Just my opinion: This song was always everything I DON'T like about The Moody Blues. I've never liked the sound of their voices together. They just always sounded more like a men's choir than a rock band. A song about a see-saw always seemed kinda hokey to me. Their more uptempo songs seem to me to lack a real feel...they sound like they are just playing faster because they needed a faster song. And I could live the rest of my life without hearing any of their overly serious and drama heavy spoken word pieces Just because it worked once doesn't mean you have to keep doing it.
a lot of what the moodies did doesn’t work for me which is why I’m pleased that this album was chosen by the group. I have to listen to and evaluate the album which might either confirm my existing thoughts about the band, or I might get a new appreciation for them.
Either way, I’m going to make the most of the journey
Thanks to everyone so far for engaging with the thread
Also a Fun fact there about steely Dan that I wasn’t aware of
It's important to note that the Bodhisattva, whoever that may be, doesn't really want you to be homeless per se — he only wants you to sell your house in town, not the country house, or the beach house, or the uptown penthouse condo that you bought for your mistress which your wife supposedly doesn't know about except that actually does and she's also been cheating on you with the poolboy for the past three years. Also, if you have any albums by The House Of Love, you should hold on to those too because they're all really good, especially the ones they made during the 80s and 90s.
It's important to note that the Bodhisattva, whoever that may be, doesn't really want you to be homeless per se — he only wants you to sell your house in town, not the country house, or the beach house, or the uptown penthouse condo that you bought for your mistress which your wife supposedly doesn't know about except that actually does and she's also been cheating on you with the poolboy for the past three years. Also, if you have any albums by The House Of Love, you should hold on to those too because they're all really good, especially the ones they made during the 80s and 90s.
I’m just not sure what to make of this in isolation of the rest of the album and that might be a recurring theme when taking about each of the tracks in isolation from the rest of the album. I’m gong to persevere non the less.
I don’t see any subtext here; it’s a song about David Livingstone.
I find the track rather twee and rather childlike. Not my cup of tea I’m afraid although the guitar solo towards the end of the track is rather decent
One of the shortest tracks on the album at only 1.47, despite that, still rather good with very good orchestration and harmonies. Fits into the overall flow of the album
Legend Of A Mind
...
As with many tracks on this album, it focused on drug use and in this case, specifically around the author Timothy Leary
What's interesting (to me) about this track is that they apparently couldn't agree on the lead guitar part in the little bridge between each verse. It's supposed to give the song a kind of light/happy medieval-troubador feel, but in the Lost Chord version they pan it all the way to the right channel and practically bury it in the mix. A few years later in the This is the Moody Blues version, they move it to the center and turn it way up, and in 1996, for the re-recorded "Timothy Leary Lives" version they did for the Beyond Life with Timothy Learydocumentary (version below), they get rid of it altogether. And then for the "Leary is the Best" version (below that), it's backwards, along with everything else, so why am I even mentioning it? I have no idea.
After This is the Moody Blues, "Legend of a Mind" actually got left off of many, if not most, Moody Blues "Best Of" compilations. You might think this was because they were worried Timothy Leary might sue them, but apparently he liked the song and had no problem with it whatsoever. I guess they just decided it was too "Sixties" and therefore hopelessly outré.
Legend Of A Mind
...
As with many tracks on this album, it focused on drug use and in this case, specifically around the author Timothy Leary
What's interesting (to me) about this track is that they apparently couldn't agree on the lead guitar part in the little bridge between each verse. It's supposed to give the song a kind of light/happy medieval-troubador feel, but in the Lost Chord version they pan it all the way to the right channel and practically bury it in the mix. A few years later in the This is the Moody Blues version, they move it to the center and turn it way up, and in 1996, for the re-recorded "Timothy Leary Lives" version they did for the Beyond Life with Timothy Learydocumentary (version below), they get rid of it altogether. And then for the "Leary is the Best" version (below that), it's backwards, along with everything else, so why am I even mentioning it? I have no idea.
After This is the Moody Blues, "Legend of a Mind" actually got left off of many, if not most, Moody Blues "Best Of" compilations. You might think this was because they were worried Timothy Leary might sue them, but apparently he liked the song and had no problem with it whatsoever. I guess they just decided it was too "Sixties" and therefore hopelessly outré.
That's interesting MadhattanJack. Thanks for sharing. I find it interesting when there are different mixes on different version of the same album or you get a different mix on a retrospective for example. This means that we, as listeners, may get different perspectives of the same song
Never really got into the Moody Blues. I was (and still am) a big prog rock fan. Back in the day loved both the big names (Floyd, Yes, Genesis, ELP etc) and the less well know bands (PFM, Greenslade etc) but never really got into The Moodys.
I knew the singles of course but always find them a little too twee and polite.
I did buy “To Our Children’s Children’s Children”, Remember finding in a bargain bin and so took a chance, but didn’t think much of it. Oh, and a compilation but again something I didn’t play it much.
But given that you wanted thoughts on it I thought I would give it a play and have to say I am very pleasantly surprised.
Coming out in ’68 it very much of its times, full of great harmonies (especially on “House of Four Doors”. and hooks, lyrics seem a little poor but can easily ignore due to the great tunes. Indeed, the harmonies at times remind me of the Beach Boys. And of course the whole album displays huge Beatles influence, both in songwriting and performance (and not just the Sitars)
Hard to comment on individual tracks as I have only played it 4 or 5 times and always takes me a while to get into individual bits, but I do feel that the sum is most definitely better than the parts. So definitely early Prog in that respect and it maybe why I never got into the compilation (which did have some of these songs on it) as they would seem out of place without each other.
Although 1 thing to say is that a Mr Bowie must have been familiar with the album as “Departure>Ride My See-Saw” must have had an influence on “Future Legend > Diamond Dogs”
So thanks for highlighting this album, will definitely be playing it lots in the future and may even delve deeper into the bands other recordings.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
MadhattanJack
SpringPeeper
Level 4
