Moody Blues starting point?

I was looking at my cd collection and noticed that it's high time I at least have one Moody Blues album! What is a good starting point for their catalog? Is there a definitive best-of collection, or a certain album I should obtain first? I'd like to add a title or two to my cd collection this week, any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

My favorite: In Search Of The Lost Chord

 

A good MB comp is This Is The Moody Blues

It is currently OP (the Anthology seems to have replaced it). You can probably find it in a used CD shop or on ebay. It features the original mutitapes to most of the classics from their first seven albums where Tony Clarke takes them out of their original crossfades, remixes them and gives them new crossfades. On some (Lovely to See You) you can hear a few more seconds on the fade. It also features a remix of A Simple Game, a Mike Pinder classic. sadly it doesn't have Gypsy

IMHO, while Days of Future Passed is a classic (albeit remixed since its vinyl debut), Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is my favorite. The Story In Your Eyes, Emily's Song, and Nice to Be Here have rich melodies.

Anthology does a pretty good job covering their entire career on two discs (it does have their first big hit Go Now). Also get the import Prelude. It has the first two singles featuring Justin hayward and John Lodge (Fly Me High, and Love and Beauty) with their b-sides (the Box set doesn't have those), Cities, and the above A Simple Game at full length in stereo, plus the five studio outtakes that are on Caught Live + Five.

Hope this helps.

Brian

 

I'd consider Days Of Future Passed, the album that put them on the map.

My personal favourite is A Question of Balance. The MoFi sounds great! The song "Question" is worth the price of admission all by itself.

 

I'm with Brian: if you just want to jump in, THIS IS will do the trick, and you'll find out if you want to investigate further. Only covers their music from DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED through SEVENTH SOJOURN, but great song selection and sequencing. It may be OOP in the US, but I've seen import versions floating around.

If you have a multi-channel setup with DTS, the above two titles are available, and stunning. A pleasant time to be had, for sure.

One more title: a 2-CD set by Br. Music, an import titled THE SINGLES+, is exactly that: from "Go Now" into the late '80s; 45 edits and mixes galore. I found mine at WalMart a few years back for $18; a steal.

ED

 

My intro was "Nights", the first Moodies album I bought was "Balance" but I'd suggest "Every good boy.." a very, very likable album, dated but so are all other MB albums.

I wonder if a newcomer to the Moodies in 2003 would perceive them as a big tongue-in-cheek joke.

Let us know.

 

Question is perhaps their finest song...beware, there are a few versions of Question! I believe the alternate is on one of the greatest hits packags. To be sure of the original...just get the Quesion Of Balance Cee Dee!

 

Hate to break this to you, Michael, but the original mix IS on the greatest hits packages--it's the single version, same take, but without the bombastic Pinder mellotron work during the intro. A QUESTION OF BALANCE was issued months later, with the mix you know and love

You can always tell the single version by the long acoustic-only guitar intro; no extra stuff, that's on the album version. I like both about equally; each is a different mix, both well done by Tony Clarke.

ED

 

Moody Blues...

I'd suggest that at least a couple of the Moody's
albums should be experienced in their entirety--
Threshold of a Dream for sure. The comps are neat,
and some are intelligently sequenced, but do get at
least this one and let it run all the way through.
I'll second the mention of In Search of the Lost
Chord also--heck, I'm partial to the early stuff
anyway. To Our Childrens' Childrens' Children blew
me away when I first heard the factory R-to-R of it!
And Gypsy is one of those tracks that deserves some
watts, pushing big speakers...years ago, this was
their concert opener!

As for Days of Future Passed, this was my introduction
to the Moodys--late one night, tweaking the FM
antenna just right, I caught Tuesday Afternoon from
a faraway station, not even in stereo. I was so
determined to find out what album side they had
played I had to call the next day and wheedle the
program director into reading the log back to me...
I know he thought I was nuts.

So, to this day, I still listen to the vinyl of
DOFP, because it's is the only way to hear the
original mix...

Anyway, check out some Moody Blues, and have fun!

--Roger

 

I love/hate to break it to ya ED...but....
On Greatest Hits/Legend Of A Band Threshold Cee Dee 840 659-2 "Question is RE-RECORDING!...NOT the hit version...There are at least 3 versions of Question out there on Cee Dee...The LP, 45 and the RE-RECORDING...buyer beware.

 

1. Days Of Future Past (ya gotta have that one)
2. In Search Of The Lost Chord
3. Threshold Of A Dream
4. Question Of Balance
5. Seventh Sojourn
6. Every Boy Deserves Favor
7. To Our Children's Children....

 

Thanks for all the advice, is there a good compilation (by good I mean good sounding, and good song selection) of Moody Blues out there? I think if I have a little sample, I'll be able to navigate the cd catalog a little easier.

I saw a double greatest hits compilation in stores, but I forget the name. Can anyone recommend it to me?

 

Did it look like this?



Tis Anthology.

I really like this one, even though it contains singles and pre-LP mixes:


Voices In The Sky contains the "hit" version of Question, the separated version of "Nights In White Satin" and covers the broad range of popular music for Deram and Threshold. You can possibly find it used for very inexpensive, but it's also still in print as an import... I consider this disc indispensable as a standing compilation. Mastered very well too!

 

Well,

The CD The Moody Blues Greatest Hits (840 659-2 Threshold/Polydor) clearly has an alternate version of Question. Totally different vocal.

Ooops! I see Michael has posted BETTER info above...nevermind!

 

Re: Moody Blues...

I agree most wholeheartedly - the whole album is a trip. I'm a very big fan of "In Search of the Lost Chord". I enjoy all their early albums, but this one is my favourite. It will take you on a journey, and you will appreciate that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Regards,
Geoff

 

Yes!

 

You're correct! Actually if you add the remix from This Is The Moodie Blues, there are four!

The album version features the synths with a single crash that repeats on the opening accoustic guitars strumming. After the second crash the drums kick in. Justin's vocal appears to be single tracked. After the middle section, the song starts up again as it opened but there are two double synth crashes. The song fades at around 5:45.

The single version just opens with the guitars and what sounds like a bass drum. Justin's vocal is double tracked. After the middle section, the song starts up again but instead it appears to be with the single synth crash repeated once (just like the way the album version opens. One wonders if they just didn't edit the beginning of the song on to the end). Song clocks in at 4:55.

The version on This Is attempts to combine both versions. It opens like the single mix with just the guitars. Justin's voice is single tracked. a lot of the echo has been mixed out. After the middle section, the double syth crashes that occur twice have the sythesizers mixed way low. You can really hear the backing vocals. They are not too blended. IMHO they are jarring and lose the song's impact. My second least favorite version. It clocks in at 5:39.

The rerecording on Legend of a Band was a mistake! I believe Justin later said so in an interview. He thought about redoing Nights in White Satin for the Greatest Hits comp, but wisely changed his mind. He decided on doing Question. Also isn't Life Strange was redone. Whew!!!

You can probably tell, I'm not too big a fan of the Moodies!

Brian

 

I have that too, Ed. I do like it because it does feature more of version one of the group with Denny Laine. Unlike Anthology that just has Go Now. Where was From the Bottom of My Heart? That song showed a hint of what the group would become. Would have been a nice transition song to Tuesday Afternoon.

However, a number of the songs are taken off of various albums and done a little sloppily. For example, Melancholy Man was taken off of This Is. Yes, the time of the song is the same as the single (5:05) but most of the fade lies under Nights in White Satin. The opening of the song is sloppy. I can hear The Story In Your Eyes underneath.

The single version, I believe, is mixed like the album but begins with Mike's opening words. Easy to take it from A Question of Balance and cut out the intro. At least it would have better approximated the single.


Yes! I love the Moodies!

Brian

 

Thanks for all of your suggestions, this afternoon I stopped at the record store and picked up "The Best of The Moody Blues" remaster. So far I'm very impressed. I'm sure within a week or two I'll start picking up the catalog!

 

In Search was the first Moodies CD I bought, and I didn't really warm up to it initially (I only bought it because I'd heard "Ride My See-Saw" on the radio several times, thinking it was ELP... guess I got proved wrong there eventually!)

The next one I bought was "On The Threshold of a Dream" and that's what got me into 'em.

DEFINITELY pick up "On the Threshold..." There's not a single bad song from start to finish, and it all flows together perfectly.

"Days of Future Passed" is definitely recommended, too, but go with Threshold first.

 

Hey Brian, Yup, there are four versions of "Question"! Geez...I really dislike the "Question" Re-Recording! No way does it have the impact of the original...Those original drums kill me everytime! Great Moodies knowledge there Brian...

 

Why did Justin and the guys think is was necessary to re-record "Question"? It sounds like they tried to duplicate the original version only with 80's recording technology and it just doesn't work. I remember being horrified when I got the remake home and put it on. (By the way, on what comp did this first appear? Was it Legend Of A Band?)Thank God they didn't feel it was necessary to recreate studio versions of Nights In White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon and (my fave) Ride My See Saw.

 

Miked...The Re-Recorded "Question" first appeared the Greatest Hits/Legend Of A Band-Threshold 840659 as said in my posting on page one...Ya can't "Redo" a Masterpiece, the Magic only happens once! if your lucky!

 

Threshold, Children's Children... , and Question. You can't go wrong with these three. Although Days of Future past is the most well known and rated, I don't think it's their best effort... it's different.
Compilations are compilations.... you will miss so much.

 

I know, but I'm referencing VOICES IN THE SKY and THE SINGLES+ for the 45 mix, and the original Lp for the overdubbed mix. And "Question" wasn't the only song rerecorded, IIRC. But as we already recommended the comps without the later redos(what was the point? None, of course...), I will guess our threadstarter will avoid LEGEND OF A BAND. Wise move, as the sound isn't all that hot, either...

ED