The Moodies At Their Moodiest Best
340054
Seventh Sojourn is one of those albums that never grows old.  I first purchased it as a vinyl way back in the early 70s, and fell in love with it.  The arrangements are lush and evocative; the music itself is poignant,  melodic and memorable; the lyrics danced across the turntable.  Songs such  as "For My Lady," "When I'm a Free Man," "Lost in  a Lost World" and "Isn't Life Strange" will be Moody  classics in years to come.  AS most reviewers agreed, despite it being a  fun tune, "I'm Just a Singer" is seriously out of place on this  album, but who can help but like that bass leadin?  It's truly one of their  best, and for a band that's been around for over 30 years, that's saying a  lot!
3642914
I absolutely love this Anthology. I would suggest it for any Moody Blues fan.
 My only problem , and it just may be my CD's , is that the last song on both CD's are cut off prematurely. This may be due to the groups propensity to go from one song to another with no pause between them.
 All in all , a great effort.
3702793
Peopled and fueled by the people that make the  music behind many of your fave front persons, this highly skewed Christmas set is a hoot.  Recording together again in the first time in forever, this bunch of fun by some of the greatest names from 70's blues, rock and pop will blow you away because it's done outside the system with an attitude to match.  With a songbag that pulls from many outlaw quandrants (like the Marx Bros.), there's nothing here that adults won't find a great break from "Deck the Halls".  Let the good times roll.
-10/14/02
1365810
You can imagine the beau's record company/manager saying something like ''look fella's you gotta pick up on this mersey sound thing its a happening scene... and it sells!!''
well in essence the earlier tracks on this splendid overview are indeed tinged with that liverpool flavour with a sprinkling of byrd's thrown in, but it did not detract from the fact that the BEAU BRUMMELS wrote and performed some truly dazzling material that deserves to be remembered and enjoyed. Included here is their smash single LAUGH LAUGH,with its glorious MAMA'S and PAPA'S style chorus and a real gem in the baroque/psychadelic
and slightly spooky MAGIC HOLLOW a track thats up there with
THE MONKEES 'PORPOISE SONG' and BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD'S 'IN THE HOUR OF NOT QUITE RAIN' in the flower power wierdness stakes.
Listen with affection.
4073838
Love listening to this wonderful combination, puts me in a good mood.
2105137
This sprawling 71-track, 4-disc set is all the Moody Blues most fans will ever need. First released in 1994, the first two-and-a-half discs focus on the Moodies classic period (1967-1972) with the lineup of Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge. During that time they released seven albums:

DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED (disc-1, tracks 4-5)

IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD (disc-1, tracks 6-11)

ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM (disc-1, tracks 12-20)

TO OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN (disc-2, tracks 1-9)

A QUESTION OF BALANCE (disc-2, tracks 10-15)

EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR (disc-2, tracks 16-20)

SEVENTH SOJOURN (disc-3, tracks 1-6)

It's no surprise that this box set leans heavier on these seven albums as they form the foundation of this band that has continued to sporadically record even ten years after this set was first issued. [Their most recent recording is 2003's holiday album DECEMBER.] The rest of disc-3 and disc-4 cherry pick highlights from the band's next twenty years culminating with three tracks from their then latest album, 1991's KEYS OF THE KINGDOM. There are also a few tracks from Hayward and Lodge's Bluejays project (disc-3, tracks 7-12) and two Hayward singles, "Blue Guitar" and "Forever Autumn," the latter from JEFF WAYNE'S THE WAR OF THE WORLDS.

There are few bonus or rare tracks. Disc-1 starts with two non-album singles, "Fly Me High" and "Love and Beauty," both released in 1967 and failed to dent the UK charts. [Missing is their 1966 UK single "Boulevard De La Madelaine."] "Cities" is the non-album B-side of "Nights in White Satin." The only other bonus track is "Highway," an outtake from the KEYS OF THE KINGDOM sessions that closes disc-4.  [Note: The original pressings of this box set had a fifth disc which included a new recording "This Is the Moment" and eight songs recorded live at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 1992.]

This box fills a nice niche for fans who want more than a greatest hits package, but don't have the deep pockets to purchase all of their studio albums. While there are those that would argue that their albums need to be heard in their entirety, this is a very satisfying look at the first twenty-five years of an amazing band. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
75862
The entire CD  is great. Something for every mood.
Highly Recommended. Anthony did a masterful job. If music set your mood & you wish to start your day upbeat, this is the sound for u. It may reflect on life past adventures.
2267214
Joe Turner's magnificent voice stars in this session, with some fine backing from his Thirties partner Pete Johnson and other great musicians, including some of the young stars of the mid-fifties. Perhaps the arrangements are a little restrictive but Joe Turner was at his peak and the horn players deliver distinctive solos. I particularly like Jimmy Nottingham's trumpet introduction to I Want a Little Girl and Pete Brown's rolling piano introduction to Cherry Red, that's real mood music!
932784
Given the original nine-years-on 1991 release date, the nods and winks aimed at the Chanson style, and the title that not only includes the word "Desperate" but also emulates the calligraphy scrawled across the cover of "Desperate Straights", it seems that someone has been operating under an influence. Here the core personnel include ex-The Work and This Heat members with an entourage of nine outstanding guest musicians. Like Slapp Happy, there is a sort of post modern cabaret quality to many of the 14 songs: largely acoustic instrumentation, theatrical and highly stylized singing, a desultory air all acting like a persistent and accurate predictor of John Greaves' more recent preoccupations with French Chanson (namely, his "Chansons" and "Verlaine"). Unlike Slapp Happy, the lyrics do struggle a bit more, and the overall sort of fin de siecle mood that Slapp Happy so readily conjured feels occasionally forced here. Still, the playing is full of inflection, expression and eccentricity set in a wonderfully warm acoustic presence. Humor and ennui find their appropriate billets, tongue in cheek, tucked in for night. But in terms of hearing or having heard more of the many spun-off and tangentially connected artefacts derived from the network of Cold Storage artists and their Casual and Formal acquaintances, we need to thank Ad Hoc that "Differently Desperate" has again found itself made available and made manifest in remastered form. The are always beautiful and compelling things happening out here on the margins, this recording belongs with some of the best.
3695859
I will admit that the sound quality isn't the best...but anybody who was around in 1969 can agree that most all live recordings from this era sound about the same.

If you're a long time Moodies fan and never got to see them live....and if you never grabbed the vinyl version when first released in 1977...this would be a bargain for you....and a nice addition to your collection.

The recordings acoustics are similar to that of an arena...I believe it was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall...as that is the building pictured on the case.  I personally like the audience and background noises....it gives a bit of realism and an audience vantage point to the listener.

The 5 bonus tracks were also released on the PRELUDE cd..along with 6 other unreleased tracks from the early days.  Something else that all true devoted Moodies fans should be without.
3050725
Concord Records has come up with another winner in it's series of Jazz Moods - "Jazz At Week's End".  The label has compiled eleven tracks for that special mood at the end of a hectic week.  A collection of  cool and lightly swinging jazz sets the listener in a relaxing and  meditating mood.
Stand out performances include - Ernestine Anderson,  Stan Getz, Hendrik Meurkens, Marian McPartland, Rosemary Clooney, Laurindo  Almeida, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Charlie Byrd, Hank Jones, Jeff Linsky, Carol  Sloane, George Van Eps, Howard Alden and Ali Ryerson.  If you need to  unwind at the end of your week, this album is for you.  Each track is  designed to fit that specific mood for your - JAZZ AT WEEK'S END!
Total  Time: 52:38 on 11 Tracks/ Concord Records - CCD 5206 2 (2000)
1083525
Yay! I just received the limited edition of B&S's "Life Pursuit" LP. While the album might be disappointing at first, it really does grow on you. It's more singular in vision than the last LP, which makes it very consistent and just as lovely, and in the end one of the band's finest achievements.

The songs themselves are more overtly seventies rock-and-pop (and funk), with "The Blues are Still Blue" probably being the high point. Of course, several cuts are very reminiscent of old Belle & Sebsatian ("Dress Up in You," "Funny Little Frog," "Another Sunny Day" -- though "Frog" is steeped in rocking piano accents and hip, poppy guitar lines). You will be disappointed if you're only looking for something akin to "Sinister" or "Fold Your Hands," however.

The DVD in this limited edition package is a bit of a surprise, considering the current price on amazon is only a little more over the standard, comparatively average CD set. Six songs from the album are performed live, rather well, with Stuart Murdoch (the imitable and quite lovely band leader) showing some serious charm. I think I might be even more in love with him than I was before. (The songs are "Another Sunny Day," "Dress Up in You," "To Be Myself Completely," "Mornington Crescent," "Funny Little Frog," and "White Collar Boy.")

The packaging is exactly like the deluxe version of "Push Barman": hardcover mini-book, except way more pictures and linear notes. A lot of the Q&A from the band's official website is in here, which at first I found unimpressive, but I'm fine with it now. Richard's answers to most everything are hilarious, and the very notion of putting such a thing in the linear notes shows how well connected B&S is to its fans.

Surely worth the purchase for anyone who loves the band. It doesn't particularly matter if you're a casual fan or not -- the deluxe version honestly isn't much more than the regular one, and the music is catchy and friendly enough to guarantee new fans. Highly recommended.
3865884
I ordered this disc after one day hearing "Meditations" on the radio while writing something and realizing that the music had made a positive impact on my mood.  I certainly am not disappointed in this disc, and it is a resource to play when my mood wants settling.  That said, there are parts I like better than others:  "Meditations"  and "Suite Antique" are the best parts. But the disc is all good.
4746559
I have been a fan of the Moody Blues since my high school days.  I have seen them in concert several times over the past several years.  This DVD provides a more comprehensive look at the band and especially the artists.  Quite franly, I was very impressed by the devotion of the Blues to their music and their fans.  The quality of the DVD could have been better, however some of the footage was old and recarding equipment "back them" was only a shadow of what it is today.  Overall an excellent addition to an Moddy Blues fan collection.
4706213
These guys are doing something special!
In an age of synthetic, computerized music you find here a group of musicians who are not only virtuosos, but have also embraced music technology, incorporate influences from our growing multicultural society and have a great sense of humour!
They also appear to work in a collective way - each member contributing an equal amount composed material.
Some of the tracks were more to my taste then others, but as a whole, the variation in writing style added to the internal contrast and dynamics from track to great.
Anyone who enjoys Weather Report or John McCloughlin will love this band.
4190454
Bird comes at you with genuine emotion and powerful music that dances in your mind and puts a smile on your face.  The lyrics bring insight into the soul of the artist for which the band is named and leave you yearning to learn more.  The drummer, Michael Miley, is the most talented I've heard since John Bonham and Keith Moon.  These guys will be around for a long time.  I can't wait to see them live!!
1433657
This is an album of clips from their live radio shows. Most of it is screamingly funny. When I make a CD or tape of my favorite music, I always find myself adding at least one track from 'Dear Friends' to end the collection on a funny note. My friends always ask 'what was that??!!!!' as they laugh themselves silly. This is a 'must have' for anyone who grew-up in the late 60s--early 70s----or anyone who loves bizarre humor.