| Product: |
To Our Children's Children's Children - The Moody Blues |
| Date: |
07.09.06 (136 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Balanced album, still standing the test of time
Disadvantages: None
In 2003 Universal Music embarked on a project to re-master the first five of the Moody Blues albums from the original tapes using modern production techniques. They also decided to issue additional tracks – alternative takes and versions – which were not included on the final album. This review is of the fourth of the 2006 deluxe SACD edition series.
“Children’s” was the second of two albums that the Moody Blues recorded in 1969 and the first to be released on their own Threshold label – the label that still hosts their releases in the UK. Interestingly the initial Moody’s releases were the odd numbers. I recollect the even numbers were assigned to emerging bands. THRESHOLD 2 was ‘In the Realms of Asgaard’ by ‘Asgaard’ (Does anyone remember that album or group now?). There was initial talk of them signing the rock outfit King Crimson.
It is another concept album. There are traces of psychedelic influences again (not surprising for the time it was written) . There are orchestral sounds and experimental arrangements. The lyrics are often open to interpretation. There is a theme pervading the whole disc which is pre-occupied with space, time, heredity and eternity. There are hints of the relativity and fragility of the lifetime of man, the lifetime of a planet (seen as a man) and the lifetime of the universe. It is also a programme album in the sense that the songs run one into the next without audible breaks between the tracks. The line up of the band remains Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge and Mike Pinder.
The album reached No.2. in the UK album charts and peaked at No.14 in the US. The single release in the US was “Watching and Waiting” but made no impact. Curiously “Candle of Life” was issued as the ‘B’ side of “Question” (from “A Question of Balance”) the following year.
DISC ONE: THE ALBUM
The running order and my personal assessment of each track follows:
1. Higher And Higher. (4:06) ***
An explosive opening sound (lasting 1 minute 20 seconds) is gradually replaced by high flying voices. This is a rocker with an incessant driving beat and contains a Graeme Edge monologue memorable for its “Blasting, Billowing, Bursting Force with the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes”. The song announces early man’s arrival with the discovery of fire.
2. Eyes Of A Child. (3:23) ***
A John Lodge song with a slow verse and a gentle upbeat chorus., There is a harp continuum countered by flutes.
3. Floating. (2:58) ***
Ray Thomas provides a standard song with his simplistic words (“Bouncing about on the moon guess you’ll all be up here soon. The candy stores will be brand new and you’ll buy rock with the moon right through”) but with pleasant enough harmonies. This gives a less serious, lighter counterweight to the surrounding songs.
4. Eyes Of A Child (Part 2) (1:23) ***
The final verse of the song is a rocker (clearly distinct from track 2) with soaring voices in the harmonies.
5. I Never Thought I’d Live To Be A Hundred. (1:05) ***
This is a short enigmatic song from Justin Hayward sung to a solo guitar accompaniment.
6. Beyond. (2:58) ***
This is somewhat of a rarity – the Moody Blues instrumental track. Composed by Graeme Edge, it comes with short bursts of sound, synthesised noise and interludes driving rhythm. There is also good stereo engineering and channel separation on this track.
7. Out And In (3:47) ****
Again there is the allusion to the passage of time and the journey through life theme here. This is a haunting, melodic sound backed with synthesisers and Mellotrons.
8. Gypsy. (3:33) ****
Justin’s mystical song has a driving beat with then backing of flutes and guitars.
9. Eternity Road (4:19) ***
A gentle song with much more meaningful words from Ray Thomas has upbeat harmonies. It finishes with trills on the flute.
10. Candle Of Life. (4:14) *****
If any, this is the seminal track of the album. It is one of John Lodge’s most haunting song containing such sentiments as “We’re only in the hands of time … burn slowly the candle of life”.
11. Sun Is Still Shining (3:39) ****
The track from Mike Pinder has an eastern sound and rhythm with sitar, percussion and synthesiser.
12. I Never Thought I’d Live To Be A Million. (0:33) ***
A 32 second counterpart to track 5. Presumably the first song refers to man; the second to planet.
13. Watching and Waiting (4:16) ****
This is a wistful and mystical song from Justin and Ray. The words suggest the lonely earth waiting for the eventual companionship of man. It has slow string sounds and a pulsing bass.
Apart from ‘Candle of Life’, there are no single stand-out songs on this disc. However this album is far more than the sum of its parts and for this reason I have made less comment about each individual song than in previous reviews. However all the essential elements of the Moody Blues are there to hear; the soft melodies, the ‘wall of sound’ accompaniments, the complex arrangements, the driving rhythms, the soaring vocal harmonies. Many of the songs exhibit a palindromic structure (verse 1, verse 2, middle 8, verse 2, middle 8, verse 2, verse 1)
DISC TWO: THE EXTRAS
I don’t intend to describe the bonus disc in any great detail but rather give an overview. The running order of disc two is:
1. Gypsy
2. Candle Of Life
3. Sun Is Still Shining
4. Gypsy
5. Sunset
6. Never Comes The Day
7. Are You Sitting Comfortably
8. The Dream
9. Have You Heard / The Voyage / Have You Heard
10. Nights In White Satin
11. Legend Of A Mind
1, 2 and 3 are ‘complete’ versions of tracks which appear on the final album and which were compiled and cross-faded with the tracks that followed them. Each has its full fade out, being some 45 seconds longer than the edited result.
Tracks 4 – 11 comprise a live recording of the band playing a shortened version of their concert of the time. They appeared before an invited audience at the BBCs Paris studio theatre and the show was broadcast as part of the Radio One “David Symonds Show” in December 1969. The songs are taken from all four of their recorded repertoire of the time. It is complete with introductory comments and applause. The quality of the recording is a little suspect in places (there is appreciable tape ‘wow’) but it is a quite remarkable historical commentary of the group at the end of the 60s. It is to be remembered that the remaining three active members are starting their 2006 UK tour this month!
THE TECHNOLOGY
The DeLuxe version is the second copy of this album in my collection. I must admit that I did have some initial reservations that my auditory capabilities would be up to the job of any enhanced performances – I’m of the same vintage as the original vinyl! However I need not have worried for the sound generally is appreciably more rounded and smoother. The bass tones are also more pronounced without being overpowering. Played into a 5:1 surround sound amplifier, the sound effects were stunning.
My current set up (a Denon 2800 DVD player) is not equipped with SACD circuitry. The second layer of Disc 1 has an enhanced digital 5.1 surround sound mix which have been remixed from the 1972 Quadraphonic master tapes. I can’t wait for my new SACD player to arrival!!
THE PRESENTATION
The two disc set is housed in a fold-out “Digipak” style enclosure. For additional protection there is a plastic sleeve printed with the mantra “Deluxe Edition”. The artwork on the sleeve (again by Phil Travers who designed many of the early Moody’s album covers) encapsulates the then and now, ancient and modern, past linked with the future by the present in the juxtaposition of an ancient and a modern hand painting cave sketches complete with rifles and skis. On the back are photographs of the members of the band as well as the track listing of both discs.
The accompanying 20 page booklet contains a history of the band and the album along with more photographs from the time. There is a very primitive songbook on the inside back cover listing the words of the songs. The is also a single page listing giving an indication of the source of the tracks on the bonus disc.
AVAILABILITY
TO OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN’S CHILDREN – The Moody Blues (1969)
THRESHOLD 983 215-6 DELUXE SACD HYBRID EDITION (2006)
Amazon.co.uk £ 12.99
Sourced from Amazon Jersey £ 10.89
Amazon have a page that includes playable excepts from the first five of the tracks.
COMMENTS
This is one of the defining discs of the first Moody’s period. If you haven’t listened to it for a long time (or never heard it before) give it a spin now.
The old CD version of the album is still in the catalogue so is the new version worth the extra money? Without a doubt, yes it is. More than that the superb quality of the updated remastering and the new material make this a very strong recommendation for inclusion in the collection of any firm fan who already owns the album.
[Chart information has been gleaned from “The Great Rock Discography” – Sixth Edition (2002) by M.C.Strong]
Summary: The fourth Moody Blues studio album given a superb 2006 makeover
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