Disco de The Moody Blues: “On The Threshold Of A Dream: Deluxe Edition”

I hadn't really planned on writing a review of this CD until I read the recent (July 14, 2006) review by 'Micaloneus'. His review raised some interesting points, and was so at variance with other reviews that I was intriqued, so decided to offer my own take.

First off, I do not own the previous remastered versions of this or any other Moody Blues 'classic seven', so I cannot refute his claim. I am, however, able to respond to his primary criticisms.

The reviewer states that the original 'dynamics' have been compromised by excessive compression, resulting in 'ear fatigue', and that earlier releases sound more like the vinyl LPs, preserving the dynamics originally engineered. He also claims that the MFSL gold discs sound 'better' (at least on a Deep Purple record, so I presume he means on other titles as well). I happen to own a MFSL gold disc of 'Threshold', so I sat down and played it from start to finish, followed by this hybrid SACD version (played on a high-quality stereo, as I do not own an SACD player). I came away with a totally different perception. While the gold disc did sound a bit more like the vinyl record (I once owned over 2,000 LPs, including 'Threshold'), it does, then, have a bit of a 'warmer' sound (for want of a better word). Is it 'better'? Not in my book. In a direct A/B comparison, the hybrid SACD version sounded fuller, with much more separation and clarity. For example, on the fade-out on 'To Share Our Love', the refrain is barely audible on the gold disc, but is clear as glass on the hybrid version. I was able to pick up instrumentation on the hybrid that was buried in the gold disc. For me, the effect of listening to the hybrid was much more like being in the recording studio vs. listening to a record of that recording. No comparison. Also of note is the fact that of the 13 songs on the album, 9 of them had different playing times on the MFSL gold discs compared to the hybrids, ranging from one to seven seconds variance.

On the point about 'ear fatigue'...well, perhaps Micaloneus has a much more discerning ear than me; when I finished listening to the hybrid (which included all the great bonus tracks), I didn't get 'ear fatigue', but rather got a strong desire to play the hybrid release of 'In Search of the Lost Chord' immediately afterwards. Which I did.

On his general criticism of money-gouging regarding these hybrid releases, I disagree. They're only a few bucks more than a standard CD, and given the superior sound quality and first-rate bonus cuts, to me they're a bargain.

I do agree somewhat about the cover art. A better job should have been done in reproducing the depth of color found on the original albums.

Lastly, I cannot share at all his scathing declaration: "Shame on anyone involved in this SACD Deluxe Edition project," since Justin Hayward and John Lodge themselves oversaw the transfers. Instead, I praise them.

It is interesting to note that the exact same (verbatim) review by Micaloneus is found for each of the hybrid SACD titles of the Moody Blues. It seems as if a 'copy-and-paste' approach was taken, which raises questions as to whether all of the CDs were actually played.

If he and others are satisfied with the earlier remastered versions, then that's great. As for me, I cannot imagine any iteration of these great albums sounding any better than these superlative hybrid SACDs.

Looking back, and listening to many great albums over the past 35 years or so, there are certain ones that never get old, never get dull, or become dated. Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti comes to mind. Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Simon & Garfunkel's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme, Rush's Permanent Waves, The Doors' debut...among others. I hesitate to use the word 'masterpiece' because it is so overused (and mostly associated with garbage), but these are true masterpieces in music, both for the awesome song writing, original melodies, as well as the AHEAD OF IT'S TIME PRODUCTION! The Moody Blues' On the Threshold of a Dream is right up there with all of them. All 5 members contribute to its content, with Tony Clarke at the helm. It is an experience to listen to this album. If you have never heard it, prepare yourself, because someday in the future, you will remember where you were when you first heard what is possibly the greatest musical work ever made (and I don't say that about just anything....this album is wonderful). Folks...this thing was released 35 years ago! And to think these 5 men were 20 something year old kids at the time. Totally unbelievable. And how sad it is to know that there are millions of young people worldwide who have never, and probably will never, experience this true ...forgive me...masterpiece!

This is a fantastic album from the Moodies and the sound is excellent. This is one of the band's most dreamlike albums and can give you a contact buzz just listening to it. I love the fact that they've restored the album's original booklet and pictures as well as adding some cool bonus songs. This really is an album meant for surround sound. From the trippy In The Beginning, this album REALLY DOES take you on a voyage and every song is a must have. Everyone in the band contributes to this release and it's wonderful to hear the group mind at one of it's peaks. Truely one of the Moodies best.

The sound quality of this hybrid reissue is fantastic. It was like I was hearing the album for the first time. "On the Threshold of a Dream" is perhaps the Moody Blues' most complete concept album. It features some of their best songs and holds together from beginning to end. With this reissue, the softer tones of "Never Comes the Day" and the many layers of the "Have You Heard/The Voyage" suite finally can be heard as they were intended. The rarities include a BBC session of "To Share Our Love" that may be superior to the album version. Like all of these reissues, highly recommended to Moody fans and those looking to discover them.

This reissue is a single cd and includes 9 bonus tracks which will be of interest to fans of the band. The most interesting is the full version of "So Deep Within You" which sports a cool bass guitar lead-in. Other than the intro there is little difference in this from the released track. Also of interest is the BBC radio version of "Are You Sitting Comfortably".

Soundwise this release beats the previous 2 cd issues, however the best sounding Moody Blues CD still remains "This is the Moody Blues" which featured complete re-mixes of key Moody Blues songs by their producer, Tony Clarke. It would have been interesting if a few complete remixes would have been added as bonus tracks. On "This Is" a lot of buried instrumentation and vocals were revealed- this could have been used to great advantage on this album- for instance the jazzy guitar riff in "So Deep Within You."

One noticeable oddity is that all cd versions of "To Share Our Love" obscure the prominent sloshing tambourine that is featured in the intro of the song on vinyl-especially evident in the Nautilus LP version of the LP. This may be nit-picking, but that tambourine really adds a lot to that intro.

However these releases should not be missed. This reissue series is equivalent to the Sony Byrds reissues in that they all feature nice booklets and never seen before photos. Unlike the Byrds however the Moodies did not leave a lot of undiscovered tracks in the can-the alternate versions in this reissue series, with few exceptions-do not vary from the commercial release.