Search - The Moody Blues :: The Magnificent Moodies

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R. Josef | New Haven, CT United States | 01/09/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The original Moody Blues -- guitarist and principal vocalist Denny Laine, pianist/vocalist Mike Pinder, drummer Graeme Edge, bassist Clint Warwick and Ray Thomas (wind instruments, vocals) -- had only one hit single in 1965. That song, a cover of Bessie Banks'"Go Now", would prove impossible to follow up. Neither the following singles or the LP "Magnificent Moodies" would come close to reaching the top 40 in the US or the UK.



Repetoire has now reissued the 12 track album on this CD, along with 14 other tracks that had been released only on singles, many only in Europe -- all the songs recorded by the first lineup. This reissue is the first to contain the French EP track, "People Gotta Go", by far the rarest Moodies track. It's pretty typical British Invasion music, with the primary distinction being that the sound is centered more on Pinder's piano than guitar.



When listening to this stuff, it's understandable why this version of the group never really made it -- they weren't all that good. Laine was a very soulful vocalist and Pinder an OK pianist, but the guys, even for the era, were very limited musicians. Some of the covers sound pretty thin, and Laine/Pinder weren't exactly Lennon/McCartney in the songwriting department. Besides the wonderful "Go Now", there are only three other tracks that rank up there as classics. "Time Is On My Side" is a more upbeat version than that by the Stones; "From the Bottom of My Heart" is a haunting acoustic number; and "Boulevard de la Madeleine", their next to the last single, is a gorgeous ballad. This is the only track here that hints at any progression or sophistication from the band. By the time it came out, though, Laine and Warwick had left, resulting in two key replacements that would eventually catapult the group to a new level of sucess.



Moodies hardcores will want this CD. Otherwise, very few Moody Blues fans would consider it worth the effort, even though there are a few gems here.











"

Who were the Moody Blues?

Philip F. Quartuccio | San Francisco,Casa | 06/08/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Just as there were two Small Faces. Marriot v Stewert, there were two Moody Blues, pre and post Laine.

For me, Go Now remains one of the most enduring songs from the 1960s. The rest of the songs more or less can be found on any eary Stone,Beatles, Kinks,Who, Rolling Stones album.

I would have loved to see the early Moody Blues evolve as the above mentioned bands did. But it did'nt happen.

The second Moody Blues were the pot smoking LSD type songs Nights in White Satin, Timothy Leary's Dead. Brilliant? Personally I could tell them where they could ride their seewaw!

Unless you are a big fan of early English R&B or this is the only way to get your hands on Go Now, I would pass."