The Polydor Years

After The Present was released in late Summer of 1983, Decca was bought out by Polygram Records. The band began to shop around for a new producer and settled on Tony Visconti. The first album of new material on the new label would be The Other Side of Life released in April 1986 which is the first disc in this set. The album finds the band shedding it's more orchestral flavor for the more contemporary sound of drum machines and sequencers. This would also be the first album that founding member Ray Thomas wouldn't get a single song in 20+ years of recording. The album boasted the big hits Your Wildest Dreams and The Other Side of Life. Other standouts for me are Running Out of Love, Slings and Arrows and It May Be a Fire. This was the first digital recording that the band did and had never been remastered until now. The remastering is a major improvement. As an added bonus we get single edits as well as live versions that were b sides which have never made a cd appearance until now.The second disc in the set is a previously unreleased performance from July 8th, 1986 The Blossom Music Centre in Cleveland, Ohio on The Other Side of Life tour. The disc is fairly full and there are a couple of other songs from this show that are the live single b sides bonus songs on The Other Side of Life. If you add all the songs up from this show, you get about 85 minutes from the two hour concert. If you want to put them in performance order, it should be: Gemini Dream, The Voice, Rock 'N' Roll Over You, Tuesday Afternoon, Your Wildest Dreams, Isn't Life Strange, The Story In Your Eyes, It May Be A Fire, Veteran Cosmic Rocker, The Other Side Of Life, I'm Just A Singer, Nights In White Satin, Legend Of A Mind and Question. It was also one of the first tours where the band brought along additional musicians. I've had this box since it was first released a few months ago and this is a performance that I keep going back to.The remaster of Sur la Mer kicks off the third disc which features the hits I Know You're Out There Somewhere as well as No More Lies and Vintage Wine. It was first released in early Summer 1988. Unfortunately, for me, I find this album less successful overall than The Other Side of Life although some really seem to like this one so your mileage may vary. Ray doesn't appear on the album at all, and the imput from both Graeme and Patrick is less as well. The album feels even more awash in harsh digital sampling sounds. The bonus songs are the single edits of I Know You're Out There Somewhere, No More Lies, Al Fin Voy A Encontrarte (which is I Know You're Out There Somewhere in Spanish) as well as the re-recordings of Question and Isn't Life Strange that appeared on The Moody Blues Greatest Hits. This box also includes a blue colored vinyl single of Al Fin Voy A Encontrarte.The next disc features Keys of the Kingdom which was first released in June 1991. Patrick Moraz had become dissatisfied with his role in the band. He was unhappy that the band kept passing on his songs and he felt that the music was becoming too simplistic. The whole thing ended in a law suit. The band also went through a number of producers during the album's making. Drummer Graeme Edge only appears on three songs while the rest of the sessions are handled by session drummer Andy Duncan or a drum machine. On the plus side, Ray Thomas makes his first appearance since The Present eight years earlier. While the album isn't entirely successful either, it does have a number of good songs like: Say It With Love, Bless the Wings, Is This Heaven?, Lean on Me (Tonight), Hope and Prey and Celtic Sonet. The song Highway should've been included on the original release but is here as one of the bonus songs. There's also a US promo edit of Bless the Wings as well as a few songs recorded for BBC Radio One.The final two discs and the two dvds are given to the band's A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra release which was recorded September 9th, 1992 in Colorado. This was recorded during the era where the band was doing shows with symphony orchestras and people seem split on it. I happen to like it but for some others, it can be a bit much.

Let me start off this review by saying how overjoyed I was to find out that the "Polydoor" albums of The Moody Blues have FINALLY been reissued in re-mastered form, AND with bonus tracks, just like all of the previous Moody Blues CD re-masters! In my own personal experience with this product, I have not yet viewed the DVD content nor have I listened to the 45 record of the Spanish version of "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," as I do not have a turntable, but was glad to see it all included within the package as well. I am personally glad that the "Red Rocks" CD's were included, as I had lost my original re-mastered copy and can't find it anywhere around my place, so that worked to my advantage! Only difference with those discs is that the labels are different than the previous CD releases, plus I also like that the album artwork was featured on the re-mastered discs of the original albums ... The graphics department deserves extra praise for that!Not really much to say about the already released material, so I will just point out a few things with what had previously been unreleased ... First off, I remember purchasing a used copy of the vinyl single to "The Other Side of Life" that featured the live version of "Nights in White Satin," back in the late 1990's, and was VERY pleased that this live version made it to CD! Next up, while an attempt was made at featuring a single version of "Your Wildest Dreams" on the "Singles +" Moody Blues compilation, that version features a quick fade-in of the synthesizers that opened up that track at the spot where the beat starts up while this set features the clean intro that omits the opening synthesizers. The Spanish version of "IKYOTS" was a treat and follows the length of the single version, not the 6 1/2 minute album version, but still sounds amazing. Yet another bonus to this set was the inclusion of the "Legend of a Band"/"Greatest Hits" remakes of "Question" and "Isn't Life Strange," and it's nice that collectors don't have to hunt for them on a compilation or best-of album for a change. A shame that the four-minute orchestral version of "Bless The Wings That Bring You Back" wasn't featured in this set, although it was already featured on "Anthology," "Gold," and a couple of other compilations ... The mix that is featured here is totally different, FYI. For the unreleased live CD, the highlight for me was "It May Be A Fire," as I have never heard any other version of that track other than the original and the Moodies do a topnotch job of performing the live version! I also have some kind of bootleg CD titled "VCR" that I wish would be manufactured to the public ... That performance is VERY similar to the live material found on this set, but I believe that the version of "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" from this release is identical to the "VCR" version ... Both performances sound alike, except on the "VCR" version Ray Thomas' dialog about "Painted Smile" and "Reflective Smile" is also included but there is an edit that just jumps into the performance of "Veteran Cosmic Rocker."Anyway, I want to give other reviewers a chance to post some original finds concerning this release, and I don't want to spoil things too much for anyone looking to get ahold of this set. It would be nice if individual CD's of all of this material were manufactured, including the unreleased live CD, for those who are short on cash ... Still no matter how the recordings are manufactured or packaged, I'll take re-mastered versions of the Moody Blues' late 1980's/Early 1990's albums in any form!Think there will ever be a reissue of "Strange Times" to feature bonus tracks: "This is the Moment," the orchestral version of "Bless The Wings," plus "Water" and "We Can Fly" from the "Journey into Amazing Caves" soundtrack? ;) I think I'm asking for too much now! Kudos to Polydor/Universal on putting out this fantastic collection and may they keep up the wonderful work on possible future Moody Blues collections/compilations! Thanks for reading and God Bless... ~"KevyGuy" :)

The best part of this set is being able to finally get The Other Side of Life (studio version and a live concert disc), Sur la mer, and Keys of the Kingdom - all with bonus tracks and excellent remastering. Previously unreleased acoustic versions of some of the songs from Keys of the Kingdom are particularly sweet (although all of the previously unreleased material is equally as great to hear and there is quite a bit of it). This set also includes a two disc remastered version of the Red Rocks album which is well done. The first dvd is the Red Rocks Concert and the second one is of, the long out of print, The Other Side of Red Rocks - both of which are also nicely done. I missed out on The Other Side of Red Rocks when it was originally released so this was a real treat for me. The book is really nicely done with many photos that haven't been seen before. The paper quality is excellent and the binding very good. The overall packaging is well designed with easy access to the cds, dvds and book. The single is pressed in blue vinyl and is a great little addition for collectors. Although the price may seem a bit on the high side at first -, the set is well worth it. This is a "must have" for any serious Moody Blues fan.

I haven't listened yet but it's not something I don't already have. It's nice to have the bonus tracks and remastered copies of the cd's.

ポリドール期にリリースされた全てのアルバムとDVDを同梱した、完全版ボックスセット。加えて1986年のツアー音源を収めた未発表ライヴCDと、ブルーカラーの７インチアナログレコードのオマケ付き。スタジオ盤３枚には、それぞれボーナストラックが追加されています。今のところボックス以外でのバラ売りの予定はなさそうですが、出るものは全て揃えたい熱心なファンにとっては、なかなかリーズナブルな商品といえそうです。個人的にも長いことオリジナルリリース時の音源しか持っていなかったこの時期の一連の作品が、ようやくリマスター再発されたのは喜ばしい限りです。80年代以降はかつてのプログレ色が薄れポップなサウンドに傾倒していったため、プログレマニアの間では好みが分かれるかもしれません。それでも当時既にベテランバンドでありながら、自らの音楽性をここまで時代に対応したコンテンポラリーなスタイルに磨き上げ、ロートル感など微塵も感じさせない存在感を示したことは、大いに評価されるべきだと思っています。実際、それ以前に引き続きヒットチャートの常連であり続け、セールスも好調だったことがそれを裏付けています。ボックスはLPジャケよりひと回り小さいサイズで、その中にディスクを４枚ずつ収めた２枚のゲートフォールドスリーヴと、写真集仕様の豪華なブックレットが入っています(７インチはこのブックレットに封入)。１つだけ難点を挙げると、スリーヴの見開き部分の水平の切れ込みにディスクを差し込む方式なのですが、この手のパッケージは輸入盤だとディスクを裸のまま突っ込んであるため、出し入れの際盤面に擦り傷が付きやすいです。出荷時に傷が付いて出回る物も少なくなく、実は私が購入した本作も一部のディスクに、軽度ですが擦り傷があります。なので盤の状態を気にされる方は要注意です。購入の際はできればディスク用の保護ビニールを別途用意することをお勧めします。

The Moody Blues - The Polydor Years is a 9 disc set comprising 6 remastered or previously unreleased CDs plus 2 DVDs and features all of the Moody Blues’ recorded output for Polydor Records between 1985 & 1992; the bonus disc 9 is a 7” blue vinyl single. The collection includes previously unreleased and rare bonus tracks and is housed in a slipcase with a 64 page hardbound book. The package is almost 10” square housing the book and two folders each holding 4 CDs or DVDs – the single is fitted into the book.This compilation is another Mark (Esoteric Records) Powell work-of-art with remastering from sidekick Paschal Byrne and design courtesy of Phil Smee - the Moodies themselves were also involved with the project. This period is not what many would consider as a classic era for Moodies music and it was probably aimed more at the singles market than much of their their earlier work was. However, the compilers have given us a definitive look at this period of the band's career and the result is a superb package which makes the very best of the material available. This is a real treat for dedicated Moodies fans and something well worth considering if you already have the real classics. Five stars for the package itself even if all of the music doesn't quite get there. Here's what you get for your money:Track ListingCD One: “The Other Side of Life” Originally released as Polydor 829 179-1 in May 19861. Your Wildest Dreams2. Talkin’ Talkin’3. Rock n’ Roll Over You4. I Just Don’t Care5. Running Out of Love6. The Other Side of Life7. The Spirit8. Slings and Arrows9. It may Be a FireBonus tracks:10. Your Wildest Dreams (single version) Released as Polydor POSP 787 in April 1986 - Previously unreleased on CD11. The Other Side of Life (single edit)12. Nights in White Satin (live – recorded at Wembley Arena in 1984) A & B sides of single – Released as Polydor POSP 830 in August 1986 Previously unreleased on CD13. I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band (live: recorded Wembley Arena 1984) Previously unreleased14. Rock n’ Roll Over You (live) Taken from the “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” CD EP – Released as Polydor 887 600-2 in May 198815. The Other Side of Life (live) B-side of 12” single – Released as Polydor PZ 27 in October 1988 Previously unreleased on CDCD Two: “The Other Side of Life” tour The Blossom Music Centre, Cleveland 8th July 1986Previously unreleased1. Gemini Dream2. The Voice3. Tuesday Afternoon4. Your Wildest Dreams5. Isn’t Life Strange6. The Story in Your Eyes7. It May Be a Fire8. Veteran Cosmic Rocker9. I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)10. Nights in White Satin11. Legend of a Mind12. QuestionCD Three: “Sur La Mer” Originally released as Polydor 835 756-2 in May 19881. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere2. Want to Be With You3. River of Endless Love4. No More Lies5. Here Comes the Weekend6. Vintage Wine7. Breaking Point8. Miracle9. Love is on the Run10. DeepBonus tracks:11. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere (single edit) Taken from the “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” CD EP Released as Polydor 887 600-2 in May 198812. No More Lies (radio edit) A-sides of single – Released as Polydor PZ 27 in October 1988 Previously unreleased on CD13. Question (1989 version)14. Isn’t Life Strange (1989 version) Taken from the album “The Moody Blues Greatest Hits” Released as PolyGram 840 659-2 in 198915. Al Fin Voy A Encontrate (“I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” Spanish version) A-side of single – Released in the USA in November 1988 Previously unreleased on CDCD Four: “Keys to the Kingdom” Originally released as Polydor 849 433-2 in June 19911. Say it With Love2. Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)3. Is This Heaven?4. Say What You Mean (Part One and Two)5. Lean on Me (Tonight)6. Hope and Pray7. Shadows on the Wall8. Once is Enough9. Celtic Sonant10. Magic11. Never Blame the Rainbows for the RainBonus tracks:12. Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back) US Radio Remix – Previously unreleased13. Highway B-side of single – Released as Polydor PZ 153 in 199114. Forever Autumn15. Say it With Love16. Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)17. Never Blame the Rainbows for the Rain BBC Radio One acoustic session – 1991 Previously unreleasedCD Five: “A Night at Red Rocks – with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra” Part One1. Overture2. Late Lament3. Tuesday Afternoon4. For My Lady5. Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)6. Emily’s Song7. New Horizons8. Lean on Me (Tonight)9. Voices in the Sky10. Lovely to See You11. Gemini Dream12. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere13. The VoiceCD Six: “A Night at Red Rocks – with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra” Part Two1. Say it With Love2. The Story in Your Eyes3. Your Wildest Dreams4. Isn’t Life Strange5. The Other Side of Life6. I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)7. Nights in White Satin8. Legend of a Mind9. Question10. Ride My See SawDisc Seven - DVD: “A Night at Red Rocks – with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra”1. Overture (Excerpts)2. Late Lament3. Tuesday Afternoon4. For My Lady5. New Horizons6. Lean on Me (Tonight)7. Lovely to See You8. Gemini Dream9. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere10. The Voice11. The Story in Your Eyes12. Say it With Love13. Your Wildest Dreams14. Isn’t Life Strange15. The Other Side of Life16. I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)17. Nights in White Satin18. Question19. Ride My See SawDisc Eight - DVD: “The Other Side of Red Rocks” Documentary about the Red Rocks ConcertDisc Nine - VINYL SINGLE:Blue vinyl 45 rpm single of “Al Fin Voy A Encontrate” and (“I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” Rare Spanish version)

I didn't really need to buy this set. I already had the original, superior DVD of "A Night at Red Rocks", and homemade copies of the 6 CD's, but I wanted to have the documentary programme "The Other side of Red Rocks", in its' only-ever NTSC release. (I'm equiped to play PAL DVD's, but as an American I perceive NTSC discs to have more collectable value). Like many boxed sets in recent years, this set features snug-fitting pockets to hold the discs, so you are not going to receive all of the discs in perfect condition. The CD "The Other Side of Life Tour", and the two DVD's ("A Night at Red Rocks" & "The Other Side of Red Rocks") are all damaged, with plenty of scratches, scufffs and (unremoveable) stains.The CD "THe Other Side of Life tour" & the DVD "A Night at Red Rocks" play normally, despite the damage, but alas the DVD "The Other Side of Red Rocks" has problems, specifically a loud digital error noise(and on some players, a momentary picture break-up) towards the end of "Emily's Song". It's caused by a small spot/stain on the disc. I bought the set specifically for this DVD! The record companies, packaging designers and pressing plants are overconfident as to how much disc damage disc players can ignore. Some of the stains may have been caused by packaging the discs before they had entirely hardened. I guess that I could have sent the set back to the Uk at amazon.co.uk's expense, but the replacement set may have been worse. Usually, amazon.co.uk has the lowest price on UK CD's, but, as I was later to discover, amazon.com in the States had a substantially lower price. I am a collector, and getting damaged discs...it hurts. Now, on to the music. This set may well have been called "The Drum Machine Years". According to producer Tony Visconti, it was Graeme Edge's decision to bring a drum machine to the studio. It was also halfway through these years, that The Moody Blues started to employ a second drummer on stage. Edge missed some shows due to an injury, and the group continued to perform with a replacement drummer. The replacement drummer stayed even after Graeme Edge returned. At a point when Edge was already in his 50's, the increasing length of Moody Blues shows may have posed a stamina issue for Edge. The second drummer would sometimes totally take over, enabling Edge to rest for a while. Now 77, Edge has had health problems, and his on stage role has been reduced further. During these years, Ray Thomas was totally absent from two of these studio albums. Some say that Thomas had no new songs or that his flute was considered un-neccessary in the group's increasingly computer programmed sound. If we look at these recordings as being by a (musically) entirely different group than the group that recorded the 1967-1972 albums, then these songs (at least the ones on "The Other Side of Life" & "Sur La Mer") are fine songs in their own right. But, on the 3rd studio album from this period ("Keys to The Kingdom"), despite trying sessions with 3 record producers, there is no camouflaging the fact that the group did not have enough good songs. For Graeme Edge, it was a low point in his career. He quit the group, and the group continued recording without him. He later returned to the group. Only the first two songs measure up to the group's normal high standards. All of the non-L.P. 12" singles tracks & single edits from this period are included, as is a Justin Hayward solo BBC session and a fine unreleased concert, but the group has always been adamantly opposed to the release of unreleased studio material(that is, if any exist) from 1978 onward. That situation hasn't changed. An attractive hardback (hardcover) book is included, as is a blue vinyl 7" single with a spanish language version of "I Know You're Out There Somewhere"

The Moody Blues Polydor Years box set is a difficult item to rate.One the one-hand the execution of the box set is extremely well done.- The materials used to construct the box and the book are excellent and the whole package is a nice compact size.- There are loads of non-album tracks.- There is a previously unreleased live album plus you get the night at red rocks concert on CD & DVD & its corresponding documentary on DVD.- The book is an enjoyable, in-depth read (with a caveat - see below).- The music sounds good on my system.So 5 stars for execution.On the other hand, even the most dedicated Moody Blues fan would probably admit that the albums released in the time period this box set covers are not a patch on their best work ("The Magnificent Seven" with Mike Pinder).Sur-la-Mer and Other Side of Life are enjoyable, but keys to the kingdom is one of the Moodies weaker albums and the effort that has gone into this box set is almost overkill given the quality of these albums.so 3 1/2 stars for contentWhilst the book is both informative and interesting, it does downplay the involvement of keyboard player Patrick Moraz. This is unsurprising given the nature of his exit from the Moodies and the subsequent court case.The vinyl single seems somewhat unnecessary as its contents are also on one of the CDs, although it is a nice value-add to the set.At the current price of 65 pounds you get a lot of content for your money and the box set is a nice thing to own so it is sort of worth it.That said, as someone who is not a big fan of this phase of the Moodies career, I'm not sure I could justify purchasing the set at this price point when the individual albums and red rocks are available separately and I can live without the bonus tracks.I paid about 32 pounds for this box set when Amazon had it on sale just after first release. For that price it was an absolute steal and I didn't have any of the content in the box set at the time so purchasing it was a no brainer.So overall, the execution of the box set exceeds the albums it contains but it is a nice thing to own and is comprehensive. If you can get it at the right price this box set is recommended.