The Moody Blues album by album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Glenn Christense, Sep 18, 2017.

  1. Glenn Christense

    Glenn Christense Foremost Beatles expert... on my block Thread Starter

    THE PRESENT

    [​IMG]


    Original track listing

    Side One

      • "Meet Me Halfway" (Hayward, John Lodge) – 4:08
    Side Two



      • "Hole in the World" (Lodge) – 1:54
      • "Under My Feet" (Lodge) – 4:51
      • "It's Cold Outside of Your Heart" (Hayward) – 4:27
      • "Running Water" (Hayward) – 3:23
      • "Sorry" (Thomas) – 5:02
    2008 remastered CD expanded edition
    The 2008 release contains two extra tracks:




      • "Blue World" (Single Edit)" – 3:38
      • "Sitting at the Wheel (Steve Greenberg Remix)" – 7:32
    Personnel
    The Moody Blues

    Additional personnel



      • Pip Williams – sequencing
    Released 28 August 1983 (UK)
    2 September 1983 (US)
    Recorded 8 March 1982 – 10 December 1982 at Strawberry Studios, South London

    Length 41:47
    Label Threshold Records
    Producer Pip Williams
     
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  2. Glenn Christense

    Glenn Christense Foremost Beatles expert... on my block Thread Starter

    I like the album. I really like Justin's songs and nothing really bothers me about the album.

    "Sitting at the Wheel" sounds totally of it's time with all the synth parts and I assume sequenced drums and maybe bass also, but the track doesn't bother me anywhere near as much as most songs recorded that way in that era.

    I will say that I like the arrangement and production of "Sorry" more than the actual song itself. I don't find the basic song itself very memorable but the arrangment makes it enjoyable and interesting to me.
     
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  3. The Present is a favorite of mine because it creates and maintains a unified mood buttressed by mostly strong songs. Sitting at The Wheel is a nice single, but feels a little out of place in here -it's tempo and up-beat lyrics see to that. Much better is Blue World and the beautiful Meet Me Halfway. If you want a song that demonstrates Moraz's skill as a keyboard arranger just listen to Meet Me Halfway. To me this song represents the high water mark of the reinvented Moody Blues. I also like Thomas's contribution to side two -actually there is no song on this album I don't like. Their next album has a couple of good singles, but as an album band this is the end of my interest.
     
  4. roman.p

    roman.p Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Time out, folks, for another in-depth account by producer Pip Williams on the creation of this album. Fascinating stuff, and guaranteed to have you listening to this album with a new perspective. The main theme seems to be the tension within the band between doing things the old way versus embracing the new technology of samplers, synths and MIDI — with Ray Thomas described as the one whose job was to complain about the latter. (And we know who ended up winning that battle.) Little-known facts to be gleaned include the large amount of guitar playing Williams does on the album, and that a session percussionist appears throughout the album. And that while those are Edge's actual drum sounds throughout the album, much of the time, they're in fact samples of his playing triggered by drum machines (I have to ask, why bother doing that? I guess I'm with Ray!).
    Anyway, here it is. Talk to you when you resurface: Higher & Higher Issue 39-40 Winter/Spring 1998-99 - Moody Blues Attitude
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
  5. Glenn Christense

    Glenn Christense Foremost Beatles expert... on my block Thread Starter

    Thanks for posting these interesting articles on the background stories of making the albums. The last one was much appreciated and now here's another one!

    I'll have to read this one later tonight when I'm home.
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
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  6. Matty

    Matty Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Long Distance Voyager is my second favorite Moody Blues album, after Days. Then again, I'm not much of a fan of the band (I won't spoil the party by detailing why), so take that with a grain of salt if you like. But I think side 1 of LDV is uniformly strong, "22,000 Days" is darn catchy, and it was pretty ballsy to end the album with a song as self-deprecating and potentially insulting to fans as "Veteran Cosmic Rocker."

    I had to chuckle at the discussion above regarding "22,000 Days" -- I too pulled out my calculator when the album came out and was annoyed that Graeme Edge was either very bad at math or overly pessimistic. And count me as another person who heard "Gemini Dream" on the radio around the time of the album's release and was excited that ELO had a nifty new single out. The next ELO single, "Hold On Tight," was in fact still a few months away, and when it came out I decided that "Gemini" and "The Voice" were better ELO songs than most of the tracks on Time.
     
  7. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    interesting to read that Pip Williams piece again - I belong to that forum it was posted on

    so much for Patrick Moraz being merely a 'sideman' who contributed little bar some 'additional keyboards' after LDV...yeah !!

    sad to see it confirmed just how both Ray and Graeme were indeed being er 'edged out' - as we all knew anyway

    for my pennyworth while I understand why they moved as they did I can't help but think Ray was right (Mike probably saw this back in 1978 when they regrouped) as the new technology instead of aiding the band began to REPLACE the band and the very 'soul' of The Moodies began to fade away as often cold non human programming, drum machines, far too many overdubs, prolonged sessions with the full group rarely present on 'The Present' took hold....
    (maybe 'The Absent' would have been more valid a title ?) the mid 80's really saw things begin to transform....

    BUT unlike in 1966 when they opted to be 'themselves' and only do their own material as they wanted it instead of pretend to be R & B players here it seems they did the opposite and began to 'be so eighties' instead of being 'themselves'

    ironic Justin who pushed them that way later felt it was all getting too 'clinical' - you can't help but wonder what a full five piece group recording with a more basic approach and including 'Burning Gas' would have given to 'The Present'

    that said a lot of hard work and effort went into it, they do at least create the feel of a full band overall....where as the next two 'Moodies' studio albums most certainly did not...
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
  8. peteham

    peteham Senior Member

    Location:
    Simcoe County
    I interviewed John Lodge last year and he was quite positive about The Present. Justin is the main pusher of that negative narrative. Justin loves the follow up which, to me, was a far weaker record.
     
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  9. docwebb

    docwebb Forum Resident

    They are called the "core 7" for a reason as the rest of their catalog does not meet the high quality of those standards. But each MB album has buried treasure. For me it is "Sorry" in The Present and it is even more poignant in retrospect as Ray Thomas was in the process of being marginalized (indeed excluded) as a creative force in the band. This was a beautiful reminder of what the "organic" MB had been.
     
  10. roman.p

    roman.p Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Higher & Higher was a fanzine, so the Moodies could do no wrong, but it was an amazing resource. Whoever scanned all the issues to keep them available is an angel. There were also excellent issues on the making of Threshold, Children's Children and A Question of Balance.
     
  11. Glenn Christense

    Glenn Christense Foremost Beatles expert... on my block Thread Starter

    Yes, I was familiar that the magazine was around but never subscribed and wasn't aware they were available online so they are a nice resource.
     
  12. Nick Dunning

    Nick Dunning Forum Resident

    That's fantastic. I love stuff like this. Incredible how short a time span this record was done in.

    Also I'm not surprised Justin was the only Moody present at the orchestral dub given that they hadn't wound up the previous night until 2am. Tony Clarke must have been on very strong coffee.
     
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  13. Lonesurf

    Lonesurf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, Pa
    I have yet to ever hear a listenable version of "Burning Gas", but it certainly sounds like Ray was really rocking on these Pip Williams albums. He was suddenly coming up with rockers like "Sorry" and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker". What got into our favorite flautist, lol?

    It is a shame that he was so pushed to the background by the mid-80's.
     
  14. OldJohnRobertson

    OldJohnRobertson Martyr for Even Less

    Location:
    Fuquay-Varina, NC
    Pour the hot tea up your nose now, because I'm gonna say it. The Present is my favorite Moody Blues album. I like it better than any other single album in the band's discography. I think the album is inarguably solid start to finish though I definitely agree with previous sentiment that said side two was better than side one. That said, I'll take "Blue World" and "Going Nowhere" in the battle of best tracks on the album.
     
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  15. Glenn Christense

    Glenn Christense Foremost Beatles expert... on my block Thread Starter

    Well, I said I like the album so I have no argument with you liking it also. :D

    Unlike you, it's not my favorite Moody Blues album but I like it better than Octave, and like Long Distance Voyager, it sits comfortably under the core 7 albums in my world.
    I like both of these two albums as complete listening experiences, unlike some upcoming albums in their catalog that I'll get to.
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
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  16. Lonesurf

    Lonesurf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, Pa
    Might as well mention this here ... really enjoying the new John Lodge live album.
    A very nice surprise:

     
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  17. Defrance

    Defrance A Northern Soul

    Location:
    Calgary, AB
    The mystique of the Moodies still exists here, but the song quality is nowhere near the Classic 7. The breezy "Meet Me Halfway" is perhaps their most underrated song; it's in the conversation of their top 10 tunes for me. It sounds 80s for sure, but not in a cringeworthy way. On the other hand, "Sitting At The Wheel" hasn't aged well... it's just trying too hard to be upbeat, and the Moodies were never that kind of band for me.

    The rest of the album continues the soft rock theme that started with Octave. "Blue World" is pretty solid (except for the dated keyboard flourishes), and "Going Nowhere" is saved by Ray's voice. Side 2 is average, but like much of Octave, something I'd roll the windows up if listening to in the car. I won't even go near "Sorry", as I've found it to be an unwelcome earworm.... you know, one of those tunes that gets locked in your brain that you don't want there. I dare not listen to it now, or the preceding "I Am", even for this review!
     
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  18. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Does make you wonder who 'Sorry' is aimed at ?

    'Laid back uptown turnaround people...wear disguises, they say SORRY that's a word they only use too late...'

    also; 'I'm not willing to trade my life to make the sale...you turn me around, you put me down...'

    Besides being 'marginalised' Ray was also hampered by some health issues and other personal problems back then so before making any judgements we all need to bear in mind the 'state' of the band in the 80's and as the 80's went on - plus the vastly differing musical times of course

    I''d have LOVED them to keep it deeper, more ambitious, more album orientated, with Ray a full contributor and Patrick allowed to add creativity more (at a time 'post Pinder' when they so badly needed extra talent input re the creativity)

    BUT record companies wanted selling artists during a time when in order to 'survive' you needed to appear modern, contemporary, relevant etc (yawn) - sad but a FACT in that era

    hence Yes, Moodies, Floyd, Tull, Genesis, BJH etc all became more 'commercial' and 'radio friendly' (Gentle Giant tried to as well) - and most found themselves back in the pop singles charts in USA and UK.....

    like it or not the 80's were quite different to what had gone before - ironic but I think the 80's have since dated a lot and far more than either the sixties or seventies

    A key point re The Moodies is how from 1983 onwards it becomes really Hayward-Lodge-Moraz-Visconti for the 1986 and 1988 studio albums with minimal contributions from Edge and on one album from Thomas

    and while it worked o.k. and picked up new fans - hence Justin's delight at that era where he probably made a lot more money from sales and concerts than earlier when tied to Tyler Music and a five way split (their Decca royalty return was a poor one they later contested on behalf of both themselves and Mike Pinder)

    - the fact is in terms of sheer song quality their creativity became very strained on the 80's and later albums, while you found lyrics re-appear, similar style songs, a couple of references to DOFP in songs are made, and some tracks are very repetetive or just frankly rather tuneless in terms of melody (normally one of their greatest strengths as a band)

    Justin and John could still of course each come up with a classic 'Moodies' track or two, plus a good one, but after that they would normally throw in a 'solo' song (which began back on 'Octave' in truth) often in a rather 'non Moodies' style plus Hayward-Lodge teamed up to write a rather average 'filler' track or two or three !

    and Justin HAS openly admitted that to be true...that 'fillers' were included on those later albums

    Both Edge and Thomas disappear creatively for a few years, Moraz couldn't get a foot in the door - he told a rather disturbing story re a song he offered them during his court case - and both Pip Williams (who got the unfair 'flak' for 'The Present' then was discarded) and Tony Visconit (who only did exactly what Justin & John told him they wanted him to do) later saw themselves glibly dismissed by the band as;

    'we never got another producer after Tony Clarke' (!)

    Ray and Graeme make cameos later, Patrick was ousted as 'merely a sideman anyway' (termed unkindly by Edge as 'the mad Swiss git' - very spiritual, very enlightened....)

    but re the song quality, and style of songs used after 'The Present' - which itself had the odd non Moodies style song - things became more and more uneven and frankly 'patchy' by Moodies very high standards

    we had a 'core seven'....followed by a rather 'uneven eight' !
     
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2017
  19. Defrance

    Defrance A Northern Soul

    Location:
    Calgary, AB
    Your post style... whenever I read them, it makes me feel like we're in a pub and you're stopping to take a swig of beer between thoughts :)
     
  20. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    And he understood.
    He understood himself.
    Upon this
    He saw that when he was of anger
    Or knew hurt
    Or felt fear,
    It was because he was not understanding.
    And he learned compassion.

    And with his eye of compassion
    He called Patrick Moraz a mad Swiss git
     
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2017
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  21. Lonesurf

    Lonesurf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, Pa
    Really agree with this assessment for both The Other Side Of Life & Sur La Mer!
    Especially the word "tuneless" for a lot of the, ummm, 'filler'.

    Tough time to be an older Moody Blues fan...
     
  22. roman.p

    roman.p Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I have an affection for The Present. Although they were moving toward that robotic '80s sound that would, in my opinion, ruin their next three albums, they hadn't got there quite yet. Like Tony Clarke, Pip Williams was an extraordinary producer who I think helped push the band's envelope in many ways. Everyone seems to agree that The Present is no Long Distance Voyager, but it's still pretty respectable in my books, considering.
    I'm especially fond of "Meet Me Halfway" and re-listening to the album, "I Am/Sorry" stands out as an especially impressive production. "Sitting at the Wheel" comes across as probably the band's most unabashed bid for singles success ever. I'm not wild about it, but along with "Under My Feet", I'm grateful there's no turgid Big Ballad from Lodge, the sort that weighed down later Moodies albums (apologies to fans of those ballads!).
    It's interesting that on the tour promoting the album, all but "I Am/Sorry" and "Meet Me Halfway" were on the set list (although "It's Cold Outside My Heart" apparently got dropped after one show). A show at the L.A. Forum in December '83 that was broadcast live by satellite shows the band in fine form, and it's interesting to hear songs that would soon all disappear from future tours. (The show is included in the Timeless Fight box, minus "Going Nowhere" for some reason.)
    That tour shows the band broadening their onstage sound by such means as Moraz triggering samples of pre-recorded backing vocals or Hayward's Gizmo parts, and having their guitar technician play additional acoustic guitar, offstage, on "Blue World", I believe. It was also apparently their last tour without additional backup musicians. Here comes the bimbo era!
     
  23. MikeVielhaber

    MikeVielhaber Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Did they ever bring back any songs from The Present? I was just wondering about that today.
     
  24. Lostchord

    Lostchord Dr. Livingstone, I presume

    Location:
    Poznań, Poland
    I'll be inconsistent here, because obviously The Present sounds more plastic than Voyager, the rhythm section here is much more invaded by the 80's bacteria, and as it was pointed out in the Higher & Higher link (thank you for that!), the sound is much less 'warm' than on Voyager (even on the drumless moments, like the beginning of Running Water)... so I can't really explain why I like the album so much.

    I got to know it when I was 15, and initially my most beloved track was Running Water, probably because of its autumnal quality, which was perfectly fitting the time of the year back then (I understood the opening line as time - oh is on :o ) But this track didn't age well with me, I find Justin's vocals somewhat thin. John Lodge adds some powerful licks, though, on the last chorus.

    I always had some issues with It's Cold Outside Of Your Heart, I'm not the fan of the country flavour and of the melody, but this time I like the vocal performance and the arrangement (the opening guitar theme sounds like two double-tracked parts, and one of them is backwards, quite inventive).

    John Lodge tracks seem the weakest to me on this album, and that's including Hole In the World, I'm afraid. But there are some nice moments on all of them. Sitting at the Wheel is a bit redeemed by Pip William's slide solo (my favourite solo on a Moody Blues album, isn't that strange?) and Lodge gets miraculously high notes on this. Under My Feet always seemed like a younger brother of Talking Out of Turn to me, but there is this beautiful middle section (where were you, when I needed you...) performed more in his softer, 70's singing style, a pity that this sharp I'm holding on! wakes me from this beautiful fantasy. There are also nice rhythmic shifts towards the end.

    But the rest of the songs I almost buy without any frown. It took me a long time to disregard the plastic section on Blue World (I find the effect on the bass quite horrible), but the song itself is very strong, and the other instruments sound quite tasteful, I even Like Moraz' fills (oh, and his arpeggios on Cold Outside of Your Heart are quite lovely too).

    Just like everybody, I'm delighted to hear Ray sing lead on three songs on the album (that's more than John, actually). I don't agree with Justin's assessment of Going Nowhere, I appreciate every minute of them, and I wish the band had spent more time on the later songs, if that's what it takes to have made them with such an inventive arrangements. Each chorus has a slightly different melody and lead-backing vocals interplay, the middle eight is great too (despite one IMO awkward moment - Ray's ...sing my song, but it's well covered by the high part of John's) and I like the lengthy coda too. Great tone from Patrick on the solo. I guess The Present is the only Moody Blues album where I really like almost all the contributions from Patrick Moraz.

    I wouldn't have liked I Am on a classic-7 album probably, but here it brings some echoes and perhaps some depth of the old grandiose Moodies, so I find it very refreshing. And both on this and especially on Sorry there are many moments of near-classic Moody Blues layered harmonies, I remember trying to discern Justin's voice on Sorry, when I started getting into the album. The harmony on up-town people lie always gets me, I love the melisma on the word lie-ie, and the futher the song gets, there's more and more of the lead-backing interplay. I like the faster sections too, a trivial thing, but someone plays the tambourine very well on these, and the fade-out is great.

    [BTW there is an anomaly, very uncharacteristic for The Moodies at around 1:00 in Sorry, after Ray's first laid-back up-town turnaround people... lie, there's a response: lie-ie, and one voice tries to reach for a high falsetto note, but misses it rather badly :) I can't help noticing that, always]

    And there's Meet Me Halfway. Sound-wise a very unlikely contender for my favourite post-Pinder song, but that's the one. This might be the only Moody Blues song that I don't think would have benefited from the core-7 treatment. Great song, great vocals, great guitars, great harmonies, some mystery, beautiful coda. It's only sad that this lovely fade-out clashes with the sharp intro to the arguably weakest song.
     
  25. roman.p

    roman.p Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    They were all gone by the '86 tour, never to return again.
     
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