Moody Blues : C/D, S/D

Clearly, John Mendelsohn disagrees, courtesy of his RS review in 1970:

Recently something of unexaggerable beauty came into my life, something that was to enthrall me musically and elevate me spiritually, to pour oil on the turgid waters of my soul, to diminish my worldly riches by four-odd dollars while increasing my hopes of attaining far greater riches in another world.

That unexaggerably beautiful something was a record album; not just any ordinary record album, mind you, but one offering to my weary ears an abundance of spiritual and other insights and poetry that recalled the best of—yes, I dare say it—Gibran, colossal Straussian orchestrations simulated by a mellotron and heavenly choirs comprising seemingly thousands of over-dubbed falsetto voices.

That unexaggerably beautiful record album was the Moody Blues' very newest testament, A Question of Balance.

Everything about this remarkable artistic achievement, up to and including its very marvelous cover (which was done in gouache, compellingly depicting the confusion that is currently rampant in this topsyturvy world of ours, and rumored to be scheduled for reproduction on Threshold's forthcoming official lunch-boxes), borders on the divine.

Don't think for a wink that the Moodies compose anything other than very groovy music, music that might at first seem capable of standing on its own despite its melodic and harmonic puerility. That the Moodies never hesitate to add the aforementioned mellotron orchestrations and gigantic multi-voice choruses is simply a testament to their really caring about giving their all.

And their heady, thoughtful, eminently poetic lyrics just cannot be topped when it comes to important stuff like the universe and man's plight and soon. They're always real sticklers about giving us all those rhymes (mind/find, free/me, man/understand) that we're fondest of, and, unlike so many of their contemporaries, have the balls to pose the "thousand million questions about hate and death and war" that all of us want answers to.

Me, I can meditate pleasurably for hours on such verses as: "Blackbird sitting in a tree observing what's below/Acorns falling to the ground/He'll stay and watch them grow," at the end emerging from my meditation a more enlightened, happier human being, one better equipped to confront an often confusing universe.

I am confident that if you give it a chance you, as I, will not in your record cabinet, but be moved to store this album rather within the cardboard shrine that houses your Nam myoho renge kyo scroll.

[Rcally, friends, doncha think is sad that this group—who, were they to quit regarding themselves as seers, hock their mellotrons, and let Justin Hayward do all the writing and singing, might make some damn fine straightforward rock and roll—think themselves above making fine straightforward rock and roll?] (RS 70)

JOHN MENDELSOHN

(Posted: Nov 12, 1970)

So, after a few days of listening to ...Children's Children, Seventh Sojourn and various other songs--"Driftwood," "Question," and "Blue Guitars," let it be said that I believe the Moodies are--despite my own belief up to only a few days ago--hideously underrated as songwriters, performers and arrangers.

Yes, some of the material is dated. Yes, some of the lyrics are trite. And yes, some of their material is kind of ridiculous.

But if nothing else, these guys were MASTER craftsmen. Hayward wrote some truly brilliant pop songs, while Pinder had some weird genius for orchestral texture. As noted, "Question" is a classic--and ought to be an undisputed one--while "Beyond" is some crazy Tangerine Dream/Ash Ra Tempel amalgam. If the significance of their lyrics was exaggerated at the time, their sense of post-Beatles melody is underrated today.

Something else, for sure...

John Mendelsohn is the worst rock critic I've ever read ever.

More like among the best. Pre-punk rock critics would never react negatively towards musical ambition and musical skills. And that was a good thing.

Danny Laine would go on to be involved with some good albums in the 70s. But that was because of working with the greatest songwriter ever. Moody Blues had to get rid of him to get good.

As my goal is now to keep this thread alive come hell or high water, I should add that Blue Jays' "Remember Me (My Friend)" is outstanding post-Beatles orchestral pop. Great, great chorus...

yeah actually some of these records are better than I remember them being. certainly most of the early 70's ones are better than "days of future passed". I don't know that any of them are better than the bee gees albums of the same time period and they kind of tread the same waters.

i'm curious about the live at the bbc comp.

also, I now remember that I had a tape of "long distance voyager" when I was young and I loved that album. but it doesn't wear well. I also had "the other side of life" but even at that young age I knew better than to think it was any good

<i>"Beyond" is some crazy Tangerine Dream/Ash Ra Tempel amalgam.</i>

OTM. Shit is deep.

This thread forced me to dig out that first run of albums and they are all pretty worthwhile. Lyrically questionable I suppose, but so is Zeppelin, Rush, Yes, and almost everyone else namechecked on this thread so far.

This thread also needs some YouTube clips:

"Tuesday Afternoon" live sometime in the late 60s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjBvPHqO9KU

Fave part: Pinder running his Mellotron through a Marshall stack!

If the Moody Blues were an Elephant Six band in 1998, everyone would be gushing about them.

"Watch Out! The waiter is on acid!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_0yM7LSkdE

Ride My See Saw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAtFbQHdhOg

That's funny; I had a notion about the Moodys a year ago, that upon reexamination they might turn up relevant. But as I listened to my old records I realized they were kind of bad. They've got a quality, a sound, but it's kind of juvenile -- sort of like dungeons and dragons and romance novels. That's how they strike me in 2007, anyway.

Ok, still digging thru these first 7 records. Shamelessly love the chorus to "The Balance" -- and the poetry in the verses is kind of hilarious ("He saw an orange...he tasted it"). "Emily's Song" from Every Good Boy... is quite nice as well...

"Emily's Song" is wonderful, like Lennon meets Simon & Garfunkel...the Glockenspiel middle is simple and perfect.

Ok, now loving me some "Never Comes the Day" -- each of the three sections are aces, 1) the soft acoustic ballad verse, 2) the "If only you knew what's inside of me..." Scott Walker-esque section, and 3) the honking, rousing chorus w/ the harmonica.

Pretty great YouTube of it from 1970 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dzRdyC0abA

i'm curious about the live at the bbc comp.

I got around to listening to this and I stand by my comment above. If some band was writing/playing/sounding like this now, they would be total indiepop darlings.

"Peak Hour" from the BBC comp just showed up on random play and Great Cthulhu it sounds like the Small Faces at 200mph.

If some band was writing/playing/sounding like this now, they would be total indiepop darlings.

Maybe, but would they be any good?

Better than...every other indiepop darling anyway...

After many a moon (or several dozens of, more like) I'm listening to these guys again tonite and - To Our Children's Children's Children,o wot a very fine record indeed. Well, most of it.

Was a time (sometime last century) when a pal of mine used to have a coupla of the early vinyls. Every Good Boy and On The Threshold Of A Dream, iirc. Found them kinda 'mh, nice' back then... Then I had myself the Octave LP when it came out - the openinig track was sorta good, I vaguely recall, but otherwise...

And now I consider getting a few more of those early albums - soonish :)

Desola ... tion!

Crea ... tion!

Comunicaaation!

Which is to say, classic.

Pre-1967: Dud
1967-1972: Classic
1975 onwards: Neither

I heard "Ride My See-Saw" on Youtube and really liked it.

I think they're the classic example of a band that has benefitted from the (deliberate) neglect from subsequent generations.

If you're too young to remember them at the time they sound very fresh in comparison to the over-exposed likes of The Beatles, Small Faces etc.

A tentative classic methinks.

One of my daughter's favorite kinds of mac-and-cheese is Shells and White Cheddar. This causes me to hum involuntarily whenever I take it off the shelf.

I read last night that these guys are Urantian. Is that true?

tbh this was on a list that stated Neil Peart's religion is Objectivism.

If some band was writing/playing/sounding like this now, they would be total indiepop darlings.

If they'd cut down on their production budgets/studio time and play/sing a bit out of time/tune on purpose, then maybe.

For reasons I can't quite describe, Thee Oh Sees remind me of the Moody Blue. Like a Moody Blues rock number with the central vocal track eliminated and the remaining sounds run through a tape delay.

I read last night that these guys are Urantian. Is that true?

If memory serves, I think Justin Hayward was mixed up in Urantia for some time but I don't know how recent that was. John Lodge has occasionally spoken about being Christian/avoiding drugs/being "born again" but not in any kind of dogmatic fashion IIRC.

If some band was writing/playing/sounding like this now, they would be total indiepop darlings.

When I think about The Moody Blues, "The Actor" always pops in my mind. It has to be my favorite song by them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VDGwPiyLS8

do they really sound that much like far east family band?

anybody going?

http://www.moodiescruise.com/email/2013/10052012.html

So weird, I just queued up some Moody Blues on Spotify and then I see this. Not interested in the slightest, but I love the coincidence.

fuck i love this band ..

i mean seriously ..

60s psych vs 70s excess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CqwECqxGf4

If you're too young to remember them at the time they sound very fresh in comparison to the over-exposed likes of The Beatles, Small Faces etc.

how true this is ...

"Pre-1967: Dud
1967-1972: Classic
1975 onwards: Neither

― Geir Hongro,

"

despite the lack of ILM love for this band, i say that this summary is totally spot on.

ilm hates the moody blues.

i listen and enjoyed the moody blues today.
i search ilm and reminded that i am the only person to post in this thread for years.
not wanting to go all geir, but, ilm is wrong.
for a few years these guys totally killed it.
oh, and the remastered editions sound fucking brilliant.

"Days of future passed" is a tremendous album, very well recorded.

"Ride my see saw" is so so classic, harrowing psychedelic propulsion

And I love that mid 80s synth-y hit of theirs, something so subtle and delicate and disarmingly catchy

In Search of the Lost Chord really blew me away last time I heard it, I forgot how many great melodies there were on that thing. "Voices in the Sky" is just one of the prettiest little songs ever written, really

from the EGBDF wiki entry:

The album was the last to feature only the Mellotron, as it would be assisted by the Chamberlin (another device that uses recorded tape to generate sound) on the Moody Blues' next studio album, 1972's Seventh Sojourn.

Never heard of the Chamberlin before, I guess it was a precursor of the mellotron? Wonder who else used it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=21&v=REwMm3tiN10

i have the albums up to and including EGBDF, so never heard 'seventh sojourn', but i know i will succumb one of these days.
but, i have yet to take the chance on any of the 80s material.

I listened to the debut after seeing the long Classic Artists documentary on them, it's a totally brilliant album and I definitely want everything up to Seventh Sojourn.

I wondered why I hadn't really heard much about them even though they were apparently very famous. Even recently someone said they were extremely overrated, but by who? A lot of the magazines I would have expected to suck their dicks on a regular basis rarely mentioned them.

This thread is mostly positive so I don't see evidence that the forum hates them. Awesome band.

One of the live performances on the documentary with a flute solo blown me away. I'm just hoping that's on their early albums.

I don't see evidence that the forum hates them

true .. i was drunk.

why late at night in the usa does ilm get all moody bluesy?