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Post by jefflynnenut on Feb 16, 2015 13:04:50 GMT
Side One[edit]
"Lost in a Lost World" (Mike Pinder) – 4:42
"New Horizons" (Justin Hayward) – 5:11
"For My Lady" (Ray Thomas) – 3:58
"Isn't Life Strange" (John Lodge) – 6:09
Side Two[edit]
"You and Me" (Hayward, Graeme Edge) – 4:21
"The Land of Make-Believe" (Hayward) – 4:52
"When You're a Free Man" (Pinder) – 6:06
"I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" (Lodge) – 4:18
2007 SACD Expanded Edition Tracks (also 2008 remaster)[edit]
Bonus tracks SACD version:
"Isn't Life Strange (Original Version)" (Lodge) – 8:10
"You and Me (Beckthorns Backing Track)" (Hayward, Edge) – 6:33
"Lost in a Lost World (Instrumental Demo)" (Pinder) – 4:41
"Island" (Previously Unreleased) (Hayward) – 4:30
The Opening track, Mike Pinder's "Lost in a Lost World" laments the brutality of revolution and references racial tension. Several songs contain overt political references, "You and Me," like "Question" from two years earlier, alludes to ongoing wars and conflicts, including Vietnam. However, although the album showcases political concerns, in the 1990 Documentary "The Moody Blues: Legend of a Band," Bassist John Lodge described "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" as a response to fans who mistakenly read guru-like wisdom into the Moodies' lyrics. The song makes a clear statement that the band is just as worried by the crises of the modern world but has just as few answers as everyone else.
In contrast, "The Land of Make-Believe" describes a utopian world where "heartaches can turn into joy." This highly melodic track employs a complex and counterpoint-filled accompaniment in which contrasting lines are introduced in succession: First by the acoustic guitar (played by Hayward), then bells (Edge), then bass (Lodge), flute (Thomas), and finally electric guitar (Hayward again). Each part is unique, but ultimately blends well with the others, in keeping with the theme of the song's lyrics.
Justin Hayward - vocals, guitars
John Lodge - vocals, bass, guitar
Ray Thomas - vocals, flute, tambourine, saxophone, oboe
Graeme Edge - drums, percussion, vocals
Mike Pinder - vocals, chamberlin
In my opinion the best track on the album......
Bonus track..........Should have been on the original vinyl pressing! But check out the sound of the Chamberlin!!
I got this album by "accident" many years ago and it concreted my adoration for this band. I know that y'all have had a moody's album here already and I have put up a side project from the moodys but this album is something quite special. If you love ELO as much as I do.....well you are about to experience something very special!
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Post by jrmugz on Feb 16, 2015 14:12:09 GMT
Will love going through this one again, like I did "Long Distance Voyager" last year!
This one always had the feel of a movie soundtrack to me.
Look for my thoughts within a few days or so! Thanks, jln!
Jim
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Post by jefflynnenut on Feb 16, 2015 15:44:57 GMT
One track that sticks out for me fellow Lynnites is "When you're a free man" Spoke volumes to me as a teen...(That was a long ass time ago btw!) Anyway if anyone wants to know what lies behind the pain and melancholy in Mike Pinders voice....His good friend Timothy Leary pretty much the LSD guru (The Beatles sang about him and many other 60's favorites) was on the run and had all manner of Law after his ass for his Pro LSD stance. And Mike wrote this as I suppose an ode to his struggles at the time thus the lyric "You left your country for a peace of mind, And something tells me You're doing alright, How are the children and Rosemary? I long to see you and be in your company" His simplicity with lyrical arrangments are in my opinion Genius. I have actually found myself welling up with this song....I suppose we all feel like we're on the run and we are on our own sometimes? Anyway please enjoy!
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Post by unomusette on Feb 16, 2015 22:29:01 GMT
Recognise a couple of the tracks already, this is going to be a goodie
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Post by Chippa on Feb 17, 2015 5:46:35 GMT
The entire album is here...
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Post by Chippa on Feb 17, 2015 6:04:46 GMT
Lost In A Lost World – Sounds very dated, and not much of a melody. But there is something interesting going on with the vibe of the song. I can’t put my finger on it.
New Horizons – Sounds like the Moodies doing their version of 70’s “soft” AM rock. Once again, no hooks and no real melody that grabs you. Better than the previous song, though.
For My Lady – I think Ray Thomas sings this one. He has a very unique, theatrical voice. For some reason, this reminds me of that “Last Farewell” song by Roger Whitaker.
Isn’t Life Strange – The lead vocals have always intrigued me, with that little wavering effect going on. Great chorus! Instantly memorable.
You and Me – The first thing this reminded me of was Neil Diamond’s “Longfellow Serenade”. Good guitar by Justin Hayward. Very prototypical Moody Blues song.
Land of Make Believe – The album is starting to get very samey. Not much to say about this song. Boring.
When You’re A Free Man – Very trippy! Someone pass the bong…..hah.
I’m Just A Singer in a Rock and Roll Band- This is a great song. The Moodies rarely “rock out”, but in this case they do, and it’s an instant classic.
As far as the bonus tracks go, Island is the best of them. Very good melody and a somewhat dark feel to the music.
Overall, I give this album 5/10. Definitely not some of the band’s best work.
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Post by jrmugz on Feb 17, 2015 16:40:47 GMT
Lost In A Lost World – Sounds very dated, and not much of a melody. But there is something interesting going on with the vibe of the song. I can’t put my finger on it. New Horizons – Sounds like the Moodies doing their version of 70’s “soft” AM rock. Once again, no hooks and no real melody that grabs you. Better than the previous song, though. For My Lady – I think Ray Thomas sings this one. He has a very unique, theatrical voice. For some reason, this reminds me of that “Last Farewell” song by Roger Whitaker. Isn’t Life Strange – The lead vocals have always intrigued me, with that little wavering effect going on. Great chorus! Instantly memorable. You and Me – The first thing this reminded me of was Neil Diamond’s “Longfellow Serenade”. Good guitar by Justin Hayward. Very prototypical Moody Blues song. Land of Make Believe – The album is starting to get very samey. Not much to say about this song. Boring. When You’re A Free Man – Very trippy! Someone pass the bong…..hah. I’m Just A Singer in a Rock and Roll Band- This is a great song. The Moodies rarely “rock out”, but in this case they do, and it’s an instant classic. As far as the bonus tracks go, Island is the best of them. Very good melody and a somewhat dark feel to the music. Overall, I give this album 5/10. Definitely not some of the band’s best work. Enjoyed the review Chippa. From my past experience with it, the more plays allow the hooks to really take hold, like the killer bridge/chorus in "Land of Make Believe", IMHO. My understanding of the album is that while the band was pleased with the finished product, they knew it was the last of what is not referred to as their "core 7" albums, and they felt completely empty and unfulfilled inside for all of their success. So their consensus is they have no fond memories at all of making the album, even though they liked the final product. So maybe that's why it seems to have a darker feel to it. If I recall right in the liner notes, "Island" was an attempt for a next album that never took off. Guess it was a good handful of years until they came back with their next album "Octave", and I think their keyboardist Mike Pinder was not in the band anymore at that point, and then they've been hit and miss after that with very sparse releases, obviously LDV was quite a big hit as was "Other Side of Life". Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Feb 18, 2015 12:22:58 GMT
I've just been listening to Long Distance Voyager again; can't wait to try this album - I'm looking forward to building up my Moodies knowledge!
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Post by jrmugz on Feb 20, 2015 20:49:55 GMT
Hey JLN, sorry I'm late on my review, look for it tomorrow or so. I've been playing it all week, but hit from all sides at work as well. Will ideally post it later tonight or tomorrow. Great choice, enjoying it a lot. Beautiful haunting songs.
Jim
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Post by unomusette on Feb 20, 2015 23:14:07 GMT
Lost in a Lost World - Extremely '60's sounding, with the clattery bells and the lyrical content. I like its layers and the slightly "off" notes which make it interesting. New Horizons - typical Justin Hayward song, this isn't a bad thing but you can spot him a mile off. Good contrast with the opening song, nice instrumental break with strings and guitar. For My Lady - Folky and sea-shantyish, great sounding vocals, is that Ray Thomas? He reminds me very much of one of the early Strawbs singers, whose voice I've always loved. My favourite so far. Isn't Life Strange - Epic song, and simply can't be faulted. The brass band type opening is fab and gives it great atmostphere, then it kicks off to that amazing chorus with the guitars noodling away in the background. You and Me - Again very '60's sounding with the echo-ey vocals and the tambourine much in evidence. Bops along nicely, I like it a lot. The Land of Make-Believe - Bit of a filler for me but a pretty tune. When You're a Free Man - Sounds like an epic as soon as it starts, very otherworldly and cool. Shades of George Harrison here for me in the guitar sound. Lovely dreamy quality to it. I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) - Good to hear the bass up front here, this is a marvellous song with perhaps the echo a bit too pronounced on the vocals. But you can't blame them, pushing boundaries is what they do. Love all the layers of different instruments, it's fab. Island - Again, great atmosphere and Justin Hayward's voice lifts it brilliantly. Why has he not been made a Dame too? Firstly I'm impressed to see that everyone had a chance to get their songs on the album *stares meaningfully at Damey* None of the songs were too long for me either, this is a very good thing. Not many other bands went in for this sort of lush, layered and experimental sound, in parts it did remind me of my beloved Strawbs but they began at around the same time so that's not surprising. All in all I very much enjoyed listening to this and would definitely listen again. In fact I'm off to see if it's on Spotify - thanks for sharing, jefflynnenut!
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Post by jrmugz on Feb 21, 2015 14:52:15 GMT
OK, JLN, here is my review of The Moody Blues "Seventh Sojourn" CD. Very good stuff, for sure. 01. "Lost in a Lost World" - Cool epic soundtrack piece to set the tone for the CD. 02. "New Horizons" - "But I'm never gonna lose your precious gift", a great classic Justin Hayward melody and lyric. Fairly decent ballad bolstered by great chorus. Nice bridge. 03. "For My Lady" - Love the Irish feel to it. A Ray Thomas classic, maybe even his quintessential song. 04. "Isn't Life Strange" - Love how the Hayward guitar accents the heart-wrenching chorus. Very universal sentiment captured by a very powerful arrangement. 05. "You and Me" - An honest attempt to sort out the meaning of what understandably seemed to many like a meaningless Vietnam conflict. Understandable sentiment, though somewhat sappy for the chorus; but given credibility and a little boost by a fairly decent and inspiring guitar riff. 06. "The Land of Make-Believe" - Love the flute and love the dramatic chorus, good social commentary on society's tendency to sometimes ignore looming issues. Great stuff. 07. "When You're a Free Man" - Love the acoustic guitar chords, and the spaced out verses. Great stuff. Some of these arrangements could almost go into something like "Stardust" it seems. This one is great as it is, though seems like maybe an extra hook in there somewhere, might launch it from good to great. 08. "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" - Fantastic spaced out synth guitar to a great chorus with great harmonies, etc. I guess understanding the context of the lyrics helps my appreciation as well. They had a lot of drugged-out fans and one time there was some guy promoting the idea that The Moodies were actually space aliens that came down to save us with their music mission, and tune everyone in, etc. So bassist John Lodge's response to that was to write this song and say to the effect of "Hey look dude, we're just singers in a a rock and roll band, that's it dog, nothing more." So to me this song reflects the humility of The Moody Blues that for me has always fit so well with their magical non-imposing but very comforting musical style. Bonus track: 09. "Island" - What a beautiful track this would have been towards an eighth core album for them, that never materialized. This one sounds like it might have fit in OK on their album "To Our Children's Children's Children's Children". Star Rating: 4.3 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)", "The Land of Make Believe", "For My Lady" Bottom Line: Very respectable closure to the last in the string of their "core 7" albums. Overall, I really like the dreamy and cosmic feel of the whole thing, its a real trip from start to finish and incorporates all of the best elements of The Moodies at their best, to make a very focused and cohesive album. Guess if Fleetwood Mac pulled it off with all they had going on during "Rumors", we shouldn't be surprised they can pull it off when they felt unfulfilled and like they were just going through the motions. What a great team group The Moody Blues have been throughout their core 7 albums. Four very good songwriters all with very good and unique compositions and all working together and doing their best for each other's tracks. Thank you again for your participation JLN, and very cool pick. As a reward for your participation, I have you signed up for two months from today, April 12. I'll assume that's OK unless you let me know otherwise, and I will send you a reminder as the time approaches. Will see if I can do the "favor" of filling in slots for other people as well, guess I'll put Chippa for week after that in April since his turn is tomorrow. Jim
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Post by jefflynnenut on Feb 21, 2015 20:40:10 GMT
Again Jim......thats how you appraise an album...jeeze Louise you need to write for a mag!!!! Got my next album already chosen! Completely different!
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Post by jrmugz on Feb 21, 2015 21:06:12 GMT
Again Jim......thats how you appraise an album...jeeze Louise you need to write for a mag!!!! Got my next album already chosen! Completely different! Thanks JLN, and hey, if you know of any openings for a magazine, let me know! Ha ha, OK, cool can't wait until two months later for your next album pick! Jim
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Post by 88keys on Feb 22, 2015 4:42:10 GMT
I'm a Moody Blues fan, so I own this album..uhh..CD...uhhhh..digital download.
I wouldn't rank it among their best work, but the songwriting is very good (even great, at times). Isn't Life Strange, and For My Lady are my two favorite songs from this album.
I wouldn't recommend someone just now getting into the Moody Blues start with this record, but it's a nice one to work your way up to.
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Post by jrmugz on Feb 22, 2015 19:50:34 GMT
I'm a Moody Blues fan, so I own this album..uhh..CD...uhhhh..digital download. I wouldn't rank it among their best work, but the songwriting is very good (even great, at times). Isn't Life Strange, and For My Lady are my two favorite songs from this album. I wouldn't recommend someone just now getting into the Moody Blues start with this record, but it's a nice one to work your way up to. I think I like it more than "Every Good Boy Deserves Favor", anyways. Of the core seven for me, I rank them like this from fave to least fave, how about you: To Our Children's Children's Children On the Threshold of a Dream Question of Balance In Search of the Lost Chord Days of Future Past The Seventh Sojourn Every Good Boy Deserves Favor Jim
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