The Magnificent Moodies [EXTRA TRACKS] [IMPORT]

The Moody Blues

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 1998)
• Original Release Date: 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Import
• Label: Repertoire
• ASIN: B000006NGE
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,109 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. I'll go crazy

2. Something you got

3. Go now

4. Can't nobody love you

5. I don't mind

6. I've got a dream

7. Let me go

8. Stop

9. Thank you baby

10. It ain't necessarily so

11. True story

12. Bye bye bird

13. Steal your heart away

14. Lose your money ( but don't lose your mind)

15. It's easy child

16. I don't want to go on without you (come back)

17. Time is on my side

18. From the bottom of my heart

19. And my baby's gone

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Reissued 1964-66 albums. The band's debut LP, first issued in 1965 when they were at the forefront of the British R&B boom. The British No.1 single 'Go Now' is included whilst the seven bonus cuts include the hit singles 'I Don't Want To Go On Without You', 'From The Bottom Of My Heart' and the rare 45 'Steel Your Heart Away.'

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Magnificent *Original* Moodies, November 19, 2005

By	Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Everybody knows about the Moody Blues of "Nights In White Satin" fame, but what about the *original* R&B Moody Blues who had one lone hit in 1965 with "Go Now" and featured Denny Laine on guitar & vocals and Clint Warwick on bass, back when "Days Of Future Passed" wasn't even a blip on the band members' minds? "The Magnificent Moodies" represents the entire recorded output of the first Moody Blues group on a single CD, comprising the "Magnificent Moodies" album itself and a whole plethora of British singles, all recorded between 1964 and 1967, back in the days when the Moodies were a rhythm & blues combo. Along with Laine & Warwick are three men who would make the transistion to the famous, prog-rock Moody Blues group: keyboardist Mike Pinder (strictly on piano here, no mellotron yet!), flautist/vocalist Ray Thomas and drummer Graeme Edge, and the band's material comprises of half original songs and half covers. What I love about the first incarnation of the Moody Blues is that their music is fun, fun, fun, and the band's musical chemistry is outstanding. Denny Laine is a great, soulful singer & guitarist, while Clint Warwick is a fine bassist. As for the trio more well-known to Moody Blues fans, they shine on this material, too. Mike Pinder's piano-playing is simply fantastic, Ray Thomas' voice (mostly on backing vocals) is beautifully rich, his flute-playing & tambourine-smacking wonderful, and, of course, Graeme Edge's drumming is excellent. In short, these guys sound GREAT together.And the songs? There's a big 25 of them on this disc, so I'll just name a few favorites: the group's classic lone hit, the jaunty "Go Now" (a British #1 and US #10), pretty much sums up in one song what the original Moodies were like. If you like what you hear in "Go Now," then I know you'll like the rest of their stuff. And I LOVE "Go Now." I also love such catchy nuggets as "I Go Crazy," "Something You Got," "It's Easy Child" (great piano solo from Pinder on this one), "Steal Your Heart Away," "This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)," and the R&B rave-up "Bye Bye Bird." Ray Thomas gets a marvelous debut lead vocal on "It Ain't Necessarily So," and the final song, "Boulevard De La Madelaine," a Pinder/Laine original, is a beautiful number. Heck, I dig the whole CD---I'd spotlight for you every single song on it if I had the space.Alas, the Moody Blues Mach 1 were never able to replicate the chart success of "Go Now," and both Denny Laine & Clint Warwick would bail out of the band soon after (I don't know what became of Warwick, but Laine would later play guitar with Paul McCartney in Wings). As for Pinder, Thomas and Edge, they would recruit Justin Hayward on guitar & vocals and John Lodge on bass, and carry on as an R&B group for a few more months before deciding that the band needed to change musical direction completely. And the rest, as they say, is history! But it all started here with these early recordings. To sum up: if you're a fan of the prog-rock Moody Blues but you *don't* like mid-60's British R&B, then perhaps this CD is not for you. But on the other hand, if you're a more open-minded (and open-eared) Moodies fan and you'd like to hear the very beginnings of the band (as well as the earliest music with Mike, Ray, and Graeme), then you're definitely in for a treat with "The Magnificent Moodies." The first incarnation of the Moody Blues were and ARE magnificent, as this collection proves. Long live the magnificent, original Moody Blues! You guys have not been forgotten.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At least the band in this incarnation is still available., May 4, 2000

By	Clyde D. Hoops "thingols" (Back where I started from in Oceanside California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Given that this is basically the only pre-Blue Jays Moody Blues it has been give 4 stars but because in truth it does not have every song recorded prior to Justin/John it was given only 4 stars.

This is unfortunately the only good representation of early Moody Blues available in print(why is this?); influenced heavily by R&B as interpreted by Mike Pinder/Denny Laine/Ray Thomas/Gramae Edge/Clint Warwick. "I'll Go Crazy/ Something you got" are good examples of the early sound with the tortued vocals of Laine and "I dont mind" featuring the vocal/piano powers of Mike Pinder. While "From the Bottom of my heart" and "Stop" two great Pinder/Laine originals, allow for the recognition of the maturing writing talents and vocal harmonies which would later become hallmarks of the '67-'72 Moodies which were much more commercial.

Unfortunately the lack of really good liner notes takes away from the package as a whole as does the surprisingly poor quality of the only Top Ten single the band had at this time which was Go Now. The overall sound quality of the recordings from '64-'66 are really good but the poor quality of the single is unfortunate.

One last item that kept this selection from rating a fully deserved five stars is that somewhere in Europe there is a complete collection of works from the period '64-'66 which is so inclusive it even contains the B-side single 'Cities' by Hayward (probably why this collection cannot currently be found/contractual concerns) but more importantly it does contain EVERY song recorded prior to the departure of Denny Laine. I believe the original import label was GEMA from Germany it was a double vinyl collection which had incredibly clean audio, try to find it on vinyl if you can I don't seem to be able to find it in any other medium.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth The Money, March 14, 2005

By	joeindover "joeindover" (Dover, NH) - See all my reviews

If you can't get enough of the mid 60s British Invasion
this collection of the Moody Blues' London years
is a fine investment. You get all their fabulous singles;
Go Now, Stop!, This Is My House, etc and you get some fine
R AND B standouts such as I'll Go Crazy, Bye Bye Bird and
My Baby's Gone. Fine, raw-edged pop and a glimpse of the British Invasion band that went unnoticed by many. Great Denny Laine.
I file them right in there with Them, Nashville Teens, Manfred Mann and the Zombies.