if inducted they would probably sing 'Tuesday Afternoon' and 'Nights in White Satin', possibly 'Question' but I'd expect the first two, if only one song then 'Nights' of course as I said earlier would it be the 'core seven' five members - who are the only members up for induction - doing the song performances ? some of these induction shows performances have been either hilarious or upsetting (depending on your view) as old 'issues' re-surface - look at Blondie and The Hollies plus Creedence induction show performance fiascos ! Ray's health would be the biggest er 'Question' - he might not even attend (I think travelling is difficult for Ray now) and probably Norda Mullen would do the flute part, with maybe a relative accepting on Ray's behalf etc hope I'm wrong, I'd love to see all five together even if just to accept any induction Mike can still play and sing /narrate as well as ever so Justin's line re 'old retired men' is nonsense (like the "80's being THE era for the group" line he forever trots out....) I'd be interested to know what Graeme played acoustic drums on for SLM and KOTK - I was told or read that the first Graeme and Ray knew about SLM was when the finished album was presented to them ! - but that could be an exaggeration when we get to KOTK I know Graeme's opinion of it...!! re the money angle - Justin, John and Graeme are the directors of Threshold and it would probably be a three way split re concert money with Justin & John getting most of the songwriting royalties for their latter era works John did say they re-negotiated the Decca royalty return re the 'core seven' (being on a poor return originally) on behalf of both themselves and Mike Pinder - so in business terms they still include Mike and Ray (presumably) for the earlier material which I would assume was a five way split if inducted into the Hall of Fame and after that they then did a full 'one off' reunion show with them and their current touring band being joined by special guests Mike and if possible Ray (even if just a cameo) a blu ray (!) / DVD / CD of it would give The Moodies a massive boost both re loyal older and 80's fans and interest from at least a portion of the wider public into classic groups of the past etc... However I think Justin is more interested in building up his solo career now (John has more or less had to re-launch his too with an eye on the future) ready for them finally 'retiring' The Moody Blues band name when Graeme is no longer able to tour anymore
Your post reminds me of my all-time favourite Dylan put-down line (from 1966’s She’s Your Lover Now): And you, there's really nothing about you I can recall Simple, but effective.
"Glenn the Cat Wrangler"....(deep voice)..."In a world...dominated by foxy felines comes one man, one man with the courage against all odds, to establish order and save humankind from total destruction......" and so on..."...at a cinema near you".
I don’t think even Dylan himself could answer that one. There’s a rumour that he’s included in the musical pantheon on the inside of the EGBDF gatefold, just under Ray’s left earlobe. Or possibly not.
quite possibly ! - I'm still looking for the lone flower growing on the cover of 'Seventh Sojourn' ! mind you the 'negative' faced child on the back cover of 'Long Distance Voyager' is still spooky...
Re: Justin and John’s current relationship. Justin gave a very interesting answer in the recent Prog Magazine interview when asked if he and John were good friends: “Well, we’re not the sort of people who spend time together away from the band, if that’s what you mean. But then that’s the case of all of us in the band. People often say that members of a band are like family, but that’s not true for me. I have my brother and sister, and don’t have the same relationship with John. I also think ‘friends’ is the wrong term... there probably isn’t a term that’s been invented yet to describe the way John and I get on. It’s a combination of brotherhood, competition and the way our personalities both clash and also mould together”.
Yes Jim! I believe the world is ready for another super hero. Me: The Cat Wrangler. I'm just waiting for my cape to arrive from Amazon and then my super hero outfit will be complete and I'll be roaming the world, searching for cats everywhere that need to be wrangled.
General observation: the Eighties were (pretty much) the creative end for the Moodies, from my perspective. They went from being creators of great albums to being creators of occasional passably catchy singles (and also dependent on fairly mercenary producers.) "Your Wildest Dreams", "I Know You're Out There Somewhere", etc. are standouts amongst a lot of pretty dire filler, most of which have the production gimmicks of the moment caked on. Whenever I read Justin touting the Eighties as being the renaissance of the band, I sort of despair. I mean, I get that The Other Side Of Life probably topped up their bank balances nicely (nothing wrong with that!) ... but apart from a couple of tracks, I can't even remember any of it. Which, in this context, is merciful. Sorry for the dyspepsy, Glenn 'n all, I'll go back to lurking ...
No problem Bruce. You are always welcome to spill your indigestion in any Moody Blues thread of mine. So , we are probably in agreement then that "now" is actially the latest golden renaissance period for the band? The Moody Blues Cruise Ship Appearances era !
KEYS OF THE KINGDOM Original track listing Side One "Say It with Love" (Justin Hayward) – 3:57 "Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)" (Hayward) – 5:10 "Is This Heaven?" (Hayward, John Lodge) – 4:04 "Say What You Mean (Part 1 & 2)" (Hayward) – 5:31 "Lean on Me (Tonight)" (Lodge) – 4:58 Side Two "Hope and Pray" (Hayward) – 5:03 "Shadows on the Wall" (Lodge) – 5:07 "Once is Enough" (Hayward, Lodge) (Not put on vinyl LP (Europe only) or cassette, but included on CD format and 7-inch single) – 4:03 "Celtic Sonant" (Ray Thomas) – 5:02 "Magic" (Lodge) – 5:11 "Never Blame the Rainbows for the Rain" (Hayward, Thomas) – 4:57 Personnel Justin Hayward – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar John Lodge – vocals, bass Ray Thomas – vocals, flute Graeme Edge – drums, percussion Additional personnel Patrick Moraz – keyboards on "Say What You Mean", "Celtic Sonnant" and "Magic" Bias Boshell – keyboards Paul Bliss – keyboards Nigel Hitchcock – alto saxophone Jamie Talbot – tenor saxophone Pete Beachill – trombone Guy Barker – trumpet Andy Duncan – drums Released 25 June 1991 (US) 1 July 1991 (UK) Recorded October 1990 – May 1991 at Olympic Studios, Mayfair Studios, The Hit Factory and RG Jones Studios, London Length 53:02 Label Polydor Records Producer Christopher Neil Alan Tarney Tony Visconti
There are only a few of us die hards left posting in this thread, so I'm posting these later albums quicker than I did with their more popular albums.
Man, you guys are going pretty quick! I go on vacation for a week and now I have four to catch up on! (The Present and The Other Side Of Life are waiting for me at the library today, and the next two are on their way.)
You snooze, you lose pal. As I just posted a few minutes ago, I was giving their more popular albums quite a bit of time but these later albums aren't receiving much traction so I'm not waiting at least a week to post them. Seriously, after you listen and get a feel for the albums please post your thoughts about them, regardless where we are in the thread. I'll let Keys of the Kingdom go for a week before I post Strange Times. so you can catch up!
Bruce, into everyone's life disappointment rears it's ugly head once in awhile. I consider these later albums, um.... character building !
Graeme Edge once (apparently) dismissed KOTK as; 'A Load of old b*llocks !' - high praise indeed...! I have heard that artist Phil Travers offered to paint the album sleeve for KOTK....they never came back to him maybe seeking to 'distance' themselves from the 'core seven' past - tho' they DO mention DOFP in one song on this set (it's quite a striking sleeve nevertheless) re the album content - again for me it's just so very 'patchy' on the one hand..... some tracks are great - 'Bless The Wings', 'Rainbows' (so good to see a Hayward-Thomas song again after so long, and a lovely one), 'Hope and Pray' I like a lot too, while 'Say it With Love' was a bit standard fare but perfectly o.k. Ray's so welcome return with 'all flags flying' indeed on his gem 'Celtic Sonant' was SO rewarding, and really stood out on side two which to me opens and closes so well (like SLM 'side two') but besides Ray's song it all rather goes downhill elsewhere in between.... John's 'Lean On Me (Tonight)' back on side one I enjoyed too - the best solo composition from him since 'It May Be A Fire' and his songs on the final Decca era albums in my view... but then, on the other hand.... o.k. 'Is This Heaven ?' might have Ray whistling and some guy (not Justin) tap dancing away...to me a reasonable Justin 'solo' album type song, not particularly 'Moodies' tho' now I do know some DO like 'Say What You Mean' (parts one and two) - but I am not overly mad about it... 'Say What You Mean....Mean What You Say' (just how long did that take him to come up with ?) while the spoken 'part two' just sounds crass if not downright silly to me - and for the guy who composed 'Nights', 'Tuesday Afternoon', 'The Actor', 'Gypsy', 'Question', 'You Can Never Go Home' , 'New Horizons', 'Driftwood' ...even later 'The Voice', 'In My World', 'Running Water', 'You're Wildest Dream' etc... to warble; 'Say what you mean what you say what you mean what you....' - you've said enough Justin !!!!!! tho' 'additional keyboards sideman' (in very small lettering) Patrick Moraz musically valiantly stands out on this one track lifting it somewhat but it grates a bit with me as it's just such blatant repetition while the rest of the song really does nothing for me John's 'Shadows on The Wall' is his Lennnon-ish piano 'average fare' solo song...as was the brass backed lumbering 'Baby Work Your Magic on Me' (wow) - neither hardly 'Evening Time To Get Away', 'House of Four Doors', 'Candle of Life' or 'Isn't Life Strange ?' class.... poor old 'on his way out the door' Patrick Moraz crossed the USA and an ocean merely to wait all afternoon...to play the brief intro (tho' to me the best bit of the song Patrick !) and with again no 'Edge' to the proceedings song or poem wise we had that epic number; 'Once is Enough' - and boy wasn't it folks ??? even by Justin's later admission there WERE 'fillers' on those later studio albums this (only on the CD - thankfully) was a rip off - how to repeat a song title as many times as possible....oh and referencing DOFP in the song seemed like adding insult to injury for older Moodies fans yet incredibly the perfectly strong 'Highway' - with fine vocals and a nice intro/outro of keyboards sounding like Scottish bagpipes - was relegated to mere 12 inch single 'bonus' track while the dismal OIE got onto the CD version of the album itself....words fail me ! so welcome back to Ray, some lovely 'Moodies-ish' new songs,but offset by more 'non-Moodies-ish' and 'solo' tracks ...and a blatant 'filler' spoil what might have been a at least pleasant latter Moodies effort bolstered by Ray's return if only in places ! the varying producers tell you they were at a loss for clear overall direction by this point - and the follow up was to be right at the other end of the decade....and in truth their creative swansong as a 'proper' studio album too I don't fully agree with Graeme Edge's too harsh dismissal of this album (a clear sign all in the band were not on the same page re the albums by then), I'd say KOTK was probably half very nice...and half rather 'patchy' and unlike the group...with one filler track certainly a 'load of old b*llcks !'
I really like KOTK, much better than TOSOL and SLM. Ray’s back, and there’s more a return to a symphonic and acoustic sound to it. Is This Heaven is one of the Moodies most underrated songs, but my favourite on here is Never Blame The Rainbows , the first Hayward/Thomas song since Watching and Waiting. Love hearing Ray’s backing vocals on this, and I really hope it was a proper collaboration between them. Say What You Mean is bobbins though. Yak.
I was out of town and missed out on SLM, but I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said, beyond that "Deep" (my favorite song on the album) has a fair amount in common with "Tonight Tonight Tonight" by Genesis. KOTK is mostly forgettable as well. "Hope And Pray" is the only one I go back and listen to. If only it didn't have the programmed percussion, it wouldn't sound too terribly dated. I like the idea mentioned earlier of one compilation from the post Classic 7 albums. Maybe after Strange Times we can post our track listings for that.
This album is somewhat special to me, as it was the first MB record I was awaiting and expecting as a fan rather than getting to know it from the back catalogue. But the sentimental value does little to cloud my view on this - this is their most uneven (which is not necessarily bad in the context of the previous two) and the worst sounding record ever (no excuses here, the sound is very thin and flat). Granted, there are more pleasant moments than on the precious two. I'm rather ashamed to point to my two favourite tracks on this, because these would be Hope and Pray and Say What You Mean (Part One!). Both sound horrible and plastic, but I kind of get above it on the strength of the songs themeselves. I might be partial to Hope and Pray, as the situation described in the lyrics would have been very familiar to me over my days of youth, so there. Say What You Mean (Part 1) will be my guilty pleasure, I guess. I like the message and the "trumpets" and the modulation, and I turn the blind eye on the unnaturally high-pitched Hayward vocals (I bet he recorded them at a lower speed) Bless the Wings and Lean On Me are also very good songs, but we have the liberty of choosing the more natural sounding versions from the Red Rocks, luckily. Lean On Me quite cleverly steals a melodic motif from John Lodge's own solo song from Natural Avenue (lean...on me - who... will change...) Celtic Sonant and Never Blame the Rainbows are slightly disappointing. I love Ray's return to the line-up (sort of), and Celtic Sonant is perhaps the most core-7 sounding post-Pinder track, but somehow I'm not fully convinced. Still, the old heavenly fuzz from Justin on the latter is most welcome. I guess my problem is that whilst the others are plastic anyway, these two should have been better produced. For example these backing vocals on Rainbows - there's definitely more John than Ray in the blend, and he sounds just harsh and unpleasant. Is This Heaven? Again, very nice and joyful, but could have sounded better. The same about Shadows On the Wall actually. Say It With Love is ruined by the robotic opening, and the otherwise fine tune never recovers from that. It makes me smile that Justin (unknowingly?) quotes st. Augustine on this, though. Now for the much weaker tracks. I'd say that both Magic and even Once Is Enough still have their moments. Roman P., I guess that this time I do get some energy from Magic, after all, again I enjoy the strained vocals from Lodge. Once Is Enough is very hard to defend, but as I said earlier, I like the harmonies. Oddly enough, I don't mind the Days of Future Passed reference. Aah, Say What You Mean (Part Two) - absolutely horrible. The worst Justin Hayward-penned Moody Blues song, well, the worst Justin Hayward-penned song ever. My first version of the album was a semi-legal cassette (well, counterfeit, but Poland didn't have a decent copyright law until 1994, never mind), and on this Part One and Part Two were separated, thank goodness. Actually, Part Two was the album closer on that version, easy to skip, but also oddly reminicent of the good old concept albums. To my horror, I learned later on that they were in fact connected (why?) It doesn't make any sense, it spoils the, well, debatable merits of Part 1, and Part 2 is simply distasteful. And Tony Visconti is telling me it should have been a single and it would have been a hit??? Yeah, on RedTube perhaps Yes, let's go to a forest and have sex, grandiose poetry... Self-sabotage? One more thing - this album is obviously less synth-laden than the precious two, which makes some "vocal arrangement gimmicks" presented here even more annoying. I mean, in particular, the "ooh!aah!" on Say What You Mean (Part 1) and the "sh-tch-tch" on Magic. Never noticed them? Well, don't look
I am only familiar with the KOTK tracks that were included with the Time Traveler box set: Say It With Love, Bless The Wings, Lean On Me Tonight and Highway (a session outtake). Say It With Love is innocuous and bland and that is my favorite of these 4 songs. Maybe they didn't select wisely for this box?
[/IMG] You mean, a sort of "This Is The Moody Blues 2" kind of thing... I know December isn't on here - but I like the 7/7 symmetry.
