Oh boy. That's not good. Have to remember that both are mid 70s now, Know Thomas is a no show, hope Pinder can appear.
BTW , I've seen Denny Laine live last year, and he was in good form and chipper , and is a GREAT talent.
I have not heard anything re Mike Pinder's health being poor besides that Graeme Edge thread so it could be only Ray who we know has the health issues (?) bear in mind that back in that Classic Artists DVD Graeme speaks of how "Mike's head was really done in" ! ("...it completely ruined Mike Pinder" he says) later Mike appeared in a number of interviews looking fine, relaxed, smiling, cheerful... true he might have been badly stressed earlier of course - but he was fine later it seems so that bit about Mike's health being poor too could be an error unless something has happened recently - tho' Mike HAS commented on the induction saying it's great for the fans etc Moodies co-founder Mike Pinder was the soul, 'spiritual guru', and musical backbone of The classic Moodies plus a deft cool jazzy keyboardist/singer/percussionist of the original Moodies too - Mike was their in house arranger, chief poem narrator, a major singer/songwriter, and mellotron / chamberlain maestro who created an orchestral backdrop to their musical landscape all by himself ! his deep tones were a key part of both original and classic Moodies vocal harmonies (i.e. 'From The Bottom of My Heart' / 'Nights in White Satin') and he was the most 'cosmic' Moodie duly 'gazing past the planets looking for total view'....and a big influence on young Justin, then chief co-group guide with Justin through the core seven, they were the pair who normally first had a song up front when an album recording began... it's no co-incidence Mike's 'Dawn' and Justin's 'Nights' were the bookend songs of DOFP I still like and rate the later Moodies of course, but Mike's retirement from the band marked the end of a very special era of classic music, only now being more appreciated by many I think
I've already had an email today eagerly advising that the tee shirts celebrating The Moody Blues Hall of Fame Induction are now available for purchase ! that is thrilling news - yes ? I just wish new / retrospective Moodies DVDs and studio / live albums were released as regularly as the corporate Moodies memorablia is bashed out these days !! sad such obvious money making cash in re the group is rammed home so relentlessly these days
So, shall we honour Ray Thomas by discussing his solo albums, starting with From Mighty Oaks? Would you be able to set that up, Glenn?
I consider Side 1 to be a perfect album side. In 1981, there was a radio station, WTFM, in NYC whose format was basically soft rock AOR. They'd play album cuts that AOR stations would not play, and that Top 40 formats would not play either. So in addition to the two hit singles, I heard plenty of Meanwhile and In My World before purchasing the album and falling in love with Talking Out of Turn, as well.
Yes that is fitting At least Ray knew that The Moodies and himself HAD finally been inducted into that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ! my thoughts go to his wife Lee and his family plus his old bandmates
FROM MIGHTY OAKS Original track listing Side 1 "From Mighty Oaks" (Ray Thomas, Nicky James) – 3:43 "Hey Mama Life" (Thomas, James) – 5:38 "Play It Again" (Thomas, James) – 4:25 "Rock-A-Bye Baby Blues" (James) – 3:31 "High Above My Head" (Thomas, James) – 3:34 Side 2 "Love Is the Key" (Thomas, James) – 5:16 "You Make Me Feel Alright" (Thomas, James) – 5:02 "Adam and I" (Thomas, James) – 5:42 "I Wish We Could Fly" (Thomas) – 5:28 This album was remastered and released on June 6, 2011 on Esoteric Recordings. Released 11 July 1975 Length 42:19 Label Threshold/Decca Producer Ray Thomas & Derek Varnals
This was the second Moodies solo album to be released, in the late summer of 1975, about six months after Blue Jays. And after the success of that one, it was highly anticipated _ at least by fans like me. So I was absolutely shocked to get my first taste of it on, of all places, American Bandstand. One week, they featured “High Above My Head”, the single, and I remember the teenagers rated the song poorly, giving it a failing grade because “you can’t dance to it.” I don’t know what the dance of the moment was, but this upbeat horns-and-harmonica-fuelled rocker sure made me want to get up on my feet. From Mighty Oaks was an admirably ambitious project. Thomas co-wrote or wrote all the songs but one, co-produced and shepherded the orchestral arrangements. (After that level of involvement, I can only imagine how sidelined he must have felt during the Visconti years.) He only plays flute on one song, however, and only briefly. There are some pretty strong songs here, and in fact the whole album is very respectable — from the Days of Future Passed-style orchestral overture to the powerful closers, the very personal “Adam and I”, about his young son, and “I Wish We Could Fly”. I do find the proceedings a little harmonically unadventurous at times, but it’s an enjoyable listen. Gorgeous cover, too, by the Moodies' regular cover guy Phil Travers. It’s amazing that only a year later, he would release a second album, which I prefer to this one — and which closes with a song that I defy you to listen to today and keep your eyes dry. Oh, and thanks, Glenn, for rebooting the thread!
At the weekend, some old friends were discussing on Facebook when they met. This prompted a former girlfriend to say we must have met in '67. I told her that it was after On the Threshold of Dream but before To Our Children's Children so that narrowed it down to '69. She said it was good she was fitted in a hiatus in Moody Blues albums.
I’ve been loving discovering the Moodies again after seeing the wonderful PBS Days Of Future Past show and reading this thread. Bought all of the original albums as a kid in UK pressings but stopped after Question. Decided to pick up EGBDF which I had never heard. Found a nice UK copy in a shop over the weekend. Was excited to put it on and listened to both sides and was quickly stunned at how bad I thought the album was. Really pretentious and underbaked musical ideas. I couldn’t believe it was the same guys that made those great early albums. Just awfully weak. I found a nice $3 copy of Sojourn too (which I’ve also never heard) but I’m reluctant to put that on now.
yeah I listened to Sgt Pepper the other day and couldn't believe how poor it was Dylan's 'Blonde On Blonde'....it was awfully weak Hendrix 'Are You Experienced ?'...he couldn't play much at all really ! Cream's 'Wheels On Fire'....it was so poor The Who....quite inept really... Creedence....nowhere near as good as I thought in fact all my albums sound utter rubbish now
I think EGBDF and Seventh Sojourn are a couple of their best albums and deserve to be part of the 'core 7'. I'm not sure what you found 'pretentious or underbaked' on EGBDF, especially compared to Question. The Question album is where they lightened up their sound to fit their live shows - EGBDF almost seems like a return to form from that perspective. You can do what you want of course, but you might owe it to yourself to give this album another chance. Just so you know, the production is pretty 'slick' on Seventh Sojourn and is a bit more of a straightforward album compared to the earlier ones. Musically, I think it's great but some people think it doesn't have the same charm as the earlier albums. Of course this is the album where they were approaching burnout and had a lot of misfortunes come their way, but I've never heard it that way.
I understand what you mean about Question. But I love It's Up To You so much - one of my all time favorite tracks. And the title song. The rest of it I don't really listen to. I couldn't find anything on first listen to Every Good Boy remotely in that league. I'll give it another chance but there's so much great music out there to explore.
I still have a sealed copy of this I got as a teen. It was this album that got me into the Moodys, as it led me to find out that they actually had previous albums! I don't think there's a better feeling than the feeling of a new musical discovery.
EGBDF is easily the weakest of the seven IMHO. 'Sojourn' is a different kettle of fish - gloomy, world weary and fatalistic, but it's a great, great record.
Seriously (I was joking before - per my Therapist) EGBDF is an aquired joy the first track 'Procession' is the strangest number they ever recorded - but it's meant of course to be an aural depiction of the 'falling comet' (?) then the creation of the world, then a lightning flash (cue the thunder) hits the sea and causes the - random or by specific design - electro chemical development of life, the evolution of communicated languague then development of songs, then musical evolution up to a burst of electric guitar as 'Rock music' appears - pretentious moi ? - maybe or on the other hand imaginative and (whisper it) progressive (before the word became 'dirty' - thank you music critics) that burst of guitar segues into Hayward's 'Story in Your Eyes' - superb fluid guitarwork, mostly just Justin's voices...and note the chamberlain is featured only on specific passages ('we're part of a fire that is burning and from the ashes we can build another day' etc ) surging in then receeding away as quickly while besides a bit of jazzy piano and the chamberlain used so sparingly the track is keyboard free (contradicting some critics view) Ray's 'Our Guessing Game' ponders the human situation ('unhappy faces hurrying around, so blind they cannot see all of the things the way life ought to be...') note again the surging chamberlain like an orchestral wave John's ode to his now grown up but then little newly arrived daughter 'Emily's Song' has a serene melody ('and in the morning of my life, and in the evening of my day I will try to understand in what you say...') Graeme's pondering 'After You Came' features Ray, Mike, Justin, John on lead vocals on specific lines plus singing in full four part harmony - a brisk number with a superb guitar by Hayward towards the end John's 'One More Time To Live' is one of his deeper songs re humanity from 'Desolation...via 'degradation' and 'humiliation' (think holocaust)...finally up to 'inspiration' ...'communication' 'compassion'...and on up to (one day maybe)... 'solution' (?) again the chamberlain surges are mega melodramatic like a cinematic piece Ray then typically pulls the whole thing back down to Earth with his 'Beatrix Potter' style observation in 'Nice To Be Here' - probably inspired by watching small animals and birds while Ray was out fishing in the English summer scene countryside - again on that level it speaks of life on this planet and nature...but Ray jokingly makes it 'swing' with a Disney type scenario ('I know you won't believe me but I'm certain that I did see an owl play a daffodil...') the comic scene is echoed in the instrumentation, Mike's chamberlain overviews the piece like the warm sun on a blue summer sky with high 'whispy' cirrus clouds overlooking the scene as Justin challenged by Ray to play the guitar solo like as in the song on; 'a guitar with only one string' - Justin got it down to just the two strings in the end ! this charming tho' silly scenario of animals and birds having a musical 'jam' really is miles out of place on 'side two' as the three other mega deep songs on either side of it contrast totally...but that is what Ray intends here - remember to keep a balanced sense of humour and to always keep on laughing ! Ray's jovial romp...then fades into a dark pleading Justin Hayward sombre tale - 'You Can Never Go Home' (anymore) - Hayward's guitar and again the sporadic but majestic chamberlain passages add great drama to this rather chilling number ('all my life I never really knew me till today...' / 'weep no more for treasures you've been searching for in vain...') the song ends with an emphatic recitation of the title line...and immediately leads us into probably the deepest song on the album Mike's 'My Song' to me has elements of Holst's 'Neptune The Mystic' on his 'Planets' suite - a timeless piece with an infinite feel that begins with classical style flourishes as Mike stating his spiritual viewpoint ('I'm going to sing My Song and sing it all day long ...a song that never ends..') it veers off into a extended instrumental portion that has the sound of breathing (sleep, or a patient, those about to depart this life ?) with a beautiful serene melody emerging sounding as if it's rising up to another level of being - drug induced quite possibly (!) - tho' maybe a glimpse of something beyond here....(?) crashing instrumentation then intervenes and the instrumental lurches on with Hayward's supporting guitar rising more to the fore ...until returning to the open classically stanced melody as Pinder speculates; - 'one day I hope we'll be, in perfect harmony...a planet with one mind...' after a few more lines Mike repeats the intro lines as the song then majestically spirals away, and seemingly upward almost like an aural ascension (contrasting with the 'falling comet' descending presumably down to Earth on the album's intro....) - like Holst's 'Neptune' you find yourself still hearing it for a few moments even after the track has ceased....quite subliminal so a moving, reflective, far deeper album counterpointed by a song to a new born child, a whimsical look at animals and nature, some driving Rock sounds, and laments to humanity plus a spiritually themed affirmation of beliefs...? or for some just self indulgent pretentious tosh...? take your pick I've said my piece and I leave it all up to you...
one thing I need to correct here in 'Nice To Be Here' it's of course a mouse (Lodge ?) on Daffodil - the owl (Pinder ?) played his oboe while the frog (Hayward ?) played the one stringed guitar solo and Jack Rabbit (Edge ?) was on a biscuit tin drum !
