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The Moody Blues - "Seventh Sojourn"

Category: Music

For now, below is an artistic review of this album I did a while back on another site.

I'll try to get a review of the various recordings sound quality in soon.

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"A great Prog/Rock masterpiece of the 20th century.

This is a review of the Mobile Fdelity Ultradisc II version of this album.

In a nutshell, Seventh Sojourn has retained a place as one of my absolute favorite albums continuously now for over thirty years. Though I find it is one of the few pieces of rock music that always uplifts me spiritually, I can understand how some might find it depressing.

IMHO, this is a prog album without flaw. Though not clearly identifiable as a concept album, it flows smoothly both musically and lyrically from start to finish. The lyrics and thematic content of each song is timeless and can be related to very strongly in either a positive or negative manner. The other of the Moodies original classic seven albums, though musical masterpieces each in their own right, have not aged as well overall I believe.

There is a "wall of sound" kind of aspect to the production overall. However, it is a very fluid and effective "wall of sound" thanks to Michael Pinder's unique simply gorgeous mellotron/keyboard effects. Justin's Hayward's electric guitar solos and playing on this album in particular is absolute world class....not necessarily virtuosic but simply gorgeus and inspiring throughout, perhaps in particular because the electric guitar is prominent in many places on this album compared to earlier works and delivered in a purely symbiotic manner throughout along with the aforementioned mellotron, keyboards or whatever Pinder used on this particular album ( I think I read once that Pinder used a newer technology keyboard, not technically a mellotron on this album. I am not a electronic keyboard expert. All know is thatwhatever is used it sounds very good to me).

There is nothing else like the tapestry of mellotron/keyboard, guitar and vocals on this album, in all of music, IMHO. A few examples that pop into mind are the guitar solo towards the end of "New Horizons" (breathtakingly soaring) and the guitar/keyboard accompaniment during the chorus sections of "Land Of Make Believe". JH's electric guitar playing (exceptional on this album) and usual excellent vocals on his songs are some of the highest points...however there are continuous and juicy fluorishes delivered by all the Moodies throughout.

To me this album is to rock music what Mahler's Third Symphony is to classical music. It will take you through a truly "Moody" journey from some somber but poignent lows to the most exhuberant of highs. Then it ends with an exhuberant "shrug" to it all as the Moodies resignedly belt out their final statement of this era: "I'm Just A Singer in a ROck and Roll Band".

The Moodies are I suppose just "Singers in a Rock and Roll Band". However, the message of their music, soberly delivered over much of their discography, is in my optinion, the most universal one, a message which many respond to, yes, in a decidely "spiritual" manner. There is no cynicism with the Moodies, as there was to some extent even with the Beatles. Just the purest of universal messages: peace and love and sadness expressed when these ideals are out of reach or not achieved often enough by many in the real world."
128x128mapman
mapman's avatar
mapman OP
22,317 posts
 
"What are your feelings about ELP ?"

I'm still an ELP fan and enjoy a lot of their music. They were very talented musicians first and foremost and cut a lot of ground in their day mixing in a lot of musical elements from other genres, especially classical, with rock music. Most rock critics despised them as they did the Moodies. Too pretentious! But that is a matter of perspective. A lot of great art that strives to break new ground can easily be called pretentious. I quickly learned to place little value in what rock music critics with narrow perspectives regarding what constitutes "good music" had to say. I'm sure at least some have changed their tunes over the years...
chazro's avatar
chazro
635 posts
 
Wow, The Moody Blues & ELP, talk about a blast from the past! I guess it's safe to admit, 45 yrs after the fact, that I used to drop quite a bit of acid/LSD back in those days. 'Threshold' & 'Children's Children' were literally mind-blowing records for me! ELP's 1st 2 records were also favorites back than. Here's an interesting true story. I was 'heavily' into ELP after their debut recording and bought tickets to see them at the Fillmore East (just checked http://www.fillmore-east.com/showlist.html and see that the date was 6/1/71!). Lest you think I'm some kind of degenerate, I'll just say that LSD was very heavily used at the Fillmore East & West back in the day, especially for your 'trippy' type bands. Anyhow, the audience was a typical Fillmore audience, zonked on acid, waiting for ELP, who had top billing that night. But 2nd billing went to Edgar Winter's White Trash, at the time he & they were unknowns. WELL, 3 encores later this Rock 'n' Roll/R&B revue type band left the audience howling, amped, sweating and begging for more! If you've ever heard their live album; 'Roadwork', you've heard what I heard that night! So after an intermission ELP come on and open with 'Barbarian'. Normally a killer tune was met with polite applause, everybody was still pumped from the R&R extravaganza they'd just experienced, and ELP was more of a cerebral music. For the 2nd tune Emerson announces they were going to play this new opus from their forthcoming album, a tune called 'Tarkus'! I remember him telling us to plz sit down and be patient, as it was a long piece. Under normal circumstances this would've been fine, but after having been dancing and howling in the aisles, being told to sit down and listen politely (+ the drug) didn't go over too well. By the middle of the tune, Emerson's out in the crowd playing this 'moog-stick' thingamajig instrument, people started leaving in droves! Including me. Mind you, I went to see ELP, I was a huge fan. After that show I never could listen to their music without recalling that show, I never bought any more of their music (undoubtedly my loss but...). I did go on to see Edgar Winter's White Trash a 1/2 dz. times and am still a fan of EW to this day! Ahhh, the good ol' days!;)
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Hey Chazro, I saw Edgar Winter's White Trash in the summer of 71' (or was it 70'?). It was at one of those outdoor concerts (festivals) in New Hampshire. They were awesome that night. We actually thought it was gonna be Johnny Winter but the disappointment didn't last long.
They were followed by a very young J. Geil's Band who came out with an older, much older, black harp player who continued to blow the crowd away.
Yes there were chemicals a plenty.
saki70
907 posts
 
I am just now going back to vinyl . Dug out my old LP's and guess what the first album was that I played on my new turntable , Tarkus ! Second was one of my all time favorite songs , Nights In White Satin . Still topnotch after all these years .

Happy Tunes
acresverde
396 posts
 
Glad to hear the MOFI is of good quality. But,of course, nothing could be worse than the original Derams. Simply tragic that a group with such a terrific early catalog were shacled with such third rate recording quality.
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