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"...Best Way To Travel..."
The Moodies 3rd studio album
"In Search Of The Lost Chord" saw the Blighty light of day in late
July 1968 in Stereo (followed in the USA in October 1968) and has always been a
firm fan fave.
Part Prog, Part Acid Trip, yet
seriously melodic and lyrically reaching - their poppy debut "The
Magnificent Moodies" of July 1965 must have seemed a long musical way back
- because this Mellotron, Guitars and Flutes fusion saw the group embrace the
far-out artwork of Philip Travers and the floating-on-astral-plains ideals of
the day (gardens of delight baby, ultra violet lights and the earth turning
slowly around as we all chant ‘om’ –if you know what I’m saying).
Shadows of "Revolver"
and "Sgt. Peppers" collide with Ravi Shankar and Donovan and Island’s
Nirvana to produce music that is dated in places for sure – but is still as
innovative and beautiful as it was when first released. And this gorgeous
sounding 40th Anniversary CD Remaster from 2008 only hammers home just how
innovative it was. Here are the Voices In The Sky...
UK released July 2008 -
"In Search Of The Lost Chord" by THE MOODY BLUES on Universal/Deram
530 706-9 (Barcode 600753070697) is an 'Expanded Edition CD Reissue with the
12-Track 1968 Stereo Albums plus Nine Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows
(75:59 minutes):
1. Departure [Side 1]
2. Ride My See-Saw
3. Dr. Livingstone, I
Presume
4. House Of Four Doors (Part
1)
5. Legend Of The Mind
6. House Of Four Doors (Part
2)
7. Voices In The Sky [Side
2]
8. The Best Way To Travel
9. Visions Of Paradise
10. The Actor
11. The Word
12. Om
Tracks 1 to 12 are the album
"In Search Of The Lost Chord" - released July 1968 in the UK in
Stereo on Deram SML 711 and October 1968 in the USA on Deram DES 18017.
Produced by TONY CLARKE – it peaked at No. 5 in the UK and No. 23 in the USA LP
charts.
BONUS TRACKS:
13. A Simple Game (Justin
Hayward Vocal Mix)
14. The Best Way To Travel
(Additional Vocal Mix)
15. Visions Of Paradise
(Instrumental Version)
16. What Am I Doing Here?
(Original Version)
17. The Word (Mellotron Mix)
18. Om (Extended Version,
6:07 minutes)
19. Doctor Livingstone I
Presume
20. Thinking Is The Best Way
To Travel
21. A Simple Game -
Non-Album B-side to "Ride My See Saw", UK released 25 October 1968 on
Deram DM 213)
The 20-page booklet is a
surprisingly decent affair – MARK POWELL of Esoteric Recordings providing the
hugely illuminating and enthusiastic liner notes. There are period colour
photos of the five lads – Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Mike Pinder, Graeme Edge
and Ray Thomas – as well as a Deramic Stereo Sound trade advert for the album,
rare Euro pictures sleeves for singles like "Ride My See-Saw" and "Voices
In The Sky" and of course the original LP artwork.
The Remaster of the Stereo
Album by ALBERTO PARODI and JUSTIN HAYWARD has been taken from original Decca
master tapes with MARK POWELL being the Audio Engineer on the Extra Tracks.
This CD sounds amazing – real care taken – warm and kicking for all the right reasons.
To the music...
Once you get past "Departure"
(Graeme Edge's opening 44 seconds of spoken piffle) - you're greeted by the
rocking John Lodge song "Ride My See-Saw" – a clear winner that
screamed period 45 (and that’s what they did). After the American release of
the album in October 1968, the Moodies returned to Decca's Studios in the UK to
record Mike Pinder's "A Simple Game" (Track 21) - a song that was
popped onto the B-side of the decidedly commercial "Ride My See-Saw"
and rush-released (Deram DM 213 was issued 25 October 1968).
The fantastically hippy six
thirty-six minutes of "Legends Of A Mind" tells us you can't take a
trip on Astral Plains because Timothy Leary is dead (the 3CD Decca Underground
Box Set of 2008 took its name from this trippy track - see separate review).
The remaster is gorgeous really bring out those Hayward 12-String Guitar
moments abled helped by Ray Thomas on Flute while Pinder brings up the
Mellotron rear. After the magic of "The Best Way To Travel" with its
clever stop-start melodies and far-out-man lyrics - "Visions Of
Paradise" with its Flutes, Voices and subtle Sitar notes feels positively
peaceful and beautiful. Side 2 ends on what I think is the records high point –
the fabulous Nirvana vs. Donovan "Om" – nearly six minutes of the
band layering Sitars, Flutes and Violins with gorgeously orchestrated voices –
the whole clouds passing by my head thing floating on a soft Tabla beat. Heaven
indeed...
An exemplary CD Reissue and
for under five quid (if you’ll forgive the British Railways lost and found pun)
– a bit of a aural find...
