My Amazon Reviews: Moody Blues "Playlist (3 CD Set)"

Moody to Fair

3 Out Of 5 Stars

For sheer sonic audacity, few recording artists have ever topped The Moody Blues. They were one of the bands to wed the concepts of symphonic rock successfully to their albums. This three disc set follows them just as they start their strongest work (skipping the early singles and dropping "Go Now" from this collection) and moving as they mellow into a successful stadium rock band from after late 70's.

Once they became psychedelic darlings with Days of Future Passed,they adopted the mellotron into their core sound. Seeing as member Mike Pinder actually worked at a factory that built the instruments, he was able to adapt them as he saw fit. It adds to the warbley and mystical sounds in "Story In Your Eyes," "Isn't Life Strange" and "Dear Diary," and began to offer the band an identity that set them apart. At one point, the image became so much that John Lodge wrote "I"m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band" (a top 20 US hot) to speak back to the issue. The band called it quits soon after, and their are two fine efforts from Justin Hayward and John Lodge's "Blue Jays" project on disc two. (However, Hayward's terrific "Forever Autumn" is inexcusably missing.)

The third disc highlights the comeback singles from 1978's Octave on. While the songs sound strangely 'typical' as opposed to the transcendental 60's and early 70's work, that is not to say that the songs aren't any good. In fact, "Your Wildest Dreams" is a great work, matching a nostalgic lyric to a contemporary sound. It's not bad stuff, just average. Had I been asked to grade disc three, it would probably be a stand alone 3 star effort. As with many of the progeny of the 60's that helped define an era (think The Grateful Dead, The Who, even The Beach Boys) that have seemingly coasted more on legend than output, The Moodies' compilations are best served as introductions to the best albums, like On the Threshold of a Dreamor Question of Balance.

Incidentally, the sound on these discs is even better than the 1996 reissues. There is nothing by way of liner notes, but the band is represented by a good series of photographs that run through the decades. And finally, if you really need a comp set, you might be better off with the double disc Moody Blues - Goldor - if you really want to splurge - the 4 disc Time Travellerbox set.