Customer Reviews

On the Threshold of a Dream

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"On the Threshold of a Dream" followed "In Search of the Lost Chord". This album has a darker feel to it than "The Lost Chord," which periodically became lightly whimsical ("Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" as an example) and was generally upbeat.

"Threshold" begins with a somewhat paranoid interchange between several characters that in a few short sentences explores individuality in modern computerized society. While Graeme Edge is generally upbeat in that he says that as individuals we can "...perceive the web they weave and keep on thinking free," the sinister tone of "Big Brother's got your number" starts the album off darkly. From this beginning, the other songs in the album are now interpreted by this initial tone. Furthermore, the closeout by the last three Mike Pinder selections, "Have You Heard" parts 1 and 2 and "The Voyage," end the album in a melancholy fashion that also reflects on the other tracks, of which many are melancholy themselves.

In spite of the dark mood of the album, it is still great for those times when you are a bit moody yourself. For some reason I enjoy listening to this album when it's raining outside, or when I'm feeling down. You would think that the album would drive me further into the depths of depression, but it does not. Instead, it tends to make me think about why I am depressed and ultimately overcoming those issues cheers me up. Okay, it's a little weird, but it works for me.

How is the album? Very good. This album was again experimental and further associated the Moodies name with progressive rock. The dialogue at the beginning of the album and "The Dream" by Graeme Edge seguing into "Have You Heard Part 1", followed by "The Voyage" which then takes you back to "Have You Heard Part 2", while being a signature feature of Moodies albums, was still very new to the world in 1969. While the music is very mellow, even for 1969, it was also in some ways more dreamily psychedelic than "In Search of the Lost Chord". As examples, the aforementioned Mike Pinder selections, "Never Comes the Day" by Justin Hayward, and "Are You Sitting Comfortably", an awesome way-too-short song by Justin Hayward and Ray Thomas. This album is great for a bottle of good wine, a dimly lit room, perhaps some black light posters (seriously!), and whatever else you want to add that fits the mood.

The lyrics are often cryptic in this album, for example, just what the heck do the lyrics of "Never Comes the Day" by Justin Hayward mean anyway? One enjoyable feature of Moodies lyrics are that that is exactly the point of the lyrics: they are intentionally cryptic. Yes, they meant something to the authors. However, the authors are often vague enough to allow you to interpret them to fit your own life. The Moodies have traditionally been able to make lyrics sufficiently vague that they can easily be interpreted to fit your needs, while making very listenable songs that don't really have to be interpreted. I believe this album may have been the best of the classic 7 to achieve both these abilities for a majority of the songs. A very interesting approach that works well for the Moodies that others have not been able to pull off nearly as well or at all.

Graeme Edge, as noted above, has two selections on this album. I truly enjoy "The Dream", which may be Graeme Edge's very best "poem monologues" on any album by the Moodies. There is a lot of symbolism and true blues in this poem that is the perfect lead-in for the three Mike Pinder selections following.

Ray Thomas authored "Dear Diary", "Lazy Day" and coauthored "Are You Sitting Comfortably" with Justin Hayward. "Are You Sitting Comfortably" is by far the best of the three, and I think is the best song on the album. "Lazy Day" is likely the most whimsical song of this CD, and perhaps the least blue.

Mike Pinder, in addition to the last three songs, also penned "So Deep Within You," a love song about knowing what's in your lover's heart. This song is very beautiful and easy to understand. Mike's contributions to this album are consistently good and among the best of the album.

John Lodge wrote back to back love songs, "Send Me No Wine" and "To Share Our Love". Both are fast-paced (for this album), and both are good. "To Share Our Love" is the better of the two, and exploits John's voice well.

Justin Hayward, in addition to the excellent "Are You Sitting Comfortably", also wrote "Lovely to See You", which is a song of friendship helping alleviate the blues (which you may need after listening to this album!), and "Never Comes the Day", which I think is a song of love, but it's mixed with other concepts that are difficult to put my finger on. Regardless, it's a good song.

If you are a Moodies fan, buy this. If you are not, and want to listen to something different, buy this. Is it dated? A little perhaps, but not a lot. The lyrics are about concepts that transcend time. This album is incredibly mellow. It is the third album of the second incarnation of the Moody Blues, and the last album by the Moodies to be this spacey and psychedelic. After this they begin to tackle issues of the environment and how we treat each other and our role in the universe. This album is very unique and should be part of the reason to induct the Moody Blues into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (why that hasn't yet I haven't the foggiest clue). It is fitting that this album was released in 1969, a fitting close to an exotic decade.

I hadn't really planned on writing a review of this CD until I read the recent (July 14, 2006) review by 'Micaloneus'. His review raised some interesting points, and was so at variance with other reviews that I was intriqued, so decided to offer my own take.
First off, I do not own the previous remastered versions of this or any other Moody Blues 'classic seven', so I cannot refute his claim. I am, however, able to respond to his primary criticisms.
The reviewer states that the original 'dynamics' have been compromised by excessive compression, resulting in 'ear fatigue', and that earlier releases sound more like the vinyl LPs, preserving the dynamics originally engineered. He also claims that the MFSL gold discs sound 'better' (at least on a Deep Purple record, so I presume he means on other titles as well). I happen to own a MFSL gold disc of 'Threshold', so I sat down and played it from start to finish, followed by this hybrid SACD version (played on a high-quality stereo, as I do not own an SACD player). I came away with a totally different perception. While the gold disc did sound a bit more like the vinyl record (I once owned over 2,000 LPs, including 'Threshold'), it does, then, have a bit of a 'warmer' sound (for want of a better word). Is it 'better'? Not in my book. In a direct A/B comparison, the hybrid SACD version sounded fuller, with much more separation and clarity. For example, on the fade-out on 'To Share Our Love', the refrain is barely audible on the gold disc, but is clear as glass on the hybrid version. I was able to pick up instrumentation on the hybrid that was buried in the gold disc. For me, the effect of listening to the hybrid was much more like being in the recording studio vs. listening to a record of that recording. No comparison. Also of note is the fact that of the 13 songs on the album, 9 of them had different playing times on the MFSL gold discs compared to the hybrids, ranging from one to seven seconds variance.
On the point about 'ear fatigue'...well, perhaps Micaloneus has a much more discerning ear than me; when I finished listening to the hybrid (which included all the great bonus tracks), I didn't get 'ear fatigue', but rather got a strong desire to play the hybrid release of 'In Search of the Lost Chord' immediately afterwards. Which I did.
On his general criticism of money-gouging regarding these hybrid releases, I disagree. They're only a few bucks more than a standard CD, and given the superior sound quality and first-rate bonus cuts, to me they're a bargain.
I do agree somewhat about the cover art. A better job should have been done in reproducing the depth of color found on the original albums.
Lastly, I cannot share at all his scathing declaration: "Shame on anyone involved in this SACD Deluxe Edition project," since Justin Hayward and John Lodge themselves oversaw the transfers. Instead, I praise them.
It is interesting to note that the exact same (verbatim) review by Micaloneus is found for each of the hybrid SACD titles of the Moody Blues. It seems as if a 'copy-and-paste' approach was taken, which raises questions as to whether all of the CDs were actually played.
If he and others are satisfied with the earlier remastered versions, then that's great. As for me, I cannot imagine any iteration of these great albums sounding any better than these superlative hybrid SACDs.

The Moody Blues have re-released their albums as Remastered and a few in DTS, but finally they are now available in Hybrid SACD. This version is a keeper including some very rare and enormously well mastered and remixed songs.

These include:
In The Beginning
Lovely To See You
Dear Diary
Send Me No Wine
To Share Our Love
So Deep Within You
Never Comes The Day
Lazy Day
Are You Sitting Comfortably
Dream
Have You Heard - Part One
Voyage
Have You Heard - Part Two

Extra Songs:
In The Beginning (Full Version) (Bonus Track)
So Deep Within You (Full Version) (Bonus Track)
Dear Diary (Alternate Mix)
Have You Heard (Original Take)
Voyage (Original Take)
Lovely To See You (BBC Top Gear Session 2/18/69)
Send Me No Wine (BBC Top Gear Session 2/18/69)
So Deep Within You (BBC Tony Brandon Session Mono 4/2/69)
Are You Sitting Comfortably (Mono Version)

No previous Moody Blues album has contained such rare BBC sessions, outtakes and alternate mixes. One needs no other recording of this classic album. The box is half plastic and half cardboard which might not last as long as a regular CD package. However, the liner package notes are exhaustive with many new pictures and a complete history.

(Note: This is an SACD mix made from the original quadraphonic tapes. The extra songs are the original remastered quadraphonic tapes - not SACD. This means the extra songs revert back to stereo on your SACD player).

Looking back, and listening to many great albums over the past 35 years or so, there are certain ones that never get old, never get dull, or become dated. Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti comes to mind. Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Simon & Garfunkel's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme, Rush's Permanent Waves, The Doors' debut...among others. I hesitate to use the word 'masterpiece' because it is so overused (and mostly associated with garbage), but these are true masterpieces in music, both for the awesome song writing, original melodies, as well as the AHEAD OF IT'S TIME PRODUCTION! The Moody Blues' On the Threshold of a Dream is right up there with all of them. All 5 members contribute to its content, with Tony Clarke at the helm. It is an experience to listen to this album. If you have never heard it, prepare yourself, because someday in the future, you will remember where you were when you first heard what is possibly the greatest musical work ever made (and I don't say that about just anything....this album is wonderful). Folks...this thing was released 35 years ago! And to think these 5 men were 20 something year old kids at the time. Totally unbelievable. And how sad it is to know that there are millions of young people worldwide who have never, and probably will never, experience this true ...forgive me...masterpiece!

With their third album, 1969's "On The Threshold Of A Dream," the Moody Blues shifted gears once more, going from the psychedelic sounds of "In Search Of The Lost Chord" to a more cosmic, spacey, otherworldy feel. The end result is another classic Moodies album, with everyone in the band contributing excellent tracks. Drummer Graeme Edge's strong spoken-word intro, "In The Beginning," along with it's spooky keyboard lead-in & clock sound effects, instantly sets the mood. Guitarist Justin Hayward's "Lovely To See You" is a classic melodic rocker (and the band have used it to open many of their concerts). Flautist Ray Thomas' slow-shuffler "Dear Diary" is a memorable gem, one of Ray's finest compositions. Bassist John Lodge hands in a fine pair with the country-flavored atmospheres of "Send Me No Wine" and the rockin' "To Share Our Love," and keyboardist Mike Pinder's seductive "So Deep Within You" is one of *his* best contributions to the Moodies, and a mighty powerful song. Hayward's "Never Comes The Day" is a gorgeous ballad, Thomas' "Lazy Day" has an endearing childlike quality to it, and Hayward's "Are You Sitting Comfortably" is another luscious, dreamy song. Finally, after Edge's fine poetry of "The Dream," comes Pinder's astonishing, classic mini-epic of "Have You Heard (Part One)/The Voyage/Have You Heard (Part Two)," an amazing, heavenly journey into cosmic rock. The band sound fantastic on this album, and there's not a dull track anywhere. With "On The Threshold Of A Dream," the Moody Blues deliver another progressive rock classic.

This is a fantastic album from the Moodies and the sound is excellent. This is one of the band's most dreamlike albums and can give you a contact buzz just listening to it. I love the fact that they've restored the album's original booklet and pictures as well as adding some cool bonus songs. This really is an album meant for surround sound. From the trippy In The Beginning, this album REALLY DOES take you on a voyage and every song is a must have. Everyone in the band contributes to this release and it's wonderful to hear the group mind at one of it's peaks. Truely one of the Moodies best.

The opening cut of this second of the several concept albums released by the Moody Blues in rapid fire succession tells it all, a provocative, thoughtful, and intellectually fascinating exploration of what it means to be an individual human being in a world gone wildly out of control. As in their previous albums, the Moody Blues use a rock style fusing mainstream rock music and eastern musical forms, and with a singular virtuosity that is spellbinding to listen to. No one carried such musical explorations with more panache and style than the Moody Blues, who, to their great distress, quickly became a kind of cult force in popular culture, making them pop icons overnight.

This is an intriguing album, and a valuable introduction for the uninitiated to the wild range of talents and interests of the various members of the band, and is a showcase for their musical virtuosity. From the opening mysterious number introducing the now-familiar concept of individual personalities trapped and constrained by the overwhelming influence of a world of mindless bureaucracy, impersonality, and inhumane machines, the thoughtful monologue moving from the hesitant uncertainty of a solitary soul confronted by technological domination to a segue to embrace of other kindred humans in "Lovely To See You". The mood of thoughtful exploration of the issue is established, and we are n for another wondrous mind ride that the Moodies were so singularly famous for. The rest of the album focuses increasingly on aspects of this tension with an individual's needs and rights and ways of being life-affirming in the age of the machine.

This is classic stuff, with the lyrics, melodies, and extremely artful arrangements supporting the search for identity. My favorites here are "Never Comes The Day", which enjoyed some FM airtime, and "Are You Sitting Comfortably", a dreamy etching of much more romantic and adventurously human times of King Arthur and Lady Guinevere. I also love the absolutely spectacular instrumental work composing the last half of the album, beginning with "The Dream" and culminating with "Have You Heard" part two. This is classic Moody Blues material, and they mine this genre in a way uniquely their own. I would start with "In Search Of The Lost Chord", and work my way deliciously through "On The Threshold Of A Dream", "To Our Childrens' Childrens' Children", and finally to "A Question Of Balance", which comprises the real close of this phase of their concept album series. All of them are thoughtful, artistically well expressed, and a timeless celebration of what it means to be human. I highly recommend all their albums. Enjoy!

The sound quality of this hybrid reissue is fantastic. It was like I was hearing the album for the first time. "On the Threshold of a Dream" is perhaps the Moody Blues' most complete concept album. It features some of their best songs and holds together from beginning to end. With this reissue, the softer tones of "Never Comes the Day" and the many layers of the "Have You Heard/The Voyage" suite finally can be heard as they were intended. The rarities include a BBC session of "To Share Our Love" that may be superior to the album version. Like all of these reissues, highly recommended to Moody fans and those looking to discover them.

This reissue is a single cd and includes 9 bonus tracks which will be of interest to fans of the band. The most interesting is the full version of "So Deep Within You" which sports a cool bass guitar lead-in. Other than the intro there is little difference in this from the released track. Also of interest is the BBC radio version of "Are You Sitting Comfortably".
Soundwise this release beats the previous 2 cd issues, however the best sounding Moody Blues CD still remains "This is the Moody Blues" which featured complete re-mixes of key Moody Blues songs by their producer, Tony Clarke. It would have been interesting if a few complete remixes would have been added as bonus tracks. On "This Is" a lot of buried instrumentation and vocals were revealed- this could have been used to great advantage on this album- for instance the jazzy guitar riff in "So Deep Within You."
One noticeable oddity is that all cd versions of "To Share Our Love" obscure the prominent sloshing tambourine that is featured in the intro of the song on vinyl-especially evident in the Nautilus LP version of the LP. This may be nit-picking, but that tambourine really adds a lot to that intro.
However these releases should not be missed. This reissue series is equivalent to the Sony Byrds reissues in that they all feature nice booklets and never seen before photos. Unlike the Byrds however the Moodies did not leave a lot of undiscovered tracks in the can-the alternate versions in this reissue series, with few exceptions-do not vary from the commercial release.

After an interval of nearly 30 years, I've once again got my hands on a copy of this magnificent album by a band that I find very hard to compare with any other. Like Midnight Oil, they have no real competitors, only imitators. They were ahead of their time in the mid-60s and you can still clearly see how far ahead that was, 35 years later. Of all the early albums, this remains my favourite, although I am likely to play any of six or seven others I now (happily) own (again).

I started building my CD collection with Best of albums but there is nothing like the original albums of the Moodys. I suspect that is going to be very much the case with the Oils as well, although for subtly different reasons. Each album of the Moody Blues was a work in itself, designed right down to the cover to create a special and whole (maybe holistic?) effect. The Oils throw their albums together differently, but it is still a question of energy, since neither of these groups seems, at least at their peak, to have any excess to burn off. It was all good.

If you even think you like the Moody Blues, get this album without fail, but remember you'll have to get at least six others afterwards. And what a pleasure that will be.