Disco de The Moody Blues: “Lovely to See You: Live”

The Moody Blues are just getting better. Recorded in June of 2005 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, this `live' recording has no orchestra, however, it still brings back the feelings of the older songs. "Lovely To See You" might be an odd choice to open (other than its obvious title), but it is pitch perfect and a great prelude to what is to come. The original sound of the mellotron on "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights In White Satin" is more like the original than the orchestrated ones. In fact, it is great to hear the Moody's without an orchestra, proving their sound is just as good as it was in the sixties. Hayward's voice is in fine tune on great renditions of "The Actor" and "Question". "Higher & Higher" Is a great treat with Graeme Edge giving a chilling rendition exactly like the original. In fact, it is hilarious to see Edge do an (`Irish'?) dance gig during the song. Hayward and Lodge remain fairly conservative, as usual and although Ray Thomas is missed, he flutist replacement is amazing (Norda Mullen). She may not have the dramatization of Thomas, but she has stage presence and hits the notes perfectly. The entire feeling and sound is more of a trip back in time than any of the other live recordings. They are still the Moody Blues and are strong, tight and psychedelic to this day. The lights are bright and the backdrop is pure psychedelia.

The DVD includes detailed information about each song, who wrote it, who played what instrument, even each individual performers list of instruments down to the type and manufacturer. Who knew that Graeme Edge used Zildjian cymbals or that Hayward used a 100-watt Mesa dual rectifier? See what I mean? This is a complete and thorough history! AND, it is in DTS 5.1 surround sound!

Nothing, not even this DVD, can capture the thrill, the excitelment, the enthusiasm and the joy of actually attending a Moody Blues concert. However, this DVD comes very, very close.

The sound is near perfect!!! I listened to the DTS 5.1 sound. I honestnly did not hear one sour note. The camera angles and shots were superb. They had shots over Graeme's shoulder looking toward the audience. They had many shots of the often overlooked drummer Gordon Marshall. There were many shots of Paul Bliss on keyboards and of Norda Mullen on flute. She is outstanding, in case you haven't seen or heard her.

If anything, they edited out the audience! You could see the crowd standing and clapping and really getting into it, but the crowd noise was minimumized. When I saw the Moodies in November 2005, the standing ovation after "Nights in White Satin" lasted over 2 minutes. On this DVD, it lasts 13 seconds!

No orchestra, no Ray Thomas and the band goes on. Just watching Graeme's performance of "Higher and Higher" makes this DVD a must for your collection. On this DVD, we don't get to see much of the stage show that accompanies the Moodies on tour. They can't capture everything on stage that is happening. That's why you must go see them for yourself!!

As an added bonus, there is a 29 minute interview with John, Graeme and Justin that is not to be missed.

This DVD is a "must-have" for every Moody Blues fan. Whether you were with them in the beginning or joined them along the way of their musical journey, you will not be disappointed.

It's amazing how the Moody Blues can continue to polish their live shows into this time of their lives. They're not kids any more, but they can certainly hold their own in the world of today's music. This band has really made me proud to own this fabulous double CD set, and though I can hardly wait for the companion DVD, even this audio offering is almost as good as being there. The packaging is simply gorgeous, and I love the fact they have included so many details about the band and their instruments. As floutist Norda's debut in a Moody recording, she shines brightly, and really has grown well into her position with these guys. Yes, the Moodies have been forced to evolve by personnel changes, but the quality and the lushness of the sound have never wavered. If you ever enjoyed the Moody Blues at any point in their career, you will not regret picking up these CD's. It's every bit what you might hope it would be, and in many ways, far more. The exquisite sweetness of the soft songs will move you, and the rockers will thrill and excite you and take you back to the early days of progressive rock, with an 'edge' that only today's technology can provide. Take the ride, and leave the driving to the Moodies! You'll be SO glad you did.

I was reluctant to buy this DVD after reading the reviews posted here by Rob, Steve, and Rick. I'm a huge fan of the band, I've seen them several times, with an orchestra, without, inside, outside, in the sun, and in the rain. Hey, these guys always came through. And they come through here, again, and I tried really hard to be critical

Do I miss Ray Thomas? Sure, who wouldn't? He's an original member and they'll never play Legend of a Mind again unless he is there to sing it. But, he retired and it's not their fault, so let's stop whining about any perceived missing energy or the need of pixie dust. These guys are hitting their 60 year mark, and they're starting to look it, but they aren't playing like it. Tell you what, another London band, the Rolling Stones, may be light years ahead in popularity, hit singles, disc sales, and make $100 million more touring, but the Moody Blues sing and play better in concert. The band plays solid as always, the supporting cast is excellent and I looked hard to see if Justin was purposely singing off-key or if John appeared bored. Didn't see it. Watched it again, didn't see it.

The set is filled with most of the standards, but it's a treat to see and hear the boys play The Actor, Talking Out Of Turn, December Snow, Are You Sitting Comfortably, and Higher and Higher (which is the highlight of the concert). I'm glad I bought this DVD, it's great to see the band play a recent concert without the backing orchestra. They don't need one.

I highly recommend buying this DVD.

Great HD-DVD version of one of their concerts from a couple years ago. As good as being there. Saw them twice this year in concert including Radio City Music Hall. HD-DVD could be better then actually being there. Also a good interview with the Moody's on the HD-DVD.

Highly recommend!