I swear, since I took some of their classic albums with me on a camping trip last summer, I’ve been on such a Moody Blues kick. Well it’s almost summer again, and I’m still In Search of the Lost Chord. 

I mean, just look at that album cover!

(BTW, I don’t care how you listen to your music, but nowadays most people are listening on their computer or their MP3 player. I know vinyl is making a big comeback, but no matter how you listen to your old school albums (or new school even) I recommend going online and finding the largest version of the album art and just kinda hang out with it while you listen. I know it’s such a cliche’ concept, but I still think it’s really important. Sure you can imagine your own visuals in your head, but I think part of the reason why much of the music coming out now is so forgettable is because there isn’t a great album cover or video to complement it. I know that may sound horrible, music requiring art or the moving image to make it good, a good song should be a good song regardless,  yes, but if I mention “A Day in the Life,” you’re gonna think of Sgt Pepper’s and then you’re gonna think of that amazing album cover, right? If I say “Smells Like Teen Spirit” you’re gonna think of the baby in the pool, no? Don’t lie. I’d be curious to know how many album covers come to mind from the last ten years, the time when music delivery went from analog/hands on, to entirely digital. But this is all a super digression) 

And just when I thought my Moody addiction couldn’t get any worse, EAGLE ROCK issued Live at the Isle of Whight on DVD, with the CD to follow later this summer. If you were a fan of 1997′s documentary film, Message To Love you may remember their performance of “Nights In White Satin” is featured. as they had a prime spot on the closing night of the festival. Even though it’s not their entire performance, the DVD captures the band during the creative peak of their career, during a time when they combined classical, folk, progressive and hard rock. The rhythm section of John Lodge and Graeme Edge is the glue that holds together Justin Hayward’s dynamic guitar, Ray Thomas’s crisp flute, and Michael Pinder’s mind-blowing Melotron. A total sign of the times, another really fun part about this DVD are the visuals that were projected on a screen throughout the set. Some really crazy stuff! Presented in 16:9 aspect ratio and DTS Digital Surround Sound the DVD will look great on your big screen and sound excellent coming through your speaker set-up.


Here’s a taste of the show from YouTube

Night\'s In White Satin

Tags: eagle rock, isle of wight, melotron, message to love, the moody blues

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 3:55 pm and is filed under Daniel Siwek's Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.