Moody Blues - Collected (2007)

This is the Moody Blues installment in Universal Music's Collected series. Digitally remastered three CD set featuring 54 of the finest musical moments from The Moodies' most melodic moments. Collected serves up key material from the "classic seven" long-players Days of Future Passed, In Search of the Lost Chord (1968), On the Threshold of a Dream (1969), To Our Children's Children's Children (1969), A Question of Balance (1970), Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971), and Seventh Sojourn (1972). There are likewise cuts from several solo and offshoot albums.

This is the Moody Blues installment in Universal Music's Collected series. The 54 selections span the band's nearly 40-year career – from early British Invasion-era songs through to the 2003 seasonal offering December. The original lineup hailed from Birmingham, England, and featured Ray Thomas (harmonica/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Denny Laine (vocals/guitar), Graeme Edge (drums), and Clint Warwick (bass/vocals). They had a massive worldwide smash with a remake of Bessie Banks' "Go Now" in early 1965. However, they suffered from the inability to provide a suitable follow-up, despite the undeniable groove heard on the blue-eyed soulful "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)." Ultimately, Warwick and then Laine exited, replaced by John Lodge (bass/vocals) and Justin Hayward (guitar/vocals). They continued with minimal notice, even as Hayward immediately unleashed the pre-psychedelia pop of "Fly Me High" and "Cities," or the slightly more esoteric "Love and Beauty" and "A Simple Game." It wasn't until the combo hedged their bets and turned in the rock-meets-symphonic masterpiece Days of Future Passed (1967) that the Moodies were able to truly define their sound. Collected serves up key material from the "classic seven" long-players Days of Future Passed, In Search of the Lost Chord (1968), On the Threshold of a Dream (1969), To Our Children's Children's Children (1969), A Question of Balance (1970), Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971), and Seventh Sojourn (1972). There are likewise cuts from several solo and offshoot albums. Most notably, the Hayward/Lodge effort Blue Jays (1972) ("Blue Guitar" and "Remember Me [My Friend]"), Hayward's excellent solo album Songwriter (1977) ("Raised on Love"), and Lodge's criminally underrated Natural Avenue (1977) ("Carry Me"). The late-'70s re-formation with Octave (1978), "Forever Autumn" from Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds (1978), and Hayward's Night Flight (1980) LP – with the hard to find "It's Not On" – are also covered. the Moodies in the '80s were able to rack up even more MOR rockers such as "The Voice," "Gemini Dream," "Your Wildest Dreams," "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," and "Say It with Love." While die-hard enthusiasts might have the odd personal favorite left off, thanks to recent remastering and a better than average tune stack, Collected (2007) is decidedly more desirable an overview than most other available Moodies anthologies. ~ Review by Lindsay Planer







Disc 1
1968-1970

01. Nights In White Satin (4:26)
02. Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon) (4:49)
03. The Morning: Another Morning (3:58)
04. Voices In The Sky (3:27)
05. Dr. Livingstone, I Presume (2:58)
06. Ride My See-Saw (3:44)
07. Legend Of A Mind (6:37)
08. Lovely To See You (2:36)
09. Never Comes The Day (4:40)
10. Are You Sitting Comfortably (3:31)
11. Dear Diary (3:59)
12. Gypsy (Of A Strange And Distant Time) (3:33)
13. Watching And Waiting (4:17)
14. Higher And Higher (4:00)
15. I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Hundred (1:07)
16. Candle Of Life (4:14)
17. Melancholy Man (5:46)
18. Dawning Is The Day (4:26)
19. Question (5:39)



Disc 2
1971-1983

01. The Story In Your Eyes (2:54)
02. Emily's Song (3:44)
03. Isn't Life Strange (6:09)
04. I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) (4:19)
05. New Horizons (5:12)
06. Blue Guitar // Justin Hayward & John Lodge (3:38)
07. Remember Me (My Friend) // Justin Hayward & John Lodge (5:29)
08. King And Queen (3:54)
09. What Am I Doing Here (3:32)
10. Raised On Love // Justin Hayward (3:14)
11. Carry Me // John Lodge (5:44)
12. Had To Fall In Love (3:42)
13. Driftwood (4:25)
14. Forever Autumn // Jeff Wayne & Justin Hayward (4:30)
15. It's Not On // Justin Hayward (4:12)
16. The Voice (5:17)
17. Gemini Dream (4:07)
18. Blue World (5:10)



Disc 3
1986-2003

01. Your Wildest Dreams (4:53)
02. The Other Side Of Life (6:52)
03. Vintage Wine (3:40)
04. I Know You're Out There Somewhere (6:39)
05. Lean On Me (Tonight) (4:57)
06. Say It With Love (3:58)
07. Bless The Wings (That Bring You Back) (5:10)
08. This Is The Moment (4:41)
09. Strange Times (4:30)

DECCA YEARS
10. December Snow (5:12)
11. Go Now (3:13)
12. Boulevard De La Madeleine (2:57)
13. From The Bottom Of My Heart (I Love You) (3:28)
14. Fly Me High (2:56)
15. Cities (2:23)
16. Love And Beauty (2:26)
17. A Simple Game (3:18)

Notes

This compilation has been compiled in friendly association with Repertoire Records, Hamburg and Sony BMG Music Entertainment.







Many thanks to the original uploader: syren_aureola