Search - Moody Blues :: Anthology

The best anthology on this underrated band

pspa | 07/22/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, let me clarify an inaccuracy from a reviewer entitled: "A music fan from the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago." Contrary to what was stated, The Moody Blues Anthology does include "Legend of a Mind," and "Lovely to See You." It is true that it is missing "Dear Diary." I, though felt it is a better collection than the Best of the Moody Blues released in 1997. The edit of "The Story in Your Eyes" was unnecessary. It is restored here to its full length version of 3:05.A couple of omissions which give it 4 stars instead of 5: I would have liked the addition of the Denny Laine "From the Bottom of My Heart" Also , "For My Lady" is far more essential than "Lost in a Lost World."Other than that, it is the best sounding, best compiled collection of Moody Blues tunes."

Quite complete!

birddogger5150 | Roseville, MN USA | 10/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought the box set several years ago, so I have no need for this one ("Go Now" is the only song not in the box collection), but if I were to do it all over, this would be the one I'd get. The box set is great for a hardcore fan, but it's an awful lot to digest at once. This 2-disc anthology, from my recollection, contains virtually every key Moodys track from their career, including my personal favorite, 1983's ELO-ish synth driven "Sitting At The Wheel", which often gets overlooked in other compilations. True, "For My Lady" isn't here, but you'll barely miss it. The inclusion of "Go Now" is significant, since it's their first Top Ten hit (I think the Moody Blues still hold the odd distinction of being the only act in rock history to score their first three Top Ten hits in three successive decades - "Go Now" in the 60's, "Nights In White Satin" in the 70's, and "Your Wildest Dreams" in the 80's). It's also the only tune on the set not sung by John Lodge, Justin Hayward, or Ray Thomas. It's sung by Denny Laine, who left the group early on and later joined Wings."

Excellent Snapshot of the Moody Blues' Long Career

L.A. Scene | Indian Trail, NC USA | 02/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Moody Blues have been one of the legendary bands in music history. While they never have had that monster album or monster hit, they have built up a very nice music portfolio over 5 decades. One thing that helps the Moody Blues stand out among other artists is their ability to fuse an orchestral sound with a classic rock sound. As a result this fusion has helped the Moody Blues have a Progressive Rock sound while at the same time being able to have a classic rock sound. The Moody Blues emerged in 1966 - around the same time as when artists such as the Beatles ("Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band") and the Beach Boys ("Pet Sounds") were raising the bar for creative standards. The Moody Blues would bring their own style - such as the use of the Flute as well as incorporating a psychedelic sound. This would help them emerge creativity. The Moody Blues would maintain their sound until the 1980s, when they eventually would bring their sound more toward a mainstream pop sound. People also forget that they had an R&B sound when they first started out. The collection that gives you a very good snapshot of the Moody Blues career is the 1998 two-disc collection entitled "The Moody Blues: Anthology".



Anthology takes selections from 14 studio albums of the Moody Blues from 1966 to 1994. The only albums that are not represented (in this period) are the live ones and 1987's "Prelude". "Prelude" is an album that contains material from the early days of the Moody Blues not included on any album. While the Moody Blues do a very good job at representing their portfolio, it would have been good to include one or two songs from "Prelude". (this contains some early material that wasn't included on any other album). "Lost" songs usually have a place on an Anthology collection. However despite this shortcoming, this collection still has a lot to offer.



With greatest hits collections, I prefer the songs to be arranged chronologically on the collection. This allows me to see how the artist has progressed over time. Given the fact that the Moody Blues transformed from a Classic/Progressive/Psychedelic Rock sound to a more mainstream 80s pop sound, it is critical for any Moody Blues collection to be arranged chronologically. "Anthology" does a very good job in doing this. This transformation would occur on 1981's "Long Distance Voyager" (some say with the departure of keyboardist Mike Pinder that this change occurred). A valid argument can be made that "Gemini Dream" (from "Long Distance Voyager") has a Disco beat to it. Some are critical of this transformation by the Moody Blues, but I look at it as another angle the Moody Blues exercised their creative instincts.



I think "Anthology" stands out with the inclusion of "Go Now" and "Highway" - the first and last songs of the compilation. "Go Now" was from "The Magnificent Moodies" album and it really ties things back to the style of their R&B roots before they transformed to a Progressive Rock band. "Highway" is the last song on the compilation taken from their "Time Traveler" boxed set. In a way, the Moody Blues use this song to tie their 1980s pop sound back to their progressive rock sound of the late 1960s. It is a very underrated song, but a perfect song to wrap up a collection.



It is also worth noting there are two songs from the Justin Hayward - John Lodge (two founding members of the Moody Blues) duet offshoot, "The Blue Jays". These two songs are "Remember Me My Friend" and "Blue Guitar".



There are several other compilations out there. Here are some others that are out there that you may be considering and how "Anthology" stands up to them



"The Best of the Moody Blues": This is basically a single disc subset of "Anthology". All of the songs on this collection are also contained on "Anthology". Like "Anthology", it does order the songs in chronological order. All of the major songs are on here, however does not go as deep as "Anthology".



"Moody Blues Gold": This is a similar set - also in chronological order. It contains 34 songs. It is a comparable set to "Anthology", but does not contain "Go Now", "The Other Side of Life", and 1994's "Highway". It does include "New Horizons" (from "Seventh Sojourn"), "Had to Fall in Love" (from "Octave"), "Strange Times" (from "Strange Times") and "December Snow" (from "December"). This album is also in chronological order. One has to make a personal decision if this compilation is preferable to "Anthology". While this does include some newer material than "Anthology", I think "Highway" is a very good song to be omitted.



"Legend of a Band: Greatest Hits": This only contains 12 songs. They are not chronologically ordered. All of these songs are contained on "Anthology".



"Time Traveler": This is this the most complete set out there. It is a four disc "boxed set" containing 71 tracks. It does not contain "Go Now"". The songs are arranged in chronological order.



"20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection": Most of the "Millennium Collection" series disappoints me because they aren't very complete. This one is no exception as it only contains 11 songs - each of which is included on "Anthology". This does keep the songs in chronological order.



The liner notes are a bit of a mixed bag. As with most greatest hits collections, there are no lyrics. I do like how each of the corresponding album titles are listed for each of the tracks. Songwriting and production credits are included. However, I would have liked to see some sort of write-up to be included in this collection. This collection provided me with a excellent snapshot of the Moody Blues career. The deeper fan may want to invest in the 4-disc, "Time Traveler" set - but for the more casual fan, this should more than satisfy."