The Best of the Moody Blues (CD - 1997)

Producers include: Tony Clarke, 10cc, Jeff Wayne, Pip Williams, Tony Visconti.

Compilation producer: Dorian Wathen.

Engineers include: Tony Visconti.

Recorded between 1964 and 1988. Includes liner notes by John Reed.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Audio Mixer: Tony Visconti.

Liner Note Author: John Reed.

This single-CD compilation doesn't do too much more than scratch the surface of the band's sound at its most popular points, but it does do one thing that no prior Moody Blues compilation ever did -- it includes "Go Now," which, as the notes point out, is still the group's top-charting single in England. What it doesn't do is get "Go Now" in really good sound (no one seems to have a proper master source) or include their even better follow-up single, "From the Bottom of My Heart." Still, this body of work is pleasing and, thanks to its extension back to the original lineup, even a little bit informative, and it was the first Moody Blues compilation to be mastered in 20-bit audio. The dominant personality is Justin Hayward, who has provided the band with most of its hits, followed somewhat distantly by John Lodge, whose songs began to shine as the '70s dawned -- a pair of Hayward/Lodge songs and one solo Hayward release fill out the 17 tracks, which showcase the soulful, the mystical, and the psychedelic aspects of their music in equal parts. It's a good intro to their history, and anyone who wants more can jump to the Time Traveller box. ~ Bruce Eder

By keeping it simple and sticking to the hits, this collection successfully relates the story of this pioneering band. The Moody Blues began as a Gerry & the Pacemakers-like, R&B-influenced band fronted by sad-voiced singer Denny Laine, who is heard here on "Go Now." Laine was replaced by Justin Hayward, keyboardist Mike Pinder brought in a Mellotron, and the band hooked up with the London Symphony Orchestra to make the first orchestral-rock album DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED, from which "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights in White Satin" are included on this album.

Over the next few years the band banged out several gem albums that were full of a distinctive mix of folk-tinged ballads and ambitious prog-rock. Cuts from this period take up a healthy piece of this collection. After a lengthy sabbatical, the Moodies made a comeback in 1981, and with an updated sound (more synth, less Mellotron) the hits began anew. The last section of this album features the songs that brought the Moody Blues back to life. THE BEST OF THE MOODY BLUES is a definitive and accurate portrait of the group, and a good place for neophytes to begin. minimize