THE MOODY BLUES

I am often thinking that The Moody Blues is one of the bands you must love for being pleased with their music. I don't.

Usual classic early Moody Blues sound, many keyboards, some symphonic arrangements. Similar mid tempo songs, mellow, melodic, but not enough to be catchy. Strong folk roots. Big dose of bombastic orchestrations. Never annoying too much, but almost often boring songs.

And looking from now all album ( as many their albums) sound unbelievable dated. Some naive songs from your village aunt's collection...

You will hardly find there something more than just nostalgia and melancholy. Possibly, just not my cup of tea.

Back in the late 1960's, the Moody Blues were a band that just kept chucking out album after album, each one having to deal with some brand of ''concept'' if you will. I usually never care what the concept is as long as the music output is at least decent and honourable. For awhile, I'm led into thinking this is a masterpiece...

This album has Graeme Edge's strongest songs, ''Higher and Higher'' and ''Beyond''. While the former contains the awkward sounding poetry, both are psychedelic splendors with some of the best instrumental performances to grace the Moody Blues canon. In fact, ''Beyond'' kicks off a three song sprint of delight as ''Out and In'' and ''Gypsy'' bring power to the album without being too overpowering.

The rest is a mixed bag. Before ''Beyond'', the songs are fairly decent if not good. ''Eyes of a Child'' sticks out the most here as it's a two parter (''Floating'' separates the two parts) with both parts sounding like night and day (part 1 is soft and acoustic while part 2 is typical of John Lodge's upbeat writing style). Unfortunately, after ''Eternity Road'', CHILDREN'S just plods in soft rock mediocrity; ''Watching and Waiting'' really takes the cake as it's as noneventful as watching water evaporate.

This has the typical Moody Blues sound, so if you're familiar with other (likely earlier) albums, CHILDREN'S shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Nothing earth-shattering, but nothing offensive; it's only slightly better than averagy-average.

Last words: Butterflies sneeze?

Ambitious and naïve, colorfully diverse yet fully structured, "In Search Of The Lost Chord" was the album that was a defining statement by The Moody Blues - the affirmation of their permanence in the artsy roads of orchestral-driven rock without the actual addition of a real symphony orchestra. But this is no facsimile of "Days Of Future Passed" but the germination of The Moodies' unique voice in the realms of the then emergent progressive rock scene. All musicians give themselves ampel room to display their versatility besides their own specialized instrument: sitar, autoharp, celli, soprano sax, sundry percussions,... As much as their presence can be noticeable as relevant providers of sonic color, three items are the nuclear ones when it comes to the band's logistic nucleus: the multiple mellotron inputs, the soaring lead guitar and the vibrating bass lines, either complementing eaqch other or alñternating their role within the basic architexture of a specific song or verse. The album kicks off with a funny (yet not lacking poetic solemnity) intro entitled 'Departure', which depicts the start of a search in a crescendo of jolly madness. 'Ride My See-saw' brings the old-fashioned twist to this madness and states a positive vibe in a straightforward way. The same positive aura is preserved in Thomas- penned 'Dr. Livingstone, I Presume', which shows his usual penchant for mixing children's song and Celtic dance. I wouldn't have minded it becoming a bit more extended for teh final choruses, since the song seems to reach a special climax while it fades out definitely. But again, at this time, I am feeling a bit impatient to hear the next compositions by Lodge and Thomas. Lodge's 'House Of Four Doors' is a lovely semi-ballad with epic expansions that include snappets of Medieval folk, Baroque chamber and Tchaikovsky-style symphony. It is divided in two parts, with the last one being really a coda. In between is Thomas' most epic composition ever, 'Legend Of A Mind' - a musical tribute to LSD guru Timothy Leary, it combines melodic Beatlesque pop and exotic nuances under a solid psychedelic guise, also including a beautiful extended flute solo. This is an absolute early prog classic, and the informed listener should be aware right from the start of how unfairly underrated this song is in the rock history books. The album's second half is dominated by Hayward and Pinder. Hayward's 'Voices In The Sky' and 'Visions of Paradise' are plethoric examples of his skill for delivering bucolic-oriented folk-rock, both providing subtle Asian moods as an extra touch. Meanwhile, 'The Actor' has a more bombastic orientation while keeping itself in a semi-slow ballad's framework. Pinder's 'The Best Way To Travel' is an acoustic guitar- centered pop song with spacey mellotron adornments gently intruding, and this is how this song earns some controlled sophistication. 'The Word' is a mystic poem by Edge, followed by Pinder-penned closer 'Om', a lovely track that heavily relies on India's patterns. Even if the musical scheme feels a bit shy when compared to 'Sun Is Still Shining' (from the "Children's Children" masterpiece), you can tell that the band is genuinely focused on their work. All in all, this album is only a partial exhibition of the sort of musical magic to be enhanced in later albums, yet it deserves to be regared as an excellent MB addition to any rock collection. ...And if it is a prog rock collection, even more excellent.

(I dedicate the review of thsi album to the memory of the recentlyh departed Tony Clarke, the producer who indeed was the "Sixth Moodie").

Not a great album. But with great passion. And with Patrick moraz at Keyboards. This is a normal Prog POP album with two of my all time preferred song: "22,000 Days" and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker". Interesting, for me, is also "Talking Out Of Turn", a simple ballad.

Good for production and for arrangements, "Long Distance Voyager" is not a perfect album because too Rock and POP and too few Prog. But for A 70's Prog band in 1981 is a good album. Certainly not only for Prog and 70's Rock die hard aficiònados. But, in truth, an album that disappoints me. Though I adore him.

That wasteland on the cover looks pretty dry; unfortunately, that's how I describe the music here on SEVENTH SOJOURN. I fully understand that many a progster will like the seemingly softer sound on this album as about 60% of this album is very quiet and soft musically. However, my tastes demand more energy and drive than what SEVENTH SOJOURN can give me; that is why I take much solace in ''I'm Just a Singer'', the only time there's some punch on the album aside from a couple of other songs like ''Lost in a Lost World''.

Songs like ''When You're a Free Man'' and ''Isn't Life Strange'' put me to sleep; if I am awake during these songs, I feel too compelled to make snoring noises to prevent boredom. I understand this is more of a personal complaint. Those that enjoy quiet, soft prog might increase the star rating here to 3 or 4. For progsters like myself that prefer a harder, jumpier tone in their prog, this is not a great investment on the whole. Possibly worth it for ''I'm Just a Singer'', but earlier Moody Blues albums like IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD have much more of a punch to them that keep me interested.

Last words: The Justin Hayward tune ''You and Me'' sounds too much like every Hayward piece for the Moodies before it.

Umm, nature feeling here, calm dances with moderate and guided adventure here, feeling of 60s and their symphonic elements, which became somehow their trademark sound. Actually, this is my first review of TMD, but I heard few songs (I think that it was from live version of some kind), so I can compare, at least a little bit. These songs have big part of ambient sounds inside, involved by mellotron (one of reasons why I like TMD), but that's not everything. Melody, I mean really strong one, is something what you won't find much here, because this is about something different. It's about atmosphere, consistence. And all these tracks are making concept album, linked by theme.

3(+), not so catchy and interesting for me at first, maybe next time. I just don't hear, don't Feel meaning in this.

Not quite really a dream, but it was a nightmare once upon a time...

I heard THRESHOLD right at the height of when I was getting into the Moody Blues coming right after the euphoria of DAYS hit me and the psychedelics of LOST CHORD. Unfortunately at first listen, my appreciation of the group was halted; it sounded too much like plain pop.

The Graeme Edge bits are getting quite old at this point; I was never fond of them on either of their two previous attempts, but the starting track is just over-the-top ridiculous. I think it's supposed to represent that ethereal feeling in our mind that comes just before a dream, but the ''I think, therefore I am'' stuff might make Descartes rotate over his eternal x-axis.

It doesn't stop there; not one song that Lodge or Thomas contributed is pleasing to my ears, minus the ''Are You Sitting Comfortably?'' speck (but Thomas cowrote that with Hayward). ''Send Me No Wine'' has this annoying country-vibe to it and ''Dear Diary'' (I usually call it ''Dear Diarrhea'') is just flat out boring. Pinder's ''So Deep Within You'' also falls flat on its face as it tries to be macho-with-mellotron, whatever that means.

Pinder more than makes up for the first shortcoming with the ''Have You Heard'' suite at the end. The ''Have You Heard'' parts are the right kind of soft for me; gentle and delicate but without overdoing it. ''The Voyage'' is an instrumental breakup of the ''Have You Heard'' parts, and while it could sound boring at times, it mostly is quite nice and pastoral. Hayward's contributions are also strong, but they're more uptempo pop-rock than anything else; not ''Nights in White Satin'' caliber, but excellent given the other songs around them.

I find this as a grower of an album; sometimes you need a few bad dreams to get back into a good one. It doesn't hold a candle compared to its two predecessors, but it's not too degrading to the ears.

Last words: I am sitting comfortably.

To Our Children's Children's Children - The Moody Blues (3.92/5 stars) Original Release: November 21, 1969

Songs:

Higher and Higher (4 stars) This song starts with a rocket blast and continues on with that theme with a driving rhythm and energy that evoke a sense of a powerful rockets engines. Poetry describes the blast- off as well. This song sits as a dependent piece of the whole album and its meaning is derived therefrom.

Eyes of a Child Part 1 (4 stars) The harp, keyboard and lyrics paint a scene in outer space where, perhaps, stillness. quietude and mystery prevail over the noisy Earth (audible rocket engines of the first song). The lyrics evoke the sense of a new world and a child-like perspective one has in it.

Floating (4 stars) The next song lightens the mood and lyrics speak merrily of the freedoms of the moon walk. Joy is found in this new world The bass guitar provides a pleasantly pulsing rhythm that seems appropriate. Eyes of a Child Part 2 (3 stars) Higher energy reprise; lyrics speak of looking back at the earth. The view of the Earth from space is a classic image of our technological age and is, nonetheless, a mythic image for our modern times.

I Never Thought I'd Live to be a Hundred (4 stars) Short, quiet guitar-vocal interlude. The lyrics are suggestive, but I am not clear on an interpretation.

Beyond (3 stars) Instrumental that comes in and out of volume with various sound effects and a variety of musical themes. Suggests the passage of time as is, perhaps, a musical analogy to the next song's title. Maybe we are moving every outward past the various planets.

Out and In (4 stars) Dreamy, calmly upbeat song about the new perspective beyond the planets, the wider universe that is there that we, perhaps, ignore in the heat and glare of our earthy lives. A journey is often needed to lend one perspective although to others it can seem like aimless wandering.

Gypsy (Of a Strange and Distant Time) (5 stars) The album picks up new energy with this great song. Keyboards come in on high and low notes. There is a complex mix of musical phrasing. We, the space travellers, have crossed some threshold into timelessness. Having moved this far away from earth we are:

"Left without a hope of coming home..."

Eternity Road (4 stars) This song has the rhythm of a travelling song. The lyrics suggest that this outward journey has become an inward one.

Candle of Life (4 stars) Against the vastness of space where you can only see distant stars whose light comes from the distant past you are truly alone. I imagine the rocket ship to be in shape similar to a candle. Maybe there are times in life when one has to have infinite patience with no promise of reward.

Sun is Still Shining (4 stars) This song carries a more joyful, mystical tone with vaguely Indian sounding instrumentation. The Indian sounding instrumentation compliments the lyric's description of reincarnation of the spirit in the body as a choice.

I Never Thought I'd Live to be a Million (4 stars) Musical interlude whose lyrics indicate that now instead of being 100 years old you are now 1,000,000 years old! You've come a long way!

Watching and Waiting (4 stars) The mystic turns lonely, a sad ending...like one has forever drifted off into space and away from humanity. The acoustic guitar brings us back and forth between despair and hope. On a website I saw an image of the single cover art for this song showing the band playing in a cave with what I took to be some deserted alien world in the background...evocative of the band wanting to bring us on a journey far out into loneliness of being.

Album: The Moody Blues were becoming experts on the concept album before any of the other well known prog groups (that I am familiar with) were releasing their first prog albums. Each song of any length has one or more catchy melodies that you can appreciate. Overall the album is existentially cathartic which reflects well the band's name. In the summer of '69 we had our first landing on the moon. This album was released about five months after that historic event. At this point in my reviews and within the scope of my knowledge I see The Moody Blues as the first serious developers of art rock beyond the early efforts of The Beatles with "Sgt. Pepper..."

Because of the composition of this album as a whole the individual songs do not shine so much on their own. I have rated the whole album as if it were a single song with 4 stars and I have given the songs this rating by default. It was the only way I felt I could fairly rate the album which is as has been said by others "greater than the sum of its parts".

MP3 recommendation:

Gypsy (Of a Strange and Distant Time) (5 stars) 1. Gypsy (Of a Strange and Distant Time) (5 stars)

The only way I see to reasonably carve up this album is to try out this song individually which, for me, stands alone better than the any of the other songs because of its dense musical richness. Otherwise this album is best enjoyed as a whole.

While not progressive rock in its own right, this album pioneered the blending of symphonic and rock music, essentially preparing the way for future bands to follow suit and expand on the concept. Though the band and the London Festival Orchestra do play together, the latter, conducted by Peter Knight, performs half of the album on its own, such that I myself would be hesitant to consider this a true symphonic rock album (especially since there is only one proper rock song on the album anyway). Overall, it's a pleasing piece that fits the concept of an everyman's weekday extremely well.

"The Day Begins" The orchestra introduces the musical themes to this album in a beautiful and grand way. "Morning Glory," a poem written by the drummer, appears at the end.

"Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling" The first song on the album is similar to Oldies music, with the orchestra backing the main band.

"Morning: another Morning" Like the one that came before, this song is certainly a lot like Oldies music, but this time features a slightly more complex musical scheme, led by a perky flute. The orchestra takes over completely at the end.

"Lunch Break: Peak Hour" Had I not known better, I would have sworn I was watching a peppy scene from an old Disney film, with the orchestra prancing along as it does in the beginning. After the two-minute introduction, an upbeat pop-rock song begins, sounding like The Beatles and The Who. Afterward, there's a gentler vocal interlude, followed by guitar and keyboard solos.

"The Afternoon: Tuesday Afternoon The first of two hits from this album, this song blends the orchestra and the band pleasantly, creating a rich sound on this memorable pop tune. It boasts a jaunty, well-known second section, played twice before the orchestra offers its more graceful rendition. It leads into "Time to Get Away," a section that highlights the twilight and the end of the workday, with music that is gloomier, more reflective, and feeling "tired."

"Evening: The Sun Set: Twilight Time" Following an elegant orchestral introduction (again, try not to think of Walt Disney), a song with sparse instrumentation and a catchy melody takes over. Over easygoing percussion, the orchestra plays sweet notes. After that part, a sprightly piano hammers out chords while thick vocals and music work over it. Predictably, the orchestra alone finishes the track with some "winding down" music.

"Night: Nights in White Satin" Easily the most widely recognized song from The Moody Blues (and the first one I ever heard from them), this lovely song has a highly memorable melody and musical theme. A gorgeous flute interlude dances along acoustic guitar and Mellotron. The orchestra handles the ending, leaving the listener with the words from the poem "Morning Glory."

"Days of Future Passed" by the Moody Blues is as full of passion an mystic appreciation of the various moods of the day as it was innovative as a collboration of pop-rock band and orchestra as well as, as I've read, the first outing of the mellotron. For many this album is the starting point of progressive rock.

The Day Begins - The album opens with a long cymbal or gong roll that resolves into a variously passionate description of the themes found throughout the album, an overture. Then there is poetry on the night and the coming of dawn. The orchestra responds obligingly.

Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling - The Moody Blues proper chimes in. Eternity is invoked in this song of the dawn. One is still caught perhaps in a dream state or a state of undisturbed blissful hope for the possibilities of life. The chorus, a gentle, soul guide:

You're here today No future fears This day will last a thousand years If you want it to.

The Morning: Another Morning - Okay, we're up now and a busy day is ahead of us full of childhood fun. The lyrics recall the timelessness of childhood the morning of our lives. An orchestral transition nudges you forward into the day.

Lunch Break: Peak Hour - We are definitely moving now in 60s-toned orchestral effects; the orchestra invokes images of downtown in the city and everyday human industry. The Moody Blues play an upbeat song. The topic is akin to "Good Morning Good Morning" by The Beatles and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" by Chicago...to what end are we all so crazily running around?

The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)/Time to Get Away - "Tuesday Afternoon" is a dreamy song about the afternoon, presently mystical rather than wistful. Tuesday is, perhaps, not a day thought of as worthy of song but The Moody Blues find plenty to sing about creating a unique song and perspective on a day as a result. This track also includes another song "Time to Get Away" which moves from lightly ominous to a more joyful mood.

Evening: The Sun Set/Twilight Time - With, perhaps, the last burst of the daytime's intense activity the orchestra gives way to an exotic song (sound maybe gamelan-like/Asian). This changes the tone a bit making the familar, seem unfamiliar and full of a strange and unearthly power. Then an orchestra interlude resolves the exotic into something more sensual. The second song in this track is a piano rocker with spiritual chorus soaring in the background; the world of dream seems to take hold again. Perhaps both songs mean to bring us round to this other-world. Plenty of song time is given to the night in this album of day and night. The song ends with an orchestral transition into the deeper night.

The Night: Nights in White Satin - Perhaps this song is meant to dissolve the passions of the whole album into two lover's sharing their passion. The chorus is lke some haunting ache of love in the darkness. If you have a heart this song will bring you tears of joy. The orchestra brings in the climax of this song. Further orchestration and poetry and finally the deep splash of the gong bring this song and album to a close.

(5 stars) Days of Future Passed is an early concept album which elevates pop-rock to an art. Music can take us on an emotional journey through imaginative landscapes and this album does so with creative passion. The band and orchestra work nearly seemlessly together here making this a great example of this kind of collaboration. This album compares well to The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" as a much clearer concept album with more compassion and the mellotrons seem to amplify the sense of the mystical as well. This makes "Sgt. Pepper..." seem darker and sarcastic in comparison.

I recommend the album as a whole to progressive rock fans and the following songs specifically: "Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling", "The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" (not so much "Time to Get Away"), "The Evening: The Sun Set/Twilight Time", and "The Night: Nights in White Satin".