Love of music showed in everything we heard
November 23, 2019 7:33 PM Subscribe
The Lost Chord, a song written by Andrew Sullivan (of "Gilbert &" fame) in 1877 (sung here by Caruso) inspired Jimmy Durante to write I'm The Guy Who Found The Lost Chord for a 1947 film, which was inexplicably released as a single in 1964, which inspired the title of The Moody Blues' 1968 album In Search Of The Lost Chord. A prog/symphonic album all about striving and searching, it remains one of the strongest of its era. Side A: Departure; Ride My See-Saw; Dr. Livingingstone, I Presume; House Of Four Doors; Legend Of A Mind; House Of Four Doors (Part Two)
Side B: Voices In The Sky, The Best Way To Travel, Visions Of Paradise, The Actor, The Word, Om
Side B: Voices In The Sky, The Best Way To Travel, Visions Of Paradise, The Actor, The Word, Om
You know, I've *heard* there was a secret chord...
posted by JDHarper at 8:24 PM on November 23, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by JDHarper at 8:24 PM on November 23, 2019 [8 favorites]
One of my all-time favorite lyrics...
"Timothy Leary's dead,
Oh no, he's outside
Looking in."
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:45 PM on November 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
"Timothy Leary's dead,
Oh no, he's outside
Looking in."
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:45 PM on November 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
Big Moodies fan back in the day. This was one of the first albums I ever owned. Played it often. Still have it. Thanks for reminding me to go play it again.
Although tangentially related to this post, their lyric "It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave." has been a mantra of mine since forever.
posted by Zedcaster at 9:57 PM on November 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Although tangentially related to this post, their lyric "It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave." has been a mantra of mine since forever.
posted by Zedcaster at 9:57 PM on November 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Arthur Sullivan!
posted by cyanistes at 12:27 AM on November 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by cyanistes at 12:27 AM on November 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
a mantra of mine
To this day, in my personal lexicon, a pretentious spoken word piece, especially if set to strings, is called a "cold-hearted orb".
posted by thelonius at 5:04 AM on November 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
To this day, in my personal lexicon, a pretentious spoken word piece, especially if set to strings, is called a "cold-hearted orb".
posted by thelonius at 5:04 AM on November 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Also - House of Four Doors rips off Rhapsody in Blue (11:30)
posted by BWA at 6:01 AM on November 24, 2019
posted by BWA at 6:01 AM on November 24, 2019
this is a particular fave of mine, for a live, small venue performance, with a band who obviously enjoys what they do.
posted by Oyéah at 7:54 AM on November 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 7:54 AM on November 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
For me, a little kid through the 1960s, the Moodys were sort of always there. But it took discovering the double album compilation This Is The Moody Blues when I was about fourteen to really hook me. As the linked piece puts it:
This Is The Moody Blues is one of those almost mythical greatest hits albums from the 60s or 70s where every single cut was killer, the cocaine had not yet taken its toll and the group or artist had not yet begun their inevitable middle-aged 80s creative decline. It’s an album in the company of Endless Summer, Hot Rocks, the red and blue Beatles anthologies, Neil Young’s Decade and things like that. Albums that absolutely everybody had in the mid-70s.
The only problem is, it dwarfs all of their regular albums ... even in its flow, because it's presented with all the various tracks seguing into and out of each other. Very much a cohesive journey. I wouldn't say it's perfect because nothing is, but it is the only Moodys album I've bothered to hang onto over the years. As for Lost Chord, it has its dubious moments for me now, but it certainly cemented them back in day as serious contenders, proved that Days Of Future Past was no fluke of Summer of Love timing.
Some good history here. Also, the mellotron.
posted by philip-random at 8:18 AM on November 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
This Is The Moody Blues is one of those almost mythical greatest hits albums from the 60s or 70s where every single cut was killer, the cocaine had not yet taken its toll and the group or artist had not yet begun their inevitable middle-aged 80s creative decline. It’s an album in the company of Endless Summer, Hot Rocks, the red and blue Beatles anthologies, Neil Young’s Decade and things like that. Albums that absolutely everybody had in the mid-70s.
The only problem is, it dwarfs all of their regular albums ... even in its flow, because it's presented with all the various tracks seguing into and out of each other. Very much a cohesive journey. I wouldn't say it's perfect because nothing is, but it is the only Moodys album I've bothered to hang onto over the years. As for Lost Chord, it has its dubious moments for me now, but it certainly cemented them back in day as serious contenders, proved that Days Of Future Past was no fluke of Summer of Love timing.
Some good history here. Also, the mellotron.
posted by philip-random at 8:18 AM on November 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
this is a particular fave of mine,
for me, it's this take on Melancholy Man from Isle of Wight 1970. They weren't exactly the coolest artist on the bill for that festival, but man did they deliver at what looks like dusk ...
posted by philip-random at 8:31 AM on November 24, 2019
for me, it's this take on Melancholy Man from Isle of Wight 1970. They weren't exactly the coolest artist on the bill for that festival, but man did they deliver at what looks like dusk ...
posted by philip-random at 8:31 AM on November 24, 2019
I remember how excited I was to purchase In Search Of The Lost Chord and how I spent hours and hours listening to it on my tiny one-speakered turntable. Good times!
posted by Lynsey at 12:51 PM on November 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Lynsey at 12:51 PM on November 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
Arthur Seymour Sullivan, who routinely signed his letters ASS.
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:54 PM on November 24, 2019
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:54 PM on November 24, 2019
Yes, my bad. Andrew Sullivan would never be so eloquent, even 150 years ago.
posted by hippybear at 4:56 PM on November 24, 2019
posted by hippybear at 4:56 PM on November 24, 2019
One of the first albums I bought. Listened to repeatedly back before my vinyl collection went walkies. Thank you so much for posting.
Annotated lyrics here, fwiw.
posted by motty at 7:27 PM on November 24, 2019
Annotated lyrics here, fwiw.
posted by motty at 7:27 PM on November 24, 2019
One of my faves. Their continuation on mystic themes, 'On The Threshold of a Dream' is my real fave, but they're all good.
The Moodies don't get all the respect that they deserve these days, perhaps because earnestness doesn't jive with cynical times, but strong emphatic melodies always persist well on into the future, and a more enthusiastic critical reappraisal of their work is now overdue...
posted by ovvl at 3:00 PM on November 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
The Moodies don't get all the respect that they deserve these days, perhaps because earnestness doesn't jive with cynical times, but strong emphatic melodies always persist well on into the future, and a more enthusiastic critical reappraisal of their work is now overdue...
posted by ovvl at 3:00 PM on November 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by thelonius at 8:15 PM on November 23, 2019