The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You - Live [Blu-ray]

After all of these years, The Moodies remain a viable force, and for me, a personal favorite. This live CD set is alone worth the price of admission for these versions of "The Actor," "Higher and Higher," and "Are You Sitting Comfortably." This release makes me want to see them again SOON!
Thinking back to my high school days and hearing their hit "Ride My See-Saw," and later, getting totally hooked on their music with 'In Search of the Lost Chord," it makes me wonder. I wonder why on earth The Moody Blues are not (and have not been for a long, long time) in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? It is a 'musical sin' that they are not there already. Listen to those early albums and then plop in this new live set and you'll hear these guys still cookin' and being the pure musical force they've been for all of these many years. Just go check out the hall of fame list of those already inducted (some make me wonder why they are there at all) and try to figure out this non inclusion. Honestly, they should have made it there in the early-mid 90's to be with their contemporaries, The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, etc. Come on R&R Hall voters...WAKE UP! Bless you Moody Blues!

Let me start by saying I'm big fan of these guys (I own everything they've released on cd, plus an autographed Lp of DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED). It's great to have a new live Album by this group. I very much like that they included live versions of FOREVER AUTUMN, OTHER SIDE OF LIFE and TALKING OUT OF TURN. The performances by the band, including that of Norda Mullen, are good as always. The package design is far superior to any CD I've purchased in some time. But, to be honest, I must agree with one of the other reviewers here, the recording quality on some of the tracks is quite poor. A live performance by one of Rocks all-time best groups deserved better sound engineering and mixing than what is presented here. It's the one thing that makes this a four-star Disc instead of five.

This is an outstanding CD meant to keep all Moodies fans warm through the winter until the DVD (but not Dolby 5.1??) comes out Feb 14th.

The mix is crystal clear and Justin sounds like he is 25 or 30, not about to be 60.

The set is what you would expect, with 'Forever Autumn' added and a nice 'The Actor'.

'Are You Sitting Comfortably' which has replaced 'Legend of a Mind' is a gem with Norda's flute and Justin's plaintive vocals
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'Higher and Higher' is great, although Graeme sounds nothing like Mike Pinder on TOCCC, and with many, many botched lyrics ('flaming pyre' which is what the song is all about.. becomes 'finest hour') makes one wonder who really wrote this.
OK...he's 65...he can forget a few lines.
Note to other reviewer: 'One Life To Live' is a soap opera. 'One More Time To Live' is the Moody Blues' song from 1971.

It is kind of odd, but including 1992's " Live at Red Rocks", The Moody Blues with this double CD have now released three "live" albums, and only two studio albums since that time, with one of these being a Christmas album. There are also personnel changes, as Norda Mullen replaces retired and original Moodies member Ray Thomas, and plays flute and sings background vocals. Also, Bernie Barlow (Bernie in this case is a female) assists on keyboards and background vocals. As usual, Paul Bliss contributes his wizardry on keyboards, Gordon Marshall supplies extra percussion and shares the stage with long-time Moodies members Justin Hayward on lead guitar/vocals, John Lodge on bass guitar/vocals, and original member Graeme Edge on drums. Unlike the previous two live album releases ("Red Rocks" and "Hall Of Fame") the twist this time is the Moodies chose to perform this concert WITHOUT an orchestra backing them, virtually challenging the group to display their "raw" energy as strictly a legendary rock-and-roll band, and the end results for the most part do not disappoint.

There are some neat surprises here, with this seven member ensemble performing some Moodies material that is seldom performed on stage, including "The Actor" from "In Search Of The Lost Chord", "Are You Sitting Comfortably" from "On The Threshold Of A Dream", "Higher And Higher" from "To Our Children's Children's Children", "Steppin' In A Slide Zone" from "Octave", "Talking Out Of Turn" from their #1 album "Long Distance Voyager", and Justin Hayward's solo hit "Forever Autumn" from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of "The War Of The Worlds". Of course, also performed in this set are those more familiar classics we have all come to know and love, with "Nights In White Satin" topping the list.

There are some weak spots, however. On "Higher and Higher" and "I'm Just A Singer (in a Rock And Roll Band)", the cymbal crashes from the drummers are a bit distorted and overmodulated, somewhat drowning out the rest of the instrumentation and lead vocals. "I'm Just A Singer" is also performed a shade too fast, and with the distorted cymbal crashes, the vocals and instruments become muddled, turning the song into a mushy mess. The ending vocal harmonies on "Isn't Life Strange" are somewhat shaky, as though the group REALLY IS in search of the lost chord. And toward the end of the show, Justin Hayward and John Lodge's vocals sound somewhat strained and fatigued on "Question" and "Ride My See Saw".

What keep these "veteran cosmic rockers" going when long ago they could have hung up their instruments? I doubt it's the money, but more likely, that despite their age (Justin Hayward, the YOUNGEST of the three remaining members of the Moodies turns a whopping 60 this October 2006) they still very much enjoy performing for their devoted legions of fans. The fans love them, and the Moodies return that love...its a mutual admiration I sense here. That's my feeling. I just hope the band isn't hurting their chances for their rightful perch in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, an honor for which they are LONG OVERDUE.

Around 1975 in Colorado Springs, KKFM-FM would play Nights In White Satin as their sign-off song. During my summer vacation from school, I listened regularly. This began my journey as a fan of the Moody Blues. The release of "Lovely to See You LIVE" is a welcome addition to the treasure of Moody Blues memories.
The CD spans their triumphs from the 60s, 70s, 80s right through to last year's "December" release. True fans will delight in first time live performaces on CD like Higher and Higher and The Voice. The latter was of special interest to me as that song was the first song done in concert to support the Long Distance Voyager tour in the 1980s. The Seattle Coliseum vibrated at the intro keyboard part which this CD captures very well. While retired members like Ray Thomas are sadly missed the core group of Justin Haywood, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge are excellent and supported with a talented crew of new comers. Bernie Barlow, keyboards and vocals, in particular has released an outstanding solo album that I enjoy listening to frequently. All in all the band sounds great and the CD has moments that are unique and welcome to the collection. Can't wait for the next tour!