represent a point of view nearly completely devoid of cynicism, jadedness and all of the other attributes that callous over our souls as we age and go through the hard times of life. Capn' Marvel, in his general assault on the band, made the remark that the band responded to the 1967 psychedelic revolution by "(falling) in face-first and (buying) it all hook, line and sinker," and also referred to them as "the ... Mormons of rock music," who were "a bit too far isolated and removed from normal human reality to be truly understood." He mentions that their music led a "chaste, virtuous, some-might-say-castrated existence."
And you know what? He's right. The general attitude of the band had nothing to do with the guts of rock music, which of course is ultimately about getting high, screwing groupies and beating people up. And you know, call me a pansy-ass, but I just can't see the alternate viewpoint presented by the band as a totally bad thing. The viewpoint of the Moodies, in my mind, is the world as seen through, you guessed it, the eyes of a child. You can call it childish; I call it childlike, and yes, that's partially the Mormon in me talking. The world has enough bands describing reality as it is; it needs one band describing reality how it arguably should be, and yes, as embarrassingly naive as their attempts may have come across at times, that's exactly what the band did in its prime. And yes, I love them for it.
That said, while I'm glad the band took the approach and had the ideology that it did, I am a little iffy on the idea of having them as a favorite band (and I feel I can say this with some authority, having once occupied such a position). It is dangerously easy to allow love for the Moodies to act as a substitute for love of rock music, and it's probably not healthy. The world is dangerous and smutty and dark and all of the other things that other bands thrive on; that's why they're able to succeed in the first place. Worshipping the band with religious fervor, as many fans do, is something that kinda creeps me out, and it tends to blind perspective of the history of music and create weirdly distorted ideas that show a total obliviousness to reality (at least, this is my observation from interacting with hardcore fans on the internet). So my advice is: love the band, enjoy the albums, play the songs regularly (a 2-CD compilation I made of my favorite songs of theirs is one of my most-played chunks of music), but make sure you balance it out with some Clash once in a while.
What do you think of the Moody
Blues?
Marylin Johnson (MJohn59958@aol.com)
I adore them. I became a fan when I heard "Go Now" back in high school.
It was a bluesy piece and Justin and John were not part of the band yet.
I enjoy a vriety of musical styles. I loved the over-all sound of the
band and, in general, I enjoy bluesy music. Later, when Days of Future
Passed came out and I heard it played on radio (they played albums
then), I loved it. It was a different style from what the band started
out with, but I loved it (I might add, that I have always enjoyed
classical music as a genre and I had loved rock and roll music from the
days in the mid-50's when my older brother played his Elvis Presley and
Buddy Holly 45's loudly enough for me to hear through his closed door).
The music and the lyrics had a special effect on me, which is impossible
to describe verbally, and I continued to love their music as each album
was released. I enjoy them today, and do not dislike any of their albums.
I enjoy many musical styles, so I love all the different kinds of songs
that are heard on all of albums right up to Strange Times. They
are terrific in concert, too. I think I've said enough.
Josh Fitgerald (breezesf85@email.com)
I'm all siked up, because I got really good tickets to see the Blues in
just two days!!! It will only be my second concert ever (the only other
one being Yes), and I heard they have a good set list. Cool! Great band.
Very few songs by them that I can say that I truly hate. There are some,
but not a substantial amount at all. The first seven albums are truly
legendary, and really can't be compared to any other albums in that era.
Especially Children's Children. The production on most of their
albums are worth mentioning too. They make the mellotron sound like a
70-piece orchestra backing them up. The flute sounds great too. Better
than Jethro Tull for sure. I haven't yet heard every single one of their
albums, but I have managed to hear the majority of their songs. I no
longer have many of their albums that I did have for the fact that I sold
them, but I do have 3 greatest hits compilations and This Is The Moody
Blues. Nice reviews too, and very thorough.
Hope Cattles (Xxzzqq@home.com)
I just read your Moody Blues review of their albums and I loved
it. It is so nice to read reviews from someone who loved the MB and still
can be partial. I was somewhat of a late comer to 'fall in love' with the
MB. Someone had given me the SS album in the summer of 1972. I
played it a couple of times and put it with the rest of my albums. That
was that. In Feb. 1973, we had a rare snowfall here in the Charleston, SC
area. So, on a cold wintery day, with no way to get anywhere, I put on my
stereo, the SS album. Oh, what and album! Ray's song 'For My
Lady' I played over and over. And you know back then, you had to pick the
arm of the stereo up and place back down on the album. Today it is much
easier to push the repeat button on your CD player.
Well, since that day the MB have been my favorite group. I don't have
every album, correction, nowadays it's CDs, but I am collecting them all.
I do have Justin's' The View from the Hill. I love it. I plan to
get all the ones they did individually too, like John's, and John &
Justin.
I have been able to see them twice in concert. Which is not
enough. The first time in March 1994 in Charleston and again last week,
July 11, in Myrtle Beach, SC. I drove 2 hrs. to see them. This was the
closest they got to me on this tour. I took my 18 year old daughter to
see them. She knows how much I love them and this has rubbed off on
her.
The first time I saw them they had the Charleston Sym. Orch. with them.
It was great. Last week they were on their own and they were still great.
They were able to be more spontaneous. They sang several songs of their
new ST CD and I loved them all. John's 'Words You Say' it
wonderful on the CD, but in concert with that spotlight on him, oooohhh,
it's so moving! When they sang 'Haunted' I could hear the finger snaps so
much better than on the CD. It was great. I wish they would have sung
'Sooner or Later'. That is a great upbeat song. My daughter wanted also
'The Swallow'. Of course, the concert ended much too soon. I was still
wanted more. The first time I saw them I was up high, very far away from
them. I said more than once,' I can believe I'm seeing and hearing them
in person." This time the theater was more personal and I was on the 4th
row, dead center. Wow! They were great. I took over two rolls of
pictures. They are being developed as I write. I was so close this time.
And the guys looked trim and healthy on the most part. Ray looked a
little fragile. John and Justin looked great! And sounded great. The
last song 'Question' (I love this song) of the second set, the people on
the front row stood up and took a couple of steps to the stage's edge.
Well, I wasn't going to be left out. I went up there and stood in front
of Justin. John was roaming the stage with his great smile and doing a
great job on his guitar. They left and came back for the encore 'Ride my
Seesaw'. They left us rocking. I could see and hear them every night for
a week and still wouldn't have had enough of them. They are without doubt
the BEST group around. Time hasn't hurt them at all. And yes, I think
your right about John's voice. He is so good in ballads. I think he has
gotten better. And so has Ray. Justin's voice might not hit all the high
notes it once could, but he couldn't be better. The Moody Blues have such
heart and soul in their music. My fantasy would be able to meet each one
and hear and see the heart and soul in them as real individuals.
Do you know how we can get them to do more concerts in the south? They
are just not down here enough.
Thank you again for such a wonderful album review web page. It
was a
delight to write someone who loves the MB as I do.
ScottStrbr@aol.com
I'm gratified to know that I'm not the only fan who thought that SUR LA
MER
was the worst thing the band ever did. Jeez M. Crow, what a
disappointment!
And like some of the other fans who sent comments, I can't see eye to eye
with your take on every other album, but there's a similar curve. In my
house, we knew EGBDF first, and that gives it a real sentimantal
edge. I
was
a love struck teen, full of youthful idealism, and that album bore deep
into
the ore for me. But when I brought QOB home later, and played in in
the
living room, everyone (my brothers and my Moodies loving Mom even)
pronounced
it "not nearly as good as their others" It sure grew on me despite that
early
prejudice. Not so SLM. KOTK striked me as really patchy, but
such an
improvement that,as you said , "all is forgiven". And personally, I love
THE
PRESENT. It came out at a period of great upheavel in my life,
probably
the
darkest time I ever experienced, and it was a real comfort to me. It's the
last traditionally structured Moodies album, (despite the absence of
Pinder)
and I'm puzzled by their own dismissal of it. I wish it had done better.
I
never warmed up to LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER. Don't know why. The
absence of
Pinder? Didn't care for GEMINI DREAM? (Rock songs about being a rock group
never did it for me) Something else? Can't say. It seems a little cold to
me.
That's just me.
For the record, my favorites, DOFP, TOCCC, EGBDF,
TP. After that, SS,
OTTOAD, and in declining order, QOB, ISOTLC,
KOTK, OCTAVE, STRANGE TIMES,
OSOL, LDV, and at the very bottom, SLM
Dave H. (omni45@verizon.net)
I do have to admit, I am more, a fan of their earlier stuff (thru Seventh
Sojourn), than I am of their later stuff (tho, I must admit, their mid-80's
album, "The Present" was quite powerful. I, too, had to have all of their
stuff back when I was in high school. I enjoyed the Moody Blues, because of
the diversity in their sound. Through the songs, you came to know the
member of the band that wrote them. It, really, is a shame that Ray Thomas
has been relegated to a more-or-less secondary role in the later stages of
the Moodies' career...he wrote some achingly beautiful stuff ("And The Tide
Rushes In", being a prime example)...Justin Hayward...a phenomenal guitar
player, and, to me in many ways, the heart and soul of the Moody Blues...he
bared his soul to all of us on "The Actor"...Mike Pinder; I was always
intrigued by the wistful quality he brought to the band ("When You're A
Free Man", being one of his great tunes)...John Lodge; to me the most
underrated member of the Moody Blues (did he really do all the high
falsetto stuff? I always wondered who did that!); he seemed to provide the
rock and roll drive behind the Moody Blues;yet his "House of Four Doors"
has to be one of the most intriguing songs I've ever heard... Graeme Edge,
like Ringo, could be quite surprising...in addition to drumming, he wrote a
lot of good stuff, and "After You Came" is a surprising hard rocker from
him...To me, their albums shall always be timeless....Even "To Our
Childrens Childrens Children", for me one of the "hardest to get to know"
of their earlier albums, is just crammed full of all kinds of great music.
The great thing about the Moody Blues, is that, the "Hits" may not actually
be the greatest music they ever did...What about "Dawning is the Day",
"Melancholy Man", "One More Time To Live", "Dear Diary", "Are You Sitting
Comfortably", and on and on and on. Pound for pound, the Moodies provided
sentiment, ecstasy, longing, dreaming, joy, sadness, happiness, elation,
depression, all in a sophisticated musical framework. Their albums will
always be an important part of my record collection. I just love these
guys. Really!
Shawn & Stacey Dow (dow@fundy.net) (12/12/01)
Hello:
I used to be a big fan of the Moody Blues, but these guys should have quit
while they were ahead. After "Seventh Sojourn" which is very wishy-washy and
all hearts and flowers. At least after "Long Distance Voyager", which had a
few good ones.
But now, listening to The Moody Blues, I realize that this group was more
about imagination with lyrics and effects than actual music. They created
escapist entertainment. For me, that only lasted so long and just like too
much sugar, becomes overpowering.
The real problem I have with The Monodies is that they are content to remain
as the fans want them to. Justin Hayward has never really been a Rock 'n'
Roll musician. He's content to continue writing his very bland and mediocre
middle of the road style. Musically, these guys work in a vacuum and give
the fans what they want: Cosmic Messages. This is above all else, the part
of the Moody Blues that became more and more irritating all the time.
As musicians, they never had any prowess compared to other groups like Yes
or King Crimson. They and their fans just want to live in a dizzy dream
world. I would have had more respect for them if they had just stopped long,
long ago, but they have become what their fans want and they make money from
their fans in the most patronizing way.... have you seen their websites like
John Lodge.com or Justin Hayward.com. These sites continue to present them
as the fans think they really are in real life. The scary part is, I think
they may be right.
One of the things that really killed my enthusiasm for this group is some of
the fans.... OK a lot of the fans. I never seen them live (and that's OK by
me), but the way female fans react to this group is enough to make you lose
your lunch sometimes. They really go overboard. There is a kind of obsessive
love these fans have, where they write about how they met them, how nice
they were as people and all of this stuff. I would respond "Do you think
they're going to tell you off?" Of course they wouldn't because that would
be bad for their image.
Unfortunately, I feel they've dug their own grave. As they get older,
fatter, grayer, etc. I'm sure this whole way of life becomes more demeaning
as time goes on. Imagine being Ray Thomas and standing there banging a
tambourine for 25 years and all of these middle-aged women thinking this is
something to get excited about! I couldn't do it.
But of course, as I've given this more thought over the years, I realize
that if they did quit and go home, what would they do then? After 5 years
they'd probably reunite again... what else would they do. They've decided to
milk this gravy train to the very end. Will Justin, John, Ray and Graeme be
giving performances from the Old Folks home via Satellite? Somehow, with the
obsessive nature of these fans, they'd love to watch Jus and the boys do
"Nights In White Satin" for the 11 billionth time with Jus walking around
with an IV drip in his arm. I can only imagine how painful it must be to
keep playing the same old tired songs, year after year after year. I feel
sorry for them in one sense and in another way, they've dug their own grave.
At one time, my brother and I who were both very avid fans and now both
share the same disenchantment were very big on them. We always hoped they
would separate and work with better musicians than themselves. Musicians who
were known for their technical abilities and hopefully some of that would
rub off on them. They certainly could have bettered themselves in this area.
The straw that broke the camels back was "The Night At Red Rocks", which we
both saw on PBS and we were both totally disappointed by this. With that, we
could see the Moodiest for what they were... 4 guys trying to recall past
glories. The performance was very weak, there were mistakes with entrances
and things and Justin looked like he was trying to believe in it with all
his might, but I know deep down, this guy does not really enjoy doing this
after so many years on the road. John Lodge is the most irritating member of
all I think. He truly believes he's God's gift to mankind. Very smug and
full of himself. It's strange. Someone posted an audio file on the net where
John gave comments on how messed up he felt about being in the business and
how living on an airplane with chicks and a bar didn't seem right... that
something was wrong with his lifestyle. Now, when I see him on TV or the net
or anywhere's, he's perfectly content to be the centre of attention. He has
truly bought into his own success. Now his website is offering a bottle of
wine signed by him if you can make the best John Loge website for a
contest.Absolutely nutty!
As to their good points and I know I've been really harsh in my comments,
they certainly could create good songs from time to time that I can still
hum once in a while. They were easy on the ears. But really more for teens I
think this group. Perhaps they'll finally bite the bullet and quit for their
own sanity. They could produce or do something else in the industry. Their
last record was a real disaster in my opinion. I didn't hear all of it, but
I heard enough to know that it's just more of the same. Very bland and
John's singing cuts through my brain like a knife. My Message: "Go Home
already!"
Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. Perhaps you could post it on
the net for me. Edit it if you think it necessary. These Moodies fans need
to learn to deal with their addiction and move on.
Shawn Dow (threerandot2001@hotmail.com) (2/9/02)
Here is a kind of essay on my experiences as a Moody Bles fan:
I myself was a very big fan of The Moody Blues for about 10 years or so.
After they released "Keys Of The Kingdom", my brother and I started to get
very bored with the whole thing. The reasons I got bored are numerous. The
real problem here I think is a combination of things, at least in regard to
the music of The Moody Blues. The truth is that they really aren't great
musicians. Justin Hayward has only played a few guitar solos that really
impressed me in any way. John Lodge has never really done anything as a
bassist but provide the usual standard bass lines. Ray doesn't even play Sax
in concert like he used to. He just stands there shaking that tambourine of
his. Graham even has a second drummer for support. The guys have also used
lots of synthetic sound since "The Other Side Of Life" and doing that can
make you lazy. I've heard some of the new album and the guys sound real
tired. Justin seems to have more trouble singing the high notes in his
songs. If he were smart, he'd write tunes to suit his range a little better.
There is no energy in this record, (Strange Times, a thoroughly mundane and
typical Moodies title) I think, and it seems like its just mostly love
songs, one after the other... same old, same old.
The other problem with The Moody Blues is that they don't provide anything
challenging musically. The lyrics seem to be the main emphasis in their
music, and after looking over some of the fan sites on the internet, that
seems to be the predominant theme in everything. I think many Moodies fans
are like Beatles fans in the past. For some reason they just can't see past
the Moodies. I do understand, that if you were there in 1967, and heard
"Days Of Future Passed", that it must be exciting to relive all of that, and
perhaps fans are more in love with their memories than the music. Getting
to the point, the best period for the Moody Blues was probably up until
"Seventh Sojourn". After the split, they basicaly started a career of
inconsistent records. Good ones: "Long Distance Voyager" & maybe "The
Present". The rest are really not that strong. I don't even wanna talk about
the solo albums.
Moody Blues fans should probably expect a little more from The Moody Blues.
I know I waited for them to evolve and they never did. They have only
changed their live show 5 or 6 times in a 30 year career! The only album
that showed real initiative(and it was a solo album) was "Blue Jays", at
least in the technical aspects.
My brother once suggested how good it would have been for Justin to play in
another band for a while and develop his technical abilities as a guitarist
and songwriter, playing alongside people like Robert Fripp and Steve Howe,
or John McLaughlin, musicains who are into playing their instruments rather
than just writing songs. Somehow, Justin mustn't have had the chance or
inclination. Personally, he's just too polite, like he just doesn't have it
in him. There is a whole other world of music out there to explore.
Classical, Jazz, where musicianship really matters. Of course, if all you're
interested in are cosmic messages, The Moodies are fine.
It was right when we saw them at Red Rocks on TV that killed it, for me and
my brother and my wife. We were pretty devoted fans of the Moodies. But that
was not a good concert. We were emotionally drained by the end of it. I also
think that the novelty factor had worn off. The orchestra didn't help, and
it really felt more like a run through. When I see them in concert on TV
now, the arrangements for songs like "Isn't life strange" are really over
the top, and they can be quite pretentious. (That whole classical connection
they have with the Mellotron and everything was blown out of proportion,
just because they used a Mellotron on most of their early albums, and an
Orchestra on "Days of future passed".) Meanwhile, Justin looks as if He
can't wait for it to be over, and John seems to love the adulation in a way
that is kind of unhealthy. He has bought into his own success. I personally
think it's John who's running the show. It really soured the whole thing. I
also think, from what I've seen of the concerts on PBS, that Justin really
wants to quit. I seen him talk about it one night on Family Channel, (The
"Behind Red Rocks" Special), and I know he said that the record companies
keep conning him into cutting another record. But then, if the Moodies
retired, what would they do then...? ... they would probably just cut
another record!
Also, we would see many more greatest hits packages, which makes up about
half of the records they've done since about 1984. Anyway, I do wonder if
The Moody Blues will ever change, now that they are practically senior
citizens. It would be nice to see them finally retire and "put the baby to
bed", so to speak. I come from a background of music in my family. I
listened to jazz and Classical when I was growing up. Of course I like all
kinds of rock, from the 70's and 80's, but the lion's share of my listening
now is Classical. Listening to the Moodies was also something I did while
growing up, and I still put on a CD once in a while, but they could never
fulfill all my expectations now. I hope that fans of the Moodies do listen
to other music. Don't They?
As far as the present goes, the Moodies should realise that touring and
playing the same old songs again and again just doesn't look very cool... I
mean... 30 years of playing "Ride My See-Saw" every night... I think I'd
hemmorage on stage! What confuses me most of all is their fans.. how can
they be so loyal? Don't they ever get bored? I know I did. Their music over
the past 20 years just hasn't had the spark that it did at the beginnning. I
mean let's face it... these guys are not Beethoven... just like a group of
four Liverpudlian's who took America by storm in 1964. If these pop groups
didn't have so many people falling over backwards with adulation, not too
many of us would bow down to them so readily.
Moody Blues fans, I think are probably the most fanatical, obsessive bunch
of fans ever. Girls who went crazy in the 60's over groups like the Beatles
move on... not so Moodies fans. Somehow, they are still fixated on this
group 24 hours a day it seems. I had an issue of their fan magazine once,
"Higher and Higher" and these girls would have pics of themselves with all
of the albums around them... or would take song titles by the Moodies and
make poetry out of it... this is probably the worst offence of all. The
strangest, most obsessed fans in the world to my experience. If that doesn't
make you wanna get out of the "fan" club, nothing will.
Today, The Moodies should really retire. They need to think about their
digniity. Ray Thomas is still standing up there shakin' that Tambourine,
John still has that "Look At Me, Look At Me, I'm a Rock Star" expression,
Justin still has that lost puppy dog expression and Graeme likes to paint
his grey beard and have someone else do the drumming. To use a Moodies
expression, If they haven't found "The Lost Chord" yet, they probably never
will.
"Weinrich, Brian" (Brian.Weinrich@fmglobal.com) (9/03/02)
Just caught the Royal Hall on PBS. I'm 45 and go back to the early days.
Every time I hear these guys it is a pleasant sound to my ears. They sing
about life and about meaning. Love is a foundation of there message. They
are a classical band. Bach, Beethoven and Mozart would have enjoyed them.
Nickrj@aol.com (8/17/03)
Another one of my favorite bands. They made perhaps the most beautiful music of
the late 60's early 70's First my take on each band member.
Justin Hayward: During their classic 7 period I don't think there was a better
singer than Justin. His guitar playing was very good too and he did most of the
band's major hits.
John Lodge: I don't care too much for his vocals (other than his falsetto) or
his bass playing but he did write some great tunes like Ride My Seesaw and I'm
Just A Singer. He became terrible songwriter in the 80's though.
Ray Thomas: My second favorite member of the band. I love his voice and his
flute playing and most of his songs.
Mike Pinder: His voice I don't care for either however he was one of the few
people to master that Mellotron and for that I like him.
Graeme Edge: Actually a pretty underatted drummer. His writing though sucks.
Days Of Future Passed 9(14)
SSrene123@cs.com (11/09/03)
What do I think of the Moody Blues? You must be kidding; very few groups
even come close. By the way, "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour", comes
from EGBDF: notes from the guitar. They were a group that did not need
an image, only their music. So Rolling Stone does not like them; the
Moody's will be remembered long after that magazine.
Lazer59882@aol.com (11/17/03)
love the moodies, yadayada. DOFP is nice, TOCCC is the best and Sur La
Mer sucks. justin has some good acoustic guitar talents, his voice is
nice, yadayada. we all pretty much have the same opinion about these
boys, so theres no point in rehashing it. my main point here is to jsut
say something to SSrene who said that Every Good Boy Deserves a Favor is
EGBDF which are the notes of a guitar. when have you ever seen a guitar,
man? dont comment on that which you dont know, you make us all look
stupid. i play guitar and its like u were begging for someone with some
knoledge to correct you. its EADGBE. u make us all look bad.
Jewel (jewel6@cox.net) (1/19/04)
I first saw the band in 1965 when I was in boarding school, but didn't
really get into them into Days Of Future Passed came out. I loved their
sound and bought just about everything but once the 80's rolled around I
became disenchanted. I'm a woman, and I can appreciate the attractive
qualities of some of the band members, but the excessive ranting and
ravings of some of their female fans really put me off. That's all fine
and good between the 12 to 17 age group, but these women were over 35 and
very scary. After witnessing a major catastrophic cat-fight between a
bunch of women claiming THEY were Justin's "lover", I decided I had
enough. Get over it people. These guys have lives and the gigs are a job
to them. It's sad to see these under-dressed, overly made up, over the
hill, past their time wanna-have his baby types make fools of themselves.
If I have to see them, I just pop a DVD in and watch them on the big
screen at home. The shows have been the same for the last 35 years
anyway, even the dialouge and banter. While I enjoy their music, I feel
the band has stagnated. They need to change the show, If the insist on
the same material, I suggest dropping the Vegas stage act. I'd much
rather see them perform acousticly without the background singers,
dino-shuffle repetoire, The toned down sound would suit their voices and
bring back the way the band was meant to sound, Mr. Hayward writes
beautiful music, Simplicity brings out the best for the sound. I actually
enjoyed his DVD from Capistrano; very toned down. If the Moody Blues
would only do a show in the same manner.
Donzel1011@aol.com (6/16/04)
First off, I'm just going to say that the Moody Blues are easily my favorite
band. Great band, obviously not "kick-ass rock n' roll" like Led Zeppelin or
AC/DC or the likes of those bands, but I enjoy listening to them more than any
other band. And yes, Moody Blues fans do listen to other bands, in regards to
another statement made on this site.
Now the main thing I've noticed is that people are just finding a reason to
hate the Moody Blues or whatever. Let it go man, honestly. Ok. Sur La Mer isn't
the best album ever made, but I mean, damn. Stop with the "I WANT TO KILL
MYSELF ITS SO BAD" attitude. It's not THAT bad, it had good songs. "I know
you're out there somewhere" Great song.
I just think some people are thinking way too into it. Especially this one
guy on the site that needs to stop the Blues bashing. Look man, I can't really
say much about how the Moody Blues were before the album Sur La Mer came out
because that was the first album to come out in my lifetime, and really I can't
say much because it came out the year I was born. But I will say this, I like a
LOT of Moody Blues songs and they don't get old at all when I listen to them.
Personally, my favorite album is Long Distance Voyager, with my favorite song
being "Veteran Cosmic Rocker". I just thought it was bad ass first time I heard
it. In a Moody Blues way, I mean the Blues don't rock out to the extent of like
Metallica or Van Halen but they still kick ass man.
I mean people my age think the Moody Blues are a good band too. At first they
say, "Never heard of them", then I might give them a little bit of the Legend
of a Band CD or something and they've heard every single song. They also notice
that there is a difference between songs like "Don't Need a Reindeer" and
"Legend of a Mind" and everything inbetween.
I'm not out to say that everyone has to like the Moody Blues, if you don't,
well that's your loss and not mine. I've seen them in concert in Detroit twice
and the rocked, seein them in Toledo this summer, and I'm sure they will rock.
From what I've read and heard from my parents, uncles, aunts, whatever the
Moody Blues rocked back in 1967 and they cetrainly do in 2004.
So just quit the Moody Blues bashing man, it sucks. It just shows you have no
taste in music. Where I can go and listen to the Moody Blues today, Smashing
Pumpkins tomorrow, and Grateful Dead the next day, you people can listen to
your classical music and think about how you wish it was as good as any other
said band.
The Moody Blues rock, that's all there is to it.
Linda Brown (lbrown@weir.net) (6/27/04)
Love your Moody Blues website! I just adore this band and just returned
from Atlantic City to see them. I feel they are one of the most
underrated bands of all time.Really enjoyed your album reviews!
Nickrj@aol.com (9/20/04)
Days Of Future Past 9(15) (Nights In White Satin)
In Search Of The Lost Chord 8(11) (Ride My Seesaw)
On The Threshold Of A Dream 8(13) (Send Me No Wine)
To Our Children's Children's Children 10(14) (Candle Of Life)
A Question Of Balance 8(13) (Question)
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour 7(12) (The Story In Your Eyes)
Seventh Sojourn 10(15) (I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band))
Caught Live + 5 8(12) (King & Queen)
Octave 4(7) (Driftwood)
Long Distance Voyager 8(11) (The Voice)
The Present 8(12) (Blue World)
The Other Side Of Life 7(10) (Your Wildest Dreams)
Sur La Mer 5(8) (Vintage Wine)
Keys Of The Kingdom 6(9) (Hope and Pray)
The Moody Blues Live At Red Rocks 8(12) (The Other Side Of Life)
Strange Times 8(13) (English Sunset)
The Moody Blues Hall Of Fame 7(10) (Tuesday Afternoon)
SolomonsOther@aol.com (03/15/05)
I love this band, silly poems and all. I won't really bother making
any silly comments about them. They never changed their style, but
that's because they got it right the first (ehr, second...) time.
Though I wish someone would explain how they used to tour with the
Cream. I know they both into psychedelia, but the sheer difference in
style would make the shows really uneven. Oh, well...
P.S. I lost my viginity to 'Nights in White Satin.' Either that, or
it was something by Procol Harum. They sound eerily alike at times.
SSrene123@cs.com (07/03/05)
The Moody Blues were the best of the rock-n-rollers. Everybody else
is in second place. Rene.
Jeff Plummer (plummerdesign@comcast.net) (11/02/05)
Tonight, after the studio closed...I put QOB on the TURNTABLE.
During the workday the sounds of Neil Young, Bauhaus, Beatles, Hoppe,
BT and others had been in the air. But this old Moodies record made
me stop and grin.
Where is Ray Thomas? Why was Sur La Mer so bad? Why are the Moodies
coming to my town next month and I don't even care?
.
Your site was a great hour of sitting on my butt and reading about
things my wife would chide me over. I should have gone home by now.
.
You are right, seeing the band on MTV in the 80's was embarrassing.
Octave was a bummer when it came out. And why did I have to explain
just how good this band was in 1972 everytime a buddy poked at 'em.
No, they were not Led Zeppelin.
.
But the music made in the "classic 7" is of lasting value. Only The
Moody Blues made THIS sound THIS way. Consider it a method of
painting. It worked very well until it broke. By the time Octave
arrived, Bowie had done Heroes and the Sex Pistols had split. Pinder
and the mellotron were wise to walk away.
.
Your site is open and honest concerning a band that made a great body
of work. I am glad to have happened upon it. You may have even
coerced me into buying Strange Times...peer pressure.
Ric MacInerney (r1cmac@yahoo.com.au) (01/13/07)
What a bunch of great reviews! Not that I agree with a lot of it,
err.. hardly a lot of it, but this is a reviewer who does not set
himself up on a pedestal professing that 'This is the way it is';
instead, giving his own humble yet informed opinion. The thing with
the Moodies is that most of us have some deep association with either
a song or album that kind of sticks. Their songs, full of melody, had
hooks that managed to get snagged on all aspects of our lives. For
me, the beginning was a single in 1972 belonging to my big brother,
I'm just a singer' backed with 'For My Lady'. Wow! But there
was a song I recorded off the radio on my old cassette player, 'Land
Of Make Believe', which I played over and over again, wondering who
the group was. I searched and searched, how I loved that song, not
realising it to be the same group I had on record. Finally, on one
stoned night 8 years later at a friend of a friend's home, on it
came as part of a wonderful assembly of music known as 'Seventh
Sojourn'. So enamoured was I that I soon had five albums by the
band. For me, I enjoy the melodies, the spacious sound, splendour and
heartfelt lyrics. It is music to be played loud, alone, with nothing
but hills between me and the horizon. So to hell with the fact that I
disagree with a lot of what others think are the Moody~Rs best: I am
happy just to know that there are others out there who love and
appreciate the music YEH MUSIC, this amazing band produced;
despite Rolling Stone's opinion (who, incidentally, voted best song
of 1979 to be Stayin' Alive' - now what does THAT say? ..almost as
bad as M&M getting an Oscar!! = all credibility cast aside for
temporary lift in flagging interest..).
For the record, I LOVE Edge's poetry (~Sred is grey and yellow
white~T..WOW! Night sight has never been the same!), I think ~SLegend
of a mind~T is apocalyptic, and do not need to be sitting in a Kaftan
on the lawn eating raisins to get off on Om, which I just happen
to adore..HeeerVUN!! But I agree about Strange Times. Wonderful
swansong, even if it wasn't. So much beauty. Really enjoyed my time
in this site. Unusual for a reviewer to make me laugh so much at
something that I actually like. But then, if it is a fellow Moodies
comrade, is ok I guess.
David R. Starr (davidrstarr@comcast.net) (7/10/05)
"What Do I think of the moody blues?"
The Best of Intellectual Roxk!
Gerard Nowak (dzynj@wp.pl) (12/02/07)
What a splendid afterthought to the introduction. Yes, one can venture to state that Moody Blues were hardly a rock band. Of course they used the rock and roll stylistics, but their (at least core-7) music seems totally devoid of the rock and roll “spirit”, being actually of hymnal quality, praising the beauty of the Creation, in a childlike way.
Their music, unrealistic as it is as far as the subject matter is concerned, seems very sincere on the emotional level. That is perhaps an answer to a pattern that long puzzled me: why on earth The Moody Blues replaced Pink Floyd (who had replaced The Moody Blues) as the favourite band of mine (I got to know The Moodies first, I can't imagine anybody falling in love with them as an adult). It was never art for art's sake, which is exactly David Gilmour's attitude (and when Waters did prevail in the end, it was hardly my chromatics). As Hayward put it, they were always trying to bring out some kind of truth, though it sounds rather awkward.
Much as I dislike Mike Pinder as a person, I have to agree that it was he who was the heart and soul of the band, not Hayward. I don't dismiss post-Sojourn Moodies on the whole, but the band definitely lost this “it” you wrote about after his departure. With Pinder around, Hayward was able to come up with something as profound as You Can Never Go Home, with no Pinder to object, all of his lyrics deal with love, getting less and less credible. The band became an ordinary pop group (a good one, none the less), and the only person to counterbalance Hayward was Thomas, but he got dramatically less prolific and inspired. That's perhaps the point, the inspiration waned over the years, although some gems can still be found under the lava of synthesizers. Of course that's subjective, but you can hardly discuss the Moody Blues in objective terms: yes, many of their compositions are impeccable, but isn't it the aura that really (and only) makes one love or hate the group?
I'm 31 now so I'm more ready to accept the fact that even the core-7 albums are flawed, some of them badly. I find Children and Boy the most satisfying sonically, so to say. I still regard One More Time To Live's middle eight as the best moment ever in rock (?) music, the whole the sonic spectrum is satiated there, an almost tangible wall of sound still managing to overwhelm me. Yes, at the time when music grows less and less important in my life, The Moody Blues is still the band to provide the most intense impression.
Jen (jendoane@hotmail.com) (04/29/08)
I love them. They represtent the soundtrack to most every happy
childhood memory I have due to the fact that my parents are huge
fans. They have such talent but Im sorry I hated Go Now and all their
new stuff is weak in comparison to their golden age.
SGrizwolds@aol.com (04/29/08)
WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THE MOODY BLUES-JUST LOVE THEM-LOVE THIER
MUSIC-HAVE EVERY ALBUM-CD THAT THEY HAVE MADE-NOW WITH THE INTERNET I
CAN SIT FOR HOURS WATCHING THIER VIDEOES-I AM 61 YEARS OLD AND I
BOUGHT "GO NOW" - LETS SEE HOW MANY YEARS AGO NOW-LOL--IF I LIVE TO
BE A MILLION I WILL CONTINUE TO LISTEN AND BUY ANYTHING THAT THEY
RECORD-I RAISED MY CHILDREN ON THE MOODYS MUSIC-MY DAUGHTER IS A BIG
FAN -MY SON NOT SO MUCH--I DON'T HAVE A FAVORITE SONG I LOVE THEM
ALL-I SUPPOSE THAT "NERVOUS" AND "IT'S UP TO YOU " WOULD COME CLOSER
THAN ANY OTHER-OF COURSE WHO WOULD'NT LOVE "FOREVER AUTUMN" OR
"DRIFTWOOD" - I COULD GO ON AND ON--AND BY THE WAY-THEY ARE TOO GOOD
TO BE IN RRHOF--THEY DESERVE THIER VERY OWN HALL OF FAME - SIMPLY
BECAUSE THEY ARE THE BEST-JO
Best song: Go Now
I don't actually own this
album, but
let me explain. The version that I have is a ten track knock off of the
original called Time is on My Side that I found in the mall for 7
bucks. If I could find an image of it, I'd show that instead, but I'll
just have to do describe it; it has a picture of the earth from space with
The Moody Blues curving around the top of the world and 'Time Is On My
Side' in purple letters at the bottom. In any case, before Hayward and
Lodge entered the picture, the Moody Blues were a highly regarded R & B
band led by bassist and lead singer Denny Laine and guitarist Clint
Warwick. Hence, this album is basically generic early 60's pop. I'm not
familiar enough with the genre to make any bold statements of how good it
is in comparison to other work of the day, but history usually goes gaga
over this incarnation of the group, so I'll give them the benefit of the
doubt and say that it's really good. I guess. The big hit was their cover
of Go Now, but the other tracks are ok too. The version of I Don't Mind,
for instance, sounds about a hundred times better than the Who's cover on
their debut. Other than that, though, I really don't know what to say. I
just don't feel anything from it. It's not bad by any means, and I would
recommend buying it just for Go Now, but don't blow a lot of money on it
or anything.
ScottStrbr@aol.com
Hi,
(author's note): Yup. I'm showing it because it's the only picture
of any edition of the album I could find on the net.
This particular incarnation is not available on CD. The UK
version,
called THE MAGNIFICENT MOODIES, has a different cover, and a couple
of
different tracks. (The US edition substituted AND MY BABY'S GONE and FROM
THE
BOTTOM OF MY HEART for the songs STOP and THANK YOU BABY which were on the
UK
version) Two CD versions of the original MAGNIFICENT MOODIES album
are
available. A UK CD which contains everything recorded by the Laine-Warwick
lineup. and a German CD with only a handful of bonus tracks. All this
music
was recorded in mono only, so any collections claiming to be in stereo are
reprocessed, 'fake' stereo. The song TIME IS ON MY SIDE was not on either
version of the original album (UK or US). It was an EP track, briefly
considered for a single until the Rolling Stones beat the Moodies to it.
There was also a US reissue called IN THE BEGINNING, which used trippy
cover
art to try to lure later Moody Blues fans into buying the early album. The
band got an injunction against this release, charging that it was a
deceptive
ploy, and that the music was unrepresentative of the current band. (True
on
both counts) Ironically, its quick disappearence made it a collectable
later.
There have since been numerous LP and CD collections of this material, and
buyers are urged to check contents and know what they're getting. The
TIME
IS
ON MY SIDE compilation which you have clearly belongs on that list.
And, unless I'm wrong, I've always read, and heard, that Denny Laine was
the
guitarist, and Clint Warwick the bassist.
The irony of the Moody Blues' first album is that the music made by this
lineup of the group got better after the album. The flurry of Pinder-Laine
written singles, all added to the UK CD, show them taking the first steps
into a more recognizably Moody Blues sound. Not there yet, but building a
bridge at any rate. Really nice, but sadly overlooked stuff.
Trfesok@aol.com (6/27/04)
The 25 track Magnificent Moodies is indeed the one to try and find,
although I believe that it may be out of print. The most unusual thing
about the British Invasion version of the group is that the sound is
more centered around Pinder's piano than Laine's rather inept guitar
playing. In fact, Pinder was the only really accomplished musician in the
band at this point. "Go Now" is indeed a classic British Invasion
single, but they put out at least two more Laine-Pinder A-sides
that rank with it: "From the Bottom of my Heart", a very haunting
acoustic ballad; and their next-to-last single, the French-styled
"Boulevard de la Madeleine". This is the only Laine-Pinder song that
approaches a Rubber Soul level of sophistication, with Spanish guitar,
accordion and a (simulated?) French Horn giving the song a very European
flavor. These two tracks are worth it for hardcore Moodies fans. And
their take on "Time is On My Side" (brought to both them and the Stones
by an American A&R employee of Decca) is decent. Still, the rest of
this stuff sort of explains why the Laine version of the group never
really made it -- they were unable to keep up with peers like the Beatles
and the Stones. Which made DoFP seem like even more of a quantum leap.
Best song: Nights In White Satin
After
their
worldwide success of Go Now, the band was completely unable to build upon
it. They received the dreaded "one-hit wonders" tag, and consequently, the
band did not hold up very well. Eventually, sensing the futility of
pressing onward in their current situation, both Warwick and Laine left
the band (Laine would later resurface as a guitarist in Wings, but Warwick
would never again return to the music industry, to my knowledge). But the remaining three
were not so ready to give up. First, they called up a former bandmate of
Thomas and Pinder, John Lodge (the band's name, by the way, was El Riot & The
Rebels) to fill their bass vacancy and to chip in some vocals. Next, they
needed a new lead guitarist. Well, a couple of months eariler, a young
guitarist by the name of Justin Hayward had applied to become a member of
Eric Burdon's New Animals; alas, the vacancy had been filled, but Burdon
was so impressed with the young man that he was happy to recommend him to
whatever group would require his services. A bunch of correspondence
later, Hayward was the guitarist and singer for the Moody Blues. In any
case, despite the new blood, the band continued to stick with their old
R&B lineup, wearing blue suits and playing in cabaret clubs for money. One
night after a performance, however, a man came into their dressing room
and basically told them that they were the absolute worst band he'd ever
heard. After some thought, they realized that in many ways, the man was
right, and that something had to be done. They had written some songs
themselves, but to this point they had been hesitant to unveil them in
public; now, however, they realized that they didn't have much to lose,
and their stage performances took on a new look. The first act of their
set more or less remained the same, but the second was primarily
conceptual in nature, and contained the entirety of what would become
Days of Future Passed as well as some other cuts that would show up
on later albums. Now, the group was obviously highly interested in
getting their new material recorded, but they knew very well that if they
just went to a record executive with such experimental ideas, they would
be laughed out of the building. Fortunately for all, they got their
opportunity, although it did require some measure of deceit. You see,
Decca had recently become fascinated with the new stereo recording system,
and they already realized that for classical music, stereo completely blew
mono out of the water. They wanted to show that rock music could benefit
as well, but they wanted to keep one foot in classical, since they already
had demonstrated success in that realm. In particular, they wanted a
recording of Dvorak's New World Symphony in a rock idiom. Well, the Moody
Blues were available and cheap, so they asked them to put it together in a
week. They were to write rock interpretations of the music, with lyrics,
but they were also to use a full orchestra for a pure 'classical' feel.
The Moody Blues pretended to go along with this idea, sure, but they,
along with producer Tony Clarke and conductor Peter Knight, had every
intention of using this opportunity to their own advantage. The Moodies
would record their songs, then they would rush the mastertapes over to
Knight, who would quickly write up an arrangment for orchestra, the
orchestra would rehearse a bit, and then they would do their thing. When
it was all said and done, they took the finished product to the bigshots
at Decca to get their reaction. It was ... mixed. The rock and singles
directors didn't like it at all, mainly because they had no idea who would
want to buy it. The classical department loved it, though, and Decca
decided that since they had spent the money, they may as well release it.
A wise move, for it would peak at #3 in the US and #27 in the UK.
Enough on the history, though; I don't give 13's just for historical
importance. As previously stated, this is a concept album, about an
archetypical day. It starts at daybreak, with the sounding of a gong, and
then some orchestration laying out the various themes we will encounter
during the day, along with a dippy poem about night and stars. The songs
pass through dawn, morning, noon, afternoon, evening, twilight, and
finally into night, when the day ends in darkness, just as it begins, and
another poem and another gong close the circle.
However, forget the
poetry, and forget the orchestration - the songs completely rule. Not just
the melodies (which are topnotch throughout), but the moods are
absolutely perfect and fit in seamlessly with the time of day they are
describing. Pinder's Dawn is a Feeling is majestic, thanks to Hayward's
soaring vocals, and helps to show the beauty of a sunrise and the sense of
awe one feels when watching it. Thomas' Another Morning is playful, with
happy, cheerful lyrics about children flying kites, fishing, playing with
dolls, and just generally goofing off. "Watch children play; they seem so
wise." It's true! Next, we get the hustle-bustle of noon with the
Lodge-penned R&B number Peak Hour. It's almost perfect, from the rush-rush
feel in the verses to the sudden catch-your-breath chorus to the
blistering Hayward solo. "It makes me want to run out and tell them,
"they've got time." Take a step back out and look in, I've found out I've
got time." Noooo kidding.
Side two kicks off with the radio classic
Tuesday Afternoon, Hayward's first composition of the album, and it's a
goody. It has fantastic singing as usual, all the while managing to be both
optimistic and mournful at once. The melody is just awesome. Heading
onward, we reach Lodge's Evening: A Time to Get Away, the subject of some
controversy among fans. You see, many longtime fans were very unhappy with
the remastering of Days and primarily with this track, since Lodge
is left singing on his own during the verses rather than being held up by
the group's lovely harmonzing. Personally, however, I actually prefer the
new mix of this song; I don't know about you, but when evening comes
around, I'm feeling tired and stressed out. And for me, the strained vox
of Lodge convey this mood perfectly. Next, we have Pinder's
pseudo-primitive Sunset; for me, it summons up visions of Aboriginal
people worshipping the power of the sky as the sun goes down, or something
like that. In any case, it is quite fine (although the version on
Caught Live +5 is somewhat better). As the day draws nearer to its
close, we get Thomas' uplifting Twilight Time, and it's a wonderful tune.
The melody, once again, is completely fantastic, and his playful lyrics
about firefly brigades and bats are among his most entertaining ever. I
really love this song, especially the way the string parts melt into that
catchy piano line in the beginning.
Finally, we have night, and for our
finale we get what may be considered the quintessential Moody Blues song,
Nights in White Satin. Everybody is at their best; Edge's drum parts fit
the song perfectly, Lodge's bassline is lovely, Thomas' flute is gorgeous,
Pinder's Mellotron arrangements are perfect, and Hayward's vocals are
simply superb. And, needless to say, the melody is one of the greatest,
beautiful, and romantic ever to be committed to tape. And the closing
orchestration is the perfect triumphant conclusion to the song, and to the
album as a whole. Even the poem is enjoyable in its own, dorky way. I
cannot say more than this; the song has spoken for itself quite well for
the last 30+ years.
This is a masterpiece, one of the greatest debuts
ever (Go Now or not, this album is different enough in general
attitude and feeling to be considered the work of a completely different
band), the first ever art rock album, and the best way to be introduced to
the band, by far. TOCCC is better, but this is much more
accessible, down to earth, and real than their later masterpiece.
Please love it.
Richard Savill (dreklind@btinternet.com)
Someone I know dies whenever I play this album. It's eerie! It's one of my
favourites too.
"Fernando H. Canto" (sirmustapha@ig.com.br) (2/26/03)
Oh, well, what a hell of an album. I do feel kind of sorry, with all that
orchestration and stuff, because they, sometimes, take more space than they
should. George Starostin said they sound like MGM soundtracks, and I can't agree
more (for once!). But this is not a thing I get angry about, really. After all,
there's not a single bad, or even "below average" song here. All of
them are excellent, in some way. Another Morning is simply lovely, childish, yet
perfectly enjoyable. And what about Peak Hour? Awesome, awesome, awesome. I'm
also very fond of Time To Get Away and Twilight Time, and The Sunset is quite
neat and original. Well, I guess I don't need to talk about Tuesday Afternoon or
Nights In White Satin. Really. And, oh yeah, Dawn Is A Feeling is beautiful as
well. I dunno, but sometimes when I wonder how *I* would make such an album, I
always think of something more, uh, *athmospheric* and less dark in its place.
Whatever, it's a great song, period.
And I don't mind the poetry, either, silly as it might be. And the concept is
quite original, too. Not something that would make me look at The Wall and laugh
because of its childishness and immaturity. But it's fun to illustrate the
passage of a day, simple and effective. And the orchestration, well...
Trfesok@aol.com (5/12/04)
Hi, John,
Such a marvelous, charming record. Pioneering, too, although the
orchestration probably makes the album seem more substantial than it
really is. After all, there are only eight actual songs! And although Ray
Thomas denies it, I don't see how the orchestral approach of Sgt.
Pepper's.. could NOT have been an influence on the sound. Fortunately,
the chemistry of the classic lineup finally fell into place here. "The
Sunset" is the weakest track -- Pinder and Edge can't quite pull off the
Indian influence. Thomas' vocal could have been mixed more upfront on
"Twilight Time" -- it's fairly hard to hear him over the backing track.
And I am one of the old fogies that dislike Lodge's vocal on the remix of
"Time to Get Away". I'm not a big fan of John as a lead vocalist. Still,
these are minor quibbles -- it's indeed a classic. And although the
Moodies have all written songs that are arguably better, this is probably
their most consistent album from start to finish.
Bob
Amattaway@wmconnect.com (8/24/04)
"Twilight Time" is an awe-inspiring mood piece to be very sure,
definitely one of my favorites. All of this gets an emotional feedback
out of me, except for maybe the classic score of a first track.
I thought I was the only one who didn't mind Graeme's poetry! I don't
actually like the poetry itself, but just hearing a soothing voice talk
in a rhythm in the refrains is enough to add to the experience for me.
Plus, I probably couldn't write anything better. So, the damn drummer
writes poetry and this is a damn good album. Woo.
Elton (eltonthomas@hotmail.com) (10/27/06)
You think that Nights in white satin is a love poem don't you! I
suggest you go back and listen to the words one more time and
discover the true meaning.
Also listen to the dorky poem and see how it ties in with your new
found meaning of the song.
Best song: Legend Of A Mind
All of the commercial and
critical
success (it was hailed all over the world as one of the most important
milestones in 'serious' rock music) of Days left the group with a
major problem; how could they follow it up? Not only was there the obvious
problem of producing such high quality songs again, but there was also the
issue of their ability to thrive without the support of an orchestra.
There was always the unspoken concern that the main reason that
Days had succeeded was the gimmickry of having the orchestra and
not the quality of the songs. But, they still wanted to have the
diversity of sound that an orchestra could provide, and so they
essentially made themselves into an orchestra. Indeed, the official
count of types of instruments used on this album is 33, and that doesn't
count things like playing drums on cardboard boxes or playing a cello as a
bass guitar. If they didn't know how to play an instrument, they went out,
bought a book on it, and learned! Of course, this doesn't impress me quite as much now that I'm familiar with Gentle Giant, but still, multi-instrumentalism on this level deserves some credit
In any case ... this is another
concept album, but this time the general concept is lamer than
before. The premise is that the Moody Blues are explorers out in search of
the Lost Chord (there was a song in the mid 60's about a man who was
playing on his piano one day when he hit a chord that was so perfect that
he entered a higher plane and had full comprehension of the universe.
Unfortunately, he moved one of his fingers, he lost the chord, and he
couldn't find it again), and that they go searching through the various
eras of music history, before finding that the chord is the fad of the
day, OM. Still, it could be a lot worse. The crux of the concept is found
in six of the 12 tracks; three are great, and three obliterate the rating of what is otherwise a very enjoyable album. The
opening poem Departure, regardless of the cool sound effects in the
background, is admittedly stupid, as is the later poem The Word and the
following Om. Yeah, there's some nice sitar work and chanting by the guys,
but overall the effect is miserable, especially since Om goes for almost
six minutes.
But the other three parts of the concept rule, and are
legitimate MB classics. The multi-part Lodge-written House of Four Doors, taking up
tracks 4 and 6, is a simply stupendous piece of writing and arrangement.
It sets the plot, that the 'explorers' have come upon a house, symbolic of
music through the ages, and they are passing through it in search of the
Chord. The first door, representing medieval-style music, is followed by a
quiet
folk guitar and flute ditty. Next, they pass through the second door,
representing the baroque and classical era. Here, we get a harpsichord
playing some 16th century style piece, and it's nice. Then, they pass
through the third door, the romantic era, and we get Pinder belting out
Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto 1 with a "House of Four Doors" twist. And,
finally, they pass through the fourth door, rock music, and we get a
modern rock band playing Legend of a Mind.
First, a note about this
piece. It was written and recorded at the tail-end of the DOFP
sessions, and at the time the guys, as a whole, had no idea about acid or
other drugs or what their effects were. Hence, Thomas didn't really
realize just how absurd his tounge-in-cheek lyrics about Timothy Leary
flying an astral-plane around the bay for fishing trips and the like were.
In any case, the song is stunning, with an almost perfect mellotron
arrangement to go with Thomas' mad flute soloing. Indeed, this song is a
good demonstration of Pinder's total mastery over the mellotron; listen to
the "bend" in the keyboard sound during the verses (Timothy Leary's dead
*bend* No no no no he's outside *bend* looking in *bend* *bend*) and
remember that that sound is created by him adjusting how hard he's
pressing down on the keys. Regardless, this is some of the most
wonderfully trippy music the band ever made (don't forget about the spooky
harmonies at the end), and it is little wonder that remained a
concert mainstay to the latter days of the band (check out the expanded Red Rocks for a wonderful version, although it was even better when I saw
the guys in person back in '98). After this masterpiece ends, we get the
second half of House of Four Doors, and we close out side one.
So what
about the rest of the album? Well ... Ride My See-saw (regardless of the
somewhat dippy title) is a wonderful Moody-flavored pop-rocker, with some
nice guitar work in the middle. Voices in the Sky, the opener of side two,
has a pretty melody and LUSH Hayward vocals (nice backing harmonies too),
while the following Best Way To Travel is a wonderful pseudo-rocker effort
on the part of Pinder. But Dr. Livingston I Presume is an unfortunate
combination of catchiness and annoyingness; I like it a lot more than I used to, but it's definitely one of the Thomas pieces that falls hardest into the acquired taste category. Meanwhile, The Actor, once again, has FANTASTIC Hayward singing, which is enough to save a song with a nice pair of melodies but with an awkward lack of transition between the two (I really like the song despite this flaw, so you know).
Finally, even Hayward's singing can't save Visions of Paradise, which is
just a lot of flutey atmosphere; pretty, but very fillerish (on the other
hand, there's something neat about hearing a pop band using the word
"onyx" in a song).
So there you are. About half of the album rules,
and the other half is between ok and outright lame. Still, it's at least
interesting, and every Moody Blues fan should have this. But it's not
their best by any means, and it's not even anywhere near the best
"psychadelic" album. Plus, it's very much a transitional album, with the
band trying to figure out exactly what it wants to be and using the
hippie culture of the day as a crutch. Get it anyways.
Awake600@aol.com
I agree with your overall rating here, but my preferred/hated songs are a
little different than yours are. In my opinion, the whole first side of
the album is excellent (well except the "Departure" bit), including "Dr.
Livingston I Presume", which I can't really understand why you hate it,
since I don't find anything really that annoying about the melody, and I
think the chorus is terrific. "Legend Of A Mind" is certainly worthy,
what with its' mellotron and flute mastery and mystical atmosphere, but my
favorite on the album would have to be "House Of Four Doors", because it's
the song where the concept is extremely clever and the chorus is amazingly
gorgeous, and "Ride My Seesaw" is a quite catchy hit single with powerful
band harmonies.
Side two, however, doesn't really do much for me with the exception of the
pretty "Voices In The Sky" and the breathtaking multi-faceted "The Actor"
(I can't get enough of that chorus!) - both very good Hayward tunes.
"The Best Way To Travel" and "Visions Of Paradise" aren't bad, but they
seem like pretty much all lifeless atmosphere to me, despite good acoustic
work in the former. The much despised "Om" I don't think is as awful as
it's made out to be, but it drags along without doing too much and knowing
that they came up with the horribly lame idea of having it be the lost
chord ruins the song for me (the concept intrigues me otherwise), despite
the guys chanting it well in harmony. Somewhere between a mid-to-high 7
on this one.
Dave H. (omni45@verizon.net)
It is true that Side One of "In Search" contains some pretty phenomenal
music, that catches the ears; the marriage of sonic variety and melody is
staggering! But I had always thot side two was Lame...like you, I didn't
think "the actor" or "om" really worked. However, after playing it recently
for the first time in years, I think the Moody Blues were waxing more
introspective...where the voyage really turned Inward...first we hear what
is within (Voices In The Sky); "The Best Way To Travel" tells you where to
travel after hearing those "Voices"...then Hayward gets up there and
unabashedly rips his soul apart and bares all in "the actor"...after all
this emotional turmoil, it is peace of mind we wish for...and "OM" points
the way to peaceful self-realization. The musical mood of side two is
quiet...mystical...hushed...Side two is very, very subtle...it doesn't hit
us with doors creaking, it doesn't take us on a voyage thru the Jungle...I
would offer, that side two has its own separate concept, that of
cultivating the spirit INSIDE. Because side 2 is so "hushed" compared to
side one, it takes longer to get into...but, after a few plays, it, too,
begins to reveal itself.
"Anger, Tom" (TAnger@pwe.ci.houston.tx.us)
I came across your reviews of these albums and thought i would share my
memories of soem of these songs:
I was traveling in Mexico ( in a PINTO station wagon) in 1970 on a surfing
trip with my girlfriend at the time and we had several 8 track tapes of
Moodies music. Of course "In Search" of was one of them. I agree with most of
what you wrote- Legend is a true masterpiece- stupid lyrics- wonderful
arrangement. The prettiest middle of any rock song ever written. Visions of
Paradise- when I hear this I remember riding perfect waves at a point break
deep in Mexico. The water was emerald green the air clear and the sun
bright. "Blue onyx of the sea, come see come see"-the Actor who is me...
Children's Children was another tape we had- I probably enjoy this album
more than any other- it is different. I even learned to play guitar after
seeing the Moodies play Gypsy in concert...
"Fernando H. Canto" (sirmustapha@ig.com.br) (2/26/03)
It's clear to me here that they've fallen under the weight of their own
pretentiousness. They have focused too much on the concept (that's not one of
their best), and made a couple of missteps here. I also believe that all the
"psychedelia" here is too fake and silly. They sure should have
dropped it somewhere else. And while I don't *hate* the poetry or even Om (It
has actual lyrics, and I didn't know it!), but... ehh...
Fortunately, Side A is virtually perfect to me. Ride My See Saw and Dr
Livingstone I Presume are both very fun, I like them both. House Of Four Doors
is great, both musically and conceptually. And Legend Of A Mind is a complete
blast inside my mind. Side B is weaker, though. I like Voices In The Sky, and
The Best Way To Travel (even though those organ chords at the middle could be
dropped off for good). Visions Of Paradise does get boring, but it's quite nice,
and The Actor is ok. Like I said, I don't mind Om. It's not offensive, so I let
it pass alright. I agree with the 7. Worthy album, only for side A. Side B is
okay, but weak.
Trfesok@aol.com (5/12/04)
Although, John Lodge disagrees, this has probably dated more than any of
the group's "Core 7" albums. But I find the naivete charming, and I don't
really hate anything on here. "Om" does go overboard, and, in retrospect,
it's a disappointing conclusion to the "plot" -- it might have been
better if the album just ended with them continuing the "search", as we
all do through life. Anyway, I do like the interplay among the musicians
in the track. It IS impressive that they actually played it without
hiring Indian sidemen, as George Harrison had to when he did his Indian
stuff. Hayward's electric guitar skills are growing a bit, but he still
has a ways to go. Still, I can't see why anyone who doesn't like the
other "Core 7" albums wouldn't like this.
Bob
Best song: Never Comes The Day or Dear Diary
After
realizing that the Summer of Love was well over, the guys decided to try
and get away from all the hardcore hippy stuff and return to writing
good, memorable pop songs. Yay! This is another conceptual album, sort
of, but while the songs are almost all good or better, I'm not exactly sure what
the concept actually is. There's another pair of poems (In the Beginning
and The Dream) which are memorable, but dippy as hell, and a closing suite
courtesy of Mike Pinder, and they're basically the crux of the whole
'concept.' Whatever. In any case, though, Pinder's chunk is extremely
well-written (music-wise, I mean, I'm not really sure what the lyrics are
about) and conjures up all sorts of mental imagery of a ship sailing out
of harbor into the deep blue sea (hence the title of the middle
instrumental, "The Voyage," which is in my top 15 or 20 favorite Moody
songs, incidentally). And the bookends to this slow mellotron-soaked instrumental, Have You
Heard? I and II, are dark, depressing, but still put together very
thoughtfully and impressively.
"So what about the rest of the album?"
you ask. It's quite good and, amazingly enough, not in the least
pretentious (which both helps and hurts the songs as a whole; I like them all when they're on, but most of them don't stick to my ribs). The closest any of these songs really come to any sort of
concept is the early Hayward-written Lovely to See You, which has always
struck me as a sort of closure to ISOTLC, in that it seems to
welcome back the 'explorers' from their journey. Meanwhile, both of
Thomas' numbers, Dear Diary and Lazy Day, are absurdly catchy, and VERY
different from anything he had previously contributed or would contribute
to the band. The first seems to deal with the emptiness of a typical day,
with some nice flute lines throughout, and the second continues this
theme, albeit in a different setting. After all, it's a song that talks
about how wonderful it is to relax on Sunday afternoon but how awful it is
that the week will begin again in less than a day, and that the cycle will
eternally repeat itself. As you might imagine, as one perpetually stuck in the working world, I fully
empathize with this plight.
Meanwhile, Lodge throws in a couple of
numbers, but oddly enough, they're ... R&B! Yup, they're pure early 60's pop, but
with a nice touch of Moody flavor and harmonizing. I used to dislike them,
but as I've grown and my tastes have matured, I've come to realize that
Send Me No Wine and To Share Our Love are more or less as fine as anything else on
the record (I've heard better examples of the genre, but I've definitely heard worse). Oh, and Pinder throws on this jazzy thingamajig about screwing
(what else could it be about?) called So Deep Within You. At first, the
overblown nature of the song
might turn one away, but further listenings reveal the ridiculousness of
the piece to be one of its main virtues. I know I like it. Finally,
we have two additional Hayward compositions, the failed single Never Comes
the Day and the Thomas co-written Are You Sitting Comfortably?, the intro
to the ending suite. Are You ... is quite lovely, but I have to admit that
it drags on a bit longer than it should. Plus, the lyrics, apparently
designed to summon you back to Camelot, are somewhat on the banal side.
Never Comes the Day is great though, with a nice quiet guitar part throughout, nice volume
contrasts in Hayward's voice, and a VERY memorable chorus (with a neat harmonica stuffed into the background). I love it, and
it's a shame that it only hit #91 on the Brit charts (although the album
itself hit #1 no problem).
All in all, this is a very solid LP. Flawed
in places, yes (for instance, Lovely to See You, despite the nice guitar
line at the very beginning and the explosions of harmony in the chorus, is
a lot duller than I'd like), but there's no reason that a hardcore Moody Blues fan
should be without this album. If you like great flute lines, rich mellotron and glorious vocal harmonies (albeit with slightly inconsistent melodies), you can't go terribly wrong here.
Dave H. (omni45@verizon.net)
I really cannot see how one can find "Lovely to See You" to be dull....I
think it really works as a warm, congenial side opener, and the middle-8,
in that minor-key, I feel, really adds to the song. But...."Are You Sitting
Comfortably" again revisits that hushed "om" far-eastern meditation groove
that dominated side two of "In Search Of The Lost Chord"...again, you have
to listen to it a few times...but it is a highly effective room. I have
always thot, though, that "Have You Heard" parts 1 and 2, would have made
one good long song, had it been more fully developed, with perhaps an
extended solo in the middle...but I have always thot of "The Voyage" as
being somewhat underdeveloped...somehow the recording of it is really muddy
and crude...and I feel it needed more acoustics and a bit more rhythm. I
can see what Pinder was trying to do...but this cut is just a bit "too
subtle" for me. Overall, tho, I love this early-period album...and side
one...not a bad cut. Even "So Deep Within You", which I must admit, took me
a little getting used to. It's a song about screwing? Never thot of it that
way. Come on now...the Moodies aspire higher, don't they?
Trfesok@aol.com (5/12/04)
The first Moodies album where there are any weak songs. The culprit,
IMHO, is Ray Thomas. I find his songs to be quite draggy and silly,
sorry. And he doesn't help "Are You Sitting Comfortably?" move along,
either. The opening poem is kind of fun, but it's as dated as anything on
the last album. Lodge was smart enough to have the group sing harmonies
on "Send Me No Wine" (very nice) and to give the lead to Pinder on "To
Share Your Love". By the way, this is a rather raw song for the Moodies
-- I don't hear much in the way of mellotron or vocal overdubs. Very
catchy songs. Hayward puts in a fine pair of solo tracks, and "The
Voyage" is an amazing simulation of a classical piece. Overall, though,
I'd pick this one as the weakest "Core 7" release.
Bob
ReverendNeely@aol.com (12/31/06)
The moody blues are one of my favorite bands of all time. My
favorite song is dear diary. I love the dream like flute that seems
to take you into another dimension of time.
Best song: Gypsy (and Higher and Higher, and Eyes of a
Child, and ...)
Every personal "best albums" list, no matter how closely in line with general consensus, should contain what I would call a "personal" favorite. That is, there should be an album or two or five on the list that could easily be considered good but goofy and moderately underwhelming from one very arguable point of view, and absolutely breathtakingly amazing from another. For many, for instance, this slot is taken up by Forever Changes, an album I've grown to like overall but which still bothers me with its low degree of stylistic variation throughout. For me, that album is this; I can see lots of people shaking their heads confusedly at the idea of me giving an album like this a perfect score, but to me, this album is absolutely AWESOME, with a sound and a vibe and melodies that are close to my idea of perfection. Cosmic artsy lush universal love-pop, that's what this is, and no matter how much additional music I hear this grabs hold of my heart like few things can.
It's another concept album, more or less based around space travel
(appropriate, seeing as this was the year when Man landed on the moon),
the passage of time into the eternities, and those of us who are along for
the ride. Of course, specific details in interpretations may vary, but
that's not what's most important. What is important is that this
album, to my ears, is a collection of some of the most overwhelmingly moving,
beautiful, and powerful songs ever written, and is certainly the best
final product that the group ever comitted to tape.
We kick off with the usual poem, entitled Higher and Higher, but even if
you aren't a fan of Edge's verse style, there are plenty of other things that can make one enjoy this;
we start with an explosion, some grandiose harmonies in the background,
with the effect of emulating a manned rocket launch, and then this great
electric guitar driven rock song takes over, with Pinder pronouncing Man's
fate with his best voice of God imitation. And that chorus, "Higher and
higher, now we've learned to play with fire, we go higher and higher and
higher," is phenomenal! It simply rules, and easily falls into my list of
Top Ten Moodies songs. As the opening fury dies away, a lovely harp leads
us into the simply gorgeous Eyes of a Child, with some of Lodge's best
writing ever and beautiful group harmonies. And that clarinet part in the
beginning is simply perfect. And we've only just begun!
Thomas' Floating, an ode to the joys of moonwalking, has perhaps the
catchiest melody he's ever written, and that "come flooooooating" part ...
wow. And as the "you'd liiiike it" fades out, we get Eyes of a Child II,
which RULES! It doesn't exactly 'rock,' but it's fast, and Lodge's clever
and memorable lyrical images are cemented in by simply amazing harmonies
and a great melody. Oh, by the way, we're not even a third through the
album. Next, we get a beautiful, majestic acoustic number from Hayward,
with those angelic vocals we've come to expect, entitled I Never Thought
I'd Live to be a Hundred. It's gorgeous, and begins the 'passage of time'
stretch of the concept. But don't go anywhere, because we get ANOTHER
great song from Edge (two in one album? Amazing!), the 'cosmic'
instrumental Beyond. Alternating soaring, heavenly Mellotron sounds with a
rough, almost really rocking passages, this track certainly carries the
listener into space or time or whatever it is as well as one could expect
from such a piece. And finally, we get Pinder's soothing Mellotron-soaked
mantraesque atmosphere piece, the wonderful Out and In. Oddly enough, I
once somewhat disliked this number, but now I'm not really sure what was
wrong with me. All I know now is that it sucks you in, mellows you out,
and all of those great things that it so obviously wants to do.
Amazingly, though, side two is even better. I think it would perfectly
reasonable to say that Hayward's Gypsy, Thomas' Eternity Road, and Lodge's
Candle of Life are the best three song stretch that can be found on any
Moody Blues album. The first is one of the group's signature songs
(although it hasn't been so this decade, it was their regular concert
opener for several years), a fast rocker with a really dark Mellotron
ambience surrounding the fast strumming of the acoustic guitar. The second
is another one of Thomas' great songs, with some lovely Hayward harmonies,
a great melody, and some lovely flute at the end. Finally, Candle of Life,
regardless of the ridiculous chorus, is beeeeeyooooooooooootiful, as
Hayward and Lodge each take half of the verse parts and Pinder's piano
part is as gorgeous as can be. Simply phenomenal.
Pinder's next song, The Sun is Still Shining, isn't any worse than the
masterpieces which preceded it, although it's somewhat odd to be getting
such a cheerful song from Mike (especially when the last three
tracks had all been so dark). It's cool, and you'll be perfectly happy to
hear it when it comes on. Anyways, as we head down the home stretch, we
get the Hayward reprise I Never Thought I'd Live to be a Million, which
helps bring the concept(s) of the album to a completion. Before we leave,
though, we get one final dose of Justin's voice in the Hayward-Thomas
composition Watching and Waiting. It's a little weaker than the other
tracks on side two, mainly because it's so obvious that they were trying
very hard to make another Nights in White Satin (Justin has said in many
interviews since that the pressure to do so was enormous, and that they
were extremely dissappointed when W&W failed to be a smash). It's pretty,
though, and it seems to be a cry of loneliness from a planet with no
friends or human inhabitants. Or something pretentious like that. Still
lovely stuff.
In short, if I haven't yet convinced you to have this album, I say only
this; side two is the best side of Moodies music ever, and side one is the
second best. Plus, the overall 'atmosphere' of this work completely and
totally defies description - it is like nothing I have ever heard or
encountered before, nor do I imagine that this will change in the future.
While it doesn't have quite the death grip on me that it once did (I once held this as my second favorite album overall, behind only Revolver), it is still certainly one of my ten favorite albums of all time, and given how much my collection has grown since I first heard this, that says something. This is THE essential
album to own for a Moody Blues fan, especially since you will never hear
any of the songs on the radio, anywhere. A pity, this is.
Dave H. (omni45@verizon.net)
Ok, here I am again. I thot side one was a bit rag-tag. I thot the quiet
beginning of "Eyes of a Child" was a bit too quiet...it sounds weak until
the chorus comes in. Not that it is a bad song; it is great...I just wish
it had been recorded more fully...and I am not sure what "Beyond" tried to
accomplish...it gets a good groove going, and then just kinda wallows in
murky sound, a la "The Voyage"....Still...the songs THEMSELVES are
wonderful; like you, I thot "Candle of Life" was just so gorgeous...I don't
think they were trying for another "Nights in White Satin" on "Watching and
Waiting"...the song...it is heartfelt...desolate...as our hero is trapped
inside himself, hoping that someone, anyone, notices...As rag-tag as side 1
is, side two is extremely solid...(I think perhaps "Beyond" would have
worked better on side 2, with one of side 2's songs brought over to side
1...I think one thing must be addressed: The moody blues were recording an
awful lot of albums in a VERY short time...and the way the record is put
together, there might not have been sufficient TIME to fuss over a song
lineup. This was the hardest Early Moody blues album for me to get
into...not sure why....but a lot of it is very very very good. Like you, I
really dig "Higher and higher". By the way, cool website, dude. Dave
Clarke Sammons (SammonsCJ@c-b.com)
I am completely enjoying reading your reviews on the Bloody Dudes. I can
actually trace being a fan all the way back to, say, 8 or 9 years old (I'm 31
now). The reason I say that is because my Dad listened to this stuff on his old
turntable, which was in a long, rectangular piece of cabinetry and also held a
long row of albums. I distinctly remember staring at the bizarre album covers,
listening to the music coming out of that bass-heavy dinosaur and thinking this
is what music is all about.
TOCCC is what truly sticks out. Especially the ***BLAM!!!!*** beginning of
'Higher and Higher'. Scared the youth out of me.
This album is their standout, no question. It does not have my favorite Moody
songs on it, but the entire atmosphere is what comes off so well. You take off,
you're on the journey, and you slowwwwwwwly come back down at the end of
'Watching and Waiting'.
I agree with you on 'Candle of Life'. Please, Pinder, don't slam me in the face
with "So loooove everybody, and make them your friennnnd'. Bleh. Yuck. Song
would have done fine without that chorus.
Thank you for the site and the chance to respond.
"Fernando H. Canto" (sirmustapha@ig.com.br) (2/26/03)
must have listened to this one album some good 8 times at one week. It was
darned difficult to collect it on Kazaa (I never thought a 33 second track would
take so long to find), but I made it. Unfortunately, the album didn't have any
strong impact at me. I felt it was clumsy, broken and shabby. For some reason.
Of course, the songs were fine. But not 'Godlike' as you seem to think. But
then... something happened, and this album has grown unbelivably in me. This is
probably one of the very few albums (along with Dark Side Of The Moon, that is)
that I could listen to 10 times in a row and don't get tired. The general sound
of the piece has captured my heart, and I learned to love each and every song.
One of my big favourites here is Floating. Man, what a darned catchy and
exciting song, this one. That chorus makes me so excited I feel like jumping
around like a little kid. How can one resist that "o-o-oh you'd like
it"?? The catchiest song I have heard so far, I can say. Another song I'm
very, very fond of is Sun Is Still Shining. THIS is how you make a happy song.
Happy, not cheesey. The sitars and the fun rhythm truly make the song, and the
chorus is the greatest 13 seconds of music these guys can deliver me. Ooh, and
Out And In, too. Very beautiful and athmospheric. Gotta love those Mellotrons.
And that intro? Ooh, I wish it was longer, actually.
These are the big three to me, but of course, we have the rest of the songs.
That "3 song stretch" you mentioned is truly worth mentioning. Gypsy
is damn good. Not my favourite, but great nonetheless. Eternity Road is very
fun. Gotta love that coda. And Candle Of Life? Great, very great. And I don't
have anything about that chorus, anyway. Actually, I get a bit creeped out when
I hear a lonely man telling me to love everybody so I won't end lonely like him.
Sheez, that's some interpretation. Oh, and Watching And Waiting is creepy as
hell, too. Indeed, they tried to make it a smash single like Nights In White
Satin, yeah, but it's still beautiful. What about that final verse?
"Watching and waiting for someone to understand me, I hope it won't be
long." Heartwrenching as hell.
Anyway, this was an album very worth getting. An album I'd buy even already
having it with me. Just because the guys deserve the money. But that's for the
future.
Trfesok@aol.com (5/12/04)
Their most densely produced and sophsitcated release yet. I really have
to hear the remaster, though, because the LP sounds a bit murky, as if
they were biting off a bit more than they could chew with all those
overdubs. That notwithstanding, some great songs. I totally agree about
the "Gypsy"/"Eternity Road"/"Candle of Life" sequence. Edge's competence
at actually writing music is suprisingly impressive -- these are great
mood-setters! Lodge's voice is well suited for both sections of "Eyes of
a Child". The weakest track for me is "Sun is Still Shining" -- the
mellotron is really monotonous. And "Watching and Waiting" is overrated
- -it's nice, but by no means is it even close to the best song that
Hayward or Thomas ever did. In fact, all of their other songs on the
album are better. I wouldn't say that this is their best album, but I can
see why a lot of people think so.
Bob
Best song: Gypsy
An
archive release of a typical 1969 concert, the record company made this
available primarily to stir up some interest in the Moodies before their
emminent '78 comeback. The band members themselves try to keep their
distance from this recording, feeling perhaps that it was of extremely
subpar quality (there's also the fact that you can tell that they were
VERY doped up for this performance; of course, who wasn't in 1969?). I
dunno. I enjoy it, even if the songs sound extremely different from the
original versions.
But then, that's probably the main appeal of the
record. When listening to the original lp's, it's often easy to lose
yourself in the gorgeous arrangements and impeccable harmonies, the result
being that you can forget that the songs themselves are quite fine. The
altered moog parts, subtlely different rhythms, and odd live tone to
Hayward's vocals manage to aptly show that these songs can hold up well no
matter what the arrangement. Not that the arrangements are bad
here, though. Gypsy is just as good as the original, and in some ways
superior, in particular that Mike manages to make the mellotron really
rock. The Days material all goes off with wonderful results;
Sunset is better than the terrific original, Peak Hour rocks as much as
ever, Tuesday Afternoon has Hayward's best vocals of the show, and Nights
is still Nights.
The Dream material is also quite fine. Never
Comes the Day is as catchy as ever, but the biggest surprise is that they
manage to pull off a really interesting rendition of the ending Are You
Sitting Comfortably/The Dream/Have You Heard/Voyage suite, despite the
total lack of mellotron overdubs. Also, it is in this rendition that its
true potential as great stoner music is revealed (again, probably helped
by the band members' state at the time of recording). Anyways, the
Chord material, although easily the weakest chunk in the show,
could be much worse. Dr. Livingston miraculously becomes an actual
rock song, and Legend of a Mind is pretty good (although far
surpassed by the later Red Rocks version). Oh, and the closing Ride
My See-saw is absolutely hilarious; they are SO STONED in the opening, you
can't help but just laugh. All in all, a great conclusion to an extremely
fun concert; I mean, you have to get a kick out of such 'serious'
musicians performing while baked out of their brains.
Oh, we also have
a side of previously unreleased studio outtakes dating from '67 and '68.
And only one of them, Pinder's R&B attempt Please Think About It, could
really be called bad. At worst, the others are catchy with nice harmonies
(Gimme a Little Something, Long Summer Days) and at best rank up with some
of the best material Hayward ever came up with (King and Queen and
especially What am I Doing Here, with a sad, mournful tone and
purely impeccable vocals). Good stuff. They should have put these on
albums instead of ... um ... well, I'm not sure they really could've
bumped much material off, but couldn't they have just made the other
albums longer? Sure they could've. Oh well. I guess they had to fill this
show out somehow.
Scottartist@aol.com
The CAUGHT LIVE + 5 version of ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY also has
a subtly different, but gorgeous melodic twist on the third line of each
verse. Love it.
Trfesok@aol.com (5/12/04)
The biggest jolt upon first hearing the album is that it's so raw. Hardly
what one would expect from a group with a fairly sophisticated studio
sound. The biggest problem with this, for me, is the vocals. They really
are unable to duplicate the harmonies in a live setting (Lodge's falsetto
is as annoying as ever). The band's other three singers sould much better
on their own. And the mellotron sound is very iffy -- it was really
difficult to keep in it in tune live. It took a long time for the album
to grow on me, but I eventually got used to it (seeing the band live on a
few occasions also helps). The biggest surprise is Edge's drumming -- he
really was a maniac in live setting (he's the one doing all that
yelling!). "The Voyage" doesn't really work without the extra keyboard
overdubs, but I have to agree that "Sunset" is better than the studio
version. Still, I would suggest seeing the band live or fully
assimilating the "Core 7" before buying this.
Bob
Keviniron17@aol.com (5/15/05)
Your analogy of this particular LP vs. the existing drug induced era
was not unusual.at the age of 52 i can easly relate. Having a musical
background myself and a deep appreciation for stellar and prolific
musicians and bands like emerson lake; Yes, King crimson one can only
thank them for their contributions. In the 70s, I was lucky enough to
meet a lot of these performers firsthand. I was bouncing for a karate
studio and Belkin prodctions, at 19 pretty neet! In jan 2005 I came
across this amazing +five lp.A promo to boot! Nine dollars later, i
had it playing on a direct drive turntable via a dynamic range
expander and graphic equallizer . Not to mention I completely pre
washed the 36
year old MASTERPIECE! This promo lp has a hole punched in the upper
righthand corner to hang on dj,s studio lp racks. It is one of the
heaviest vinyl non remakes i own. Last month my brother and his wife
from england visited for a tranquill evening away from our hectic
business lives. After settling in and consuming bombay gin we headed
to the basement for pool and music. My brothers wife who has been to
royal albert at that time told me that +5 on my equipment sounded
better then when she heard it live! I knew when i rebuilt my old
system i could achieve that! When one can have tears broutght to ones
eyes by the meaning of never comes the day because of our busy lives,
It puts more meaning into give a little bit more take a little bit
less from each other tonight. thank god for those MOODIE BLUES !
Best song: Question
Once upon a time, back when I was just getting into the band, I
didn't care for this album much at all. Sure, Question was quite
possibly my favorite song of all, but the rest of the album? Forget about
it! Of course, as I've grown and my tastes have matured, I've finally
gotten to a point where I quite enjoy it. Thankfully.
Another concept
album, this one is an "ecological"-themed album, but only four of the ten
tracks really fit it at all (incidentally, these were the songs that most
repulsed me about the album). Pinder's weird How is It (We are Here?),
about strip mining, evolution, and other assorted stuff is certainly one
of the most creative songs he ever came up with, even if the mellotron and guitar sounds
sound are a bit rough around the edges. Edge's Don't You Feel Small, which
could have been great were it not for his irritating whispering over the
whole thing, has a neat vibe to it, and I love that rocking flute part in
the middle. Next, Lodge's bass-driven Tortoise and the Hare (guess what
it's about) has a wonderful groove to it, and although Lodge's singing
leaves something to be desired, it's catchy, and could've been a hit
single for them had they chosen to release it. And finally, we have the
closing poem, The Balance, with music by Thomas. I know very well that
it's kinda lame when taken from a totally objective point of view, but I
get so much dorky pleasure out of hearing Pinder preachin' it and
the others harmonizing those "just open your eyes and realize the way it's
always been" parts. So sue me.
Anyways, the rest of the album isn't
bad, isn't bad at all. The main difference between this album and the
previous ones is that they've decided to go a bit lighter on the mellotron
than before, primarily because they were finding it unbearably difficult
to perform live songs that had originally had 30 layers of sound. This
doesn't mean that the mellotron has disappeared, just that it's not the center
of everything anymore. Most importantly, though, the songs are good. The
opening Question is still my favorite Moody Blues song, and with good
cause. It has everything; lightning fast acoustic strumming in the
beginning, a beautiful middle section with a wonderful melody and gorgeous
Hayward vocals, and then a return to the rocking of the beginning. I
simply adore this song, and will adamently claim that it is one of the top
20 or so rock songs ever written. Hayward's other two contributions, It's
Up to You and Dawning is the Day, obviously have no hope to be as
awe-inspiring, but they're still very good. They're pretty, catchy,
sometimes rocking, and the latter has an ecstatically happy middle
instrumental section. And right before that song, we get the absolutely
lovely hippy love anthem, Lodge's Minstrel Song. I used to hate this song
with a vengeance, but I was just an idiot. It's happy happy happy, with a
wonderful "everywhere love is all around" chorus. It, combined with
Dawning, lifts you and cheers you up like almost nothing in the Moody
catalogue.
Which, in my opinion, makes the following song, Pinder's
Melancholy Man, that much more effective. I should probably hate the song,
and it's by no means his best work, but I don't think it deserves all the
venom it sometimes receives from fans. The soul crushing effect of this
track is even better than that on, say, Pink Floyd's Welcome to the
Machine, of which I am extremely fond, and isn't that what you would
expect of a track called Melancholy Man? Of course it is. In any case, the
remaining track on this album is another great Thomas tune, the pretty The
Tide Rushes In. A great melody, those wonderful vocals, and VERY memorable
chorus ("then the tide rushes in and washes my castles away, then I'm
really not so sure on which side of the bed I should lay"). Why it didn't
make the Time Traveller box set is completely beyond me, but that's
for another review.
When I was first getting into the band, I probably would've only given this a 6, and
less than a year before I started my site only a 7. Then I gave it an 8, felt bad about only giving that grade, and upped it to a 9, where it will probably stay forever. It doesn't sound as quintessentially Moodies as others in the core 7, but if that's the closest thing to a major nit-pick I can give, what right have I to complain?
"Fernando H. Canto" (sirmustapha@ig.com.br) (2/26/03)
Not as good as the previous one, but hell, it would never be anyway. Side A is
virtually perfect. Question starts fast and energetic, and melts into that
beautiful slow mid-section. At the first listen, I found it too long, but now,
it's perfect to me. How Is It We Are Here, The Tide Rushes In, Don't You Feel
Small are all nice, and Tortoise And The Hare is such a weird, intriguing song!
I've never thought a "It's alright, it's alright, it's alright" chant
would make me feel it's NOT alright! Heh heh heh. Side B is kinda weaker, but
I'm still fond of It's Up To You, Minstrel Song and Dawning Is The Day, and
guess what? I LOVE Melancholy Man! I may be wrong, but this might be one of the
most unique moments on the Moodies catalogue. I mean, it's hard to find a song
so depressed and hopeless like that! Radiohead would have a hard time matching
that! It might be the 1970 pop version of Everything In Its Right Place. Hah
hah. Oh, and The Balance is quite nifty for yet another poem song, even if in
that chorus, I guess I would never guess what the guys were saying without
reading the lyrics...
One thing. I HATE it that these CD releases have the A-side closer and the
B-side opener crossfaded. What if I want to record the album to tape, for
Chrissake?
Bleh, record companies are stupid.
Trfesok@aol.com (11/25/06)
The slight (if temporary) reduction in production is indeed
appealing. I also really liked the last album, but it did get to be a
bit much in places. Here, it's notable that three of the songs have
NO keyboards on them at all! The big dud for me is, yes, "Melancholy
Man." It makes its point, but then beats it into the ground for far
too long. The mood shift in this song and Mike's other contribution
is a rather sudden change from the hippie optimism which marked his
songs from "Love and Beauty" onwards. Lodge, Thomas and Edge do carry
that on rather effectively with the medieval vibe of "Minstrel's
Song" and the pseudo-Biblical "The Balance." The group, believe it or
not, actually revived that last one for the 1978 and 1981 tours, with
Edge reciting his own poem, to amazing audience response. I first
heard "And The Tide Rushes In" on the group's first compilation This
is the Moody Blues, and it was certainly one of the songs that got me
further into the group. Hayward's first two songs are indeed classics
-- "It's Up to You" is really underrated and catchy. I'm less fond
"Dawning is the Day," but it's nice enough. All in all, it's a
slightly atypical album from the group, but it might not be a bad
place to start, since the production does make it easier to get into.
By the way, you use the terms "mellotron" and "moog" interchangeably.
They are actually two very different keyboards. Interestingly, Pinder
uses both for the first time on his tracks. The moog produces
that high pitched whining sound on "How is It?" as well as the murky,
foggy sound on "Melancholy Man," which I do have to admit enhances
the mood of the song.
Best song: Story In Your Eyes or One More Time To Live
Just as time has improved by feelings towards Question,
so has it worsened by feelings towards this album. It's not horrid or
anything, and it could make a legitimate claim to being the quintessential
Moody Blues album in that almost every one of their sides is put up for
display, but that's the main problem. Whereas in all of the previous
albums, they would at least throw a few twists into their formula to keep
it somewhat fresh, here it sounds like they just didn't care that much.
Heck, they even outright steal some elements from Dream; the
opening and closing high-pitched sound is exactly the same as before, only
slightly higher pitched, not to mention that My Song is nothing but a poor
rewrite of the superb Have You Heard?/The Voyage suite.
Anyways, the
concept for this LP is based on the 'journey of life', like on
TOCCC, but whereas on Children's the focus was on the
passage of time, here the best summation would be 'the never-ending
hardships and occasional joys of life.' Of course, the fact that only two
of the songs fall into the 'joy' category should give you an idea of the
group's outlook on life at that time, but I guess that's a price of fame.
Anyways, one of these is Lodge's lovely Emily's Song, a touching ode to
his newborn daughter. I don't mind the string parts one bit, and Justin's
backing harmonies are simply perfect. The other one is another
archetypical Thomas composition, the more or less silly Nice to be Here.
Of course, it's the same song as Another Morning and Dr. Livingston, which
annoys me, but it's not bad, just ok. I dunno, I guess I expect more out
of this band now than 'just ok,' especially since I know that they are
capable of so much better.
On the other side of the coin, we start out
with Procession seguing into the well-known rocker Story in Your Eyes.
Now, Procession gets a lot of bad remarks even from devoted fans, but I
don't put much stock in those. Sure, it fails in its ultimate purpose (to
span the music styles throughout history), but that's only because it's
only 4 minutes long. Meanwhile, what they do give us is terrific,
especially that chunk in the end when the flute melts into the classical
guitar melts into the church organ melts into the electric guitar. That
moment is one of the definite highlights of the whole album, and is one of
the few testaments to the group's genius to be found on here. And Story is
just terrific, with careful production carrying the electric riffs through
the acoustic strumming and back again, with a great melody and solid
backing harmonies.
Moving on, we get to Thomas' Guessing Game, one of
those 'life is hard' songs. Pretty good lyrics, good singing, and a decent
melody are all there, but unfortunately, all of these add up to just a
pretty good song. Not great, just pretty good. Same goes for Edge's rocker
After You Came, written as a lament re: his recent divorce. The effect of
the band members trading off lines in the chorus is extremely clever,
something they had never done before, and the lyrical metaphors are good,
but ... I dunno, it's one of those songs that I really like, but I can
really tell that I shouldn't. Moving on, we have Lodge's beautifully
bombastic One More Time to Live. The verses are quite nice, but it's the
chorus that really makes the song. With as much bombast as they all can
muster, the guys do a reprisal of Procession and more, spouting all of the
one word problems and solutions they can come up with, and the singing is almost
able to do it justice (I mean, as much justice as can be given to an idea that's as goofy as this). Even better, halfway into each trip through the
chorus, the two main vocal parts switch (ie Pinder and Thomas start
singing Hayward and Lodge's parts, and vice verse), giving the song a
feeling of completeness it might not otherwise have had.
Finally, after
Nice and before My Song, we get another lovely Hayward number in You Can
Never Go Home. Some might disapprove of layering Justin with such thick
backing vocals, but I don't think it harms the song any. Besides, the
melody is lovely, and those lyrics .. wow. Maybe they're somewhat naive,
but I really don't care. I love this song to death, and I'm proud to admit
it. I mean, it's about never being able to return to the past that you
loved so much, even if you return to the site and even to the same person.
That's deep, and it moves me powerfully.
Hmm, I guess that's it. There are not enough songs
enough songs (and My Song hardly counts, it's just a lot of chanting and
noises with a boring intro and outro), and there too many instances where
they're clearly short on ideas. Still, at least they took care of the
small details to compensate for the songwriting shortage. The backing
harmonies are, to my ears, the best on any Moody Blues album, and the
mellotron sound is richer than on AQOB. Anyways, you can do one of
two things with respect to this album and be happy with it; one, you can
buy it first,
since it is a good summary of the group's overall 'sound,' and two,
if you become a huge fan of the formula, you can buy it later and enjoy
the fact that they barely deviate from it at all. Fortunately, they had
one last surge ...
Scottartist@aol.com
Can't help it, I love EGBDF, no matter what anyone says. I wasn't
stoned when I heard it, but I was hopelessy in love and feeling all those
teenage epiphanies of emotional whatever, and this album, the first
Moodies album I ever heard just bonded with me. I kinda think of it as
their darkest though. Despite NICE TO BE HERE, it's just a ponderous
album, but sometimes I'm just in that kind of mood.
Dave H. (omni45@verizon.net)
Complaints up front..."Story in your eyes" is TOO SHORT! "Procession" is
probably too long, tho I thot it was really intelligent they reprised it in
the chorus of "One More Time To Live"...a wonderful wonderful tune, by the
way...Now that I know (from your site) the reason BEHIND "Emily's Song", it
makes more sense, but really, I thot it was 'just nice' and that's about
all..."You Can Never Go Home" is a masterpiece, and "My Song", even though
it may steal ideas from earlier lps...could also be seen as a further
development of Pinder's own outlook; even though he can be quite morose,
perhaps he is trying to be optimistic, while at the same time, perhaps
telling everying (including his bandmates) that there is more to him than
anyone will ever know...("How can I tell you...all the things inside my
head?")...Again, interesting to know what "After you've gone" is all about;
I enjoy it just because it rocks and adds yet another dimension to the
Moodies' sound..."Nice to Be Here" is cool, yes, but it is a little bit
sinister, too...and after Thomas "goes back" to his childhood to revisit
cartoon characters, Hayward then comes in and tells us, that we can't go
home anymore...so those two songs, juxtaposed together, are a little bit
jarring....To me, a very musical album. (the first Moodies album I had ever
heard, by the way).
Trfesok@aol.com (5/20/04)
Maybe I'm biased, because this was also the first Moodies album I heard
from beginning to end, but I rate it the best. First, the production is
the most sophisticated of the "Core 7", but retains the clarity of Q of
B. and none of the occasional murkiness of the eariler albums (I wonder
what happened to the vow to record only what could be performed live --
"Procession" is hardly a stage piece!). I do think that "Emily's Song"
and "My Song" are pretty weak. The former has a very sickly-sweet and
awkward arrangments and a wimpy John vocal. And "My Song" is indeed an
attempt to make a more complex "Voyage", but is really unconvincing.
"Nice to Be Here" is another delightful example of Ray's whimsical side.
And the rest of the songs really have a lot of sheer power, both
musically and vocally. "After You Came" is the best single thing Edge
ever wrote -- just a great, emotionally convincing rock song. (And,
notice, again -- no keyboards -- the Moodies weren't all about
mellotrons!) "You Can Never Go Home" is an unusually personal song from
Hayward.
The Moodies reached a peak here, the culmination of their original sound.
Bob
Best song: New Horizons
By 1972 the Moody Blues were probably one of the five most
popular groups in the world. All of their albums had reached the top 5 in
either Britain or the USA, and they were able to sellout stadiums with the
greatest of ease. Unfortunately for all, the band was tired; tired of each
other, tired of being isolated from the world, tired of the business end
of Threshold. They needed a break and they needed one badly.
But, they were still signed on to do one more album, and so they pressed
forward. As one might expect of these guys, though, they made no attempt
to keep their saddness out of the music, and the result is their most
painful sounding and mature album ever. Fortunately, that is much more of
a benefit than a hinderance to the songs, and I give this album a nine
without any hesitation.
Anyways, the first thing you will notice about
the album, other than the bleak aura surrounding, is that the production
is far cleaner and crisper than it has ever been before. The main reason
for this was that Mike acquired a replacement for the Mellotron, called
the Chamberlain. It worked the same way as the old moog, except that the
sound quality was MUCH better and they could get a good sound out of it
without having to layer and overdub it. There's also the fact that the
songs have much greater emphasis on guitar than on EGBDF, so that
helps.
Now for the songs. First off, Mike Pinder MORE than redeems himself for
his My Song flop on Favour. The opening Lost in a Lost World is my
choice for his best album-cut ever (it trails only A Simple Game in my mind), and falls into my top fifteen list for the
'core 7' era. The lyrics are actually interesting, with a great melody and
much more pleasant singing than we're used to from him. And the
penultimate When You're a Free Man is wonderfully bleak, with a flute line
(actually, I sorta think it's a clarinet, because it seems at times to be
too low to be a flute) that appears for a while, goes away, comes back,
and fades out in the end as a terrific horn line pops up, almost invisible
to the ear. I absolutely love that song (which I believe is dedicated to
Timothy Leary, who had recently been incarcerated).
Meanwhile,
Hayward's New Horizons and The Land of Make Believe are beautiful and
optimistic, yet sad at the same time. The former, in particular, is
absolutely gorgeous; Hayward's vocals soar, and those final sixteen
measures, whoa ... I know I'm a bit of a wuss, so this probably doesn't
mean much, but tears came to my eyes during these measures AT LEAST the
first fifty or sixty times that I listened to them, they are SO BEAUTIFUL.
Hayward's majestic guitar line and that GORGEOUS Chamberlain sound ...
wow. Wow. The album's worth it just for that (even though there are
certainly other great songs on here). Anyways, Land of Make Believe is
terrific too; somewhat sappy, sure, but the melody's not too
saccharine, and I like those lyrics. So sue me, I'll always be a wuss at
heart.
Meanwhile, Thomas and Edge each have one contribution to the
album, and they don't hurt things at all. Ray's is For My Lady, with a
very maritime feel, a nice melody, and the good ole trembling tenor we've
grown to know and love. On a side note, I'd like to note that that is
not a guitar string breaking after "and slowly bow her head," as
many fans think; that was just Justin plucking it harder than normal for
emphasis. Moving on, Edge paired with Hayward on the rocker You and Me.
There's nothing particularly noteworthy about this song, and yet it is
extremely solid overall, and highly enjoyable.
The best known songs on the album, however, belong to Lodge. The first,
his slow anthem Isn't Life Strange, is possibly his best song ever, and
letting himself and Justin trade off verses worked out very well. Not to
mention that Thomas' tenor in the "cry cry cry" part sounds really
good here, and that staggering way of singing the choruses is simply
splendid. Nowadays, when they perform this live, they sing it 'normally,'
and while it still sounds good, I miss the power that the original
provided. Lodge's other piece
In Search Of The Lost Chord 8(11)
On The Threshold Of a Dream 8(12)
To Our Children's Children's Children 10(14)
A Question Of Balance 7(10)
Every Good Boy Deserves Favor 8(11)
Seventh Sojourn 10(15)
Octave 4(7)
Long Distance Voyager 8(13)
The Present 8(12)
The Other Side Of Life 7(10)
Sur La Mer 5(8) (sorry)
Keys To The Kingdom 6(9)
A Night at Red Rocks 7(11)
Strange Times 8(13)
Hall Of Fame at Royal Albert Hall 7(10)
Go Now - 1965
Decca
6 (9)
In regard to your capsule review of the Moodies' first album: Of course,
you
must realize that you're showing the cover of the long out-of-print US LP
version.
Days of
Future Passed - 1967 Deram
9 (13)
In Search of the Lost Chord - 1968 Deram
7 (11)
The band captured a moment in time- it was cooler than now-we all felt
free...we were free-- even if for a short while..
Tom von Anger
On the Threshold of a Dream - 1969 Deram
8 (11)
*To Our Children's Children's Children - 1969 Threshold*
10
(15)
Caught Live + 5 -
1977 Threshold
8 (11)
A Question of
Balance - 1970 Threshold
9 (12)
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour - 1971 Threshold
7
(10)
Seventh Sojourn - 1972 Threshold
9 (12)