Customer Reviews

Voices in the Sky: Best of

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

 

 

A word to the wise, as a collector I got this one, but beware, many of theses titles are the 10 track versions(look at seller info that it is the 12 track version you actually are getting)& I found a 12 track version. The title of the CD misses the actual track, they used 7" edits on some tracks & could have actually used full versions on this collection. So unless your collector, you might want to buy "This Is The moody Blues" first & then "Anthology",or the box set "Time Traveller" (look for the 5 CD set if you can find it with the BONUS CD) or just get "Moody Blues Gold". I got them all, so hopefully I helped the buyer out ;-). Search "Judemac forever" on msn.

This album was originally released in 1984 and as such, was designed for the space limitations of vinyl. Apart from the remixed compilation This Is the Moody Blues (a 1974 double LP covering the classic years) and the odd foreign comp., this was the first-ever Moodies "hits" collection.

Back in the '80s, some non-US (import) CD's were made easily available as domestic purchases. Since the US edition of Voices hadn't yet been issued on CD, the UK issue became the more widely available and commonly known version.

The US and UK editions varied both in their track selection and sequencing. The US version featured 10 tracks, including "Sitting at the Wheel" (then the most recent US chart success) and unique cover art. The UK version featured a plain blue cover with the title logo, and 12 tracks, deleting Wheel in favour of "Talking Out of Turn", and adding "Never Comes the Day" and "After You Came". It's easy to quibble about what wasn't included, but one must remember the era in which the original album was compiled. Talking and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" likely made the cut because Long Distance Voyager had been such a monster success just a few years before, especially when compared to its follow-up.

Voices was designed as a sampler, to give one a taste of the Moodies tunes they still heard on the radio. As such and what made it essential was that it featured many unique single mixes and edits which hadn't previously been made available in album form. These versions are often preferrable, due to the crossfaded nature of their LP counterparts. Most of them have become the standard versions used for other Moodies' comps since, but this was the only way to get them on LP, and later CD back in the day.

One noticeable mastering mistake: a digital dropout in the right channel at the beginning of I'm Just a Singer on the original UK CD, though that could be corrected by now.

A rather mediocre greatest hits album ... Too short! This release is missing some Moody Blues classics that rightfully ended up on the 1996 compilation, "The Best Of The Moody Blues." I also found it unusual that the actual song, "Voices in the Sky" didn't even appear on this album with the same title! Also, the edited single versions of "Talking Out Of Turn," "Driftwood," "The Voice," and "Gemini Dream" are featured ... Why? There's enough space on the CD to feature the full-length, original versions!

In addition, the CD booklet that accompanied the CD release wasn't much of a booklet. It's more like a fold-out card featuring just the list of the songs on the CD ... Very boring. "This Is The Moody Blues," "The Best of The Moody Blues," "The Moody Blues Anthology," "The Singles +," "Gold," and the re-mastered CD's of the "Classic 7" albums all have interviews, photos, and/or commentaries within their CD booklets. Why not this one? Not even lyrics to the songs are included. Very strange. :(

On a positive note, I was pleased that the rare single edit of "Question" made an appearance on this album, as well as "Veteran Cosmic Rocker," which was left off of "Time Traveller" (But should have been included on that set). There is also a rare stereo mix of "Never Comes The Day" (Which would reappear on the "Ballads" compilation). That mix was a treat! This was also the first album I listened to that featured the single edit of "Nights in White Satin," because, at the time, I never knew there was a mix of this song without the orchestra, before ... I was blown away when I first heard this non-orchestral version! Now, it's made popular by being featured on almost every Moody Blues compilation you can find, these days. :)

To sum up, I gave this collection a rating of 3 stars, because one loss was due to the edited songs I had listed above (There's nothing like the full, original versions ... To hear them edited down takes away from the enjoyment of listening to the tunes the way they were meant to be heard). The other loss was due to certain memorable and deserving songs being excluded from the track list (Ex: "Lovely To See You," "Watching And Waiting," "Blue World"). This is an OK compilation for someone who isn't familiar with The Moody Blues and wants just a little taste of what the band's music sounds like. The 1996 "Best Of" compilation is a much better choice, however, when it comes to enjoying a whole bunch of Moody Blues classics on just one CD. Fortunately, each song featured on "Voices In The Sky" is enjoyable, and the album has a fine variety of outstanding Moody Blues works. Thanks for reading! God Bless... :)

...but my disk has a different song order than listed here. Although you could argue that this is not really a best-of collection, most of the songs are very enjoyable. If you ever enjoyed the "Long Distance Voyager" release, this CD has the best songs from that, plus great songs from the earlier releases. ONE MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT: the disk that I purchased has the short version of "Nights in White Satin", without the spoken "breathe deep the gathering gloom...." portion...bummer!

I'm SITTING AT THE WHEEL, listening to THE VOICE and have one QUESTION...Why aren't these guys in the hall of fame??? ISN'T LIFE STRANGE? Such meaning in their music...My GEMINI DREAM is to enjoy more NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN, and these guys should not be cast aside as DRIFTWOOD! Love this CD!

I'm SITTING AT THE WHEEL, listening to THE VOICE and have one QUESTION...Why aren't these guys in the hall of fame??? ISN'T LIFE STRANGE? Such meaning in their music...My GEMINI DREAM is to enjoy more NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN, and these guys should not be cast aside as DRIFTWOOD! Love this CD!