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Although they're best known today for their lush, lyrically and musically profound
(some would say bombastic) psychedelic-era albums and singles, the Moody Blues started out
as one of the better R&B-based combos of the British Invasion. The Moody Blues'
history began in Birmingham, England, where one of the more successful bands during that
time was El Riot & the Rebels, co-founded by Ray Thomas (harmonica, vocals) and Mike
Pinder (keyboards, vocals). Pinder left the band, first for a gig with Jackie Lynton and
then a stint in the Army. In May of 1963, he and Thomas reunited under the auspices of the
Krew Cats. They were good enough to get overseas bookings in Germany, where English rock
bands were the rage. Upon their return to Birmingham in November of 1963, the entire
English musical landscape was occupied by 250 groups, all of them vying for gigs in
perhaps a dozen clubs. Thomas and Pinder decided to try and go professional, recruiting
members from some of the best groups working in Birmingham. This included Denny Laine
(vocals, guitar), Graeme Edge (drums), and Clint Warwick (bass, vocals). The Moody Blues
made their debut in Birmingham in May of 1964, and quickly earned the notice and later the
services of manager Tony Secunda. A major tour was quickly booked, and the band landed an
engagement at the Marquee Club, which resulted in a contract with England's Decca Records
less than six months after their formation. The group's first single, "Steal Your
Heart Away," released in September of 1964, didn't touch the British charts.
Their second single "Go Now," released in November of 1964, fulfilled every
expectation and more, reaching number one in England; in America, it peaked at number ten.
Following it up was easier said than done. Despite their fledgling songwriting efforts and
the access they had to American demos, this version of the Moody Blues never came up with
another single success. By the end of the spring of 1965, the frustration was palpable
within the band. The group decided to make their fourth single, "From the Bottom of
My Heart," an experiment with a different sound. Unfortunately, the single only
reached number 22 on the British charts following its release in May of 1965. Ultimately,
the grind of touring, coupled with the strains facing the group, became too much for
Warwick, who exited in the spring of 1966, and by August of 1966 Laine had left as well.
Warwick was replaced by John Lodge. His introduction to the band was followed in late 1966
by the addition of Justin Hayward.
The reconstituted Moody Blues set about keeping afloat financially, mostly playing in
Europe, recording the occasional single. Their big break came from Deram Records, an
imprint of their Decca label, which in 1967 decided that it needed a long-playing record
to promote its new "Deramic Stereo." The Moody Blues were picked for the
proposed project, a rock version of Dvorak's New World Symphony, and immediately convinced
the staff producer and the engineer to abandon the source material and permit the group to
use a series of its own compositions that depicted an archetypal "day," from
morning to night. Using the tracks laid down by the band, and orchestrated by conductor
Peter Knight, the resulting album, Days of Future Passed, became a landmark in the band's
history. The mix of rock and classical sounds was new, and at first puzzled the record
company, but eventually the record was issued. This album, and its singles "Nights in
White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon," hooked directly into the musical
sides of the Summer of Love and its aftermath. In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)
abandoned the orchestra in favor of the Mellotron, which quickly became a part of their
signature sound.
By the time of 1969's To Our Children's Children's Children, the group found itself
painted into something of a corner. Working in the studio with the process of overdubbing,
they'd created albums that were essentially the work of 20 or 30 Moody Blues. Beginning
with A Question of Balance (1970), the group made the decision to record albums that they
could play in concert, reducing their reliance on overdubbing and toughening up their
sound. By the release of Seventh Sojourn (1972), the strain of touring and recording
steadily for five years was beginning to take its toll, and following an extended
international tour, the band decided to take a break from working together, which
ultimately lasted five years. During this era, Hayward and Lodge recorded a very
successful duet album, Blue Jays (1975), and all five members did solo albums. By 1977,
however, the groupmembers had made the decision to reunite, a process complicated by the
fact that Pinder had moved to California during that period. Although all five
participated in the resulting album, Octave (1978), there were stresses during its
recording, and Pinder was ultimately unhappy enough with the LP to decline to tour with
the band. The reunion tour was a success, with Patrick Moraz brought in to replace Pinder
on the keyboards, and the album topped the charts.
The group's follow-up record, Long Distance Voyager (1981), was even more popular,
though by this time a schism was beginning to develop between the band and the critical
community. Although they continued to reach the middle levels of the charts, and even
ascended reasonably close to the top with the Hayward single "In Your Wildest
Dreams" (1986), the Moody Blues were no longer anywhere near the cutting edge of
music. By the end of the 1980s, they were perceived as a nostalgia act, albeit one with a
huge audience. In 1994, a four-CD set called Time Traveller was released. A new studio
effort, Strange Times, followed in 1999 and Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2000 followed a
year later.
In the spring of 1997, PolyGram released remastered and upgraded versions of all seven
of the group's classic late-'60s/early-'70s albums, with dramatically improved sound and
new notes featuring recollections by the group members. Anyone owning the Mobile Fidelity
audiophile CD versions can probably skip these unless they need the notes, but owners of
the older Polydor CDs should seriously consider upgrading.
Days Of Future Passed - 1967
This album marked the formal debut of the psychedelic-era Moody Blues; though they'd
made a pair of singles featuring new (as of 1966) members Justin Hayward and John Lodge,
Days of Future Passed was a lot bolder and more ambitious. What surprises first-time
listeners - and delighted them at the time - is the degree to which the group shares the
spotlight with the London Festival Orchestra without compromising their sound or getting
lost in the lush mix of sounds. That's mostly because they came to this album with the
strongest, most cohesive body of songs in their history, having spent the previous year
working up a new stage act and a new body of material (and working the bugs out of it
on-stage), the best of which ended up here. Decca Records had wanted a rock version of
Dvorak's "New World Symphony" to showcase its enhanced stereo-sound technology,
but at the behest of the band, producer Tony Clarke (with engineer Derek Varnals aiding
and abetting) hijacked the project and instead cut the group's new repertory, with
conductor/arranger Peter Knight adding the orchestral accompaniment and devising the
bridge sections between the songs and the album's grandiose opening and closing sections.
The record company didn't know what to do with the resulting album, which was neither
classical nor pop, but following its release in December of 1967, audiences found their
way to it as one of the first pieces of heavily orchestrated, album-length psychedelic
rock to come out of England in the wake of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery
Tour albums. What's more, it was refreshingly original, rather than an attempt to mimic
the Beatles; sandwiched among the playful lyricism of "Another Morning" and the
mysticism of "The Sunset," songs like "Tuesday Afternoon" and
"Twilight Time" (which remained in their concert repertory for three years) were
pounding rockers within the British psychedelic milieu, and the harmony singing (another
new attribute for the group) made the band's sound unique. With "Tuesday
Afternoon" and "Nights In White Satin" to drive sales, Days of Future
Passed became one of the defining documents of the blossoming psychedelic era, and one of
the most enduringly popular albums of its era. On CD, its history was fairly spotty until
1997, when it was remastered by Polygram; that edition blows every prior CD release (apart
from Mobile Fidelity's limited-edition disc) out of contention, though this record is
likely due for another upgrade - and probably a format jump, perhaps to DVD-Audio - on or
before its 40th anniversary in 2007. - Bruce Eder
1 - (5:52) The Day Begins
2 - (3:50) Dawn: Dawn Is A Feeling
3 - (3:57) The Morning: Another Morning
4 - (5:35) Lunch Break: Peak Hour
5 - (8:26) The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)
6 - (6:42) Evening: The Sun Set: Twilight Time
7 - (7:27) The Night: Nights In White Satin
In Search Of The Lost Chord - 1968
This 1997 remastered edition of the group's second progressive album was long overdue
(the original release from the '80s had an audible crack in the sound on one song). The
sound is significantly better than the old PolyGram version, so close that you can
actually hear the action on many of the instruments, and even displays somewhat better
resolution than the Mobile Fidelity gold-plated audiophile disc. The original credits and
interior gatefold art are gone, but in their place are new notes by the band members,
which provide some insights into the making of the album, on which the Moody Blues
discovered drugs and mysticism as a basis for songwriting and came up with a compelling
psychedelic creation, filled with songs about Timothy Leary and the astral plane, and
other psychedelic-era concerns. They dumped the orchestra this time out in favor of Mike
Pinder's Mellotron, which was a more than adequate substitute, and the rest of the band
joined in with flutes, sitar, tablas, and cellos, the playing of which was mostly learned
on the spot. The whole album was one big experiment to see how far the group could go with
any instruments they could find, thus making this album a rather close cousin to the
Beatles' records of the same era. It is all beautiful and elegant, and "Legend of a
Mind's" chorus about "Timothy Leary's dead/Oh, no - he's outside, looking
in" ended up anticipating reality; upon his death in 1996, Leary was cremated and
launched into space on a privately owned satellite, with the remains of Star Trek creator
Gene Roddenberry (another '60s pop-culture icon) and other well-heeled clients. - Bruce
Eder
01 - (0:45) Departure
02 - (3:40) Ride My See-Saw
03 - (2:59) Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?
04 - (4:14) House Of Four Doors
05 - (6:39) Legend Of A Mind
06 - (1:43) House Of Four Doors Pt 2
07 - (3:31) Voices In The Sky
08 - (3:14) The Best Way To Travel
09 - (4:16) Visions Of Paradise
10 - (4:41) The Actor
11 - (0:49) The Word
12 - (5:48) Om
On The Threshold Of A Dream - 1969
The 1997 remastered edition of this album can be considered definitive, superior in
sonic detail to either the original PolyGram CD or the Mobile Fidelity audiophile disc,
though the latter has some appeal, recreating the original LP's elaborate libretto. The
new notes reveal something of the creative process that the band used in devising its
albums and preparing its songs. The group abandoned the Oriental and Indian influences
from the prior album in favor of more traditional Western melody, as well as science
fiction and religious imagery. Similarly, the sitars and tablas disappear, replaced by
much heavier use of the Mellotron and the grand piano, among other Western instruments.
Both keyboards come to the fore in the album's centerpiece, "Have You Heard/The
Voyage," a Mike Pinder tour de force and a wonderful piece of progressive
psychedelia. The songs also rock much harder in spots than their previous records -
"To Share Our Love" has a much harder sound than ever before, capturing the
master's true sound better than any prior release, CD or vinyl. - Bruce Eder
01 - (2:09) In The Beginning
02 - (2:36) Lovely To See You
03 - (3:58) Dear Diary
04 - (2:23) Send Me No Wine
05 - (2:55) To Share Our Love
06 - (3:12) So Deep Within You
07 - (4:46) Never Comes The Day
08 - (2:45) Lazy Day
09 - (3:32) Are You Sitting Comfortably?
10 - (0:59) The Dream
11 - (1:29) Have You Heard Pt 1
12 - (4:13) The Voyage
13 - (2:28) Have You Heard Pt 2
To Our Children's Children's Children - 1969
The 1997 remastering of this disc somewhat improves the sound on the band's most
personal album, although the difference is less dramatic than in the other classic seven
albums, and fans may miss the lyrics that were formerly included. Oddly enough, this was
also the group's poorest-selling album of their psychedelic era, taking a lot longer to go
gold - for all of their presumed connection to their audience, the band was perhaps
stretching that link a little thinner than usual here. The material dwells mostly on time
and what its passage means, and there is a peculiar feeling of loneliness and isolation to
many of the songs. This was also the last of the group's big "studio" sound
productions, built up in layer upon layer of overdubbed instruments - the sound is very
lush and rich, but proved impossible to recreate properly on stage, and after this they
would restrict themselves to recording songs that the five of them could play in concert.
There are no extended suites on this album, but Hayward's "Watching and Waiting"
and "Gypsy" have proved to be among the most popular songs in the group's
history. The notes in the new edition also give a good account of how and why the group
founded their own Threshold label with Children's Children and their growing estrangement
from Decca Records. - Bruce Eder
01 - (4:14) Higher And Higher
02 - (3:25) Eyes Of A Child I
03 - (3:02) Floating
04 - (1:23) Eyes Of A Child II
05 - (1:07) I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Hundred
06 - (3:00) Beyond
07 - (3:44) Out And In
08 - (3:35) Gypsy
09 - (4:20) Eternity Road
10 - (4:20) Candle Of Life
11 - (3:38) Sun Is Still Shining
12 - (0:35) I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Million
13 - (4:18) Watching And Waiting
Question Of Balance - 1970
The group's first real attempt at a harder rock sound still has some psychedelic
elements, but they're achieved with an overall leaner studio sound. The group was tryng to
take stock of itself at this time, and came up with some surprisingly strong, lean numbers
(Pinder's Mellotron is surprisingly restrained until the final number, "The
Balance"), which also embraced politics for the first time ("Question"
seemed to display the dislocation that a lot of younger listeners were feeling during
Vietnam). The surprisingly jagged opening track, "Question," recorded several
months earlier, became a popular concert number as well as a number two (or number one,
depending upon whose chart one looks at) single. Graeme Edge's "Don't You Feel
Small" and Justin Hayward's "It's Up to You" both had a great beat, but the
real highlight here is John Lodge's "Tortoise and the Hare," a fast-paced number
that the band used to rip through in concert with some searing guitar solos by Hayward.
Ray Thomas' "And the Tide Rushes In" (written in the wake of a fight with his
wife) is one of the prettiest psychedelic songs ever written, a sweetly languid piece with
some gorgeous shimmering instrumental effects. The 1997 remastered edition brings out the
guitar sound with amazing force and clarity, and the notes tell a lot about the turmoil
the band was starting to feel after three years of whirlwind success. The only loss is the
absence of the lyrics included in earlier editions. - Bruce Eder
01 - (5:51) Question
02 - (2:47) How Is It (We Are Here)
03 - (2:59) And The Tide Rushes In
04 - (2:40) Don't You Feel Small
05 - (3:19) Tortoise And The Hare
06 - (3:12) It's Up To You
07 - (4:30) Minstrel's Song
08 - (4:24) Dawning Is The Day
09 - (5:48) Melancholy Man
10 - (3:35) The Balance
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour - 1971
The best realized of the group's classic albums finally comes into its own in this
beautifully remastered edition from 1997. The lush melodies and the sound of Michael
Pinder's Mellotron was never richer, and the guitar pyrotechnics on pieces like "The
Story in Your Eyes" were never more vivid. "Emily's Song," "Nice to Be
Here," and "My Song" are among the best work the group has ever done, and
"The Story in Your Eyes" is the best rock number they ever cut, with a bracing
beat and the kind of lyrical complexity one more expected out of George Harrison at the
time - the sound here is so crisp that the sustain on the feedback over the opening is now
clearly audible well into the number. - Bruce Eder
1 - (4:42) Procession
2 - (2:58) The Story In Your Eyes
3 - (3:36) Our Guessing Game
4 - (3:44) Emily's Song
5 - (4:41) After You Came
6 - (5:44) One More Time To Live
7 - (4:25) Nice To Be Here
8 - (4:17) You Can Never Go Home
9 - (6:22) My Song
Seventh Sojourn - 1972
The 1997 remastered version of this final classic-era album, which closed out the
group's psychedelic era, brings out more detail than the original issue. The really
interesting element, however, is the notes, where the band members recall their almost
universal unhappiness during the recording and the stresses that were threatening to break
them up. The album contains the group's hardest-rocking body of songs, and shows the
sudden emergence of John Lodge, who had never been a writing mainstay of the band before,
as a major songwriter with "Isn't Life Strange" and "I'm Just a Singer in a
Rock & Roll Band" (which reflected some of the strain of the group members), both
of which became hits. Lodge's and Graeme Edge's driving rhythm section comes through, as
does the improved keyboard device called the Chamberlain, which supplanted the Mellotron
here with a much stronger sound (especially on stage). Justin Hayward's "New
Horizons" was the most romantic number since "Nights in White Satin." -
Bruce Eder
1 - (4:47) Lost In A Lost World
2 - (5:12) New Horizons
3 - (3:59) For My Lady
4 - (6:02) Isn't Life Strange
5 - (4:21) You And Me
6 - (4:53) The Land Of Make-Believe
7 - (6:07) When You're A Free Man
8 - (4:24) I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)
Caught Live + 5 - 1977
The Moody Blues put out this collection, a live concert augmented by some previously
unreleased studio cuts, once they'd decided to re-form at the end of the 1970s, to get
some product out. They never liked the concert much as a document (the unofficial word is
that several of the group members were under the influence of controlled substances during
the show, and, thus, less sharp than they might otherwise have been), which is one reason
why they didn't authorize its release on CD until 1996. The 1969 Royal Albert Hall show
sounds a lot better than it did on the LP, with a closeness that was never evident before
- Justin Hayward's guitar and Michael Pinder's various Mellotrons, in particular, sound
really close, and the singing comes out with more detail. The songs come primarily from
Days of Future Passed, Lost Chord, and Threshold of a Dream; they rock hard on
"Legend of a Mind" and "Ride My See-Saw," and "Tuesday
Afternoon" is a highlight as well. As for the studio cuts, they're salvaged from
failed album sessions in 1967 and 1968 - not bad, but definitely filler. - Bruce Eder
01 - (4:05) Gyspy (Of A Strange and Distant Time) [Live]
02 - (4:35) The Sunset [Live]
03 - (3:24) Dr. Livingstone, I Presume? [Live]
04 - (5:42) Never Comes The Day [Live]
05 - (5:15) Peak Hour [Live]
06 - (4:53) Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon) [Live]
07 - (4:23) Are You Sitting Comfortably? [Live]
08 - (0:58) The Dream [Live]
09 - (1:23) Have You Heard Pt 1 [Live]
10 - (3:38) The Voyage [Live]
11 - (2:34) Have You Heard Pt 2 [Live]
12 - (5:57) Nights In White Satin [Live]
13 - (7:07) Legend Of A Mind [Live]
14 - (4:32) Ride My See-Saw [Live]
15 - (3:14) Gimme A Little Somethin' [Studio Track]
16 - (3:45) Please Think About It [Studio Track]
17 - (3:13) Long Summer Days [Studio Track]
18 - (3:57) King And Queen [Studio Track]
19 - (3:35) What Am I Doing Here? [Studio Track]
Octave - 1978
The group's first post-reunion album is uneven in spots, but Justin Hayward's
songwriting and singing maintains its haunting romantic edge, and John Lodge shows a newly
prominent and energetic voice as a composer. Keyboard player Mike Pinder exited after
finishing this album, leaving behind one song on the record. - Bruce Eder
01 - (5:29) Steppin' In A Slide Zone
02 - (4:59) Under Moonshine
03 - (3:42) Had To Fall In Love
04 - (3:48) I'll Be Level With You
05 - (5:04) Driftwood
06 - (3:43) Top Rank Suite
07 - (4:20) I'm Your Man
08 - (5:02) Survival
09 - (4:28) One Step Into The Light
10 - (6:19) The Day We Meet Again
Long Distance Voyager - 1981
Progressive rock bands stumbled into the '80s, some with the crutch of commercial
concessions under one arm, which makes the Moody Blues' elegant entrance via Long Distance
Voyager all the more impressive. While they may steal a page or two from Electric Light
Orchestra's recent playbook, the Moodies are careful to play their game: dreamy,
intelligent songs at once sophisticated and simple. Many of these songs rank with the
band's best: "The Voice" is a sweeping and majestic call to adventure, while the
closing trio from Ray Thomas ("Painted Smile," "Reflective Smile," and
"Veteran Cosmic Rocker") forms a skillfully wrought, if sometimes scathing,
self-portrait. In between are winning numbers from John Lodge ("Talking out of
Turn," the pink-hued "Nervous") and Graeme Edge ("22,000 Days"),
in typical Moodies fashion providing different perspectives of the same shared lives and
observations. "Gemini Dream," which was a big hit in the U.S., does sound dated
in today's post-Xanadu landscape, but never does the band lose the courage of their
convictions. Although the title and the cover art reference the then-recent Voyager space
probe (forever burned in the minds of anyone who slogged through the first Star Trek
movie, but then there's never a brain-burrowing grub around when you need one), only half
of the songs have a "voyager" connection if you apply it to touring on the road;
apologetic love songs consume the other half. Still, not everything has to be a concept
album, especially when the songs go down this smooth. This album should make anybody's
short list of Moodies goodies. And, yes, that's Patrick Moraz who makes his debut here in
place of original member Mike Pinder. - Dave Connolly
01 - (5:23) The Voice
02 - (7:19) Talking Out Of Turn
03 - (4:10) Gemini Dream
04 - (7:29) In My World
05 - (4:12) Meanwhile
06 - (5:29) 22,000 Days
07 - (5:48) Nervous
08 - (3:27) Painted Smile
09 - (0:36) Reflective Smile
10 - (3:14) Veteran Cosmic Rocker
The Present - 1983
ELO fans who found in Long Distance Voyager a new Discovery can be excused for thinking
there's no Time like The Present. Just as ELO's follow-up to the sweeping Discovery seemed
tame by comparison, so The Present failed to match the grandiose arrangements of the
Moodies' previous record. It's still a solid effort, bolstered by strong songwriting and
pleasant melodies, but as good as the opening "Blue World" is, its downbeat
message is no substitute for the clarion call of "The Voice." The Present seems
to make a conscious effort to scale back the arena-size sound of their previous album,
returning to the warmly rendered ballads of old. Patrick Moraz, whose keyboards were a
revelation on Long Distance Voyager, plays a diminished role here, as Justin Hayward's
guitar takes more of the lead, suggesting a poor man's Phil Manzanera or David Gilmour.
While it charted well and provided hit singles in "Blue World" and "Sitting
at the Wheel" (again, it's John Lodge who provides the most invigorating track), The
Present is a gift that listeners will need to warm up to over time. Only after several
sittings do Hayward's lush ballads like "Meet Me Halfway" and "Running
Water" sink in. Following the format of their last effort, the closing tracks are
given to Ray Thomas, who once more proves a compelling presence (he's also the only good
thing about "Going Nowhere"). "I Am" and "Sorry" amount to
little more than love songs, but Thomas' sense for dramatic arrangements manages to
elevate the musical discussion. Given the now infrequent release of new albums by the
Moody Blues, more could have been expected from The Present, but less could have been
achieved (as the disappointing Keys of the Kingdom demonstrated). If it's merely average
by Moodies standards, at least The Present didn't bode ill for the future. - Dave Connolly
01 - (5:23) Blue World
02 - (4:11) Meet Me Halfway
03 - (5:43) Sitting At The Wheel
04 - (5:36) Going Nowhere
05 - (1:56) Hole In The World
06 - (4:54) Under My Feet
07 - (4:30) It's Cold Outside Of Your Heart
08 - (3:25) Running Water
09 - (1:42) I Am
10 - (5:05) Sorry
The Other Side Of Life - 1986
The group's best album in several years benefitted mostly from the presence of the Top
Ten single "Your Wildest Dreams," which managed to turn their status as
dinosaurs from the '60s psychedelic era into a plus, with a great beat to boot and a very
entertaining video featuring young British psychedelic rockers the Mood Six playing the
young Moody Blues. The rest was fairly routine, alas, but the single was strong enough on
its own terms to revive interest in the group one more time out. - Bruce Eder
1 - (4:56) Your Wildest Dreams
2 - (4:00) Talkin' Talkin'
3 - (4:55) Rock & Roll Over You
4 - (3:33) I Just Don't Care
5 - (4:28) Running Out Of Love
6 - (6:57) The Other Side Of Life
7 - (4:24) The Spirit
8 - (4:34) Slings And Arrows
9 - (4:57) It May Be A Fire
Sur La Mer - 1988
Though this 1988 recording starts out with a song that rightfully stands with their
best work, the rest of the album doesn't live up to that high standard. "I Know
You're out There Somewhere" (a thematic extension of the 1986 hit "Your Wildest
Dreams") is lyrically and musically superior in all aspects; fine textured keyboards
from Patrick Moraz are featured in the middle of the song. However, the rest of the album
is mostly inconsequential material that simply doesn't grab the listener. Part of the
problem lies in the fact that Justin Hayward and John Lodge wrote all of the material. Ray
Thomas is totally absent, and while he contributed less songs in the 1980s, his absence is
sorely missed, especially in the vocal harmonies. Thomas' songs often bring a more
whimsical point of view, which certainly would have helped diversify the mood of this
release. Also, there is a "techno" feel to many of the arrangements, bringing a
"manufactured" feel to the proceedings. In all fairness, none of the songs are
total failures, and Sur La Mer is a bit more consistent overall than the Moodies last
effort, The Other Side of Life. "Vintage Wine" is a catchy, if slight, look back
at the '60s. "Deep" is as overtly sexual as any piece in the Moody Blues
songbook. "Breaking Point" is much darker than most material in the group's
catalog, as it looks at someone who is seemingly at the brink of losing sanity. Though the
Moody Blues have been unjustly criticized over their career for being pompous or
bombastic, their unique gift to the world of popular music is as archetypal art-rockers
who sincerely write of the quest for finding meaning in life. Unfortunately, on Sur La
Mer, most of the songs are of the light and laid-back variety; the group could have used
more bombast and self-importance. - Michael Ofjord
01 - (6:40) I Know You're Out There Somewhere
02 - (4:51) Want To Be With You
03 - (4:48) River Of Endless Love
04 - (5:18) No More Lies
05 - (4:17) Here Comes The Weekend
06 - (3:40) Vintage Wine
07 - (4:57) Breaking Point
08 - (5:00) Miracle
09 - (5:04) Love Is On The Run
10 - (6:54) Deep
Greatest Hits - 1989
All of the Moody Blues' best songs and biggest hits from the 1980s are collected on
Greatest Hits; it's the most mainstream pop-oriented material the band has ever recorded.
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine
01 - (4:53) Your Wildest Dreams
02 - (5:18) The Voice
03 - (4:10) Gemini Dream
04 - (3:07) Story In Your Eyes
05 - (4:54) Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)
06 - (6:43) Isn't Life Strange
07 - (7:41) Nights In White Satin
08 - (6:41) I Know You're Out There Somewhere
09 - (6:54) Other Side Of Life
10 - (3:48) Ride My See-Saw
11 - (4:21) I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band)
12 - (5:47) Question
Keys Of The Kingdom - 1991
As much as The Moody Blues have earned the right to make a mediocre album, they
shouldn't have been given the keys to the studio without a better batch of ideas than what
ended up on Keys of the Kingdom. Like Sur La Mer three years earlier, many of the songs on
here feel like prefabricated studio pop: programmed drum beats, sterile keyboards and
soulless guitars pop up in the speakers seemingly untouched by human hands, compounded by
brass arrangements and backing singers that were never a part of the Moodies' original
vision. Perhaps "Once Is Enough" says it best; most listeners will quickly put
this aside as an underinspired exercise and seek refuge in the band's glory days. Yet fans
will strain to find that familiar glint of gold in Keys of the Kingdom, and they'll hear
it in several pleasant tracks from John Lodge-including the tuneful "Lean On Me
(Tonight)," which was wisely the only track from here salvaged for the subsequent
Night At Red Rocks release-and the Ray Thomas track "Celtic Sonant." Justin
Hayward retains his ear for pleasant love songs, best heard in "Bless The Wings (That
Bring You Back)," but they succumb to pedestrian arrangements. Perhaps most alarming
is the track "Is This Heaven?," which unconsciously borrows the melody from a
well-known Beach Boys song (and you should be very worried, baby, when that happens). Part
of the problem no doubt stems from using three different producers, which never bodes well
for a project. The loss of Patrick Moraz (he does appear on three tracks) likely had
little impact on the end result, since they don't really use his talents when they have
him. In fairness, Hayward and Lodge don't fare any worse than Paul McCartney or Eric
Stewart and Graham Gouldman have when they were focused on simply putting a product into
the market, but since a bad album costs the same as a good one, why spend your cash
sailing sur la mer de la mediocrite. - Dave Connolly
01 - (3:54) Say It With Love
02 - (5:08) Bless The Wings (That Bring You Back)
03 - (4:06) Is This Heaven?
04 - (5:40) Say What You Mean, Pt. 1 & 2
05 - (4:55) Lean On Me (Tonight)
06 - (5:03) Hope And Pray
07 - (5:08) Shadows On The Wall
08 - (4:01) Once Is Enough
09 - (5:04) Celtic Sonant
10 - (5:12) Magic
11 - (5:00) Never Blame The Rainbows For The Rain
A Night At Red Rocks - 1993
Having succeeded in the '80s by drawing on '60s nostalgia with a song ("Your
Wildest Dreams") and video, the Moody Blues in the '90s began tailoring entire shows
to recapture their '60s glory days - and they succeeded. Performing on tour with a series
of regional orchestras, they brought the majesty of their old studio sound onto the stage
for the first time on songs like "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday
Afternoon," and audiences reponded by turning them into one of the top concert draws
of the decade. This album and the accompanying video is beautifully recorded (and the
video looks gorgeous, too) and performed, and the group - caught amid the splendor of one
of the prettiest outdoor concert venues in the West (Stevie Nicks has also done a video
there) and with the orchestra backing them up on half the numbers, rise to the occasion
with a drive and eloquence that they haven't shown on-stage in many years. An essential
recording and video for any fan of the group. - Bruce Eder
01 - (3:01) Overture [Live]
02 - (1:37) Late Lament [Live]
03 - (4:46) Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon) [Live]
04 - (4:14) For My Lady [Live]
05 - (4:43) Lean On Me (Tonight) [Live]
06 - (4:08) Lovely To See You [Live]
07 - (5:25) I Know You're Out There Somewhere [Live]
08 - (5:32) The Voice [Live]
09 - (5:01) Your Wildest Dreams [Live]
10 - (6:48) Isn't Life Strange [Live]
11 - (7:09) The Other Side Of Life [Live]
12 - (6:59) I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band) [Live]
13 - (6:37) Nights In White Satin [Live]
14 - (6:26) Question [Live]
15 - (5:28) Ride My See-Saw [Live]
Time Traveller - 1994
When the Moody Blues were due for the box set treatment, it would have been
uncharacteristic for the production to be lacking in overstated grandiosity. On that
count, this four-CD retrospective does not disappoint, including the bulk of their most
famous work (from their 1967-1972 albums), lots from their later records and side
projects, and a few rarities. There's not a great deal of reason for anyone but fanatics
to fork out for this package; the albums (which were specifically programmed to work as
separate entities) remain readily available, there's too much late stuff and Hayward/Blue
Jays tracks, and there's nothing from the Denny Laine era. The three non-LP 1967 cuts that
open the set are available on the double import LP A Dream, an album that also has the
additional 1967 B-side "Really Haven't Got the Time," which somehow doesn't make
it onto Time Traveller. As consolation, the liner notes are pretty good and extensive, and
the first printings of the box include a bonus disc of a 1992 concert with the Colorado
Symphony Orchestra. - Richie Unterberger
Disc 1
01 - (2:56) Fly Me High
02 - (2:26) Love And Beauty
03 - (2:24) Cities
04 - (4:49) Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)
05 - (7:44) Nights In White Satin
06 - (4:24) Ride My See-Saw
07 - (6:38) Legend Of A Mind
08 - (6:03) House Of Four Doors
09 - (3:31) Voices In The Sky
10 - (3:15) The Best Way To Travel
11 - (4:43) The Actor
12 - (2:09) In The Beginning
13 - (2:36) Lovely To See You
14 - (3:58) Dear Diary
15 - (4:42) Never Comes The Day
16 - (3:31) Are You Sitting Comfortably
17 - (0:54) The Dream
18 - (2:21) Have You Heard Part 1
19 - (3:14) The Voyage
20 - (2:40) Have You Heard Part 2
Disc 2
01 - (4:46) Procession
02 - (4:01) Higher And Higher
03 - (3:33) Gypsy (Of A Strange And Distant Time)
04 - (3:13) Eyes Of A Child
05 - (1:07) Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Hundred
06 - (3:00) Beyond
07 - (3:44) Out And In
08 - (4:14) Candle Of Life
09 - (0:34) Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Million
10 - (4:17) Watching And Waiting
11 - (5:42) Question
12 - (2:37) Don't You Feel Small
13 - (3:13) It's Up To You
14 - (4:27) Minstrel's Song
15 - (4:26) Dawning Is The Day
16 - (5:53) Melancholy Man
17 - (2:54) The Story In Your Eyes
18 - (5:44) One More Time To Live
19 - (4:16) You Can Never Go Home
20 - (6:21) My Song
Disc 3
01 - (4:44) Lost In A World
02 - (5:12) New Horizons
03 - (3:59) For My Lady
04 - (6:11) Isn't Life Strange
05 - (4:22) You And Me
06 - (4:20) I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)
07 - (5:58) This Morning
08 - (5:30) Remember Me, My Friend
09 - (3:29) My Brother
10 - (6:11) Saved By The Music
11 - (4:28) I Dreamed Last Night
12 - (5:21) When You Wake Up
13 - (3:42) Blue Guitar
14 - (5:30) Steppin' In A Slide Zone
15 - (4:27) Driftwood
16 - (6:21) The Day We Meet Again
Disc 4
01 - (4:34) Forever Autumn
02 - (5:19) The Voice
03 - (7:19) Talking Out Of Turn
04 - (4:07) Gemini Dream
05 - (5:12) Blue World
06 - (5:39) Sitting At The Wheel
07 - (3:23) Running Water
08 - (4:53) Your Wildest Dreams
09 - (6:53) The Other Side Of Life
10 - (6:40) I Know You're Out The Somewhere
11 - (5:18) No More Lies
12 - (3:59) Say It With Love
13 - (5:13) Bless The Wings (That Bring You Back)
14 - (5:00) Lean On Me (Tonight)
15 - (4:37) Highway
Disc 5
01 - (4:47) This Is The Moment
02 - (3:45) The Story In Your Eyes
03 - (4:04) Voices In The Sky
04 - (6:00) New Horizons
05 - (4:33) Emily's Song
06 - (4:18) Bless The Wings (That Bring You Back)
07 - (4:54) Say It With Love
08 - (9:04) Legend Of A Mind
09 - (4:29) Gemini Dream
Best Of The Moody Blues - 1997
This single-CD compilation doesn't do too much more than scratch the surface of the
band's sound at its most popular points, but it does do one thing that no prior Moody
Blues compilation ever did - it includes "Go Now," which, as the notes point
out, is still the group's top-charting single in England. What it doesn't do is get
"Go Now" in really good sound (no one seems to have a proper master source) or
include their even better follow-up single, "From the Bottom of My Heart."
Still, this body of work is pleasing and, thanks to its extension back to the original
lineup, even a little bit informative, and it was the first Moody Blues compilation to be
mastered in 20-bit audio. The dominant personality is Justin Hayward, who has provided the
band with most of its hits, followed somewhat distantly by John Lodge, whose songs began
to shine as the '70s dawned - a pair of Hayward/Lodge songs and one solo Hayward release
fill out the 17 tracks, which showcase the soulful, the mystical, and the psychedelic
aspects of their music in equal parts. It's a good intro to their history, and anyone who
wants more can jump to the Time Traveller box. - Bruce Eder
01 - (3:15) Go Now
02 - (4:15) Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)
03 - (4:30) Nights In White Satin
04 - (3:46) Ride My See-Saw
05 - (3:34) Voices In The Sky
06 - (5:49) Question
07 - (3:09) The Story In Your Eyes
08 - (6:10) Isn't Life Strange
09 - (4:20) I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band)
10 - (3:42) Blue Guitar
11 - (5:33) Steppin' In A Slide Zone
12 - (4:35) Forever Autumn
13 - (5:19) The Voice
14 - (4:08) Gemini Dream
15 - (5:17) Blue World
16 - (4:55) Your Wildest Dreams
17 - (6:40) I Know You're Out There Somewhere
Strange Times - 1999
A lot of people will laugh at the idea of a new Moody Blues album, eight years after
their last new release and 35 years after the original band started in the business. The
fact is, though, that this is about the liveliest and leanest that the group has sounded
in more than 20 years. Among this collection of 14 songs, ten have very pleasing melodies,
unpretentious lyrics, and generally attractive performances. That puts Strange Times
several steps above the last few of the group's albums. In contrast to their previous
album, Keys of the Kingdom, the vast majority of songs here are steeped in romance rather
than pop mysticism - nothing here is quite as catchy as "In Your Wildest
Dreams," but several come close. Moreover, the group has built its sound on Strange
Times around acoustic and electric guitars. The electronic keyboards are embellishment,
nothing more, making for an unexpectedly lean and melodic album, less symphonic than
anything they've done in decades. There are a few unfortunate digressions into the
mystical side of the band's persona, but most of what's here are unpretentious love songs.
Strange Times is still their most attractive album since Octave, and boasts their best
album opener ("English Sunset") since "You and Me" from Seventh
Sojourn. Not everything works that well, but even some of the heavy-handed work here, such
as "The One," has some pretty vocal flourishes. "The Swallow" is one
of Hayward's prettier slow numbers and worth its five-minute running time. There are still
some mistakes, to be sure, including the pretentious title song and Graeme Edge's
album-closing recital, "Nothing Changes," but Strange Times is still about as
good an album as the Moody Blues have cut since the '70s. - Bruce Eder
01 - (5:08) English Sunset
02 - (4:34) Haunted
03 - (3:52) Sooner Or Later (Walkin' On Air)
04 - (3:39) Wherever You Are
05 - (3:59) Foolish Love
06 - (4:36) Love Don't Come Easy
07 - (3:37) All That Is Real Is You
08 - (4:32) Strange Times
09 - (5:36) Words You Say
10 - (1:49) My Little Lovely
11 - (4:41) Forever Now
12 - (3:42) The One
13 - (5:02) The Swallow
14 - (3:34) Nothing Changes
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