Customer Reviews

Long Distance Voyager

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There are so many reviews of the albums of The Moody Blues all over the web, so please forgive me if I repeat what anyone had already said or for not being too original in my review. Here is my experience of this remastered edition of "Long Distance Voyager"...

First off, just like the famous early seven CD re-releases by The Moody Blues, whether they be the 1997 remasters or the 2006/2007 expanded editions, we are once again treated to another topnotch remastering job for the CD reissue of "Long Distance Voyager" ... What better candidate to have, when it comes to this task, than Moody Blue band member Justin Hayward?! :) Also, notice how the songs sort of segue together, unlike the original CD release from the 80's, where there would be two or three second gaps between the tracks, so once the last droplet of sound fades from a previous song, the next tune picks up right from that point ... This format takes Moody Blues listeners back to the early albums, when there were no silent gaps between the tracks. I had a feeling that this album would be remastered again, since it was previously remastered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, when the limited edition gold CD was released in 1997 ... Usually, albums that are remastered on gold CD's get remastered again, and I'm glad that "Long Distance Voyager" received the recognition it deserved. :)

After "Seventh Sojourn," the latter Moody Blues albums feature synthesizers replacing the mellotrons, as any Moody fan can tell you of course, plus Justin Hayward sings in a more mellow manner than the way he sang on the late 60's/early 70's albums. John Lodge rocks a bit more, at a few points, compared to on the earlier albums (Beginning with "Sitting At The Wheel" from "The Present"). Also, orchestral arrangements grace certain tracks ("Talking Out Of Turn" and "Nervous," from this album). Not so much spoken-word poetry, either, until "Strange Times." Sound-wise, "Long Distance Voyager" is loaded with beautiful heavily-echoed, cooing, and buzzing synthesizer sounds ("The Voice"/"Meanwhile"/"Painted Smile"), layered acoustic guitar ("In My World"/"Nervous"), wild mouth organ overdubs ("22,000 Days"/"Veteran Cosmic Rocker"), and scattered haunting effects (Ex: The intro to "The Voice," Ray Thomas' "Dear Diary-esque" vocals in the middle of "22,000 Days," the atmosphere of "Reflective Smile," and the tail end of "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" with the sitar and backwards vocal). Justin and John also provide combined vocal harmony really well on many of the latter Moody Blues tracks, such as "Gemini Dream." Fortunately, "Long Distance Voyager" features the full seven-minute version of John Lodge's "Talking Out Of Turn," as does "Time Traveller" ... The song just isn't the same when it is "butchered," as it was on compilations like "Anthology" and "The Singles+."

For the bonus track, the single edit of "The Voice" made a nice reprise, after listening to the entire album ... This edit previously made an appearance on the Moody Blues compilation, "Voices In The Sky," from 1984.

There's more ... The CD booklet that accompanies this release is loaded with photos, lyrics, and a history of the band, so you get your money's worth on not just the disc, but with the insert, too! While both the original CD release and the Mobile Fidelity gold CD featured the lyrics and info that was featured on the vinyl release, this expanded release one-ups things by adding the extra info and shots of the band!

This is a very satisfying remastered CD reissue of "Long Distance Voyager!" Congratulations and job well done to Justin Hayward and everyone who worked on this fantastic CD re-release! Now, let's all hope and pray for some remasters of "The Other Side Of Life," "Sur La Mer," "Keys Of The Kingdom," a return of the "This Is The Moody Blues" and "Legend Of A Band" compilations, and also a return of the version of "Strange Times" that featured the bonus tracks, "Highway" and "This Is The Moment" ... Then, I'm sure we'll all be joyous and grateful "Moodies" fans. :) Thanks for reading and God Bless!

~KevyGuy :)
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The Moody Blues made seven extraordinary albums in six years in the late 60's and early 70's, then broke up for half a decade and reunited for the disappointing "Octave" in 1978. Three years later, they exploded onto the 80's pop scene with a fantastic new album that exceeded all expectations.

What made this album even more impressive was that the band succeeded so completely despite a crushing blow: the loss of keyboardist and singer/songwriter Mike Pinder, who left the band to raise a family. Pinder was an extremely important part of the band's sound, but the Moodies simply re-invented their sound with new keyboardist Patrick Moraz (from Yes.) It was a little flashier and a little less haunting, but their fantastic song-writing skills and collective talent made the album shine.

This album had two big hits: Justin Hayward's awesome rocker "The Voice" and the Hayward/Lodge composition "Gemini Dream," about the Moodies' return to the rock scene. But every song on here is an absolute gem, especially the gorgeous ballads "In My World" and "Nervous," Graeme Edge's riveting "22,000 Days" and Ray Thomas's closing trilogy, "Painted Smile/Reflective Smile/Veteran Cosmic Rocker", which is experimental rock at its most impressive and energetic.

This album is extremely uplifting, powerful, beautiful and inspirational, and it ROCKS. They wouldn't make another album this good until 1999's "Strange Times," and even that doesn't live up to the grandeur of "Long Distance Voyager." If there's one post-classic-period album that lives up to those first seven masterpieces, this is it!

The Moodies made their mark in the 60s and extended that success into the early 70s. They spent some time apart in the mid-70s and then released "Octave", which was the last album on which Mike Pinder appeared. "Octave" was not the stellar production of the classic 7, and while it was a sort of "comeback", it wasn't the comeback the Moodies could have hoped for.

"Long Distance Voyager" showed the Moodies not only had it, they HAD it. This album went all the way to #1, matching the success of "Seventh Sojourn". Much of the Moodies 60s magic was in this album, and it is a fitting addition to the classic 7, though more in the vein of "Seventh Sojourn" than the earlier works.

This album had a flavour of the earlier otherwordly Moodies music, but was more generally a rocker flavored by the occasional ethereal concept.

Justin Hayward starts the album off with a decent song "The Voice", which continues some of the Moodies 60s concepts, with a dash of relationship thrown in as Justin seems to be talking to his significant other. The lyrics are generally okay with occasional weak points. The music is excellent, and Patrick Moraz' keyboards do not overwhelm the selection.

John Lodge then has a very good selection with "Talking Out of Turn", about someone saying something they shouldn't have to their loved one and regretting it. The lyrics and music are well matched here, and Patrick Moraz understated keyboards make this song feel like the Moodies of yore.

John Lodge and Justin Hayward kick in next with "Gemini Dream", a rocker that is just a good fun song, which believe it or not is a love song.

Justin Hayward's "In My World" follows. I must admit that this song is my favorite from this CD. I know, it's a maudlin love song, all mellow and pop/rockish. But the buildup from the beginning is wonderful, and the music ranks with some of the best that Justin has done. There are a couple of weak spots in the lyrics as Justin tries to cram a couple of extra words in time with the music, but I'll forgive that for the backing vocals and the bridge and the rest of the song.

Justin is well represented on this CD as another of his songs, "Meanwhile", follows. Though I like "In My World", "Meanwhile" is probably artistically Justin's best song on this CD, and perhaps the best on the CD. This song is about love lost, and there are few people that can croon about love won, love lost or just plain love as well as Justin.

Graeme Edge seems to contribute something unusual to every album, and "22,000 Days" is every bit as unusual as anything he's ever done. This song is about the approximate number of days of adult life we have to do whatever we are going to do. What the song says is to make use of the little time you have doing something worthwhile and productive. I enjoy this song.

"Nervous" by John Lodge has a peaceful, quiet start. Another love song, but a neat one. The song starts out quietly and slow, acoustic, in fact. The song stays relatively quiet until suddenly it takes off in the chorus. Good John Lodge song, among his best.

"Painted Smile", "Reflective Smile" and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" by Ray Thomas finish off the album. I enjoy all three, though they are a tad bit gimmicky with the circus theme for the first two. However, the three form a theme. The juxtaposition of "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" as an entertainer next to clown entertainers was not an accident. The most poignant line is from "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" where Ray sings:

"He's the VETERAN COSMIC ROCKER
He's afraid that he will die

It's this line that ties together the circus theme with the rock theme. All performers have a fear of failing on stage. In their own way rock performers wear their own face and their own makeup. In life, we all have our performances, and perhaps we too are afraid that someday we will fail to please our audience. Fortunately for the listener, this album does please the listener, and fortunately The Moody Blues can still make good music. ...

Enjoy everyone!

With the departure of their longtime keyboardist Mike Pinder in 1978, the Moody Blues saw one major chapter in their long musical career come to a close, and, with the dawn of the 80's, it was time for the Moodies' second chapter to begin. Obviously, the band's first hurdle to get over was to get themselves a brand-new keyboardist, but who could possibly step into Mike Pinder's giant shoes? Enter Patrick Moraz, the one-time keyboardist for Yes (he played on 1976's "Relayer"). Moraz's contribution to the Moodies was NOT to play mellotron as Pinder did, but to add a more synthesized, 80's-friendly keyboard sound to the band. Some fans pondered whether or not the Moody Blues could survive without Mike Pinder, but the finished album, 1981's "Long Distance Voyager," was a HUGE success, both creatively and commercially, hitting #1 on the U.S. album chart. Mike Pinder may be missed, but there's no denying the freshness that Patrick Moraz's keyboard touch brought to the Moody Blues, and, on top of that, the band rose to the challenge and came up with some truly fantastic songs. Not only does "Voyager" feature the Moodies staples "Gemini Dream" and "The Voice," but also such gems as John Lodge's lovely "Talking Out Of Turn," and Justin Hayward's gorgeous "In My World" (interestingly, both tracks clock in at exactly 7 minutes 17 seconds). Drummer Graeme Edge contributes the thunderous, steady rocker "22,000 Days," one of his very best songwriting contributions to the band, while flautist Ray Thomas wraps the album up in a playful, colorful bow with the circus-themed "Painted Smile," the poem "Reflective Smile," and the classic Moodies shuffler, "Veteran Cosmic Rocker." With "Long Distance Voyager," the Moody Blues re-invented themselves and entered the 80's with tremendous power. "Long Distance Voyager" is one of the Moodies' all-time greatest albums.

With this album the Moody Blues were definitely back in the limelight after the previous poor album OCTAVE, which was pretty mediocre compared to the classic SEVEN. I was in 10th grade when I started hearing "The Voice", and "Gemini Dream", plus, a few of the other tracks that start off the album. Until I heard "The Voice", I didn't even know there was a group called the Moody Blues, but this definitely got me on the bandwagon for sure. "Meanwhile" is also a very beautiful track that I never tire of hearing. I do like "Talking Out of Turn", but I think that it goes on a little long at over 7:00 minutes. And unlike some of your other reviewers, I do really like "22,000 Days". I am starting to even like the last four tracks also, but they aren't in the league of the first six tracks. In about 1985 I started delving into their earlier albums and especially the first three that they put out with the classic lineup, with my favorite being ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM. Don't hesitate in buying this classic LDV, because I think it sells used for about $4.00 or something like that. This is much better than the following album THE PRESENT, even though it's a good album it's nothing like LDV. So just fork over the dough and you'll love this cd.

1981's Long Distance Voyager was the first Moody Blues release in three year since 1978's Octave which did not perform well on the charts. The band had to be wondering where their music would fit into the new wave music scene of the time. They needn't have worried as the album shot up to number one and became the biggest selling album of their careers. The album has a heavy synthesizer sound to it thanks to their new keyboardist Patrick Moraz (formerly of Yes), but underneath that it is all classic Moody's. "Gemini Dream" & "The Voice" were big hits and they are both synth driven rockers. "Talking Out Of Turn" is a strong song as is "22,000 Days", but the best track on the album is the gorgeous "Nervous". Harking back to their Days Of Future Passed sounds, the song has a large orchestration with alot of strings and a choir sound. It is simply the best song on the album and one of their best ever. Long Distant Voyager isn't their most ambitious release, but from start to finish, you won't find a better Moody's album.

This is a great album and it's nice that it's getting a remaster. This album featured several of the Moodies biggest hits: The Voice, Talking Out Of Turn and Gemini Dream which were all over the radio at the time. However, this is one of those albums where every song is as good as the "hits" or better. Meanwhile is one of Justin's really great ballads while Nervous is one of John's best. Graeme's 22,000 is a flat out rocker based on the average life expectancy. The ending of Painted Smile/Refective Smile/Veteran Cosmic Rocker shows why Ray was such an important part of the group. I remember seeing the Moodies several times during this period and these Ray songs (okay, Reflective is Graeme) brought the house down. This was also Patrick Moraz's first album with the band having joined for the Octave tour in '78.

The bonus stuff on this one unfortunately is pretty scant with only the single edit of The Voice.

This just might be my favorite album of all time. Of course I'm biased, as my father used to play the tape of this album all the time when I was a kid. As I got older, I came recognize the meaning of the lyrics and grew to like it more. Now, I see recognize that it's not good music, and it's not just the Moody Blues. This album is a work of genius. Everything flows and transitions wonderfully. In particular, the transition from 22,000 days to Nervous, and the from Painted Smile to Reflective Smile to Veteran Cosmic Rocker is awesome.

The Voice is a great upbeat song about getting in touch with yourself, and talking out of turn is a good song about relationships, but previous reviews hit the nail on the head when they said that Nervous is the best song on the album. With its fantastic use of ochestration and guitar, and the perfect change of rhythm, it's truly one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. Anyone who loves the Moody Blues should own this album. Anyone who likes classic rock or just classic songs should definitely check it out.

When a band loses their original producer and one of their founding songwriting members, it usually is a half-hearted sellout. For one album, the Moodies looked set to dominate the 80s, with their very convincingly updated sound. This album is EXCELLENT! Half of the best of the synth-dominated era had to offer is on this album (the other half is on 'Time' by ELO). The songs are well-written and arranged, the keyboard textures while heavy are tastefully chosen and are never overdone or trite. Sounding a bit like an Alan Parsons production, the songs come off as energetic, honest, and (of course) sonically thick fog. The fadeout of 'In My World' contains beautiful soaring guitar solos, the prog-rock solos in 'Gemini Dream' don't fall into the usual trap of overplaying, the Ray Thomas monologues at the end are somewhat strange but have their place in the album. Talking Out Of Turn is as good a song as John Lodge ever wrote, with mesmerising, shimmering production. The Voice has a great melody, great bassline, great lyrics. This is the sound of a GROUP enthusiastically playing, their subsequent albums sounded more slick and less human. To me, the people who down this album because it contains synthesisers are like the professors at the college I went to who thought all rock music was 'in bad taste' because it didn't sound like Mozart or Stravinsky (both of whom I think wrote amazing music, for the record).

This album charted Number 1, in it's initial release year, which coincided with the return of all the band members, except original keyboardist Mike Pinder, who had departed midway through the bands previous studio/tour album, Octave.

Pat Moraz was a nice addition to the group, but the loss of Pinder signaled an end to the original 'sound' that the Moodies became known by.

However, this album is still their finest achievement to date, save for the original Core 7 albums. No self-effacing Moody Blue's fan would be without this album. Of particular interest, there are 4 very strong songs on this album that receive continuous airplay today, (mostly classical rock stations) more than 18 years after they were first penned. (The Voice, Gemini Dream, Talking Out of Turn, Veteran Cosmic Rocker ...) Justin's solo ballads, for which he has become notorious, are present here, as well. They are always welcome additions to any Moody Blue's album, since they harken back to the m! ystical sounds of albums such as To Our Children's Children's Children.

Good work never goes out of style ....enjoy this classic album ...