PRELUDE

Here's the first review for poor old Prelude. Or not so poor as it looks, after all. It collects on one disc some early songs, singles' B-sides and the five studio tracks from Caught Live +5, only 'Late Lament' being an album track (Days Of Future Passed). The first songs date before that album and are sort of a bridge between the old r&b Moodies and the classic MB. 'I Really Haven't Got The Time' is Pinder at his most rock'n'rolling, and Hayward's 'Fly Me High' is one of his first songs - rocking and simple but not bad. B-side songs are from 1968. Pinder's powerful 'Simple Game' deserves a classic status. MB albums of the time were made conceptually and therefore even some fine songs were left out (but in my opinion Simple Game would have only improved Threshold of a Dream, my least fave of the seven).

The "+5" songs I like too, except some high-pitched harmony vocals in couple of them. 'What Am I Doing Here?' is very beautiful and melancholic Hayward number. Prelude has a good sound quality and is well worth having if you want to hear what Moodies were into before their Days album, and especially if you don't have Caught Live +5 (which I don't rate high as a live recording). New listeners should choose the main albums between '67-'72.