The Moody Blues have always intrigued me, but never hooked me.  Since I'm not musically trained I'm really in no position to critique the musical attributes of their compositions, but I will say that the band can often sound much more compelling than what they are saying in their lyrics.  Even the title and cover art, which give allusions to the mysteries of childhood, create more wonderment than tangible meaning, and you wander off wondering if THAT'S what the meaning of the album is.  Certainly the Moody's are the Kings of the Concept Album.  Perhaps if they had received less acclaim for 'Days of Future Passed' they could have broken out of that self-imposed box prior to 'Seventh Sojourn'.
'Every Good Boy Deserves Favor' starts out wonderfully, if you overlook 'Procession' as an actual song, and regard it as an experimental, Beatlesque mix of random sounds.  The acual music breaks open with the classic 'The Story In Your Eyes', such an engaging, well-structured, empowered song that it simply does not give the rest of the album a chance.  While there are other worthy songs on the disc, there is no question that it is 'downhill from here'.  The next three songs are strong, with 'Guessing Game' offering a graceful melody and thoughtful lyrics, 'Emily's Song', which was released as a single in the United Kingdom could be mistaken for Simon and Garfunkle fare (that's a compliment), and 'After You Came', being the only legitimate rock song on the album save 'The Story...', features interesting lyrics and simply rocks real nice.
The remainder of the album may remind you of college basketball before the shot clock showed the grave to the slow-down game.  'One More Time To Live' starts out promising, but segues from relaxing images of an English garden, "look out in the hedgerow...", to a chorus of cacophonic pronouncements such as "desolation", "pollution", "revolution" and "starvation".  I suppose there is a point in it, but it's not aurally appealing, and perhaps it wasn't meant to be.
Sometimes the faux depth of meaning is more deliberate and playful, as in the cheerful, even psychedelic imagery offered in 'Nice To Be Here', which plays on life scenes reminiscent of The Beatles 'Being For the Benefit Of Mr. Kite', such as "Jack Rabbit loudly drumming", "a mouse played a daffodil", and "the frog's guitar solo".  It is playfully entertaining, and the music is a fit complement to the message.
'You Can Never Go Home' and 'My Song' drearily close out the album, with the former offering abstract lyrics such as "High above the forest lie the pastures of the Sun, where the two that learned the secret now are one".  The latter, as with several other songs on 'EGBDF', is mired in hippie-think messages such as "love can change the world, love can change your life", and even reaches so far as "There's life in other worlds, maybe they'll come to Earth, helping man to find a way".  Beam us up, Scotty.
It's a shame to have to tolerate the 'down-side' to 'EGBDF' in order to own 'The Story In Your Eyes', 'Emily's Song', and 'After You Came'.  Perhaps a compilation CD or a good live disc of the band is the wiser choice...  The liner notes are sparse and no lyrics are included, though they are available on-line and can help to make the listening experience more coherant.
The Moody Blues have always intrigued me, but never hooked me. Since I'm not musically trained I'm really in no position to critique the musical attributes of their compositions, but I will say that the band can often sound much more compelling than what they are saying in their lyrics. Even the title and cover art, which give allusions to the mysteries of childhood, create more wonderment than tangible meaning, and you wander off wondering if THAT'S what the meaning of the album is. Certainly the Moody's are the Kings of the Concept Album. Perhaps if they had received less acclaim for 'Days of Future Passed' they could have broken out of that self-imposed box prior to 'Seventh Sojourn'. 'Every Good Boy Deserves Favor' starts out wonderfully, if you overlook 'Procession' as an actual song, and regard it as an experimental, Beatlesque mix of random sounds. The acual music breaks open with the classic 'The Story In Your Eyes', such an engaging, well-structured, empowered song that it simply does not give the rest of the album a chance. While there are other worthy songs on the disc, there is no question that it is 'downhill from here'. The next three songs are strong, with 'Guessing Game' offering a graceful melody and thoughtful lyrics, 'Emily's Song', which was released as a single in the United Kingdom could be mistaken for Simon and Garfunkle fare (that's a compliment), and 'After You Came', being the only legitimate rock song on the album save 'The Story... ', features interesting lyrics and simply rocks real nice. The remainder of the album may remind you of college basketball before the shot clock showed the grave to the slow-down game. 'One More Time To Live' starts out promising, but segues from relaxing images of an English garden, "look out in the hedgerow... ", to a chorus of cacophonic pronouncements such as "desolation", "pollution", "revolution" and "starvation". I suppose there is a point in it, but it's not aurally appealing, and perhaps it wasn't meant to be. Sometimes the faux depth of meaning is more deliberate and playful, as in the cheerful, even psychedelic imagery offered in 'Nice To Be Here', which plays on life scenes reminiscent of The Beatles 'Being For the Benefit Of Mr. Kite', such as "Jack Rabbit loudly drumming", "a mouse played a daffodil", and "the frog's guitar solo". It is playfully entertaining, and the music is a fit complement to the message. 'You Can Never Go Home' and 'My Song' drearily close out the album, with the former offering abstract lyrics such as "High above the forest lie the pastures of the Sun, where the two that learned the secret now are one". The latter, as with several other songs on 'EGBDF', is mired in hippie-think messages such as "love can change the world, love can change your life", and even reaches so far as "There's life in other worlds, maybe they'll come to Earth, helping man to find a way". Beam us up, Scotty. It's a shame to have to tolerate the 'down-side' to 'EGBDF' in order to own 'The Story In Your Eyes', 'Emily's Song', and 'After You Came'. Perhaps a compilation CD or a good live disc of the band is the wiser choice... The liner notes are sparse and no lyrics are included, though they are available on-line and can help to make the listening experience more coherant.