Just like the compilation, "Say It With Love," "Ballads" features a collection of pleasant and relaxing Moody Blues tunes, through the years ... I highly recommend either of these CD's if you are a collector or would like to get a hold of some of The Moody Blues' finest tracks.
Here is some info. of interest, in regard to certain tracks on this release ... Included here are the shorter versions of "Nights In White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon," as featured on "The Best Of The Moody Blues."
The only negative point to this release is that the two tracks that were stated to be the "full versions" aren't really the full versions at all ... The details in the song list are misleading, so "Isn't Life Strange" comes to a close at about 2/3rds of the original version and "Driftwood" is the shorter version that appears on "Time Traveller" and all other compilation albums, not the original version, from "Octave" ... Because of CD space, this is probably why these tracks were edited (This was why I gave this album four stars instead of five).
One major plus to this CD includes a return of the rare stereo mix of "Never Comes The Day," originally found on a version of the 1985 compilation, "Voices In The Sky" ... Compared to the mix from "On The Threshold Of A Dream", this mix features better stereo separation of the overdubbed vocals, guitars, and percussion, best heard through headphones!
In closing, if you love the mellotron/synthesizer-driven sound of The Moody Blues, choose "Ballads!" Thanks for reading! God Bless... :)
