Customer Reviews

The Moody Blues: Lovely To See You Live [HD DVD]

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This DVD is basically the "Set" from the group's 2004 and 2005 tours, give or take a song, so it is very recent and covers the entire Moodies' span from "Tuesday Afternoon" to "December Snow." It's too bad that Ray Thomas isn't with them, but the flute is handled beautifully without him. For a complete concert, this disc may be the best overall. "Red Rocks" seemed to have good energy but in the early part of the concert, they seemed a bit "off," and the audio mix was weak on the vocals. "Hall of Fame" was a little better on the audio mix, but the energy didn't seem to be there and the song list was a bit short. On this latest disc, you get songs that don't appear elsewhere including Graeme's "Higher and Higher" dance, and Justin's "Forever Autumn" rendition. I've bought every Moody Blues DVD I can find, and I think this is the best one of the bunch so far. (And as a bonus, you get a half-hour of interview footage with the 3 remaining Moodies). Picture: A, Sound: A, Content: A-, Performance: A-, Overall: A-

The Moody Blues are just getting better. Recorded in June of 2005 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, this `live' recording has no orchestra, however, it still brings back the feelings of the older songs. "Lovely To See You" might be an odd choice to open (other than its obvious title), but it is pitch perfect and a great prelude to what is to come. The original sound of the mellotron on "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights In White Satin" is more like the original than the orchestrated ones. In fact, it is great to hear the Moody's without an orchestra, proving their sound is just as good as it was in the sixties. Hayward's voice is in fine tune on great renditions of "The Actor" and "Question". "Higher & Higher" Is a great treat with Graeme Edge giving a chilling rendition exactly like the original. In fact, it is hilarious to see Edge do an (`Irish'?) dance gig during the song. Hayward and Lodge remain fairly conservative, as usual and although Ray Thomas is missed, he flutist replacement is amazing (Norda Mullen). She may not have the dramatization of Thomas, but she has stage presence and hits the notes perfectly. The entire feeling and sound is more of a trip back in time than any of the other live recordings. They are still the Moody Blues and are strong, tight and psychedelic to this day. The lights are bright and the backdrop is pure psychedelia.

The DVD includes detailed information about each song, who wrote it, who played what instrument, even each individual performers list of instruments down to the type and manufacturer. Who knew that Graeme Edge used Zildjian cymbals or that Hayward used a 100-watt Mesa dual rectifier? See what I mean? This is a complete and thorough history! AND, it is in DTS 5.1 surround sound!

Nothing, not even this DVD, can capture the thrill, the excitelment, the enthusiasm and the joy of actually attending a Moody Blues concert. However, this DVD comes very, very close.

The sound is near perfect!!! I listened to the DTS 5.1 sound. I honestnly did not hear one sour note. The camera angles and shots were superb. They had shots over Graeme's shoulder looking toward the audience. They had many shots of the often overlooked drummer Gordon Marshall. There were many shots of Paul Bliss on keyboards and of Norda Mullen on flute. She is outstanding, in case you haven't seen or heard her.

If anything, they edited out the audience! You could see the crowd standing and clapping and really getting into it, but the crowd noise was minimumized. When I saw the Moodies in November 2005, the standing ovation after "Nights in White Satin" lasted over 2 minutes. On this DVD, it lasts 13 seconds!

No orchestra, no Ray Thomas and the band goes on. Just watching Graeme's performance of "Higher and Higher" makes this DVD a must for your collection. On this DVD, we don't get to see much of the stage show that accompanies the Moodies on tour. They can't capture everything on stage that is happening. That's why you must go see them for yourself!!

As an added bonus, there is a 29 minute interview with John, Graeme and Justin that is not to be missed.

This DVD is a "must-have" for every Moody Blues fan. Whether you were with them in the beginning or joined them along the way of their musical journey, you will not be disappointed.

This is far and away the best of the Moodies concert DVD's. The picture quality is excellent and as good as I have seen on a concert DVD. The camera work is nicely restrained and you don't get the contstant quick zoomimg in and out and annoying one or two second switches between band members that some DVD producers think is clever. The soundtracks are all well done with the DTS being slightly better than the Dolby 5.1 (but suprisingly only just). Even the stereo sound track is great - try it on Pro Logic or DTS Neo and you will experience a great surround effect. The sound is much cleaner without the orchestral backing that you find on some of the other Moody Blues DVD's. I am unable to come up with a better produced concert DVD in my collection. Whether you are a Moody Blues fan or not you will want to add this one to your collection.

I was reluctant to buy this DVD after reading the reviews posted here by Rob, Steve, and Rick. I'm a huge fan of the band, I've seen them several times, with an orchestra, without, inside, outside, in the sun, and in the rain. Hey, these guys always came through. And they come through here, again, and I tried really hard to be critical

Do I miss Ray Thomas? Sure, who wouldn't? He's an original member and they'll never play Legend of a Mind again unless he is there to sing it. But, he retired and it's not their fault, so let's stop whining about any perceived missing energy or the need of pixie dust. These guys are hitting their 60 year mark, and they're starting to look it, but they aren't playing like it. Tell you what, another London band, the Rolling Stones, may be light years ahead in popularity, hit singles, disc sales, and make $100 million more touring, but the Moody Blues sing and play better in concert. The band plays solid as always, the supporting cast is excellent and I looked hard to see if Justin was purposely singing off-key or if John appeared bored. Didn't see it. Watched it again, didn't see it.

The set is filled with most of the standards, but it's a treat to see and hear the boys play The Actor, Talking Out Of Turn, December Snow, Are You Sitting Comfortably, and Higher and Higher (which is the highlight of the concert). I'm glad I bought this DVD, it's great to see the band play a recent concert without the backing orchestra. They don't need one.

I highly recommend buying this DVD.

This is the strongest DVD I have seen of this band (and I have most of the other releases). They have returned to the sound and instrumentation of their halycon days on this release. The group has been strengthened by the addition of several new players (the two female voices a real plus). Two standout tracks which make this set a "must have" are 1. The Actor: a beautiful gem from the Lost Chord album and 2. Higher and Higher: I just love Graeme Edge when he goes "over the edge" - turning this cut into some sort of psychedelic/celtic swami meets Lord Buckley rave up! A real hoot!! All the hits are here. Great sound and video. My recommendation: buy it!!

Great HD-DVD version of one of their concerts from a couple years ago. As good as being there. Saw them twice this year in concert including Radio City Music Hall. HD-DVD could be better then actually being there. Also a good interview with the Moody's on the HD-DVD.

Highly recommend!

A recent concert, unknown flutist, and songs not always
re-visited in concert, the boys still reach down into their hearts and soar into our souls. Good quality sound and a truly receptive audience make this a disc worth listening to. It's almost a moment lost in space as they once more twing the heart strings of thier fans and encourage us to lip sync the lyrics. Almost a new chapter in their seemingly eternal sojourn, it will simply make you feel good to listen.

On Tuesday, 2/28/06, I saw the Moody Blues live for the first time in concert. Purchased this DVD at the concert. This is as close to "being there" as you can get - the crisp video close ups of everyone are especially wonderful as are the closeups of the guitar playing by Justin & John. They can jam...It brought back many wonderful memories, of times before childrens, childrens, children...There is a BIG problem with this DVD...once you buy it-you will "get nothing done" - you will want to watch it, and re-watch it, and watch it again. It's truly incredible! Suggest you buy the CD, too that way you can at least get "Something done," while you're listening to them.

Even if you are not a big Moodies fan, this dvd is a must.The video is the clearest,crispest, and flat out the best I've seen.It is about as close to HD as you'll find in DVD format! The audio is also top shelf.