 "A Must for Moody Blues Fans!" | 2008-08-04 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2F42XN16O1P5F |
| I am a long time fan of the band but mostly listened to "Best of's" and compilation CDs. I recently purchased this CD because of the great reviews I read here at Amazon and everyone I read was absolutely on the money. It is fantastic! The songs are mostly love songs, with a few uptempo numbers but perfectly suited to their mature voices and ages! Buy it, listen to it over and over and fall in love with this fantastic band once again! |
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| "Moodies Aged Like Fine Wine" | 2007-06-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2D3NXA7Y9XJCB |
My beloved Moody Blues aren't the spring chicks they once were but then neither am I. They're a lot older and grayer, but don't seem quite ready for their rocking chairs. They would all qualify for the senior citizen discount at any of the local buffet restaurants in my area, but I don't see 'em parking in the handicap spots- not yet anyway. Like the old cliche says they are like fine wine, only getting better with age. Indeed they have aged well, hence the title for my review. I am not going to give an in-depth, song by song review here, just a very brief synopsis on the album as a whole.
I have to give 'Strange Times' 5 stars because it is a truly beautiful piece of work by the marvelous Moodies. Their singing and songwriting are as great as ever, their music still sounding like the Moody Blues. Justin Hayward: what can you say, the man is indeed amazingly gifted and advancing years haven't diminished that at all. He is in top form here in this work. The man certainly knows how to pen great songs and then sing them like no one's business. He leaves me in awe sometimes at just how he does it.
The one thing, the only thing that 'ST' didn't provide me was a rocking tune by my favorite rocker, John Lodge. That was a shock to me, as I can always count on "Johnny B. bad" to rock my world- at least once per album. Lodgie has been the rocking soul of the Moodies since 1966 and I cannot imagine them without him, and this album shows me exactly how much I would miss that. Perhaps John moves to the beat of a slower drum these days, at least in what he puts on paper. He still rocks it on stage, though. Regardless, his work on this album is superb, bringing out his loving romantic side. Listening to his sweet airy voice in my headphones is........ aaaahhhhh. For that pleasure alone, I can forgive him for not letting me get my groove on to his driving bass line.
Bottom line: The Moody Blues are still The Moody Blues, wrinkles and all. They have been giving us joy for over 40 years with their talents and music. I know the world is a better place, simply because their voice is in it. This album is a must-have addition to any Moody lover's collection. Enjoy! |
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 "GO MOODIES!!! (I didn't think you had it in you)" | 2007-03-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: A16634W09QE1FB |
| This is definitely one of the best MB releases since the classic years of 67-72. In fact it is certainly my favorite since Seventh Sojourn, with 1983's The Present coming in a close 2nd place. John Lodge owns this album with his great ballads. Justin does well, and Ray and Graeme both contribute a song apiece. Where this album really shines is in production: it simply has more punch than any other MB album. The only flaws are 1) the techno beats on 'English Sunset', 2) 'Sooner or Later (Walkin' on Air) is a little corny (but very catchy), 3) The whole album is a little hard to sit through, 4) Graeme Edge sounds like he's eating peanut butter during the last track, 5) It is a little dated in it's millenium references. Other than that it is a very good MB album. Heads above The Other Side of Life, Sur La Mer, and Keys of the Kingdom. |
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| "stunning" | 2006-07-15 |
| - Reviewed By tdgulch |
John Lodges "words you say" is an amazingly beautiful ballad and the one that got me to buy this cd. Justin,as always, is simply astounding as 'english sunset', 'haunted' display his golden voice
and innate virtuosity within the pop song format.The last track on the album with Edge's poetry, is mildly reminiscent of their first album,'days of the future past'. Once again Ray Thomas provides an almost childlike lullaby, the superb 'My Little Lovely'.Lodge does have a tendency to go over the top occasionally, but is still not really a drag on the album.Good work guys, this album is great. |
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 "Disappointing" | 2006-03-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: AWNS12ZHHE2ZD |
This is as far from the original concept as you can get. Every single song on their albums from 1967-72 had more passion, bite, and creativity than this whole CD! I liked the MB up to 'The Other Side Of Life' which was at least 60% quality material. Sur La Mer was dreadful and found them out of their element trying to compete with 80s cheese (Janet Jackson, Huey Lewis, even Cutting Crew), but had a few likable moments. I didn't even bother with "Keys" after hearing their leadoff single. They talked about this album for 8 years, and it was supposed to be a return to form or something. I bought it and after a few listens, got rid of it. Not a single melody or memorable song, Ray Thomas' ditty comes off as silly and forced, as does the poem at the end of the album (after such a poor effort, it just emphasises how far these guys have fallen, by trying to make a connection with their old quality music). How the hell can anyone give this album 5 stars? Whether this is a contract obligation, or whether the motivation to make quality music has dropped, this is cringingly lame.
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| "Take Us Back When We Were Young" | 2006-03-12 |
| - Reviewed By breiel |
"Strange Times" is reminiscent of the Moody Blues' 1970 album, "Question Of Balance". Instrumentation is stripped of keyboards and orchestra on some songs, relying much on drums, acoustic guitar, bass and their signature harmonies.
The album, as the title suggests, relates to time, a theme first explored in "Days of Future Passed". Unlike that early concept album, "Strange Times" looks back at their career. musical era and "love-and-peace" mantra.
The album's cover photography and rocking title track "Strange Times" alludes to the age of Aquarius ("house of the water sign") when the Moodies first burst onto the music scene in the 1960s.
The song "The One" is purportedly about the Moodies; verses one through four refer -- or so it would seem -- to former MB members Denny Laine, Mike Pinder, Patrick Moraz and the current MB line up, respectively. "My Little Lovely" is a fairy-tale like song Ray Thomas composed for his granddaughter. "The Swallow" is a hypnotic guitar-driven tune Justin Hayward composed one evening in the south of France. "English Sunset", "Haunted" and "Foolish Love" are three more songs from Hayward, equally rousing. "Nothing Changes" returns to the Moodies use of the 'spoken word', read by its author and MB drummer, Graeme Edge, who while not as profound as in earlier poems, sums up the album's message rather aptly.
"Strange Times" comprises 14 tracks in all, of which less than a handful are inspiring, and these come the group's bassist, John Lodge, whose songs while quite meaningful are not in the vein of his up tempo classic " Ride My See-Saw".
Included is a booklet containing the lyrics and pictures of the band at the studio in Italy where the album was recorded. All in all, "Strange Times" is a brilliant return to what made the Moodies one of the masters of art rock -- strong vocal harmonies, tight concept albums, catchy tunes and thoughtful lyrics.
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