Ed's Moody Blues Appreciation Thread...

What new Steely Dan SACDs? I read that the ones slated for release last fall had been rejected by the artists. Are they out now? Where can I get them?

 

I sense a hijack going on... But to answer the question, no, they're not out yet, but many of us are hopeful they will be by year's end....

Now, on to OCTAVE, the last album on which Mike Pinder appears.

Listening to it this morning, occurred to me that Mike's heart wasn't really into this one, and that's something he has discussed in the past. He has only one song here("One Step Into the Light"), though his handiwork can be heard throughout. In hindsight, though, he was inadvertantly pointing the Moodies toward their stylistic future with "Slide Zone," as the rather garish parts he plays would be heard again after Pat Moraz signed up. Happily, Mike's work is more subtle elsewhere on the album(which also had blue wax version). Overall, this is a good effort, but with the exception of "Slide Zone"(which is memorable, if nothing else)and "Driftwood"(the album's finest cut, IMO), it didn't make me forget the earlier work. Good material, but the charm of the Original 7 was often missing here. There were, however, a few artistic stretches, like "Top Rank Suite"....

1. Steppin' In A Slide Zone
2. Under Moonshine
3. Had To Fall In Love
4. I'll Be Level With You
5. Driftwood

6. Top Rank Suite
7. I'm Your Man
8. Survival
9. One Step Into The Light
10. The Day We Meet Again

 

thanks. Sorry for the hint of a hijack...I've been scouring the net for info about these 2 groups possible/eventual release of SACDs. Thought maybe there was news I had missed.

 

Would there be any good reason for me to seek out the comp Voices In The Sky? I thought i had read somewhere about certain tracks having single mixes not available elsewhere.

 

At the time(1984)had the stereo 45 mixes of "Nights" and "See-Saw" and fine sound quality. These have turned up elsewhere in stereo, however. VOICES wasn't comprehensive, just offered a nominal sampling of their work.

 

Help!



OK, so far on my Moody Blues quest, I've purchased the following:

1. This Is The Moody Blues-- 1989 import re-mixed set. Sounds pretty good overall. Maybe a little "dinky" and "digital" but OK.

2. All of the 1997 remasters. Not the sonic travesty some would allege, IMHO, but still unsatisfying. Warm and mellow, but some of these discs are almost muddy and blurry-sounding, not sharp and focused. Inoffensive in the worst sense of the word. Maybe not drawn from the best tape sources.

3. Gold: brand-new 2005 2CD set, mastered by Ellen Fitton. Holy cow, way more bass than any of the other versions I've heard so far. But where's the tape hiss? It comes and goes, and *appears* to change in volume within the same song, which suggests to me there's some manipulation going on here. Something's "off" here, although there's more "clarity" and "immediacy" to the sound, and it's a pretty "clean" presentation. A bit louder than the 1997 remasters, but not offensively so. Not crispy or hard, or overly EQ'ed but lacking "air" though. Still not "right" anyway, and not especially "musical". I almost prefer the 1997 versions.


So here's my dilemma-- at this point, I'm not wedded to any particular mix or version (edited or unedited) of any of these songs. My main concern is finding good-sounding versions that I can burn onto my own CD-Rs to make my own "boxed set". This means cutting a few songs here and there that I don't like or need, but on the '97 remasters and the This Is set, all the songs are connected, they fade into one another. This makes dropping in my favorite versions of individual songs from individual sources difficult or impossible and still maintain continuity.

I've done many searches here looking for answers to these questions, but they still remain.

1. I can't afford MFSL's so they're out.

2. How are the 1997 (?) Japanese versions in the mini-LP packaging? Are these any different than the '97 remasters available domestically? One recent ebay listing claimed they had better sound, but I'm skeptical.

3. How is sound quality on the 1994 box set Time Traveller? Is it preferable to the '97 remasters or identical? Who did the mastering on this? I can afford to lose a song of two from the first classic albums if it means that what remains sounds good. Again, if they are edited versions, it's not the end of the world for me.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

Depends on what you need, Mark. For singles VOICES IN THE SKY and THE SINGLES + will do ya. Since MFSL is out, go with the original '80s pressings, which have the white spine and blue/red stripe at the top. These too are not perfect, but better than the remasters, for sure! TT is a fine box, and it has plenty of what you want, I'm sure.

GOLD I'll review later on, but yes, it is louder and bassier than I'm accustomed to. Not sure exactly what Ellen did here, although we'd all love to have her visit the board and explain her mastering philosophies.

 

Hello, Ed. I've owned a couple of The Singles + Holland comps, one of the Walker Brothers (Scott Walker, see avatar ), and one of Dusty Springfiled. Both were bright and "crispy" but I liked the Dusty set better sonically, it's actually pretty good I was happy with it. A 2CD set is only useful to me if it has great sounding versions of the songs that I can drop in discreetly on my own "best of" compilation I intend to burn from the best possible sources. Voices in The Sky appears to be a dinky 10-song comp, that's not nearly enough for me.

That's why I'm hoping the box set from '94 might do me OK. Who mastered that specifically, and how does it sound in and of itself (regardless of mixes used or editing issues)?

As it is, the '97 remasters are sounding better and better... Don't leave me with these... Thanks!

 

Good point, Jack White, I am definitely SACD-capable.


But... I've recently read quotes from Sony brass that their format of the future is Dual-Disc DVD/CD. It's too lengthy to go into, but I've been paying attention very closely to the whole SACD debacle, and my feeling right now is that SACD is DEAD as DEAD could be. I'm not holding my breath waiting for future SACD releases, as promised/scheduled or otherwise. We've already seen lately that releases we were expecting have been pushed back, and the general flow of SACDs seems to have been shut off (particularly from the major labels).

I'm also DVD-A capable, but my DVD-A system isn't quite up to the same standard of my CD/SACD system, so I'm almost better off with plain vanilla CDs. I'm happy if DVD-A survives, it's better than Redbook, but I'd prefer the doomed SACD....

 

I'll have to defer to other members on this one, my box has been MIA for awhile, not sure where the hell it is....hate to have to spring for another by the time I have to review that one! I know it's around here somewhere...

Uh...no! We don't want that....but, in the meantime:

LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER....first Moodies album of the '80s; first with Patrick Moraz, first without Michael Pinder; and, after so many years with Tony Clarke at the production helm, we have one Pip Williams at the production helm(the name sounds familiar, sure I've encountered it on other albums in my collection, but can't remember which those might be).

This was a true shift in direction, far more overtly commercial in orientation in some ways...not all of them positive. Seemed to me at the time that an obviousness had crept into the music, that, despite the name of the final cut, there was something less cosmic about this incarnation of the band. That I could only attribute to Mr. Moraz: while Pinder's work could be bombastic, even then it could also be filled with great subtlety and shadings. Moraz's work, which I thought to be in the Keith Emerson school of excess, only not quite as skillful and egocentric(though it must be said Emerson was capable of being subtle when he was in the mood--which wasn't often).

What LDV did do for the band was give them more than they'd had since 1972: a few hit singles! In the US, OCTAVE didn't accomplish that--both singles flopped, as AM radio wasn't interested in even edited versions, while FM was more hard rock oriented(indeed, a friend of mine working in FM at the time liked them but considered them passe, that his audience preferred Boston, the Stones, and Journey--and of course, he was right). Both "The Voice" and "Gemini Dream" went Top 20. The underappreciated "Talking Out Of Turn" didn't do well, but was in their fine tradition of smooth, dreamy ballads. Even so, like OCTAVE, kind of uneven, a pattern that, IMO, pretty much repeats itself the rest of the way. Yet LDV not only remains their only US #1 album--!--it also brought them into the arena age, and they had a good ride on its coattails for the remainder of the '80s(and one might argue, beyond).

1. The Voice
2. Talking Out Of Turn
3. Gemini Dream
4. In My World

5. Meanwhile
6. 22,000 Days
7. Nervous
8. Painted Smile
9. Reflective Smile
10. Veteran Cosmic Rocker

 

The original "Voices In The Sky" made in West Germany has 12 songs instead of 10. I got mine off eBay not long ago. Good sounding comp.

PAT

 

Ed: "The underappreciated "Talking Out Of Turn" didn't do well ..."

I love that song Ed. It is one of my favorite Moody Blues songs. With headphones on, it is wonderful.

 

I'm very fond of it...and took a long time to find a vinyl DJ 45, the stock was styrene, which just wouldn't do....

 

You are a MOODY freak, that's for sure. And that's a good thing.

 

I stand accused...and convicted...hey, who else would start this one, and HERE, of all places?

 

What is your favorite Moodies song?

Mine is "Out and In" on TOCCC. Great in quad!

That may be one of my top 5 favorite records. Along with ...

1. Pepper
2. Ambrosia 1
3. Pet Sounds
4. TOCCC
5. Kind of Blue

 

I'd like to say that the Moodies make my Top 5 or even Top 10 for albums, but...they don't, though as a band, they're certainly in the TT, always will be.

A few fave ED albums:

Love: Forever Changes(always #1)
Velvet Underground: White Light/White Heat
Beatles: Rubber Soul (USA edition)
Beatles: Revolver
Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells A Story
Allman Brothers Band: Eat A Peach
James Brown: Live At The Apollo

Oops, that's 7 already, and haven't even picked a Miles title yet...nor will I, that's variable depending on the hour or day....

The Moodies and Bee Gees are a band I care very deeply about for the overall body of work...now, that's also true of the Beatles, but they're a special exception, too; so are the Velvets , provided we fans can forget SQUEEZE ever existed....

 

Oddly enough, Long Distance Voyager is one of my favorite Moodies albums. I don't care for Veteran Cosmic Rocker, but otherwise a very solid album.

One of the few Moodies records that I like.

 

Good morning, Pug

So early in the morning for such galling blasphemy..... They used to burn folks at the stake for a lot less than comments like that....

Over many years of talking to fellow Moody fans, I've found that while many always kept the faith among the older crowd, those--say, ten years younger--knew about the 'Original 7' fairly well, and the Laine/Warwick period(maybe)...but it was LDV and its two big hits that reawakened their interest. More than that, this was the year that brought the band a larger, and in some ways younger audience. Kind of an old and older crowd that has kept them active ever since. True, you see some in their '20s, even early '30s at their concerts these days, but by and large, it's '40s, '50s, even '60s for the mainstream Moodies concert fan.

Their declining sales over the years make it obvious that, beyond record company apathy, the fanbase is aging but not attracting anyone new, and the Moody fan boards I hang at bear this out, from what I can tell.

Although my feelings are mixed about LDV, no denying that without the big success the band had here, we probably wouldn't have this thread and the band could very well have become, at best, a doddering nostalgia act.

 

Nice profile on LDV, Ed. I grew up on the "Classic 7" and I found LDV to be a great breath of familiar, long-lost fresh air in the early 80's. Although I adore(d) OCTAVE, it really didn't SOUND like a Moodies album...LDV does! Something for everyone: muscular singles ("the Voice", "Gemini Dream"), a minisuite ("Smile"/"Rocker"), drum spectacular (Edge's "22,000 Days") and two of John Lodge's best songs ever (the aforementioned "Talking Out of Turn" and "Nervous"). Add the glorious "In My World" (my favorite track on the album!) and you have an incredibly consistent and listenable album. I played the MFSL just the other day while I was cleaning the house...great vacuuming music!

Can't wait to hear your take on THE PRESENT, one of my desert island discs if there ever was one.

 

LDV, the first Moody Blues album I ever heard.

Time Traveller, apparently identical to 1997 remasters and each track is simply pasted in. In other words, you hear the end of the previous song on the original album as the track you are listening to begins and the main reason I passed on it.
Bob.

 

LDV was the first Moody Blues album I ever bought (I was 16 when it came out). I remember hearing "Gemini Dream" (or was it "The Voice"?) on the radio for the first time and telling my friend how glad I was that ELO had abandoned the disco stylings of its previous album. It wasn't until the fourth or fifth time that I heard the song that I found out it was actually the Moodies.

I also remember pulling out my calculator and figuring out that 22,000 days is only about 60 years, which is far less than the average life span. To be scientifically accurate, the song probably should have been called "27,000 Days" -- but that's not as easy to sing, is it?

Frankly, I'm not really much of a Moodies fan, beyond a smattering of hits, but I still enjoy hearing LDV for nostalgia purposes. (And despite my non-fandom, I've been enjoying this thread, Ed...)

 

Ed,

I asked this earlier and never received an answer...is the edit of Talking Out of Turn that is on Anthology and Gold the same edit as your DJ 45?

 

Brian,

Sorry if I missed or forgot your question....

4:12 is the DJ running time, and it's found on THE SINGLES +, not on GOLD nor ANTHOLOGY. The LDV version, of course, runs over 7.....