THE MOODY BLUES ANTHOLOGY

There isn't much prog here, especially on the disc 2 which contains awful and uninspired attempts to create "pop" hits. Terrible and boring listening experience. Disc 1 is slightly better but is hardly any essential. There are better compilations covering the highlights of their classic years, so this album is pretty much obsolete unless you haven't heard MOODYS at all and wish to peak at their entire career. Not recommended for true prog listeners!

Sticking to the knitting

The Moody Blues Anthology is effectively a cut down, 2 disc version of the excellent "Time traveller" box set. As with that collection, the tracks are presented chronologically, running up to their 1991 album, "Keys of the kingdom". Here though, the story starts slightly earlier, with the pre-Hayward "Go now" single opening the set.

Thereafter, the tracks largely pick themselves, with classics such as "Question", "Isn't life strange", "I'm just a singer in a rock'n'roll band" and so forth all present and correct. It is good to see space is found for a couple of "Bluejays" tracks, including the non-album single "Blue guitar". Justin Hayward's solo spot from "War of the worlds" also becomes a Moody Blues song for the purposes of this collection, but sadly it is the poorly edited single version of "Forever autumn".

The final two tracks are of slightly greater interest, with "Bless the wings" being an "Orchestral Mix" of this fine song, and the comparatively rare "Highway" closing the collection.

There can be no question that the Moody Blues have recorded many fine tracks, and indeed albums over the years. There does tend to be a quorum of songs which represent the best of these, and these tracks dominate the numerous compilations of their work. While there are a few slightly less obvious tracks here, by and large this collection sticks to the knitting.

If you are new to the Moody Blues, and looking for a decent overview of their work, this isn't a bad place to start. I would however recommend "This is the Moody Blues" first, as it concentrates on their finest period. Even better, go straight for the original albums!