Thursday, May 23, 2019

Justin Hayward & the Moody Blues - Acoustic (1986-1996)

I have to admit I'm not a very big Moody Blues fan. I think their well-known songs are great, and include some all-time classics, but I don't like them enough to have entire studio albums from them. I think the issue for me is their production. I generally prefer a more sparse and acoustic sound, whereas the Moody Blues goes in the opposite direction, slathering the Mellotron and strings on their music, making it sound more like muzak to my ears.

Since they do have a lot of great songs, I try to approach them from an unusual angle. For instance, I like their official BBC collection, because that has them at least somewhat more of a stripped down sound. But what I'd really like to hear from them is an "unplugged" album of some sort, but no such album exists. So I decided to make one myself.

I noticed from YouTube that when the Moody Blues played full concerts, they went for the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach, often even playing with full orchestras. But when they made short promotional appearances on TV shows and radio stations, they often played in a very different acoustic style. In fact, typically, it was only lead singer and songwriter Justin Hayward making these appearances with an acoustic guitar, though he was sometimes supported by band member John Lodge, also usually with just an acoustic guitar. Poking around YouTube, I was able to find a bunch of songs done in an acoustic style, all from 1986 to 1996.

I'm really happy how this album came out. It goes without saying that songs like "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon" are great. Most of this album is composed of Moody Blues songs from the 1960s and 1970s. They sound drastically different in acoustic format. They work really well because they're solid songs underneath all the lush production.

But what really surprised me is how good the songs from the 1980s and 1990s sound. I'd been dismissive of nearly all of that stuff, and I still am, in their officially released versions. The songs from those years suffered from the usual production trends of the time, such as drum machines and too much synth sound. When you strip all that way to just an acoustic guitar or two, the songs are even more dramatically transformed. Frankly, I think their latter songs hold their own with their older classics, and that's pretty high praise.

Another thing this album shows is what a fantastic vocalist Justin Hayward is. His voice has hardly changed at all over the decades. It definitely is in top form for these recordings.

By the way, I wasn't sure if I should credit this to Justin Hayward or the Moody Blues. In my opinion, this is nearly all Hayward. Some of the songs credited to the Moody Blues actually appear to be just him, or maybe him and one other person. There are only about three or four songs here that have more than him and one other Moody Blues band member. But still, it's not all him, and John Lodge does show up some. So I decided to credit it to both Hayward and the band as a whole.

The sound quality is generally good to excellent, since these all come from radio and TV shows, and those usually sound better than concert bootlegs. But one song, "Want to Be with You," had half of the first verse cut off. So I made a cut, having it start at the second verse. This way, it sounds like a complete song.

The length of this album is less than ideal for me. I prefer an album length of anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes. This album is 66 minutes long, which is long for a single album but still too short to make a double album out of it. Perhaps I'll eventually find more acoustic versions and I'll be able to split this into two albums If you know of anything that would fit, please let me know.

Oh, one more note. Only one song is repeated here, and that's "Nights in White Satin." I included two versions of it because it's an incredible song of course, but also because the two versions are significantly different from each other. One is just Hayward with his acoustic guitar. The other is one of the very few tracks here with four members of the Moody Blues playing - but still on acoustic instruments, and no drums.All the other songs are in chronological order, but if I did that with the two versions of "Nights in White Satin," they would almost be right next to each other. So instead I have the simple version start the album and the fuller version end it.

01 Nights in White Satin (Justin Hayward)
02 I Just Don't Care (Justin Hayward)
03 Want to Be with You (Justin Hayward & John Lodge)
04 Blue Guitar (Justin Hayward & John Lodge)
05 Question (Justin Hayward & John Lodge)
06 Your Wildest Dreams (Justin Hayward & John Lodge)
07 Lovely to See You (Moody Blues)
08 Tuesday Afternoon [Forever Afternoon] (Justin Hayward)
09 Say It with Love (Moody Blues)
10 Forever Autumn (Moody Blues)
11 Bless the Wings [That Bring You Back] (Moody Blues)
12 Never Blame the Rainbows for the Rain (Moody Blues)
13 Driftwood (Justin Hayward)
14 Voices in the Sky (Moody Blues)
15 The Actor (Moody Blues)
16 It's So Easy (Justin Hayward & Mal Pope)
17 Children of Paradise (Justin Hayward)
18 The Way of the World (Justin Hayward)
19 Troubadour (Justin Hayward)
20 Nights in White Satin (Moody Blues)

https://www.imagenetz.de/e4Gp4

For the album cover, I took a screenshot of Justin Hayward playing an acoustic guitar from a 1990 DVD.

11 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to this one. Like you, I am not a big fan of big productions and the Moody Blues themselves never clicked for me. Maybe the different perspective from a stripped down angle will help.

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    1. I'd be really curious to hear what you think once you listen. Is it just me who finds these versions so revelatory? I hope not.

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    2. I gave it a few listens and I did enjoy it but I'm afraid it didn't sway me either way. The bigger hits were fine though I wish Question had a bit more sonic depth to it. I would be fine if some songs were dropped for time.

      The Moody Blues fall into a strange category for me. I find them enjoyable in small bursts when they come on but they are not a group I actively put on myself. Not to deny them their talents but other artists in this group are bands like REM and Steely Dan. I'm just neutral on them. Don't hate them but can't say I love them. The songs don't grab me like others do.

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    3. One thing about this album is that it's pretty long, so you could cut a bunch of songs and you'll still have a decently long album.

      You and I seem to have similar musical tastes. Like the Moody Blues, I think REM and Steely Dan are good, but not great.

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  2. You might want to give some of Justin's recent solo work a listen. 2013 he released "Spirits of the Western Sky" and he's been touring with the songs from it, and classic Moody songs since then. He has a small ensemble with him and striving for a sound more like the songs as he wrote them in his music room. One show I sat there and realized he played a 14 song set with 8 acoustic guitars...with his famous Gibson 335 nowhere in sight! (going for the nuances of the different instruments)

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  3. Yeah, it seems he's still going strong while the Moody Blues are petering out. I would like to post a post-2000 acoustic album of his eventually, but I'm still gathering the pieces for it.

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  4. I'm not a fan of the symphonic period of the Moody Blues.
    But I love their R&B period. It's very strange that this group have not live exhibitions and a ridiculous number of BBC appearances.
    If you have one, go!
    Thanks in advance.

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    1. I'm not that big on the R&B period. I think they were outdone by some others at the time, such as Them. I feel they didn't really take off until Justin Hayward joined the group at the end of 1966.

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  5. Paul, I'm just the opposite - have every one of their albums. Recently I went to see them, and to see an ohio based tribute band. Let me know if you need any.

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  6. Paul,
    can you please refix this post ? Merci, Dominique

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