The Eyes of a Child, Pt. 1 - The Moody Blues, Lodge, John
Floating - The Moody Blues, Thomas, Ray
The Eyes of a Child, Pt. 2 - The Moody Blues, Lodge, John
I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Hundred - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
Beyond - The Moody Blues, Edge, Graeme
Out and In - The Moody Blues, Lodge, John
Gypsy - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
Eternity Road - The Moody Blues, Thomas, Ray
Candle of Life - The Moody Blues, Lodge, John
Sun Is Still Shining - The Moody Blues, Pinder, Michael
I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Million - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
Watching and Waiting - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
Track Listings (11) - Disc #2
Gypsy [Alternate Version][#] - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
Candle of Life [Alternate Version][#] - The Moody Blues, Lodge, John
Sun in Still Shining [Extended Version][#] - The Moody Blues, Pinder, Michael
Gypsy [#] - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
Sunset [#] - The Moody Blues, Pinder, Michael
Never Comes the Day [#] - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
Are You Sitting Comfortably [#] - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
The Dream [#] - The Moody Blues, Edge, Graeme
Have You Heard/The Voyage/Have You Heard [#] - The Moody Blues, Pinder, Michael
Nights in White Satin [#] - The Moody Blues, Hayward, Justin
Legend of a Mind [#] - The Moody Blues, Thomas, Ray
2 CD set. This, the post-Denny Laine lineup's fourth album, was the second to be released in 1969. It was the group's most mature, fully realized effort to date, arguably surpassing even the milestone Days Of Future Passed... more » in its elegance and vision. The Moodies were always capable of both songcraft and experimentalism, but this was the first time they combined them both successfully. Mike Pinder's dramatically arcing mellotron is the perfectly complement to the group's lush vocal harmonies, which are colored by rich acoustic guitar textures. Things open on a mind-bendingly psychedelic note with the electrical storm of 'Higher And Higher', but soon the waters calm. Justin Hayward's brief acoustic ballad 'I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Hundred' is among the band's loveliest tunes, and it leads into 'Beyond', an ambitious instrumental that is the Moodies at their most progressive. Throughout the album, the mixture of winningly melodic balladry, poignant folk-rock and ambitious prog-rock leanings combine for what is one of the Moody Blues' most satisfying albums. Polydor. 2006.« less
2 CD set. This, the post-Denny Laine lineup's fourth album, was the second to be released in 1969. It was the group's most mature, fully realized effort to date, arguably surpassing even the milestone Days Of Future Passed in its elegance and vision. The Moodies were always capable of both songcraft and experimentalism, but this was the first time they combined them both successfully. Mike Pinder's dramatically arcing mellotron is the perfectly complement to the group's lush vocal harmonies, which are colored by rich acoustic guitar textures. Things open on a mind-bendingly psychedelic note with the electrical storm of 'Higher And Higher', but soon the waters calm. Justin Hayward's brief acoustic ballad 'I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Hundred' is among the band's loveliest tunes, and it leads into 'Beyond', an ambitious instrumental that is the Moodies at their most progressive. Throughout the album, the mixture of winningly melodic balladry, poignant folk-rock and ambitious prog-rock leanings combine for what is one of the Moody Blues' most satisfying albums. Polydor. 2006.
Member CD Reviews
Michelle D. from HAMPDEN, ME Reviewed on 3/13/2021...
When I first listened to this album, I absolutely hated it. I couldn't stand it. Then, I decided to listen to it again. It was awesome. I don't know what I was thinking before. I bought the deluxe edition at my local record shop and listened to it again. Still awesome. I haven't listened to the SACD layer yet. I have listened to the bonus tracks though. Here are my thoughts.
The first three are alternate versions, that just sound the same. The other 8 (really ten) other tracks are from a BBC concert. The first three are pretty good, and then there's the last 5 songs from Threshold Of A Dream. Have You Heard Parts one and two and the Voyage have been condensed onto one track. Lastly, there's Nights In White Satin which this version is awesome! I even like the Ah's at the end, which to me sound like Pinocchio from Shrek. Then there's Legend Of A Mind, and need I say more? Fantastic. five stars.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
CD Reviews
The Fourth Great SACD Mix!
Martin A Hogan | San Francisco, CA. (Hercules) | 04/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is many peoples favorite, as it has a wide variety of styles, from rock & roll to ballads to 'spoken word'. Besides the orginal remixed 5.1 songs (13), we are treated to (11) more versions from the previous three albums. The full versions and alternate mixes are a surprise for those hard-core fans. Here is a list of what songs are not mentioned here:
Gypsy (Full Version)
Candle Of Life (Full Version)
Sun Is Still Shining (Alternate Mix)
Gypsy (BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69)
Sunset (BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69)
Never Comes The Day (BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69)
Are You Sitting Comfortably (BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69)
Dream (BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69)
Have You Heard (BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69)
Nights In White Satin (BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69)
Legend Of A Mind (BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69)
Musical experiences don't get much better than this. Treat yourself!
(Note: Disc 1 is an SACD mix made from the original quadraphonic tapes. Disc 2 is the original remastered quadraphonic tapes - not SACD. This is seen as Disc 1 is gold colored and Disc 2 is silver. Also note that because this was originally a quadrophonic mix, the center front speaker is not used)."
Moodies fourth SACD release is as lush, ethereal and intense
J. Bongiorno | Valley Stream, NY United States | 04/25/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"One of the Moodies greatest achievements is this haunting, beautiful work that transports its listeners to far off realms. If any band is benefited by the surround sound format, it's the Moody Blues as this gorgeous sounding SACD release proves. Sound-wise, the CD plays much better in multichannel surround (even without the SACD player -- as the Dolby Pro Logic II mimics the surround rather well) than standard two-speaker format. Alive and as profoundly moving as ever, To Our Children's Children's Children is beginning to end one of the greatest musical expressions put to record.
Sadly, the fantastic cover artwork by Phil Travers is ruined by the person or persons in charge of reproducing the cover! True of at least 3 of the Moodies' SACD releases, the cover images are reproduced way too light so that nearly all the details of the painting are faded or lost altogether! Unfortunately, this is true on the cover as well as the interior booklet! Take a look at the original pressing of the LPs or any of the prior CD cover releases and you'll see just how bad Decca screwed this up! What happened to the quality control?! It's just a shame that this definitive release does not have the definitive covers it should! For any other band, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but for the Moodies, the cover art and packaging were part of the greater whole and this oversight is a big flaw in an otherwise fantastic release. One other smaller beef is that they should have had entirely new liner notes in each release, rather than just one new paragraph and a repeat of the notes detailed on Days of Future Passed.
At any rate, the music and sound get 5 stars, but 1 star is lost due to the work done by whoever was responsible for the cover art reproduction. Phil Travers original cover is vibrant and rich. This is very washed out and drains much of the original's beauty."
Innovation, songcraft & melody beget Rock's best music, on t
Phil Baird | Fort Worth, TX USA | 06/08/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Forty years are soon to have passed for all of us who have followed the seminal rock and roll band--The Moody Blues.
Millions of us gnash our teeth at "critics" who elected the short-lived (yes they were very good, also) "Young Rascals" to the Hall Of Fame; but not the Moodies? These misguided, effete music snobs (in the world of rock and roll--go figure) mystify all those of us who appreciate the Moodies for their risk taking, for the songs that have resonated for four full decades and will continue to do so; and for the concerts that still electrify hundreds of thousands of fans every year in the 21st century. The Moodies are a band that has an unsurpassed catalog of greatness, but some still refuse to give them their due, alas.
Our band, chock full of outstanding singer-songwriters, takes a journey into space and time with "To Our Children's Children's Children". I don't have SACD playback capabilities with my system, but the high quality components I do have: Levinson, Meridian, Wilson speakers, et al, finally got to play this Moodies masterpiece in all its awesome stereo with the release of this incredible import Deluxe CD today. I own all of the OOP Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) recordings. "To Our Children's Children's Children" (TOCCC) sounds so much better than the heretofore great MFSL CD, that it is mind-blowing. Don't waste your money on paying for the over-priced, after-market, MFSL issued CDs, not when these new SACD releases of early Moodies albums are now the reference quality recordings you should have; if you dearly love the Moodies music.
"Watching and Waiting" is one of Justin Hayward's own personal favorite songs (co-writing credit shared with Ray Thomas), and when you hear all the "soft dynamics" of this majestic song you will find yourself noting chords and notes that you never heard before. "Gypsy", seemingly always left off of Moodies "best of" compilations (for some unknown reason), resonates with more energy and clarity and bass. The side 2, "longer version" of "Gypsy" is also outstanding. Mike Pinder's "Sun Is Still Shining" (not a personal favorite of mine before), now carries much more weight; the sitar is given its space and the whole song is just, well, really cool. If you want to hear the Moodies at their best, all the new import SACD editions are worth every penny. You will rediscover the joy of listening to concept albums by a band that basically originated the concept of making rock and roll albums cohesive, "about something", etc. Enjoy the awesome Moodies' music in the very best medium to hear them--the SACDs! Oh, and thanks Justin, for your hard work in seeing to it that these SACD releases were done so very, very well!
08/14/06 UPDATE!! Universal Records has just announced that it will release U.S. versions (of the here-to-fore only available as import purchases) of "Days Of Future Passed," "In Search Of The Lost Chord," and "To Our Children's Children's Children" on 09/12/06. So let's also hope that you may be able to get the remaining other SACD Moodies' discs from U.S. sellers (presumably at lower prices than the import versions) too, if these first three discs sell well. I owe it to Universal, after criticizing their earlier decision NOT to release U.S. versions of the Moodies SACDs, to pass along this great news."
Should of done a New 5.1 mix with more studio outtakes
Kenneth Anselmi | Pearl River, NY USA | 01/15/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of the best Moody Blues albums from their peak of 1967-1972. I don't mind a radical remix and this is not one. But, the old quad mix they used for this release from 1972 is not good. The electric guitar, mostly the lead, is buried in the mix. They should have remixed this album from the master tapes. Why use an old 4 channel mix, done for stereo systems featuring early 1970's technology. REMIX the album in 5.1. Don't cross-fade the songs.
The bonus disc was disappointing. The 3 studio tracks they put on, Gypsy (Alt Mix with no fadeout), Candle of Life (Alt Mix with clean intro and a longer ending), and Sun Is Still Shining (Alt longer Mix) are all great. But why only 3 songs! How about an unedited complete version of "I Never thought I'd Live to be A Hundred". The song was cut in half for the album and put on both sides. How about a mix of "Eyes Of a Child Pt. 2" that doesn't fade in or out. How about a mix of "Out and In" with a clean intro and longer ending. The live BBC show is ok, but it was recorded the same week as the live album "Caught Live Plus 5". So the versions and song choices are the same. They should have released it, but as a seperate release from this. They should have added more outtakes from the studio recordings to the bonus disc. There was still atleast 25 minutes of time left on the cd with the live segment included.
I'm glad they released this, but it could of been so much better."
Eyes Of A Child
Dark Star-The Other One | The Bus To Never Ever Land | 07/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Once again, let's start off with some of the issues raised by others. First, as far as the cover being lighter- it always was on the first editions of the album. The cover wasn't darkend until the time of reissues. For a good example of this, pull out This Is The Moody Blues and see for yourself. Second, as far as the sound being different, it's because this is taken from the old quad mix(four channel) and not the two channel stereo. To take full advantage of the quad feature, producer Tony Clarke remixed the album in late '71. To my ears, this IS the best sounding version as the sound is much clearer than even on the MoFi editions and with this version you actually get a bonus disc of alternate takes/mixes and some BBC stuff. Although, I know some will still perfer the MoFi versions as they are of the original stereo. This album has become a favorite of many and it's easy to see why. The album is strong from beginning to end. Starting with the cool blast off sounds of Higher And Higher to the wonderful and bittersweet Watching And Waiting. This is one of those albums whhere it's impossible to pick favorites. I should point out that the BBC stuff is now available on the Moodies BBC release."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
Michelle D. from HAMPDEN, ME