LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER

I'm not a huge Moodies fan; the only album I had before this one is Days of Future Passed. (I've acquired several more since.) Based on the singles "Gemini Dream," "Talking Out of Turn," and "The Voice," I expected Long Distance Voyager to be solid, commercial pop/rock. While not as artsy-for-art's sake as Days (whose artsiness I generally enjoy), Long Distance Voyager is also not nearly as commercially driven as I thought it'd be. "22,000 Days" and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" have more in common, to my ears, with "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" than they do with "I Know You're Out There Somewhere;" the hits (I include "Meanwhile" here) have aged well; and even the more balladish "In My World" has grown on me. Things bog down a bit toward the end ("Nervous" and "Painted Smile/"Reflective Smile"), but on the whole, it's as consistent as Days of Future Passed.

Its early-80s release date and the fact that it spawned some successful singles probably make Long Distance Voyager suspect to many prog fans. But the Moody Blues always sought to have hit singles, and I think that the group is accurately classified here on Prog Archives as "Crossover Prog." Long Distance Voyager is really no more or less "progressive" than the average Moody Blues album of the 1960s or 1970s.

Overall, this is a high-quality album, well produced, with good songs. Not a masterpiece, but recommended for any progressive rock fan.

P.S.: Long Distance Voyager is Patrick Moraz's first LP with the Moody Blues. His playing seems somewhat restrained, and is pushed back in the mix. Given the generally tasteful string arrangements, this actually works well. Anyway, if you're looking for the follow-up to Relayer, keep looking.)