LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER

In May of 1981, when the Moody Blues released "Long Distance Voyager," world events were tumultuous (when are they not?) Assassination attempts had been perpetrated against President Reagan and Pope John Paul II; a few months earlier, in December of 1980, John Lennon was murdered.

"Time is the only real foe you have got" . . . Ray Thomas sings in "22,000 Days" (60.3 years). Andy Rooney once famously asked, "Why is life like a roll of toilet paper? Because the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes . . . ." As readers of and contributors to ProgArchives.com, we should need no reminders of the inexorable and merciless character of time . . . . Basically, the lion's share of the subject matter of our site is anywhere from 50 to 59 years old. Of course, to have the gift of years is nothing we should take for granted.

Thus, 1981 feels closer to me than it actually is. I welcomed the release of "Long Distance Voyager." Compared to the Beatles, Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Genesis, I was a relative newcomer to the Moody Blues in 1978. However, I "made up" for lost time courtesy of the "This is the Moody Blues" collection. In 1978, after a lengthy hiatus following "Seventh Sojourn," the band released "Octave." I was and, to a certain degree, remain puzzled. The emergence of "Long Distance Voyager" was a solid return to form by the Moodies. And, it marked a certain measure of satisfaction for Patrick Moraz.

"What do Tony Kaye and Patrick Moraz share in common?" They both received "pink slips" from Yes to make room for Rick Wakeman . . . . In 1973, with the release of "One Live Badger" and equipped with synthesizers, mellotron, piano, and his beloved Hammond Organ, Tony Kaye received some "satisfaction" following his July of 1971 dismissal from Yes. In "Long Distance Voyager" Patrick Moraz, likewise, obtained a measure of satisfaction . . . .

Or, "what does one get, when he or she combines 'Relayer' and "Seventh Sojourn?" The abrupt departure of Mike Pindar following the 1978 release of "Octave" provided the occasion for the Moody Blues' acquisition of the "free agent," Patrick Moraz. In November of 1978, I was to see the Moody Blues for the first time at the old Chicago Stadium with the Swiss keyboardist. In May of 1981, following my junior year at the University of Notre Dame, while on the Mississippi River during a brief summer job, I first heard "Long Distance Voyager." The marriage of the Moody Blues and Patrick Moraz was felicitous . . . .

To a certain degree, Moraz's opening keyboards to "The Voice" are anthemic, signaling his emergence in the band. This album opener, "In My World," and "Meanwhile" are Hayward's contributions; "Talking Out of Turn" and "Nervous" with their lush orchestrations, Lodge's; Hayward and Lodge collaborate on "Gemini Dream" with another solid keyboard performance by Moraz; "22,000 Days," "Painted Smile," "Reflective Smile," and "Veteran Cosmic Rockers" belong to Ray Thomas. Throughout, the lyrics and music reflect the perspective of the album cover's "space probe" taking in the events of the cover's participants.

Since 1967's "Days of Future Passed," The Moody Blues have taken the "cosmological" perspective of humanity, whether from the macrocosmic or microcosmic angle. The titles "In Search of the Lost Chord," "To Our Children's Children's Children and "A Question of Balance" exemplify this orientation. With "Long Distance Voyager," Patrick Moraz joined The Moody Blues in this "cosmological" journey at a time, like always, when world events were somewhat cataclysmic.