I recently saw a list of most disappointing albums, and this was on it. I decided to do this retro review as sort of my rebuttal to that. I find it to be a very strong release. It is a bit of a transition set for the band, taking them from their classic 70s sound (which dominates the album) into the more modern sound that would become their standard for albums like Long Distance Voyager and The Present. There are some great tunes here, though, and the balance of music similar to what I expected from the band by that point in their career. This is also the last Moody Blues album to include keyboards Mike Pinder.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

Dramatic electronic keyboard sounds start the album. As the introduction to this piece works forward an electric guitar paints a cool line that sounds a bit like Pink Floyd. In fact, this whole intro isn't far removed from something you might find on a Floyd disc. The cut powers out into an up-tempo jam that's more trademark Moody Blues. I remember hearing this on the radio at the time the album was released, and that makes sense as it's a very strong tune. There are some spacey effects at the end that glide this into the next piece.

I'm not a huge fan of this song. It has a real old school rock and roll sound. The horns seem a bit out of place to me. Still, it's catchy and energetic and has some recognizable Moodies hooks.

There is more of that old school folk music based Moody Blues sound here. Somehow this seems to have hints of soul music in the instrumental arrangement. The vocal performance, though, is classic Moodies. I dig the rocking instrumental section.