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35 of 35 found the following review helpful:
 FINALLY! A Magnificent Re-release of "Long Distance Voyager," by "The Moodies!" :) Dec 01, 2008
By Kevin Martinell KevyGuy
There are so many reviews of the albums of The Moody Blues all over the web, so please forgive me if I repeat what anyone had already said or for not being too original in my review. Here is my experience of this remastered edition of "Long Distance Voyager"...
First off, just like the famous early seven CD re-releases by The Moody Blues, whether they be the 1997 remasters or the 2006/2007 expanded editions, we are once again treated to another topnotch remastering job for the CD reissue of "Long Distance Voyager" ... What better candidate to have, when it comes to this task, than Moody Blue band member Justin Hayward?! :) Also, notice how the songs sort of segue together, unlike the original CD release from the 80's, where there would be two or three second gaps between the tracks, so once the last droplet of sound fades from a previous song, the next tune picks up right from that point ... This format takes Moody Blues listeners back to the early albums, when there were no silent gaps between the tracks. I had a feeling that this album would be remastered again, since it was previously remastered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, when the limited edition gold CD was released in 1997 ... Usually, albums that are remastered on gold CD's get remastered again, and I'm glad that "Long Distance Voyager" received the recognition it deserved. :)
After "Seventh Sojourn," the latter Moody Blues albums feature synthesizers replacing the mellotrons, as any Moody fan can tell you of course, plus Justin Hayward sings in a more mellow manner than the way he sang on the late 60's/early 70's albums. John Lodge rocks a bit more, at a few points, compared to on the earlier albums (Beginning with "Sitting At The Wheel" from "The Present"). Also, orchestral arrangements grace certain tracks ("Talking Out Of Turn" and "Nervous," from this album). Not so much spoken-word poetry, either, until "Strange Times." Sound-wise, "Long Distance Voyager" is loaded with beautiful heavily-echoed, cooing, and buzzing synthesizer sounds ("The Voice"/"Meanwhile"/"Painted Smile"), layered acoustic guitar ("In My World"/"Nervous"), wild mouth organ overdubs ("22,000 Days"/"Veteran Cosmic Rocker"), and scattered haunting effects (Ex: The intro to "The Voice," Ray Thomas' "Dear Diary-esque" vocals in the middle of "22,000 Days," the atmosphere of "Reflective Smile," and the tail end of "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" with the sitar and backwards vocal). Justin and John also provide combined vocal harmony really well on many of the latter Moody Blues tracks, such as "Gemini Dream." Fortunately, "Long Distance Voyager" features the full seven-minute version of John Lodge's "Talking Out Of Turn," as does "Time Traveller" ... The song just isn't the same when it is "butchered," as it was on compilations like "Anthology" and "The Singles+."
For the bonus track, the single edit of "The Voice" made a nice reprise, after listening to the entire album ... This edit previously made an appearance on the Moody Blues compilation, "Voices In The Sky," from 1984.
There's more ... The CD booklet that accompanies this release is loaded with photos, lyrics, and a history of the band, so you get your money's worth on not just the disc, but with the insert, too! While both the original CD release and the Mobile Fidelity gold CD featured the lyrics and info that was featured on the vinyl release, this expanded release one-ups things by adding the extra info and shots of the band!
This is a very satisfying remastered CD reissue of "Long Distance Voyager!" Congratulations and job well done to Justin Hayward and everyone who worked on this fantastic CD re-release! Now, let's all hope and pray for some remasters of "The Other Side Of Life," "Sur La Mer," "Keys Of The Kingdom," a return of the "This Is The Moody Blues" and "Legend Of A Band" compilations, and also a return of the version of "Strange Times" that featured the bonus tracks, "Highway" and "This Is The Moment" ... Then, I'm sure we'll all be joyous and grateful "Moodies" fans. :) Thanks for reading and God Bless!
~KevyGuy :)
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18 of 19 found the following review helpful:
What a comeback! Feb 16, 2001
By Matt Walsh
The Moody Blues made seven extraordinary albums in six years in the late 60's and early 70's, then broke up for half a decade and reunited for the disappointing "Octave" in 1978. Three years later, they exploded onto the 80's pop scene with a fantastic new album that exceeded all expectations.What made this album even more impressive was that the band succeeded so completely despite a crushing blow: the loss of keyboardist and singer/songwriter Mike Pinder, who left the band to raise a family. Pinder was an extremely important part of the band's sound, but the Moodies simply re-invented their sound with new keyboardist Patrick Moraz (from Yes.) It was a little flashier and a little less haunting, but their fantastic song-writing skills and collective talent made the album shine. This album had two big hits: Justin Hayward's awesome rocker "The Voice" and the Hayward/Lodge composition "Gemini Dream," about the Moodies' return to the rock scene. But every song on here is an absolute gem, especially the gorgeous ballads "In My World" and "Nervous," Graeme Edge's riveting "22,000 Days" and Ray Thomas's closing trilogy, "Painted Smile/Reflective Smile/Veteran Cosmic Rocker", which is experimental rock at its most impressive and energetic. This album is extremely uplifting, powerful, beautiful and inspirational, and it ROCKS. They wouldn't make another album this good until 1999's "Strange Times," and even that doesn't live up to the grandeur of "Long Distance Voyager." If there's one post-classic-period album that lives up to those first seven masterpieces, this is it!
19 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 The Moodies Entered Another Decade Oct 10, 2002
By Lonnie E. Holder
"The Review's the Thing"
The Moodies made their mark in the 60s and extended that success into the early 70s. They spent some time apart in the mid-70s and then released "Octave", which was the last album on which Mike Pinder appeared. "Octave" was not the stellar production of the classic 7, and while it was a sort of "comeback", it wasn't the comeback the Moodies could have hoped for. "Long Distance Voyager" showed the Moodies not only had it, they HAD it. This album went all the way to #1, matching the success of "Seventh Sojourn". Much of the Moodies 60s magic was in this album, and it is a fitting addition to the classic 7, though more in the vein of "Seventh Sojourn" than the earlier works. This album had a flavour of the earlier otherwordly Moodies music, but was more generally a rocker flavored by the occasional ethereal concept. Justin Hayward starts the album off with a decent song "The Voice", which continues some of the Moodies 60s concepts, with a dash of relationship thrown in as Justin seems to be talking to his significant other. The lyrics are generally okay with occasional weak points. The music is excellent, and Patrick Moraz' keyboards do not overwhelm the selection. John Lodge then has a very good selection with "Talking Out of Turn", about someone saying something they shouldn't have to their loved one and regretting it. The lyrics and music are well matched here, and Patrick Moraz understated keyboards make this song feel like the Moodies of yore. John Lodge and Justin Hayward kick in next with "Gemini Dream", a rocker that is just a good fun song, which believe it or not is a love song. Justin Hayward's "In My World" follows. I must admit that this song is my favorite from this CD. I know, it's a maudlin love song, all mellow and pop/rockish. But the buildup from the beginning is wonderful, and the music ranks with some of the best that Justin has done. There are a couple of weak spots in the lyrics as Justin tries to cram a couple of extra words in time with the music, but I'll forgive that for the backing vocals and the bridge and the rest of the song. Justin is well represented on this CD as another of his songs, "Meanwhile", follows. Though I like "In My World", "Meanwhile" is probably artistically Justin's best song on this CD, and perhaps the best on the CD. This song is about love lost, and there are few people that can croon about love won, love lost or just plain love as well as Justin. Graeme Edge seems to contribute something unusual to every album, and "22,000 Days" is every bit as unusual as anything he's ever done. This song is about the approximate number of days of adult life we have to do whatever we are going to do. What the song says is to make use of the little time you have doing something worthwhile and productive. I enjoy this song. "Nervous" by John Lodge has a peaceful, quiet start. Another love song, but a neat one. The song starts out quietly and slow, acoustic, in fact. The song stays relatively quiet until suddenly it takes off in the chorus. Good John Lodge song, among his best. "Painted Smile", "Reflective Smile" and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" by Ray Thomas finish off the album. I enjoy all three, though they are a tad bit gimmicky with the circus theme for the first two. However, the three form a theme. The juxtaposition of "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" as an entertainer next to clown entertainers was not an accident. The most poignant line is from "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" where Ray sings: "He's the VETERAN COSMIC ROCKER
He's afraid that he will die It's this line that ties together the circus theme with the rock theme. All performers have a fear of failing on stage. In their own way rock performers wear their own face and their own makeup. In life, we all have our performances, and perhaps we too are afraid that someday we will fail to please our audience. Fortunately for the listener, this album does please the listener, and fortunately The Moody Blues can still make good music. ... Enjoy everyone!
16 of 18 found the following review helpful:
The Re-Birth Of The Moody Blues Oct 05, 2004
By Alan Caylow
With the departure of their longtime keyboardist Mike Pinder in 1978, the Moody Blues saw one major chapter in their long musical career come to a close, and, with the dawn of the 80's, it was time for the Moodies' second chapter to begin. Obviously, the band's first hurdle to get over was to get themselves a brand-new keyboardist, but who could possibly step into Mike Pinder's giant shoes? Enter Patrick Moraz, the one-time keyboardist for Yes (he played on 1976's "Relayer"). Moraz's contribution to the Moodies was NOT to play mellotron as Pinder did, but to add a more synthesized, 80's-friendly keyboard sound to the band. Some fans pondered whether or not the Moody Blues could survive without Mike Pinder, but the finished album, 1981's "Long Distance Voyager," was a HUGE success, both creatively and commercially, hitting #1 on the U.S. album chart. Mike Pinder may be missed, but there's no denying the freshness that Patrick Moraz's keyboard touch brought to the Moody Blues, and, on top of that, the band rose to the challenge and came up with some truly fantastic songs. Not only does "Voyager" feature the Moodies staples "Gemini Dream" and "The Voice," but also such gems as John Lodge's lovely "Talking Out Of Turn," and Justin Hayward's gorgeous "In My World" (interestingly, both tracks clock in at exactly 7 minutes 17 seconds). Drummer Graeme Edge contributes the thunderous, steady rocker "22,000 Days," one of his very best songwriting contributions to the band, while flautist Ray Thomas wraps the album up in a playful, colorful bow with the circus-themed "Painted Smile," the poem "Reflective Smile," and the classic Moodies shuffler, "Veteran Cosmic Rocker." With "Long Distance Voyager," the Moody Blues re-invented themselves and entered the 80's with tremendous power. "Long Distance Voyager" is one of the Moodies' all-time greatest albums.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
The Moody Blues get back on track from the previous lackluster album Sep 19, 2006
By M. A. Scott
"Rock and Classical music fan"
With this album the Moody Blues were definitely back in the limelight after the previous poor album OCTAVE, which was pretty mediocre compared to the classic SEVEN. I was in 10th grade when I started hearing "The Voice", and "Gemini Dream", plus, a few of the other tracks that start off the album. Until I heard "The Voice", I didn't even know there was a group called the Moody Blues, but this definitely got me on the bandwagon for sure. "Meanwhile" is also a very beautiful track that I never tire of hearing. I do like "Talking Out of Turn", but I think that it goes on a little long at over 7:00 minutes. And unlike some of your other reviewers, I do really like "22,000 Days". I am starting to even like the last four tracks also, but they aren't in the league of the first six tracks. In about 1985 I started delving into their earlier albums and especially the first three that they put out with the classic lineup, with my favorite being ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM. Don't hesitate in buying this classic LDV, because I think it sells used for about $4.00 or something like that. This is much better than the following album THE PRESENT, even though it's a good album it's nothing like LDV. So just fork over the dough and you'll love this cd.
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