Days of Future Passed
In Search of the Lost Chord
On the Threshold of a Dream
To Our Children's Children's Children
A Question of Balance
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Seventh Sojourn
Octave
Long Distance Voyager
The Present
The Other Side of Life
Sur La Mer
Lemme tell you, I used to mock these guys. Not bash them like most of the populace, mind you. Just mock them. Of course, I only knew “Nights in White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” and oddly enough, “Your Wildest Dreams.” I called them ‘50-year-olds even in the 1960’s.’ I scoffed at their poetic readings (although they mocked this on their appearance on the Simpsons). And when I heard “I’m Just a Singer” and “Ride My Seesaw,” I laughed at their ‘pathetic attempt to rock.’ I still make a few cracks, but they are with greater respect now. If that makes sense.
Really, these guys are allright. Their sound is lush, harmonious, sometimes boring but usually fascinating, and the group was very democratic (I’ll get to that later). Granted, their biggie was Days of Future Passed, a landmark album in ‘symphonic rock,’ and most critics probably stopped there and spat on the entire Moody Blues discography. Of course, they dropped the orchestra for their own Mellotron world, which pretty much dominates their next six albums. The Mellotron man Mike Pinder left and they turned to synths from there on out. I will look at those post-Pinder albums with great trepidation. Now for that lineup with instruments and voice descriptions, plus choir terms for what part they most likely sung in their harmony:
Justin Hayward- guitar, baritone. Let me tell you, I love Justin’s voice. He has a ton of raw emotion, and a rich sound. Plus he’s a baritone, as is yours truly. Oftentimes his vocals elevate ordinary songs (i.e. “The Actor”) or bring great ones to a whole new level (“Question”). Man, I want to sing like that. I’m serious.
John Lodge- bass guitar, first tenor. John’s voice is rather thin and undistinguished, except for his falsetto. He’s also responsible for the Moody’s more rocking songs, but he was not a bad ballad-writer either.
Ray Thomas- flute, second tenor. Ray’s trembling tenor works on some of his more childlike songs, before he traded that persona in for more serious/romantic tunes. Not that his voice hurt those tunes.
Mike Pinder- Mellotron, bass vocals. A good deal of Mike’s songs are kind of pretentious, pertaining to whatever theme on that album, but he had some unlikely highlights in the later days.
Graeme Edge- drums, poetry readings. I’m not too sure if The Edge actually recited his poetry on the albums, but he definitely wrote all of them. Bleah.
MIKE
I still listen to each of their albums today and still hear something new and redeeming.
And I want to sing like Hayward, too. Sometimes, with a little help from my friends, I actually can.
1967
I forgot to mention this on the intro page, but the Moody Blues started off as another UK R&B cover group in the early ’60s. Denny Laine was lead singer, they had a significant hit with “Go Now!” and fell back down. Laine left, Hayward and Lodge hopped aboard, and the Moody Blues as we know them took off. I’m not likely to look into their pre-Days material - although I did nab a song or two - but it deserves mention of some sort.
Now onto this album. Even today, it’s quite the controversy. Some critics are still aghast at the Moody Blues merging classical music with rock. In reality, the orchestra’s main focus here was having interludes between each track, not to mention an intro and outro. They do show up on a few songs themselves, but it’s not like they overwhelm them. The interludes are mostly typical Disney-ish cliches that don’t really have much to do with a given song, and the actual song usually doesn’t appear until a minute or so into that track. You also have what would become a Moody Blues tradition: dumb poetry readings serving as album bookends. Thanks a lot Graeme.
So I don’t really fancy the orchestra and I dislike the poetry. But everything else about the album is awesome! The concept on Days was periods of the day, and some people take that even further and claim it’s about life stages. Whatever side you choose, you can’t deny the presence of so many great songs here. That orchestra intro “The Day Begins” at least concentrates on snippets of the Moodies’ songs as opposed to Disney fare, so you can make it past that. The first Moodies song “Dawn is a Feeling” introduces us to Hayward’s lovely voice, despite the fact that it was written not by Hayward but by Pinder. Either way, it has a great serious feel to it.
Ray Thomas’ “Another Morning” lightens things up; it’s a bouncy, childlike number celebrating the morning. And of course, Ray’s tenor vocals are just right for the song. Next up is Lodge’s rocker “Peak Hour,” and as much as I hate people bandying the term Beatlesque around, that term fits “Peak Hour” perfectly. I swear I can hear Lennon on the ‘I’ve seen it all thru my window’ harmonies! Actually, the chorus progression is identical to “I Can’t Explain.” So Lodge likes the Beatles and the Who. Cool!
From there we move on to “Tuesday Afternoon,” one of the biggest radio hits for the group, and Hayward’s first spotlight (he didn’t write “Dawn is a Feeling,” remember). It’s wonderful, of course, especially the drawn-out transition from the solemn verses to the bouncy chorus. It fades into Lodge’s resigned “Evening - Time to Get Away,” highlighted by another Beatlesque moment: the chorus sounds like that of “Lucy in the Sky”!!! Pinder’s “Sun Set” follows, an Indian-type chant that’s better than most of his pretentious stuff on subsequent albums. That in turn fades into Thomas’ minor-key “Twilight Time,” where the piano really sets the dark mood very well.
The finale is a song we all know: Hayward’s classic “Nights in White Satin.” One time my brother and I heard it at a music store, and my brother got annoyed at the ‘yes I LOOOOOVE YOU’ coda (‘when does it end?’ he asked). But while I didn’t care for the song back in the day, I love it now. Besides the romantic/mortal feel, it’s probably the best example of Hayward’s amazing baritone. How does he make it sound so emotional??? It ends with Edge’s most famous passage, the ‘chips of red and blue and white’ one.
Were it not for the orchestra and the poetry, I’d consider Days of Future Passed a perfect 10. Luckily, the Moodies realized they didn’t need an orchestra for their next albums. From here on out, it’s Mellotron all the way. But all the songs on here are great, a feat that they wouldn’t duplicate again; each other album has some bit of filler. While many tend to dismiss the rest of their career after Days, they shouldn’t. Days is their best album, but the others ain’t so bad.
1968
Many people on the WRC see this as a huge drop-off from Days of Future Passed, saying that the Moody Blues dove right into psychedelia, which was growing old hat by 1968. Or maybe it’s the dumb concept, that deals with the search of a ‘lost chord’ and ends in an anticlimactic fashion. I overlook the concept, since I’d be less forgiving if I factored all these concepts into Moody Blues reviews, and I don’t see as much filler as everyone else. The really good news? No more orchestra! Mellotron takes over, baby!
In Search of the Lost Chord kicks off with Edge’s reading “Departure.” All I remember is he says tarmac somewhere, and he breaks up laughing at the end. Forget about it, it leads into the very cool Lodge rocker “Ride My See-Saw.” It’s their brand of rock songs, really up-tempo and awash with solemn harmonies, thus ripe for teasing. Thomas’ “Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?” seems to have gotten a critical lashing, but I find it rather fun-naive, and annoying in the least.
The concept kicks in afterwards, with Lodge’s “House of Four Doors.” It has awesome harmonies, and opening doors and finding what’s inside. Door #1 has a folk-style reading, Door #2 contains a more classical sound, and Door #3 has a rich piano melody. All of these play one part of the verse of “House,” you see? Even more interesting is how McFerrin pointed out the history of music with each door corresponding with an era (Door #1: medieval; Door #2: classical; Door #3: romantic). Takes me back to high school choir, that was one of the few proper tests we ever had in that class.
Door #4 happens to be the Moody Blues themselves, playing “Legend of a Mind” (AKA “Timothy Leary” on KaZaa/Limewire). Simply put, this is Thomas’ best song ever. The lyrics are your typical 1967-trip matters, but the airy feel is way cool, and the Mellotron bends and the gentle flute section make the experience complete. “House of Four Doors” gets a short reprise, and the Lodge-Thomas part of Days ends, as Hayward and Pinder take over.
Hayward’s efforts on Chord are more independent from the concept, so those who can’t stand the concept might like them. Of his three selection, only the dull mood-piece “Visions of Paradise” doesn’t make my cut. “Voices in the Sky” is a nice acoustic song made even better by Moody effects (Mellotron blares, Justin’s lovely voice), and “The Actor” works as a suite-type thing. The verses are brisk and swaying and the chorus is more dramatic, but I prefer to see them as two different songs. The verse part is OK, but the chorus part kills me. Hayward’s desperate ‘myyyy darling, you’re all I’ll ever see’ cries and the appearing harmonies just tugs at me for some reason. I. WANT. HAYWARD’S. VOICE.
Pinder, meanwhile, contributes the clumsy not-quite-rocker “The Best Way to Travel.” After Edge’s scene-setter “The Word,” we find out what the lost chord is. It’s OM. Oh. Pinder’s “Om” puts me to sleep, at least George Harrison made his Indian effort “Within You Without You” interesting. “Om” just doesn’t seem authentic enough. Still, I don’t see as much filler as others (“The Best Way to Travel” and “Visions” are, but not “The Actor” or “Livingstone”) on Chord. The songs just aren’t as wonderful as on Days.
1969
OK, here’s where I start to get bored. The Moody Blues got rid of the orchestra on Threshold, ditched the whole psychedelic scene, so what are we left with? Standard love songs, some weaker than the others. And another concept, something to do with dreams. I don’t know, it seems like Thomas is the only guy who doesn’t let me down on this album. Hayward’s hit-and-miss, Lodge’s stuff is OK, but Pinder is the biggest offender
Speaking of Pinder, I think he’s responsible for the heart of the concept. Edge’s opener “In the Beginning” isn’t really poetry, just the ‘I think, therefore I am’ saying followed by some computer sound effects that always remind me of Peabody and Sherman’s Wayback Machine for reasons I don’t even know. “The Dream” IS poetry, however. Pinder penned the dreary two-part “Have You Heard?” that’s broken up by the Mellotron instrumental “The Voyage,” which itself consists mainly of a repeated Mellotron line and is not very int’resting.
This time, some of Hayward’s pieces kind of fit in with the concept. “Lovely to See You” is his first attempt at a rocker, and doesn’t work. He would get better. “Are You Sitting Comfortably” (co-written with Thomas) precedes Pinder’s “Voyage” suite, and is as boring as “Visions of Paradise.” However, he makes up for it with the beautiful “Never Comes the Day.” Maybe “Never” takes a long time to get to the refreshing chorus, and maybe Justin could have sung it a little bit better (some parts get to me, just not as much as “Actor”), but it’s still my favorite on the album.
Lodge’s two contributions are decent: “Send Me no Wine” has a non-hokey country feel, but “To Share Our Love” sounds like a messy rewrite of “Peak Hour” and doesn’t really work. Thomas’ stuff is surprisingly downbeat: “Dear Diary” has the most depressing feel to it, but I thinks it’s fine. I prefer “Lazy Day,” where major-key slices of life are contrasted by a chilling minor-key harmony part that only the Moodies could pull off. Pinder’s love song “So Deep Within You” might be the worst Moody Blues song ever. The macho-love-sexual lyrics do not fit in with the Moodies, and the flute playing with the beat makes me cringe. I never thought I’d say this, but stick to pretentious concept pieces, Pinder.
As you can tell, Threshold is a total letdown for me. Maybe the idea of the Moodies writing normal love songs didn’t work, or maybe they needed a better gimmick/comcept. Thomas’ songs, Lodge’s minor highlights, and “Never Comes the Day” are all good, but the rest just doesn’t do it for me. Sorry, Pindy. Luckily, the next album showed them out of their slump. EDIT: So I raised the album score by one point, after Pinder's “Have You Heard?” and a few other moments grew on me.
1969
All right! Finally, the Moody Blues made an album comparable to Days of Future Passed. After the minor letdown of Threshold, they upped the pretension here on Children. For one, the Mellotron REALLY takes over, leaving sort of a cold, alien feel. It later proved to be incompatible with live shows, but for now it’s rich and atmospheric. The concept deals with space travel and time, and the concept pieces are much better this time around.
For once, the Moodies set Edge’s poetry to music: the opener “Higher and Higher” has a breathtaking ‘blast-off’ feel and trademark harmonies, so I can overlook Edge’s high-pitched musings. “Beyond” is another Mellotronstrumental, but instead of noodling around one line the whole time, it contrasts between fast rocking tempoes and slower sections. Hayward’s “Never Thought I’d Get to be a Hundred/Million” snippets are OK, at least they can serve as a break from the Mellotron world.
The rest? Well, when you’re hot, you’re hot. Only Hayward’s downbeat closer “Watching and Waiting” isn’t that great, but it’s much more interesting than “Visions” and “Comfortably.” He makes up for it in the perfect rocker “Gypsy,” that blends the rocking sound with depressing aura and lyrics so well! Thomas’ two songs are also winners. The light “Floating” lives up to its title in feel, and is just so pleasant. “Eternity Road” is mystical, even though it’s also upbeat. Hey, Pinder made up for his “So Deep Within You” debacle! “Out and In” has a better melody than the similar “Have You Heard,” and “Sun is Still Shining” is his best Indian-pop effort.
What about Lodge, you ask? Fitting in with the title, he has two “Eyes of a Child” songs! Imagine that! The first one has a delicate sound and great harmonies. The second one is another “Peak Hour” soundalike, but it still more than holds his own. But best of all is Edge’s best song ever “Candle of Life,” tied with “Gypsy” as my favorite. “Candle” in itself is beautiful, but Hayward’s vocals in the first part of the verse make me wanna cry, man. Lodge sings the second part of the verse and the hippie chorus ‘so loooove everybooodyyyy.’ OK, I could take or leave the chorus, but give me more of that verse!!! Hayward, you da man.
I can see how some people are put off by Children, one can only take so much Mellotron, and it might come off to some as detached and unemotional. But “Gypsy” and “Candle of Life” resonate with me just as well as the best stuff off Days Of Future Passed, just in a different way. The concept isn’t as hokey as before, a definite plus. Children doesn’t quite get a 10, because it’s no better than Days, and the concept pieces aren’t completely amazing. Still, an improvement over Threshold fo’ sho’.
1970
And here’s the Moodies’ long-awaited eco-album! By that I mean some of the songs here are more socially aware than before, concerning the environment. The other difference is the sound: the Mellotrons are scaled back a little. They’re still there, but it doesn’t exactly feel like an alien world like on Children. Ten songs here, but Hayward has three while Thomas has but one. Where’s the ’balance,’ guys? Huh??? Wait, that’s it! It’s a question of balance!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Seriously folks, the opener is the quintessential Moody Blues song, and currently my favorite: Hayward’s “Question.” Two sections here: fast acoustic rocking bookends with appropriate sound effects (knocking noises after ‘when we’re knocking at the door!’) and typically beautiful harmonies, and a slower, more contemplative middle with the album’s token tear-inducing Hayward vocals and a wonderful melody. Hayward’s other two are letdowns. “It’s Up to You” sounds like an improved “Lovely to See You,” but still doesn’t move me. “Dawning is the Day” has a morning feel, but that’s it.
Edge’s “Don’t You Feel Small” is more poetry-set-to-music, with a really neat melody. Just forget that whispering over the music. “The Balance” sucks though, just banal preaching and a vocal section that’s oh-so-’70s (why does it remind me of “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”? Am I crazy?). Pinder has another winner in the simple, catchy “How Is It (We Are Here).” And then he contruibutes a career highlight in “Melancholy Man,” a beautifully depressing number with his most emotional singing. His is the least attractive voice of the group, but he really sold that song on me.
Thomas makes his sole number count as the pretty “And the Tide Rushes In” deals with his rocky marriage and also has some of his most emotional vocals. Lodge’s rocker “Tortoise and the Hare” bounces along just fine, but I don’t fancy his shuffle “Minstrel’s Song,” where he continues his hippie vibe from the “Candle of Life” chorus. Danged tree-hugging hippie liberal godless ACLU-loving terrorist-supporting socialist...wait a second *turns off Sean Hannity’s radio talk show*. There we go.
Balance can’t help but be inferior to Children, but the Moodies are still on a hot streak for the most part. Only problem is the three-song stretch with “Minstrel’s Song” and Hayward’s two lesser numbers bringing things down; they’re all better by themselves, just not in that stretch. “Question” is still an unquestionable high point in their career and Edge doesn’t completely stink up the joint. Worthy of another 8.
1971
I’m really not one to listen to a band’s albums all in a row in a certain period of time. I listened to this over a year after I had assimilated Question of Balance, and I am not sure if the layoff made me sour towards the Blues of the Mood. See, this album is agreed upon to be a relative weak spot in the Moodies’ first seven albums. Indeed, a lot of songs on Favour are been-there-done-that, and there aren’t many standouts. But, I’m also seeing some total chaos in the arrangements/production in places, that makes matters worse. Whether they are actual or more reflections on my layoff, I don’t know.
Now, you want some good news? There ain’t no trace of Edge poetry! But, there’s still a lame opening track. “Procession” is merely a sound collage that means nothing, aside from some Latin word chants and whatnot. Sort of like “In The Beginning,” but more frustrating. Pinder’s sole contribution “My Song” seems to be a “Have You Heard”/“The Voyage” rewrite. The actual song is not bad, but the middle is another damn sound collage, if more varied than “Voyage.” Blah.
“Procession” does lead into Hayward’s rocker “The Story In Your Eyes,” the definite highlight on here. It’s no “Question,” but it does contain some evidence that Hayward can play the gee-tar. You really don’t hear that wailing solo tone that often in their catalogue. The only other really good tunes are Lodge’s soothing “Emily’s Song,” no doubt one of the better father-to-son/daughter songs our there, and Edge’s (!) “After You Came,” another rocker but different from “Story.” It’s that heavily harmonized kind a la “Ride My Seesaw,” and features the four singers trading off lines in parts.
I’m not fond of the rest though. Thomas lets me down here with two OK tracks. “Our Guessing Game” is a beautiful performance, but really does nothing for me. Must be the clumsy harmonies in the chorus that bugs me. Meanwhile, I’m no fan of “Nice to Be Here.” “Dr. Livingston” and “Another Morning” were just fine, I don’t need a combination of the two. Hayward’s “You Can Never Go Home” is like a second-rate “Watching and Waiting,” a dull ballad with little traces of Hayward’s lovely baritone.
Oh, and does the bottom fall out on the other track. “One More Time to Live” starts as a great little acoustic tune by Lodge, starts to build up and up when the title is sung, and gives way to..a massive trainwreck. Those Latin words from “Procession” are chanted ad nauseum amidst croaking vocals and Mellotrons. It’s an unmitigated mess, the one time where I just want the dudes to shut the hell up. Egads. On the whole, much like Threshold, I have no idea what the concept is on Favour. Don’t really care either. The tracks are messy and forgettable at the same time. A lonely 6.
1972
Another year, another Moody little album. But this is rather unique. See, Favour didn’t really have a concept, but stuff like “Procession” gave off the impression of a concept. But here, there is no poetry, no instrumental, none of that. By now the gang was incredibly exhausted, considering they’ve released an average of a little over one album a year since 1967, and constant touring. So there IS a loose concept, that of weariness, disillusion, DESOLATION! CREATION! CONJUGATION! MENSTRUATION! Er, sorry, that was on the last album.
Although it may not fit as an album opener, “Lost in a Lost World” is nearly as great as “Melancholy Man.” The constant midtempo pace is uneasy, there’s a lot of desperation in Pinder’s vocals, and the backing vocals are still a little messy, but add well to the overall chaotic sound. Pinder’s other contribution “When You’re a Free Man” is far less memorable. “Lost” didn’t really have a great melody, but at least it had other goodies of interest; “Free Man” is a slow, boring thing. The flute sounds OK though.
Thomas and Edge only have one entry on Sojourn, but both are worthy. “For My Lady” has become Thomas’ signature song, and for good reason. It takes the medieval feel of “Sitting Comfortably” and adds some romanticism and a few hooks from “Our Guessing Game.” Very nice effort, Ray-Ray. The rocker “You and Me” is a Hayward-Edge collaboration, and it actually sounds like a superior rewrite of both “Lovely to See You” (not as clumsy) and “It’s Up to You” (much better resolution in the chorus)! Speaking of Hayward, I’m not quite as enamored with “New Horizons” as everyone else, but the melody finally brings out Justin’s best, and there’s obvious baggage attached to the lyrical matter. The dorky “The Land Of Make-Believe” doesn’t really go anywhere, however, and is another wasted-opportunity Hayward tune.
More good news: Lodge is at an all-time high here! “Isn’t Life Strange” is Lodge’s very best ballad, with a great Chamberlain (the Mellotron’s replacement) line and Hayward and Lodge trading off verses. Not sure why Lodge tried to sound like Aaron Neville (‘isn’t life stra-a-a-a-ange?’), but oh well. And that pre-chorus and chorus are absolutely stunning. Those harmonies! Hayward’s guitar breaking through! And we mustn’t forget the song that got me first intrigued with the Moodies: “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock’n’Roll Band).” My brother heard this years before I, and to this day mocks them to no end for this rocker. It’s the height of all Moody’s rockers, driving and ALL harmonized. What a total gas it is. This and “Strange” were sizable hits.
The one big drawback of Sojourn is pacing, it’s almost all dreariness and a slow pace, broken up only by “You and Me.” Maybe that’s what makes “Singer” all the more jarring, coming in at the end and waking you up if you nodded off. But it’s an improvement over Favour, and somewhere in between a 7 and a low 8. The end of an era too, as the band disbanded for almost the rest of the decade.
Judemac
1978
They’re baaaaaack. After six years away recording solo albums and raising families and whatnot, the Moody Blues reconvened and came up with...their worst album to date. I guess you can’t expect the magic to be constant after a lay-off, without letting other elements seep in. On Octave, these new elements are synths and brass, among others. The synths are only natural, since Pinder and his Mellotron’s presence are limited, but the brass is sort of unwelcome, giving some songs on here a solo-Moody-Blues feel.
As on the last record, Lodge has two winners. “Steppin’ in a Slide Zone” might have thrown off many a listener as an opener, but is so much fun. It’s like “Singer,” only closer to ABBA-esque Europop than rock. And I get so much enjoyment over hearing the harmonies on ‘standing in a sliiiiiide zone!’ So dumb its genius. The ballad “Survival” would be just fine on any of the classic 7. Favour could have benefited from it. Despite the synths, it’s the best ballad on Octave.
Hayward is in total ballad mode here. They’re all decent. No “White Satin,” but no “Watching and Waiting” either. “Had to Fall in Love” almost sounds folkish, if only due to the harmonica. Not a bad touch. “Driftwood” almost sounds like ‘70s MOR, if only due to that damn saxophone. Not a good touch. Go away sax, let me enjoy the song. “The Day We Meet Again” is the best of the lot, if only due to a little more emotion. Always a good touch. The exception is the total lounge number “Top Rank Suite,” that is so wack and un-Moody Blues. I don’t hate the song like crazy, I just have a ‘yeah, OK, please don’t ever do that again’ stance. The intro puts me in the mind of that punk-pop classic “Turning Japanese” for some reason. One of those crazy connections I make with music.
Too bad the other band members have such crappy tunes. Pinder’s sole tune “One Step into the Light” shows him going out on a forgettable note (except for ripping off the bridge to “Imagine.” What a jerk!). Edge’s “I’ll Be Level With You” is so much weaker than “After You Came,” with an annoying generic Europop riff and is just stupid, stupid, stupid. “Slide Zone” was fun, this is grating. And Thomas? Ick! “Under Moonshine” and especially “I’m Your Man” really sound like your average sappy ‘70s MOR like Ambrosia or Leo Sayer. Hell, he may as well have done a cover of “When I Need You.”
There is just little cohesion on Octave, and not a lot of excitement either. The late ‘70s caught up to the guys, and the spark from the ‘60s-‘70s days is gone. Lodge helps to salvage the album, and Hayward isn’t too bad, but the lesser three have lesser tracks. They needed a change, and they got it in the ‘80s. For better of for worse.
1981
On this album, the transition to the ’80s is complete. Pinder is gone by now, replaced by some prog dude by the name of Patrick Moraz. He brought aboard a very synth-y sound that sounds totally incompatible with the Moods at first. But while they can be a distraction, they’re not the focal point of things, as they were on later efforts. At times the synths are more like window dressing to typical Moodies fare. Plus, the confusion of Octave is more or less gone, and the overall sound is an improvement.
Moraz’s synths come to play on the two hit singles “The Voice”and “Gemini Dream” more than anywhere else. “The Voice” kicks off a tradition of starting an album with an upbeat pop tune courtesy of Hayward. I like “The Voice,” it has a good melody but is perhaps a bit too energized; I might prefer a slower tempo. The Hayward-Lodge collaboration “Gemini Dream” is very iffy, sounding exactly like ABBA via Xanadu. Those ‘make it work out/MAKE IT work’ parts irk me. Meh.
The ballads make up the strong points on Voyager. Hayward’s “In My World” is very adequate, but is too underdeveloped for a 7-minute length. “Meanwhile” is better, with a great melody and a not-cheesy feel. Lodge’s ballads get under my skin even more. “Nervous” sports a rare flute appearance and a moving performance. Yes, even the chorus is touching, I don’t find it as MOR-icky as most people do. “Talking Out of Turn” is no less gorgeous, and the verses flow so well they could go on forever and it’d be OK. I’d miss the chorus though.
What about Edge and Thomas? Are they Captain Bringdowns again? Yes and no. Edge’s pop tune “22,000 Days” trumps “I’ll Be Drivel With You” for sure, but is merely OK. Thomas’ three-part suite to end the album is a different story. For some reason, the old boy incorporated a concept about some ‘performer’ or whatever. “Painted Smile” sounds like a bad Broadway musical, as Thomas’ vocals are hyper-theatrical. The poem “Reflective Smile” (trying to be Graeme?) segues into the awful nightmare “Veteran Cosmic Rocker.” Look, I’m OK with the Blues rocking, but not in a circus-meets-’80s style presented here. Not to mention Thomas’ vocals are still in overacting mode. Egad, no wonder he was silenced from later ’80s albums.
It’s not the synths that are the main pitfall of Voyager - with the exception of the guilty non-pleasure of “Gemini Dream” - it’s the Thomas suite, it would knock down a classic album 2 points. But the rest is mostly pretty good, and not a radical change from classic Moody Blues. The next album corrects a few problems, but a few more are in the mix. Read on.
1983
Another ‘80s Moody Blues album. It’s cut from the same cloth as Voyager, with Moraz’s keyboards everywhere, more so than ever. And da Blooz take more steps away from their classic sound and closer to, eek, adult contemporary. I mean, Voyager had “Nervous” and “In My World” that sounded like classic Blues, not sure what does on Present. Not quite helping matters is the depressing mood in the songs, as each band member sounds like they’re going through the motions with love and relationships. Divorces and whatnot.
Lodge’s steady decline starts here. The “Hole In the World”/“Under My Feet” suite(?) isn’t too inspiring: “Hole” is a short instrumental that sounds like the “Slide Zone” intro with marching drums, and “Under My Feet” lacks the build-up of many of Lodge’s previous ballads and a great melody than made the similar “Talking Out of Turn” a winner. I don’t know where I stand with the no-holds-barred cheesy rocker “Sitting at the Wheel.” It starts off as great fun with Lodge totally channeling Jeff Lynne, but it gets silly fast. Hey, at least it’s better than Lynne’s “Rock’n’Roll is King.”
Where Lodge falters, Hayward picks up the slack with four great ones. Well, “It’s Cold Outside Your Heart” isn’t great, but a decent ballad with STEEL GUITARS! On a Moody Blues song!!! “Running Water” is better, where you can revel in Mr. Hayward’s voice high in the mix; it’s not quite the killer as it was 15 years previous, but I hope I can sound like that when I’m 40. The real winners are his two opening midtempo pop tracks “Blue World” and “Meet Me Halfway.” “Blue World” was a minor hit, highlighted by a wonderful chorus. “Halfway” is just as good, with some amazing melodic twists.
Also on Present, we get a Thomas comeback!!! That is, if you discount the poem “I Am,” where Ray tries to summon up the Pinder-Edge ‘60s pretentiousness. Whatever. “Sorry” has questionable lyrics (that ‘laid-back uptown turnaround people’hook makes me want to sing ‘diamond in the back, sunroof top, digging the scene with the gangsta lean.’Call me weird!) but some heartbreaking moments in the chorus. His vocal power also salvages Edge’s “Going Nowhere” from A/C wasteland. Edge was enduring another divorce at the time, so I should forgive the emo lyrics ;-)
I just can’t give Present a higher grade than Voyager. Present is more consistent for sure, Hayward is on even more of a roll, and Thomas saves some face, but other little things ensure that Present won’t be on par with the best of the ‘Classic 7.’But, at least the boys were able to valiantly fight the ‘80s production this time around. But not for long...
1986
Uh oh, the ‘80s took over the Moody Blues here. That was a nice fight the Moodies put up on the previous two albums, but they ultimately lost. This was probably due to the presence of a new producer, who mandated more Moraz synths all over the place, and effectively wiped out most remaining ties to the Moody Blues’ past. Ray Thomas is MIA here, no songs, no flute, no vocals. Even if most of his post-1972 output was shit, he is sorely missed here. Edge does get in a co-writing credit, but I’m guessing he isn’t doing much drumming here. It’s ‘80s, baby.
So it’s pretty much the Hayward and Lodge show on Life, and Hayward doesn’t fare too bad. The upbeat opener “Your Wildest Dreams” happens to be the band’s best song of the decade, and was a hit helped by the nostalgic video. It’s really pretty, with an awesome melody to overcome the dated trappings. My dad loved this song too, so there’s nostalgia for me. “I Just Don’t Care” is somewhat sweet-y, but it’s intimate and sounds honest. His title track isn’t really my favorite, but it’s really unique for the band. The bluesy backbeat and ominous feel are at least interesting, if overlong.
Lodge? Not so lucky. He’s taken to the ‘80s thing, penning more trendy songs to fit in with the times. Only the ballad “It May Be a Fire” vaguely sounds like the Lodge I know. It’s OK, actually better than “Under My Feet.” But “Talkin’ Talkin’” and “Slings and Arrows” are dumb anonymous tunes that could be by any generic ‘80s-band. Elsewhere, “Running Out of Love” sounds exactly like Robert Palmer. I mean, it’s like a cross between “Addicted to Love” and “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” (the horrible Palmer remake, not the T Rex original). It is good for a laugh. But not “Rock’n’Roll Over You,” his biggest embarrassment to date. The title says it all (I have trouble even typing it), Lodge sounds like a freaking zombie, and the synth-effects are at the height of cheesiness. Why, Lodge? Why??
Yeah, Life is an obvious step down for the Blues. It shows a band finally succumbing to the bells and whistles of the ‘80s, and abandoning some of their personality. At least, Hayward saves it from total embarrassment. Oh yeah, Edge does pen “The Spirit” with Moraz. But despite the typical universalistic lyrics, it’s not distinguishable from the other rockers here. Poo.
1988
Now this is embarrassing. Since The Other Side of Life and “Your Wildest Dreams” were both successes chart-wise and the “Wildest Dreams” video even got some MTV airplay, Hayward and Lodge decided for another go-round. One of further and more severe lapses of musical taste: synthed everything, vain attempts to reach MTV, and cutesy vocals from Hayward. And Thomas and Edge? Who are they? We don’t need them! And out spewed this, er, ‘album’ with certain moments that are the worst I have ever heard from a good band.
As you would expect, Lodge is the guiltier of the two. Only his A/C “Love is on the Run” isn’t abominable, though it’s merely “It May Be a Fire Pt. II.” His corporate rockers are even worse than on Life; at least I could find funny connections to Robert Palmer and the Stray Cats there. Here we just have nameless shitfests like “River of Endless Love” and the “Gemini Dream” rewrite “Miracle.” I’m far from a Pink Floyd expert, but I’m sure “Breaking Point” is a poor attempt at Gilmour atmosphere. Oh, and then there’s “Here Comes the Weekend.” The low point of rock music, alongside “Spies Like Us.” Fucking fuck. It’s like everything about it was designed to make the nice guy Dan violent. Oh, the mock-threatening synth intro. The synth horns. The subject matter. The get-us-on-MTV hooks (“‘sall right, ‘sall right”). A musical apocalypse.
So Hayward, deliver us from evil � HAYWARD?! What is “Deep”?! Some dumb Freudian 6-minute excursion complete with sampled guy and girl groans throughout, is what. My lawd. “Vintage Wine” goes for nostalgia and a ‘nicer’ sound, but is ultimately tainted by Justin’s aforementioned cutesy vocals. Same for “No More Lies,” except nostalgia is traded by lame lyrics that have the same rhythmic structure as the Starship hit “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” On the brighter side, “Want to Be With You” is another passable A/C thingie.
But ah, there is but one saving grace on Sur, Hayward’s “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.” Yeah it’s basically a “Wildest Dreams” rewrite, only without nostalgia, and it would have benefited from a better production. But there’s no reason to refuse this one if you liked “Wildest.” Best melody on here. And some lyrics that truly resonate with me at this stage in my life. In the end, it’s still the best song I’ve heard on an awful album, more than I can say for Press to Play. Sur is most definitely the nadir of the Blues’ career, and it didn’t even sell that well! HA! Backfire!!!!