CAUGHT LIVE + 5

The band was so dissatisfied with their concert at the Royal Albert Hall on the eve of the 12th December. 1969 that the release of this concert on a double vinyl format was pushed till 1977. Maybe not the best year to bring this live album on the market.

In those days, who could be interested in such a work? The Moodies had disbanded several years ago already and the mood was not really favorable for their sweet and romantic music. Maybe a kick for the fans while awaiting their reunion album which was released a year later?

The band said that some drug abuse had limited their capabilities that night. Nonetheless, there are some good songs and enjoyable tracks of course. Mostly spread over their first three albums (since "Children" was not yet released and is only represented by one track - "Gypsy").

Highlights? "Have You Heard" (both parts), "The Voyage", "Nights In White Satin" and "Legend Of A Mind". The sound of this live recording is of course less polished, rawer, simpler than their studio albums of course.

All in all, the live set is a good represention of their hey days. But what the band had selected was too short to fill up a double album and a full side of unreleased tracks was added to complete the fourth side. Although they are not too bad, there is nothing special about these (if you want, I have described them in my review of their "Prelude" compilation).

In terms of rating, I would say that this album is average (five out of ten). I'll upgrade it to three stars.