Disco de The Moody Blues: “Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival”

Someone stated the audio quality is a buit 'muddy". Look, there are very few complete SETS from the 60's released legally on The Moody Blues. I have heard the CD and it is NOT muddy. It is the best sound they could get using the equipment available. NO, it is not 'digital', not DTS, not 5.1 surround. It is bare, analog, and RARE!! Songs with MIKE PINDER! Melancholy MAN, TORTOISE AND THE HARE!!! COme on...this is VINTAGE material. This is the best quality possible. It's GOOD. Not Great. As far as the PERFORMANCE, it's pretty good considering it was at the awful and awfully crowded ISLE OF WIGHT concert that was plagued with drugs, police, people crashing the shows, and just plain hippie psychededlicia gone wrong. So this is a GOOD performance for the circumstances!!

Now--here is even BETTER NEWS__THIS SHOW WILL BE RELEAAED ONTO DVD in 2009!!! I do not know if the ENTIRE SET will be on DVD (due to what film derterioration problems were encountered) but a good portion of this show will be on DVD by FEBRUARY!! Look for it with some bonus features with MIKE PINDER himse3lf!! (I don't excpect him to pull out the old Mellotron and PLAY "Simple Game" -Don't you WISH!!). Too bad the Moody's live shows of the 60's are so limited in release. I will TAKE THIS. It is decent.

Like the Beatles, the guys in Moody Blues were popmusicians who turned into visionaries, thanks to their experientments with entheogenic drugs. Even writing a tribute to the illustrious (and reckless/irresponsible) Timothy Leary. And like the fab four they found their true environment in the studio, writing complex, yet catchy and engaging songs with intelligent, often spiritual lyrics.

But whereas Beatles never tried to recreate their works live, Justin Hayward & co. did their best. And as this recording from Isle of Wight demonstrates, they didn't really succeed in recreating their music on the stage (probably they should have had some extra musicians on board), and in truth none of the tracks sound as good as the studio versions.

The playing is sloppy in places, the vocals ragged. On the other hand there is a beautiful, optimistic, purple hazy atmosphere, and the songs, except the downright embarrasing "Minstrel's Song", have stood the test of time very well. Justin H.s are of course classics: "Tuesday Afternoon", "Night's In White Satin", but also his lesser known songs like "Never Had A Dream" and "Are You Sitting Comfortably" are æustrious gems. Also Mike Pinder's "Melancholy Man" and "Have You Heard" sound moving and relevant. "Legend Of A Mind" of course a psychedelic classic.

The tapes have been mixed by Justin H. himself, which unfortunately hasn't been able to compensate for all defects of the masters.

For fans only - or for anyone interested in 'the hippy era' - but they will get an intersting historic document with definite glimpses of still artisticly relevant music and an enjoyable hour of pleasant, high aiming music.

Rough, raw and rare - vintage Moody Blues: musical pioneers poised on the cusp of super-stardom. Anyone who was lucky enough to attend their concerts in the late 60's and early 70's (as I did) will be transported back in time - and what a trip! Timothy Leary and acid not required. Definitely for the hard-core Moodies fan who remembers the power, passion and energy they brought to those early concerts. So the recording isn't that great - what do you expect for 1970? Modern Moodies fans used to studio releases will probably not appreciate this CD. That's too bad - they don't know what they missed.

For hard-core fans only. I found it interesting, but don't expect state of the art recording quality here.

It's a shame that the Moodys aren't given the credit that they deserve. I think it may be that, as with The Who influenced the English Punk movement of the late seventies, Prog Rock owns a large dept to The Moody Blues, but unfortunately is a way-less cool genre of music.

Ok, to the album. It has a great rag-bag feel to the sound, which makes a nice chance to the usual polished studio versions of these songs.

"Question" uses electric instead of acoustic guitars, creating an great AC/DC style riff (excellent!).

You also get expanded versions of "Have you Heard" & "Legend of a Mind" & an absolutely raucous finale with "Ride My See Saw", played at a brake neck speed.

My only criticism of that album is that there's no talking between the songs, which would have given the occasion a greater sense of its importance.