3/5 Nostalgic and Fun
  by Santa Dog (Norfolk, VA United States)
So far I've gotten two of the Moodies best releases on SACD - this and Children's Children with 4 more more ( Future Passed to Every Good Boy are my favorites ) on the way. These recordings are kind of a "guilty pleasure" for me. Why?

Even when I got these as a high schooler in the early 70s, the Moody Blues seemed kind of cheesy compared to a lot of the other music I like ( King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Frank Zappa...) Hearing this last night - after a 35+ year hiatus - confirms a lot of things I felt so many years ago.

On the plus side, there are some tunes that have held up very well and - not surprisingly perhaps - they are the tunes that appealed to me when I first bought the album. Dear Diary ( with it's fluffed ensemble entry in one of the breaks ) and Lazy Day are evocative and don't sound so dated to me. Lovely to See You and Never Comes the Day are two of Justin Hayward's better tunes and like much of his output on these classic albums, still have the power to connect on an emotional level. Although not on this album, Watching and Waiting is the premier example of this emotional reach for me. Have You Heard sounds good too.

On the debit side: Some of the more "experimental" things like In The Beginning and The Voyage sound almost unbearably naive now. I'm sure this is a reflection of where I'm at. It has been said that " the reviewer reviews himself" and I think this is quite true. One thing that always bugged me about the Moody Blues is that the falsetto singing in the higher register sounds corny. 35+ years have not been kind to this aspect particularly. John Lodges tunes on this album are completely forgettable ( although I like Candle of Life from Children's Children ). I actually didn't remember them at all....

I'm finding that going back and listening to these Moody Blues recordings is a complex experience for me. I can't help feeling a certain nostalgia and yet I hear them as the listener that I am now - informed by many years of playing and listening to all kinds of music. The SACD production of the two I have is superb and has a lot to do with why I'm purchasing these remasters to begin with. I haven't bought any of this music since the original vinyl - now long gone.

All in all, I recommend the SACD remasters of the Moody Blues classic recordings to anyone who likes or liked them. I'm finding the experience of rediscovering them to be interesting, fun and sometimes surprising.



5/5 Nestled under the 'Great White Eagle Of The North'
  by Michael A. Decontreras (Anaheim, CA)
My personal favorite of the Moody Blues.
I had the original vinyl, a half-speed mastered version, the original CD,
this version now and I will get the next improved version in whatever format it comes in.
Did I mention it is one of my top ten of all time recordings?

5/5 If you are a moody blues fan, these re-releases are worth repurchasing.
  by Nathan C. Officer
If you are a moody blues fan I suggest purchasing the re-releases or repurchasing them.

5/5 A Album & A Half Better
  by David D. McFarland (Oceanside, California United States)
One of the first Moody blues albums I bought back in the vinyl days. Then the CD version & finally I bought the SACD version. If you don't have a SACD player that is a bummer but the bonus tracks are worth their weight in gold. I highly recommend the album & the rest of the classic 7 Moodies albums as well. Search "Judemac Forever" on msn, yahoo or google.

5/5 instant memories
  by Richard Zambori (Southern California)
I had all seven albums (on vinyl)and played them to death... at last I have them back again, in their original form! 30 years just fell away!