Search - Moody Blues :: Collector's Edition (Coll) (Tin)

Madacy's Moody Blues Collection...

Kevin Martinell KevyGuy | Dunmore, PA USA | 01/26/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For the most part, this was a job well done on the third Moody Blues "Trilogy" CD collection, the other two being "Collected" and "Playlist Plus."



To start off, I'd like to get the negative points out of the way, in regard to this release. A major disappointment found here is that two big Moody Blues hits, "Ride My See-Saw" and "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)" are not featured on this compilation ... These two tracks have made an appearance on every (Except maybe the "Universal Masters..." import) Moody Blues "Best Of" release, so they are an essential part of any Moody Blues greatest hits package. There was enough leftover room on the CD's to feature these compositions, so there really is no excuse to leave them out. Other well-known songs by The Moodies, that appear on various other collections and were omitted here, also include, "Voices In The Sky," "Lovely To See You," and "Watching And Waiting." Of course, there are many noteworthy selections that were passed up by this release, but for me, the five missing tracks I just mentioned are some of the most important and could have found a place on any of the discs.



For some strange reason, the single edit of "The Voice" makes an appearance instead of the full version, which is most common on the various Moody Blues compilations, and could have been included on this release. Fortunately, the full version of "Gemini Dream," from the same original album, "Long Distance Voyager," is included, as opposed to the single edit, which appeared on "The Singles+" and fades out a few seconds earlier.



If you prefer the full versions of Moody Blues songs, you will be disappointed that the shorter versions of both "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights In White Satin" appear here (As heard on "The Best Of The Moody Blues"), as well as the "Time Traveller" edit of "The Story In Your Eyes," which fades about ten seconds earlier than the single mix found on "Best Of," and also the shorter version of "Driftwood," which fades out about a half-minute earlier than the original version, found on "Octave." If you don't care much about the length of the songs, it may not be a negative point after all ... Just thought it was worth mentioning. :)



Also, while the sound quality of the recordings is satisfactory (Much like the mastering used in the sound recordings used for "Time Traveller," "The Best Of The Moody Blues," and other compilations), there is no indication in the accompanying booklet that mentions anything about the recordings being mastered or remastered, which is a shame. As long as the sound quality from any present or possible future Moody Blues mix album sounds better than the sound quality heard on their original 1980's CD editions, that's good enough for me. :)



Having said all of this, let's get to the positive points, now...



Magnificent job on the packaging to this release ... The tin box is an excellent idea, and the artwork and detail is fantastic. The "environmental-friendly" CD holder, housing the three CD's, is nice, and the CD's are easy to remove ... On a side note, I was originally concerned about this, since the only other CD I own that comes in such a package is David Gilmore's "On An Island" album, which contained a material so tough that held the disc in place. It was almost impossible to loosen the CD. On the other hand, the material used here not only holds the CD's in well, but the CD's can be loosened easily, too. David Gilmore's album was indeed a classic, five star quality, but the only problem I had was trying to get the CD loose from the packaging, just to set the record straight on that release! :)



Once again, fans are treated to a CD booklet, longer in width than the usual CD booklets, that is filled with both photos and a written history of The Moody Blues, always a plus. :)



Also amusing is that, for the first time on a Moody Blues collection, two classic tracks from The Moody Blues' "A Question Of Balance" album make an appearance: "And The Tide Rushes In" and "Tortoise And The Hair." While the former track did indeed make an appearance on the "This Is The Moody Blues" compilation, it was a remix with subtle differences. This set, however, includes the original album mix and it makes a fine ending to this particular Moody Blues collection.



Each of the tracks on this album are outstanding choices, and it's nice that each of the CD's contain track listings that appear random and out of chronological order ... It's like a journey through time, jumping back and forth between the tracks from different time periods for the group. It's interesting how both "Legend Of A Mind" and "Don't You Feel Small" appear alongside one another, on the second disc, because each of them includes wild and beautiful flute solos from flautist Ray Thomas. :)



When comparing this three-disc collection to the other two, which I mentioned earlier on, you can get a little more out of this release than "Playlist Plus," on account of the CD booklet featuring the band history notes, which "Playlist" doesn't have. Song-wise, it's a tough one to call, because both sets are missing key-worthy songs that are featured on the opposite sets. "Collected" is most likely the best way to go, since each of the three CD's included are filled to the max with loads of Moody Blues classics.



In conclusion, this is a fine collection to get if you're interested in listening to the more mellow side of The Moody Blues (It does have many energetic selections, too), but skip it if you're looking to get your hands on the classic rockers, "Ride My See-Saw" and "I'm Just A Singer..." which should always be a part of any Moody Blues "Best Of" package. Thanks for reading! God Bless...



~"KevyGuy" :)

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