Moody Blues in Quad and 5.1

[SomethingAnything]

Until they release LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER in Surround this Stereo SHM SACD from UMG Japan [enclosed in one of their little cardboard boxes] sounds superb and decodes well in the Super DSP mode of my Meridian pre/pro!

Does it have any bonus songs, the way Japanese releases often manage to include?

 

[4-earredwonder]

Does it have any bonus songs, the way Japanese releases often manage to include?

No. Here is the discogs' listing

https://www.discogs.com/release/8017586-The-Moody-Blues-Long-Distance-Voyager

A better pic of the gorgeous box the Stereo SHM~SACD came in

 

[SomethingAnything]

No. Here is the discogs' listing

https://www.discogs.com/release/8017586-The-Moody-Blues-Long-Distance-Voyager

A better pic of the gorgeous box the Stereo SHM~SACD came in

Yes, lovely! I'd forgotten Moraz was on this one. It's a shame that didn't go so well. Bitterness is still there, I believe ... not sure if that would get in the way of box set/atmos remix prospects.

 

[stoopid]

Yes, lovely! I'd forgotten Moraz was on this one. It's a shame that didn't go so well. Bitterness is still there, I believe ... not sure if that would get in the way of box set/atmos remix prospects.

Moraz's fingerprints are all over those albums. On one hand, I really enjoy his playing but on the other it might have been too wide a turn for the band. It certainly went with the flow of the '80s synthesizer revolution. Even Rush got caught up in it.

 

[andyp]

Moraz's fingerprints are all over those albums. On one hand, I really enjoy his playing but on the other it might have been too wide a turn for the band. It certainly went with the flow of the '80s synthesizer revolution. Even Rush got caught up in it.

Seeing the Moody Blues live with Moraz was as annoying as seeing Jeff Beck live with Jan Hammer in Jeff's band. Moraz seemed to have the same sound on every song. I had already seen the Moody Blues live in 1972 and 1973 with Mike Pinder so Moraz playing with the Moodies was a real drag it you catch my drift...

 

[jimfisheye]

There was some weird stuff going on in the 80s. (Starts with c)
Who was that producer who was embarrassing some of the 70s bands trying to get into MTV music at the time? Remember that Heart album? I don't know if that happened with the Moody Blues but it sounded like they were trying to get into MTV music too.

Patrick should have worked a lot better in this band. LDV sounds pretty solid honestly. (Couple pop stinkers aside.) Hard change after this. Listen to his solo album The Story Of I or those Moraz/Bruford albums. Serious chops and not afraid to get weird and psychedelic. No, not quite Mike Pinder level of psychedelic though. But that 80s lame synth thing wasn't really Patrick's sound. Ray Thomas comes through with the showpiece track on LDV.

Agreed that the SACD copy sounds the cleanest.

 

[ar surround]

Couple pop stinkers aside.

One pop stinker is Gemini Dream, but it is still way better than most pop stinkers. What is the other one?

I really like 22,000 Days, especially when I do the calculation and realize that I've beaten those odds! So did Graeme, by the way. I just lost a cousin who got over 35,000 days, God bless him.

Ray Thomas comes through with the showpiece track on LDV.

I just listened to the full album yesterday and Ray's trilogy at the end is indeed top shelf stuff.

Patrick should have worked a lot better in this band. LDV sounds pretty solid honestly. (Couple pop stinkers aside.) Hard change after this. Listen to his solo album The Story Of I or those Moraz/Bruford albums. Serious chops and not afraid to get weird and psychedelic. No, not quite Mike Pinder level of psychedelic though. But that 80s lame synth thing wasn't really Patrick's sound.

A lot of fans did not like Moraz' style. At one concert a woman complained that "He's all over the place." Mike was special. I mean, he wrote some great 'suicide anthems' like Melancholy Man and Lost In A Lost World. He also wrote some really uplifting stuff like One Step Into The Light and So Deep Within You. Yes, LDV is a really good album, but Mike's contributions were sorely missed when he threw in the MB towel.

 

[stoopid]

No. Here is the discogs' listing

https://www.discogs.com/release/8017586-The-Moody-Blues-Long-Distance-Voyager

A better pic of the gorgeous box the Stereo SHM~SACD came in

This sounds great (do not ask how I got my hands on this so quickly). Sadly some of the songs haven't aged particularly well. Talking Out of Turn has always been one of my favorite moodies tracks, and now being an adult (in a relationship with someone for a long time) In My World hits different than when I was younger. I think it's arguably Hayward's(?) most beautiful song, and he's written a fair share of tear jerkers. Aside from that, the drop off after those two and The Voice is significant for me. I could listen to the first 4 tracks and call it a day, and not feel like I'm missing out on much thereafter.

LDV has never sounded bad to me, but this high res SACD mix is super detailed and the stereo field very wide/engulfing. Definitely kicks the enjoyment of the music up a notch.

 

[stoopid]

Patrick should have worked a lot better in this band. LDV sounds pretty solid honestly. (Couple pop stinkers aside.) Hard change after this. Listen to his solo album The Story Of I or those Moraz/Bruford albums. Serious chops and not afraid to get weird and psychedelic. No, not quite Mike Pinder level of psychedelic though. But that 80s lame synth thing wasn't really Patrick's sound. Ray Thomas comes through with the showpiece track on LDV.

Yeah he's super talented, maybe TOO talented for the style of music the moodies established as their bread and butter. And yet they still sold plenty of albums and had hits with Moraz doing his thing.

 

[stoopid]

Seeing the Moody Blues live with Moraz was as annoying as seeing Jeff Beck live with Jan Hammer in Jeff's band. Moraz seemed to have the same sound on every song. I had already seen the Moody Blues live in 1972 and 1973 with Mike Pinder so Moraz playing with the Moodies was a real drag it you catch my drift...

I remember Moraz using his portable keyboard and jamming with the band, I think near the end of the shows. He brought some vitality and personality to the instrument, which was relegated to supporting role in a lot of other popular established rock acts at the time. Can't imagine Tony Banks ever doing that.

Again, very much a love/hate thing for his years with the band. It can be argued he injected some fresh energy into what could have quickly devolved into a nostalgia act (which eventually was the case, and fairly soon after he departed).