The Moodies Are Still Magnificent

As pavilions patrons were constantly reminded, the Moody Blues were never your run-of-the-mill Sixties pop group. Everything about this veteran outfit oozes class.

Although only three members remain from their ground-breaking years, supported by young musicians of the highest calibre, Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge have ensured that the authentic sound of the band is very much intact, and they put the often watered-down and amateurish efforts of some of their contemporaries to shame.

It was over four decades ago, now, that a revamped line-up emerged from the primordial soup of the mid-Sixties music scene to fashion a sophisticated yet memorably melodic style which supplied the prototype for what was to become progressive rock.

This oft-maligned art form, it should not be forgotten, was very much mainstream in that era and bands like Yes, Genesis and King Crimson were big players in the album charts – and had much for which to thank the Moody Blues.

Utilising orchestra and Mellotron, they crafted a series of pioneering concept albums, starting with Days of Future Past, which graced the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic. In fact, they topped those lists in Britain, on three occasions, and were the envy of many UK acts with two number ones on the other side of the Pond.

The secret to good concept albums is that the individual songs should be strong enough to stand on their own merits and the performance was liberally sprinkled with items that certainly fit that bill. Isn’t Life Strange, Voices in the Sky and The Voice were among the highlights along with Question, an outstanding track which had given the band a number two in the singles charts of 1970.

Another audience favourite, Nights in White Satin, is surely one of the most gorgeous songs to grace the charts in any era. Justin “the Voice” Hayward pulled out all the emotional stops with a spine- tingling rendition of this national treasure which would have sent the fans home satisfied at that stage, but just to prove that they can still rock out, the band supplied a speeded-up version of Ride My See-saw as an encore. This catchy refrain was lodged in their minds long after the home journeys began.

If you passed on the band this time, don’t make the same mistake again. Theirs is a show not to be missed and if you still crave well- crafted, memorable and melodic rock music the Magnificent Moodies will never let you down.

(c) 2008 Plymouth Evening Herald, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.