A NIGHT AT RED ROCKS WITH THE COLORADO SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA

The Moody Blues made a some sort of a come-back in 1993 with this album, which also can be founded as DVD. I won't comment only the album but also the DVD which is a nice way to know this band a bit more. All the golden oldies are there: Tuesday Afternoon, Question, I'm just a singer in a Rock and Roll Band. It's great to see those old song being kind of 'remastered'. 'I'm just a singer...' is surprinsingly punchy and catchy. I was surprised to clap hands and stomp my foot a lot. Justin Haward and John Lodge are in great shape (Haward's face seems timeless). Ray Thomas, the flautist, is doing a great job on Tuesday Afternoon and Nights in White Satin, his flute is more than welcome to enrich the sound already boosted up by the orchestra.(On the dvd, he is singning but, all he has was a tambourine, which we can't hear in the recording. He looks pretty alone in his corner too.) It's not a show that really stands out, but the performance by Haward and Lodge is remarquable. They give a good show (especially the guitar works of Haward), despite the shadow of a wheel chair. Man, they have more hair on their heads than me. It's a desease called: The Stone-that-Rolls-Syndrom. You keep your hair eternally but you do get a lot of laughs for trying too hard (no offense Keith). In concussion...er sorry, conclusion, try this instead of any 'best of', the sound is fresher and updated!

John (Lodge in) Denver

Red Rocks for those who have not had the pleasure of visiting it, is a natural amphitheatre near Denver in the USA, into which an outdoor concert arena has been built. A number of artists have released live albums recorded there, presumably due to the favourable acoustics.

This concert by the Moody Blues is available both on DVD and CD. Recently the CD was released in expanded format, incorporating the tracks which had previously only been available on DVD and the "Time Traveller" box set bonus disk. The songs included in the concert are largely predictable, their live repertoire showing relatively minor variations over the years. There is no criticism in this, the tracks selected are among their best, and cover a good cross section of their albums.

The performance here is very good, and the songs are recreated pretty faithfully throughout. The addition of an orchestra does enhance the overall sound, but they are kept firmly in check in terms of the mix, with the band very much to the fore. There are some notable exceptions, such as the wonderful orchestral break on "Isn't life strange", which helps to give this majestic song an impressive new dimension.

In all, a good "Best of" package which manages to recreate the original studio performances well in a live environment.

My rating is for the 2002 Deluxe Edition of The Moody Blues' A Night At Red Rocks. This edition has improved packaging and is expanded from 15 to 23 tracks. The extended set list is as follows:

A Night At Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra [2002]

Disc 1: (1) Overture 7:15 (2) Late Lament 1:47 (3) Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon) 5:42 (4) For My Lady 4:30 (5) Bless The Wings (That Bring You Back) 4:19 (6) Emily's Song 4:38 (7) New Horizons 6:44 (8) Lean on Me (Tonight) 4:36 (9) Voices In The Sky 4:13 (10) Lovely To See You 4:02 (11) Gemini Dream 4:30 (12) I Know You're Out There Somewhere 5:22 (13) The Voice 5:35

Disc 2: (1) Say It With Love 4:56 (2) The Story In Your Eyes 3:58 (3) Your Wildest Dreams 5:18 (4) Isn't Life Strange 6:49 (5) The Other Side Of Life 7:31 (6) I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band) 8:01 (7) Nights In White Satin 6:37 (8) Legend Of A Mind 10:00 (9) Question 6:22 (10) Ride My See-Saw 5:27

There is a mix of older songs and songs from the current album the band was touring, Keys Of The Kingdom. In my view, the Red Rocks versions of these new songs were better than the album versions. But what makes the deluxe edition special is the addition of songs other than the usual suspects from the back catalogue, such as Emily's Song, New Horizons, Voices In The Sky, and Legend Of A Mind, as well a longer introductory Overture and song introductions by band members. Another reviewer has commented that the original single-disc 1993 release makes for a good live best of collection, but it is the double-disc collection that is essential for long-time fans of the band.

The venue is another plus, with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra providing a great addition to some of the old classic songs. If anyone has the opportunity to attend a concert at Red Rocks, do it! The natural geography and acoustics are stunning! We saw The Allman Brothers Band there in 1998, and it was a treat. Having an orchestra with a band like The Moody Blues would only add to the experience. We saw the Moodies on their 1992 tour two weeks before the Red Rocks show was recorded, and they were in good form. It would have been nice to attend the Red Rocks performance -- c'est la vie. But we do have this excellent historical record of the event.

When this album was released in 1993, a number of the customers in my CD store remarked upon how good this album was, so I had to request a copy from the vendor. Now this was the the first live album The Moody Blues had released since 1977's Caught Live +5, which demonstrated that, at least back then, the band was much more of a studio group than a live band, but many years had passed, perhaps this wwas better.

Well, the years had passed, and, with an orchestra replacing keyboardist Michael Pinder (and his replacement, Patrick Moraz), the band sounds quite good on the old material. However, in the sixteen years since the previous live album, The Moody Blues had become an adult contemporary radio staple, and their music shows it.

After an orchestral Overture and out of place Late Lament (I now prefer the parody "Breathe deep the gathering gloom. Pizza boxes fill your room. Roaches come to seal your doom...") the classics start with Tuesday Afternoon, which works quite well with an orchestra. For My Lady suffers some, without the chanted background vocals, and becomes overly melodramatic mush.

Five of the next seven songs are from more recent albums, and are nothing more than generic sounding AC fodder. Completely forgattable.

The album finally becomes worth it's cost with the last four songs. I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band), Nights In White Satin, Question and Ride My See- Saw are all so well done that it makes me wish they had played more of the classics, and skipped the more recent drivel.