DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED - DELUXE EDITION

  Disc One :

Contains the original album.  Remastered from the original master tapes, and in SACD format. See the album discograhpy  for the track list.

  Disc Two :

Alternate Versions, Singles and BBC Sessions

01: Tuesday Afternoon - Alternate Mix (4.19) *  
02: Dawn Is A Feeling - Alternate Version (2.19)* 03: The Sun Set - Alternate Version (2.48) *  
04: Twilight Time - Alternate Vocal Mix (2.27) *  
05: Nights In White Satin - Mono Single Version (4.26)  
06: Fly Me High  Mono Single - Version (2.54)  
07: I Really Haven’t Got The Time - Mono Single Version (3.07)
08: Love and Beauty -  Mono Single Version (2.23)
09: Leave This Man Alone - Mono Single Version (2.58)  
10: Cities - Mono - Single Version (2.23)  
11: Long Summer Days  - Stereo Version (3.12) 12: Please Think About It - Stereo Version (3.40)
13: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood - BBC Saturday Club Session 9/5/67 (2.22)*  
14: Love and Beauty - BBC Easybeat Session 20/9/67 (2.11)*  
15: Leave This Man Alone - BBC Easybeat Session 20/9/67 (2.51)*  
16: Peak Hour - BBC Easybeat Session 20/9/67 (3.21) *  
17: Nights In White Satin - BBC Dave Symonds Session 1/1/68 (3.48)*  
18: Fly Me High - BBC Dave Symonds Session 1/1/68 (2.44)*  
19: Twilight Time - Live BBC Dave Symonds Session 1/1/68 (2.08)*

  * Previously unreleased

The waiting is over! .

After the first announcement of the SACD releases from the Moody Blues classic albums, fans still had to wait another two years. Till the last moment the release dates were pushed back. Then the high word came, March 20 would be the date. 101cd. com.  were the first with info, and Higher and Higher were the first to review them. March 20 came and went, and another release date came.  I was going to be afread this would be a "Pulse" two. You know the live Pink Floyd dvd they said was going to be released years ago? But now I finally got three of the five releases in my hand,  and they are worth the wait. As I only have Days of Future Passed, In Search of the Lost Chord and To Our Children’s Children’s Children, I'll only review these for now. On The Threshold Of A Dream and A Question of Balance will follow. 

I am overwhelmed with the packages of these deluxe versions.The two disc sets are all packed in a slip case. The booklets are great, containing original artwork, and liner notes, along with new artwork consisting of many photo's, often from the same session shoot as the photo's that were included originally, or else photo's from the time of recording. New liner notes with information of the bonus tracks, and the lyrics are also included. The lyrics were missing on the 1997 cd releases Needles to say that these booklets are the most complete of all the cd releases.  I don't have a SACD player, so I won't be able to say anything about the surround-sound tracks,  remastered from Tony Clarke’s quad tapes, but I was listening to "To Our Children's Children Children", and even on the normal stereo version you can hear an improvement in sound comparing to the 1997 cd release. Notes you have never heard before. The opening chords of "Watching and Waiting" brought shivers down my spine, like hearing the song and in fact the whole album for the first time. Every note, instrument, every guitar strum by Justin on "I never thought"  for example, sounds so much clearer. I haven't listened to the other two albums yet because my atention was drawn to the outtakes and BBC sessions, which I am constantly listening to. 

Now there aren't really any big diferences between the outtakes and official versions. Most of these alternate versions are just the complete album versions, where you can hear the full ending of  songs which were obscured by cross-fades on the albums.So unlike with the Beatles anthologys, you won't hear early versions of well known songs, and many different takes. Still there's lots of things included that are worth mentioning. First I'll mention those on "Days Of Future Passed".  

Despite the mention of the words 'Alternate versions' and outtakes, the versions of "Tuesday Afternoon" "Dawn Is A Feeling" "The Sun Set" are not really alternate versions nor are they outtakes. These are tape reductions of the songs, without orchestra, before further overdubs took place. Interesting about these versions is that you can hear them come to an full end. "Twilight Time" claims to be an alternate vocal mix. The diference seems to be that the backing vocals is mixed louder, tho I think Ray's vocal is also diferent, softer then the official album version. 

The next batch of songs don't bring anything new, as they all have been released before. But they have to be included for completenes sake. Tho I never heard this version of "Cities".The song is mixed diferently, especially evident on the intro which is not as loud as on the stereo version, giving the song a diferent feel. 

"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is already well known among colectors, but this official release may have the best sound yet.  The Moody Blues make the song their own, with Ray's flute fiting in perfectly. The rest of the BBC tracks have a somewhat lesser sound, but the energetic performances make up for that. Highlight being "Twilight Time". 

IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD - DELUXE EDITION

  Disc One :

Contains the original album.  Remastered from the original master tapes, and in SACD format. See the album discograhpy  for the track list.

 Disc Two :

Alternate Versions, Singles and BBC Sessions

01: Departure - Alternate Mix (0.55)*  
02: The Best Way To Travel - Additional Vocal Mix (4.03)*
03: Legend Of A Mind - Alternate Mix (6.43) *
04: Visions Of Paradise - Sitar Mix (4.30) *  
05: What Am I Doing Here? - Alternate Mix (3.53) *  
06: The Word - Mellotron Mix (1.01)*
07: Om - Full Version (6.07) *
08: Simple Game - Justin Hayward Vocal Mix (3.26) *
09: King and Queen (3.53)
10: Dr Livingstone, I Presume - BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68 (2.57) *
11: Voices In The Sky - BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68 (3.52) *  
12: Thinking Is The Best Way - BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68 (3.38) *
13: Ride My See Saw - BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68 (3.49) *
14: Tuesday Afternoon - BBC Afternoon Pop Show 7/10/68 (3.23) *
15: Simple Game - Single Version (3.44)  

* Previously unreleased

TO OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN
 - DELUXE EDITION

Disc One :

Contains the original album.  Remastered from the original master tapes, and in SACD format. See the album discograhpy  for the track list.

The version of "Legend Of A Mind" is the same as the album version, except for a different flute solo. While the earlier flute solo is interesting to hear, the solo that did end up on the album is without an doubt better.  The instrumental version of "Visions Of Paradise" is beautiful. You can cleary hear the wonderful combination of sitar,  flute and acoustic guitar. it ends with a little laugh, It could be Graeme by the sound of it. A hightlight for me. 

"What Am I Doing Here?" Is an alternate mix. Again I don't hear much difference, apart from the great sound, and some double tracked vocals. The song would receive some more over dubs later on, but for the most part it doesn't sound to diferent to the version on Caught live. The song comes to an nice clean end, with some last guitar strums. 

The mellotron mix of "The Word" feature some mellotron behind the spoken words, mixed very low on the album version. You can hear why, as it doesn't really work. At the end of it you except the band to announce the word OM, but it stays silent except for the cosmic mellotron parts which fades out in the end.

The full version of Om has a few seconds more at the beginning, but the beautiful thing is the ending. An un-faded extended end, lasting about twenty seconds longer, with beautiful accepella four part harmony vocals. I miss those days when the band still had four voices.

One of the real highlights of these deluxe versions, and one of the few genuine outtakes, is the Justin Hayward vocal mix of "A Simple Game". Justin sounds a bit uncertain handling this Michael Pinder song, and I prefer Mike's voice here, but it's interesting to hear Justin sing the song. A great version nevertheless.

"King and Queen" which was recorded around the time of the album, is included here for completeness sake, as it's the same version as on "Prelude" and "Caught Live". The single version of  "A Simple Game" is also well known from different compilation albums.

Again some great performances from the BBC vaulths. To me these peformances are new, as I don't think these were already in the hands of collectors. Again the sound is a bit less then the studio outtakes.  From the recordings I especially like "Voices In The Sky" and "Thinking Is The Best Way To Travel", which is based more around the acoustic guitar and less on the mellotron. More down to earth then the album version, I might even prefer this version. Another hightlight for me.

Disc Two :

Alternate Versions, and BBC Sessions

01: Gypsy - Full Version (4.16) *  
02: Candle of Life - Full Version (4.55) *  
03: Sun Is Still Shining - Alternate Mix (4.03) *  
04: Gypsy - BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69 (3.15) *
05: Sunset - BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69 (3.43) *
06: Never Comes The Day - BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69 (4.17) *  
07: Are You Sifting Comfortably - Radio Concert 17/12/69 (2.53) *
08: The Dream - BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69 (0.57) *
09: Have You Heard - BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69 (5.50) *  
10: Nights In White Satin - BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69 (2.58) *
11: Legend Of A Mind - BBC Radio Concert 17/12/69 (4.33) *  

* Previously unreleased

The full version of "Gypsy" ends with a little jam, guitars and drums crashing, and by the sound of it, a little laugh from Justin. This version might have an alternative vocal by Justin, as his vocal at the end seem different then that on the album. But it's more likely that it's the same vocal and that some of Justin's wailing have been edited out on the released version.

The full version of "Candle Of Life" ends in a beautiful manner. With an extended playout of almost 40 seconds, we hear more of the beautiful straying piano work, creating,  together with the mellotron, a mystic atmosphere. It could stand as a musical piece of its own, and I wish it would last several minutes more. 

We have a few seconds more of the opening from "Sun Is Still Shining" and some more at the end, apart from that I don't hear big differences.

 All these tracks are basicly the same as on the album, except you now can hear them with clean beginings and ends before the cross-fades. 

The concert is new but the performance and set list is simular to that released on "Caught Live + 5" Still nice to add another concert to the collection.

Despite the lack of more real outtakes, the beautiful packages and the bonus material that is included makes buying these SACD versions worthwhile, even if you don't have a SACD player.