Customer Reviews

The Present

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A somewhat-overlooked album in the Moody Blues' catalog, 1983's "The Present" is a wonderful album. It was the follow-up to the Moodies' #1 smash-hit release from 1981, "Long Distance Voyager," but for some reason, "The Present" just didn't sell as well, and today, the Moodies no longer perform anything from it in concert, which is a shame. Song for song the album is fantastic, starting with guitarist Justin Hayward's atmospheric rocker "Blue World." "Meet Me Halfway" is a breezy number co-written by Hayward and bassist John Lodge. Lodge's "Sitting At The Wheel," the album's lone Top 40 single, is tremendous fun. Then comes "Going Nowhere," one of the best songs ever written by drummer Graeme Edge, and beautifully sung by flautist Ray Thomas. Next up is a double shot from Lodge, the powerful instrumental "Hole In The World," and the truly sparkling number, "Under My Feet." Hayward returns with a pair of beautiful love songs, "It's Cold Outside Of Your Heart," and, one of my all-time favorite ballads from Justin, "Running Water." Finally, Ray Thomas concludes the album with the mystical "I Am," and the wonderful "Sorry." The band, along with keyboardist Patrick Moraz, sound incredible on this album. "The Present" is a brilliant Moody Blues album that deserves to be rediscovered. I'm sure many Moodies fans out there will greatly appreciate this present.

I've always found it disappointing that this album is somewhat forgotten in the Moodies catalog. It IS really their last great album from beginning to end. It doesn't have the slick sound that Long Distance Voyager has, but it does have an earnest sound. This would also be the last album where all the band members share equally in songwriting. There is not one bad song on here. From the opening song Blue World by Justin Hayward to John Lodge's rockin' Sitting At The Wheel to Ray Thomas' nice ballad Going Nowhere. This album is a class act from beginning to end. It's a shame that this album didn't really sell as well as Long Distance Voyager and as a result the band, who by the way, thought it was one of their best, hired a new producer and went for a more 80's radio friendly sound. I saw them on this tour and it was the five of them putting out a great concert dressed in regular clothes however when I saw them on their next tour, The Other Side Of Life(which was popular with Mtv) they were all Miami Viced out and loaded with sound samples backup singers and addittional musicians as well as clips from The Kirate Kid 2. I can't help but think had this been a better seller perhaps the quality of latter Moodies albums woundn't have suffered so. I should also point out that since this album's release I've played it for many people some fans of the band, some not so much and this one seems to go over well with just about everyone.

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 "The Present"...

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 "The Present" ... 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'd also like to add that I am very pleased that, after all of the Moody Blues compilations that came out during the 1990's onward, this release features both "Blue World" and "Sitting At The Wheel" the way they were originally supposed to be presented, not cross-faded into one another, as was the case on "Time Traveller," "Anthology," and "Gold." This is also the only place (Just like the original CD release of this album) where you can find a clean fade-out at the conclusion of "Blue World," the way it was originally recorded, not cut short as presented on 1997's "Best of..." and the 2007 import, "Collected."

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 (Ex: "Sitting At The Wheel"). Also, orchestral arrangements grace certain tracks ("Long Distance Voyager"). Not so much spoken-word poetry, either, until "Strange Times." Sound-wise, "The Present" is loaded with beautiful heavily-echoed, cooing, and buzzing synthesizer sounds ("Blue World," "Going Nowhere"), layered acoustic guitar ("It's Cold Outside Of Your Heart"/"Running Water"), and scattered haunting effects (Ex: The marching drums that open up and close out Lodge's "Hole In The World"/"Under My Feet" and the whispering on the Ray Thomas track, "I Am"). Justin and John also provide combined vocal harmony really well on many of the latter Moody Blues tracks, such as "Meet Me Halfway." I also get psyched by the energetic ending of Ray's "Sorry," courtesy of the intense synthesizer and drums, all the way to the fade-out!

For the bonus tracks, I was overjoyed to find that the ultra-rare extended mix of "Sitting At The Wheel" had been added ... Until now, "The Universal Masters Collection: Classic Moody Blues" was the only other release that included this song on CD. Also, the single edit of "Blue World" is interesting, with verses rearranged ... This edit was previously featured on CD courtesy of the Moody Blues double-disc compilation, "The Singles+."

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! What an improvement from the simple "greeting card" format of the CD "booklets" that were featured within the original 1980's CD releases!

*One tidbit of interest is that, when the original CD release of "The Present" was released, the stereo "setup" had been reversed compared to the stereo format from the vinyl and cassette versions of the album (Left-to-right and right-to-left ... Whatever instrumentation was dominant on one stereo channel got switched to the other stereo channel). This remaster features the original stereo setup, as heard on the vinyl and cassette editions. A lot of the synthesizer effects on this album were featured in stereo, as experienced through headphones, so that is one major element to note, when listening to how the stereo setup got reversed, between the two CD's. :)

This is what a remastered, reissued CD release should be all about, and this edition of "The Present" really satisfies! 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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This collection (aka album) is absolutely wonderful. The reasons that the Moody Blues have endured have to do with their trieds and trues, versatility and just plain genius. Tracks like "Blue World" use machines, but hey, it's 'The Present', and it sounds completely natural... Put this one on when your out roller-blading around the lake on a summer day! "Meet Me Halfway" is another nether-nether Justin love dream song, ominous sounding. "Going Nowhere" has great lyrics and tunehship. One I am sure you will enjoy over and over again is "Hole in the World/Under My Feet". The lyrics are right there with a very focused and dynamic energy. "Cold outside of Your Heart" is the first time I heard Justin gone country, and it's a worthy effort. "Running Water" (I saw Justin play this in St.Paul 1983 with the Moodies after 'The Present' was released) is sad, but beautiful, of course. Ray Thomas delivers on the majestic and mystical sounding "I Am", followed by an eventually rollicking "Sorry", finishing off another must have by the legendaries.

This is not an all-out masterpiece, like it's predecessor "Long Distance Voyager," but it is quite well-done, and not anywhere near the turkey that many critics have made it out to be.

One major thing that differentiates this album from LDV is that LDV was optimistic and uplifting whereas The Present is pessimistic and sad. The band was not getting along with each other when this album was recorded, and it holds unhappy memories for them; to this day, they refuse to perform anything from this album onstage.

There are a lot of great songs here, though! "Blue World," though it's lyrics border on pretentiousness, is a unique Hayward classic, and the soaring "Meet Me Halfway" may be the best of all Hayward/Lodge writing collaborations. "Sitting at the Wheel" is a unique and welcome rock and roll song from John, and "Going Nowhere" is another unique addition, an angry love song with Graeme Edge writing and Ray Thomas singing lead. "It's Cold Outside of Your Heart" is a beautiful Hayward ballad, and "Hole in the World/Under My Feet" is very powerful as well.

Sure, it's sad and pessimistic, but the fact remains that the songwriting quality is still top-notch. This one may not blow you away immediately but it is a very worthy sleeper that will definitely grow on you.

The Moody Blues have had numerous sounds in their 35+ years of existence, and many of those sounds make an appearance on this CD. Overall I found the music to be pleasant and enjoyable, with several standout tracks. A worthy addition for a collector of Moodies music.

The CD opens with the Justin Hayward penned "Blue World." The music to me sounds quite similar to some of the music from "Strange Times," which appeared 16 years later. I also thought that some of the style of this song was similar to songs from Justin's 1985 solo effort, "Moving Mountains." While Patrick Moraz' keyboards are supportive in this song, the style evokes a comparison to the 1986 CD "The Other Side of Life," where Moraz' keyboards nearly swamped the CD. The imagery of the lyrics is interesting, a conjunction of words that give you an impression rather than detailed description. One interesting phrase in the lyrics is "Fly me high," which was also the title of an early Moodies song released on "Prelude." The lyrics are very interesting, but as with many Justin Hayward songs, it is about love.

Every Moody Blues CD has to have at least one collaboration between Justin Hayward and John Lodge, and the second track "Meet Me Halfway" is the one such collaboration on this CD. The music will be familiar to long-time Moody fans as it is similar to many other Hayward-Lodge collaborations. The pace is fast and the voices of the pair harmonize well, as always. The lyrics are less inspired than many love songs penned and sang by the pair, but still a decent song.

"Sitting at the Wheel" has an interesting musical opening that gives the song a touch of a progressive feel before segueing into John Lodge's fast-paced vocals. The music in this song is typical of Lodge's music in the 80s and on "Strange Times." The lyrics are also reasonably typical. An average song for John Lodge.

The next song is one of the unique songs on this CD. "Going Nowhere" was penned by Graeme Edge and sang by Ray Thomas. This song harkens back to the Moodies style of the early 70s and has the flavor of Ray's singing on his solo "From Mighty Oaks." This song is one of those timeless Moodies songs that could have come from any era. The music is mellow with interesting sound effects complementing the music. Patrick Moraz' keyboards fit well with the rest of the group in a classic Moody Blues style. Excellent, mellow song.

"Hole in the World" is a John Lodge instrumental reminiscent of those wonderful instrumentals from the classic 7 albums of the late 60s and early 70s. The sound is evolutionary for the Moodies, with the styling of the earlier period but with an 80s flavor. The theme of the song and the style is set up for the subsequent John Lodge composition "Under My Feet," but the theme could have been explored more extensively and thus the instrumental is much shorter than it could have been.

"Under My Feet" is (once again) a love song, with the style is along the lines of 1981's "Long Distance Voyager." Interestingly, the song has a strong Beatles or John Lennon flavor. In the second verse particularly the vocals reminded me strongly of John Lennon. As with many John Lodge songs the pace is among the fastest of the songs on this CD, with strident percussion. There is also a trumpet in this song that is not credited on the album cover, unless they somehow accomplished this sound with a synthesizer, but it sure sounded authentic. The end of the song is a reprise to "Hole in the World," a nod once again to the style of early Moody albums.

Justin Hayward follows with yet another love song, "It's Cold Outside of Your Heart." The music has a country flavor, with vocals that would fit into "Strange Times." The intro and verses are mellow and slow, with the pace picking up in the refrain. This song is a solid, though uninspired, Justin Hayward song.

Justin's fourth contribution, counting the John Lodge collaboration, is "Running Water." A mellow song that makes good use of Justin's vocal abilities, the lyrics are among Justin's best on this CD. I particularly like the refrain, where Justin gets to reach for highs. This song is classic Justin Hayward and classic Moody Blues.

The last two songs are Ray Thomas contributions, and, as with many Ray Thomas contributions, are interesting and unusual. The first is "I Am," which has a significant flute contribution. The song is nearly a poem with incidental music in the background. While this CD is pretty far from the Moody's early days as a prototypical progressive rock group, there is a flavor of those progressive years in this song. Once again, the song could have been much longer to explore the progressive styling of a group that was one of the most significant contributors to formation of this genre.

"Sorry" closes out the album in a way that, as with many Moody Blues albums, leaves me wanting more. Ray Thomas' lead vocal on this song is outstanding, and this song is my favorite on the CD. The soaring, emphatic vocals, the harmony, the synthesizers are classic Moody Blues of all eras. The music is wonderful, with each instrument contributing in the most typical Moody Blues collaboration of any on this song. This song belongs on "best of" collections of The Moody Blues.

The Moody Blues have gone through a lot from 1967 to their most current release, "December." There are few groups that have survived for 35 years, and fewer yet that have managed to remain relatively consistent over the years. "The Present" is not one of The Moody Blues' most inspired albums, but it is good Moody Blues, and worth having for any Moodies fan, with "Sorry" making the album.

I don't know what there would be not to like about The Present if you are a Moodies fan. Every song is good. I bought it because of "Meet Me Halfway" but of course I had heard most of the other songs before, and liked the rest of them when I heard them, too. It's right up there with "Strange Times". Of course I love nearly everything the Moodies have ever done, from "Days of Future Past" to now. Even "Keys of the Kingdom" which everyone likes to put down, had some really good songs. If you ever listen to the garbage getting airplay on top 40 and easy listening stations now, you have to wonder why the Moodies are so widely ignored. Maybe they're TOO good...

Though not my favourite Moody Blues album (that has to go to it's predecessor, "Long Distance Voyager"), "The Present" is by no means as bad as some made out at the time of its release and still do. It's certainly hugely superior to "Keys of The Kingdom" which in my opinion is the biggest disappointment of the Moody Blues' career. The vocals and instrumentation are excellent throughout and, in the main, so are the arrangements. There are few tracks on this album that I don't like (only "It's Cold Outside of Your Heart" comes to mind). The stunning guitar work of Justin Hayward and John Lodge is there as ever and Patrick Moraz's keyboard adds a lushness without pomposity to the sound. Older fans would probably have me hanged, drawn and quartered but to my mind Moraz was a far better component of the band than Mike Pinder ever was and I sometimes find it sad that he's no longer with them. From the occasional harmonies that are spot-on to Justin Hayward's moving voice on "Running Water", this is a worthy example of masters of their art at work.

This is definitely not in the same league as LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER, but that one's definitely hard to beat. The songs that make this album desirable are "Blue World", "Sitting At The Wheel", and "Meet Me Halfway". Not really a bad album though, it just doesn't have the six great songs that LDV did. But everybody's different and some Moody Blues fans might just fall in love with this one. Enjoy!!!

The Moody Blues career was brilliant through Seventh Sojourn. Octave was a slight hiccup. Then with the addition of Patrick Moraz, they released two of the best albums of their career. Long Distance Voayager and The Present. These two albums could have made a great double album. The songs are fresh and vibrant. Full of classic Moody Blues sounds but enhanced with the great talents of Patrick Moraz. The compositions are first rate on both albums. Long Distnace is better than this one but only by a pinch. Don't own one without the other.

Would love to see a proper remastering of these two albums!