New Moody Blues boxset for 2013 (12 CDs)

Didn't some of the original mixes from Days of Future Past show up on the Time Traveler boxed set?

 

A little side note here - I just picked up CAUGHT LIVE + 5, under $10 on amazon. I had not heard it before, and am actually quite happy with it. I think the issue w the live recordings is that while all the parts are there - and nicely executed - it is the overall blending and sound that could not come near what they produced in the studio. Even though the sound is thin - we are hearing all the parts the guys actually created in the studio, just in a different context.

Very worthwhile to have a live recording from the day!

 

This concert tends to get a lot of flack for poor performances, but I really like it.

 

Same here. Picked up Live At The Isle Of Wight and love it even more though!

 

I agree about Caught Five, but the Isle of Wight show sounds pretty ragged to me -- just compare it to the recently issued set by Jethro Tull from the same festival.

The thing is, it's the Moodies' innovations in the studio that made their Core 7 albums so magical. In concert, they couldn't hope to recapture that magic, but in that era, it was enough just to be able to hint at your studio albums. Truth be told, though, they were generally pretty sloppy live -- tempos usually way too fast, missed cues all over the place, technical problems with the temperamental mellotron, thin sound, predictable solos reproduced note-by-note from the albums. Justin Hayward refused to use effects on stage, so his famous ultra-clean fuzztone that was a defining sound of the band was never heard in concert.

Anyway, I still love to hear the shows from this era, and wish there was something other than Caught Live on this boxset. The Blue Jays show should be a fascinating listen, though.

 

I agree with you. They took advantage of the studio, but whenever I hear the Question Of Balance tracks played live my heart just melts, and the Isle Of Wight concert features some of these songs unlike Caught Live. They both have similar tracklists after all, but something translates for me whenever the Moodies hit the stage.

 

Agree, IOW really sounds rushed - I think CAUGHT LIVE captures some of the magic - as per above, the parts are all there, just not blended as nicely as one might hope. I sampled some of IOW last night, and it really is way too fast, and just doesn't seem to be as well executed as CL5. (Yes, tracklists are really similar, altho IOW replaces 4 slots w 4 tunes from QUESTION.)

But again, to hear the Moodies in their heyday...

 

Speaking of the Moodies' studio magic and the boxset, as someone who thought they knew every second of the Core 7 albums inside out and backwards, I find listening to the quad mixes on the SACDs to be a fascinating experience. I d0n't even have a proper quad setup. I just ripped the quad tracks in stereo pairs. Not only is it cool to spot the missing parts or extended solos, but listening this way offers an amazing insight into the way those recordings were constructed. I had no idea, for instance, how often a lead vocal was quadruple-tracked, or that a discreet bed of cellos -- real ones, not the mellotron -- underpins many of their tracks, including rockers like The Story in Your Eyes, After You Came or To Share Your Love. The boxset has the quad mixes in DVD Audio.

 

They now state there will be 17,not 12 discs in the set,according to the Moodies' Official Facebook Page! Wonder why 4 discs more were added?

 

It means CD's and DVD's adding up to 17 discs.

 

To address our complaints perhaps?

 

And we have a winner!

 

Amazon.uk to USA $160

 

Different release dates for Amazon.uk and Amazon.com?

 

Typical of foreign product that amazon.com sells domestically. It takes time for the boxes to ship from Britain
to the US.

 

Well that's a price more in line with what I'm willing to pay. I bought Manfred Mann's Earth Band box of 21 disc for $165.

 

Well that seems to be better than the Euro priced German box that is on its way to my house as of last Friday. Mine was $170.00 including shipping. But its cool, I am so looking forward to this.

Rick A.

 

that's a great box - I started a thread on that long before I bought the set - but I got it a few mos ago and love it.

 

Agree great box. I had a bunch of LPs and CDs and wanted it all on CD. That was the only way to go with all the albums, a bonus concert, rarities set and 2 books. I have no complaints about the set or price.

Makes me wonder with all these $5 CDs out now how the Moodies think or their record label thinks we'll pay $300 for catalog titles in a spiffy box.

 

I didn't know MM Earth band had 21 discs.

 

Well, $160 at Amazon UK is a LOT nicer than $300. If I didn't have the surrounds already I'd jump all over this.

 

Listening to this now. I can confirm the DOFP tracks are the original mix, though the edit of Dawn Is A Feeling is horrible.

 

Is it the whole album though or just selected tracks leaving it open for another deluxe re-issue, original mix in full re-mix in full and quad mix in full

 

Maybe if they were "The Doors".

 

How is the live stuff?