In Search of the Lost chord
 Oct 29th, 2005
Advantages:
Fantastic music
Disadvantages:
Eventually, it stops . . .
Recommendable:
Yes
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  Martinscholes
About me:
My name is Martin Scholes. I like writing reviews on Ciao. I am married, we have a cockatiel and a c...
Member since:06.12.2003
Reviews:334
Members who trust:65
Review rated by 20 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
I I think I found the lost chord. Many years ago, I got a copy of In Search of the Lost Chord. Did it change my life, for ever? Mmmm. Tough question. Because I think that the answer is, yes, it probably did.
The Moody Blues was yet another of those fantastically innovative and inventive groups that came out of Birmingham. In fact, I would go out on a limb and say that, from the point of innovative, interesting music the hierarchy would be: Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Can I prove this? Birmingham brought us The Moody blues, The Move, ELO, The Applejacks, The Fortunes, Mike Sheridan and The Nightriders, Roy Wood's Wizard, The Spencer Davis Group, Black Sabbath, Traffic, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Band Of Joy and The Spencer Davis Group. And THAT's only those from the 1960s! Whereas Manchester had Freddie and the Dreamers and Liverpool had The Beatles, Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Scaffold.
Is that comparison unfair? Of course it is. It is also tendentious and wildly inaccurate, to boot! But back to the review. In Search of the Lost Chord was originally released in July of 1968 on the Deram label. It reached 5 in the UK charts and 23 in the USA. An d it was released on one of those funny round black disks, that we called Long playing records, or LPs.
It starts with Departure, and then goes into Ride my See Saw. This song is, indeed, a stirring anthemic song. Forget The Beatles! Never mind The Who! This song is all about leaving school and living he rest of your life. Gosh! I feel a frisson of emotion just thinking about Ride My see Saw! Next is Dr Livingstone, I Presume. Very well crafted lyrics with a good, solid tune. A song (reflected in the title) of exploration and searching.
House of Four Doors. I don't think I shall ever fully understand the meaning of this song, but the haunting music and equally haunting lyrics still have a profound effect on me, 30 years later. This has to be one of my most favourite songs ever. Legend of a Mind. This song with the lyrics "Timothy Leary's dead" was a gentle bit of Mickey taking on the whole Timothy Leary, acid West coast hippy deal. Apparently when timothy Leary heard it, he thought it was one of the funniest things he had ever heard. Ray Thomas had pictured the Astral Plain as a gaily coloured little biplane, with Timothy Leary giving people trips around the bay. Timothy Leary was so impressed with the song that he devoted a piece to it in his autobiography.
Voices in the sky, although haunting a beautiful, it is not as inspirational as House of Four Doors, though perhaps the comparison is a little unfair? The Best Way to Travel. This has got to be another of my all-time favourite songs. Thinking, as the song has it, IS, indeed, the best way to travel. The very best way. Listen to this song on headphones. The stereo effect (remember, it's come to you all the way from 1968!) is truly awesome! It sounds as if something is flying through your head…
Visions of Paradise, is then followed by The Actor, another thoughtful and thought-provoking song. The word, which leads into Om is a well-measured end to an awe-inspiring an innovative LP that is still light years ahead of much of the so-called experimental music produced today. It should cost you no more than a tenner, but check with Ciao for latest prices.
There's a nice booklet eith the CD. And the original cover art is on it, which is always good.
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30.10.2005 23:34
I really like the cover!
30.10.2005 11:23
my hubby is a mood blues fan, so I read him your review - his fav album is a question of balance - lyn x
29.10.2005 16:44
A great review. Justin Hayward has such a unique voice. Good stuff! Carol x