The Moody Blues "Octave" came out in mid 1978, well over 5 years after their last album "Seventh Sojourn".  Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that this album picks up right where "Seventh Sojourn" left off, because that's quite an exaggeration.  Certainly there is some of the "Core 7" flavor to be found on "Octave", but a lot of this sounds quite different from anything the Moodies had done before.  If you go straight to this album following "Seventh Sojourn", the transition seems a bit jolting.  However, it'd been 5+ years, and changes had taken place.  If you're familiar with the music the individual members made outside of the Moodies during the hiatus, then you're aware of the 'missing links' between "Seventh Sojourn" and "Octave" and the change doesn't seem anywhere near as drastic.  "Octave" is often very mellow and has a real 'late '70s soft rock' sound to it.  Some folks will tell you that the band had lost their edge, but the thing is, there's lots of quality songwriting still going on here--there's John Lodge's catchy and creepy doom-laden rocker "Steppin' In A Slide Zone"; Justin Hayward's wonderfully breezy, laidback ballad "Had To Fall In Love" and his soaring epic "The Day We Meet Again"; and Mike Pinder's slightly corny but still impressively tuneful and bittersweet ballad "One Step Into The Light".  Ray Thomas' tender love song "I'm Your Man" starts off lovely and surprisingly mellow before kicking into Ray's characteristic bombast, though thankfully he doesn't get super carried away here.  Graeme Edge's "I'll Be Level With You" is a respectable rocker with some solid hooks, and even Hayward's uptempo, sax-laden "Top Rank Suite", which clearly nods to the Steely Dan-style jazz-rock that was all the rage back then, is catchy and fun to listen to.  I do have to admit though that Hayward's ballad "Driftwood", with its cliche-ridden lyrics, is painfully underdeveloped; and Lodge's "Survival" has extremely weak, messy production.  Overall though, "Octave" is a strong album, as well as both Pinder's and producer Tony Clarke's last album with the group which ironically makes "Octave" as much the end of an era as "Seventh Sojourn".  If you're only familiar with the "Core 7" and haven't heard any of the members' non-Moodies work, be ready for a change of pace with "Octave".
The Moody Blues "Octave" came out in mid 1978, well over 5 years after their last album "Seventh Sojourn". Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that this album picks up right where "Seventh Sojourn" left off, because that's quite an exaggeration. Certainly there is some of the "Core 7" flavor to be found on "Octave", but a lot of this sounds quite different from anything the Moodies had done before. If you go straight to this album following "Seventh Sojourn", the transition seems a bit jolting. However, it'd been 5+ years, and changes had taken place. If you're familiar with the music the individual members made outside of the Moodies during the hiatus, then you're aware of the 'missing links' between "Seventh Sojourn" and "Octave" and the change doesn't seem anywhere near as drastic. "Octave" is often very mellow and has a real 'late '70s soft rock' sound to it. Some folks will tell you that the band had lost their edge, but the thing is, there's lots of quality songwriting still going on here--there's John Lodge's catchy and creepy doom-laden rocker "Steppin' In A Slide Zone"; Justin Hayward's wonderfully breezy, laidback ballad "Had To Fall In Love" and his soaring epic "The Day We Meet Again"; and Mike Pinder's slightly corny but still impressively tuneful and bittersweet ballad "One Step Into The Light". Ray Thomas' tender love song "I'm Your Man" starts off lovely and surprisingly mellow before kicking into Ray's characteristic bombast, though thankfully he doesn't get super carried away here. Graeme Edge's "I'll Be Level With You" is a respectable rocker with some solid hooks, and even Hayward's uptempo, sax-laden "Top Rank Suite", which clearly nods to the Steely Dan-style jazz-rock that was all the rage back then, is catchy and fun to listen to. I do have to admit though that Hayward's ballad "Driftwood", with its cliche-ridden lyrics, is painfully underdeveloped; and Lodge's "Survival" has extremely weak, messy production. Overall though, "Octave" is a strong album, as well as both Pinder's and producer Tony Clarke's last album with the group which ironically makes "Octave" as much the end of an era as "Seventh Sojourn". If you're only familiar with the "Core 7" and haven't heard any of the members' non-Moodies work, be ready for a change of pace with "Octave".