Moody Blues - On the Threshold of a Dream
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Artist: Moody BluesEdition: Music CD
Format: Extra tracks, Hybrid SACD - DSD, Import, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2006-04-18
Music Label: Ume Imports
Free Music Notes for On the Threshold of a Dream
Free Music Review: Fantastic, brilliant and full of depth; review of the SACD
Hit: 5 Stars
Just to be clear, as there are 104 review currently, this is a review of On the Threshold of a Dream SACD import, not the standard CD release.
In a word, the sound from the SACD portion of this album is nothing short of breathtaking. The only way you could get greater depth and breath from this release is to find someone selling a pristine, never opened vinyl release on 180g vinyl and a top shelf amp/turntable/speakers.
Having been a Moodies fan for a while, I had previously purchased other CD releases from the band and even picked up SACD versions of 2 other Moodies albums. I had never been able to actually USE the SACD portion of the releases, until recently. Once I heard Days and Children's Children on SACD, I was hooked. I immediately tracked down all of the other SACD releases (seems Question of Balance (Hybr) is out of print, so I'm trying to track that down now for a decent price), including On the Threshold.
Several of the SACD releases are actually 2 disc fares as the amount of extra tracks available wouldn't fit on a single disc. With Threshold, being a shorter album, they've tacked on a few bonus tracks and made this a single disc release.
I can say, unequivocally, a better digital version of this album does NOT exist. I've compared this release to the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs release from a CD perspective, not SACD. I would say it is on par or only slightly lesser than the Mo-Fi release. The bonus is that this release won't set you back $40-$700 for a used CD. So if you want the best sounding CD version of the album, you'll want the Mo-Fi release.
But you don't buy this for the CD version (if you want just the CD portion, it is available for a little cheaper than this release). You buy it for the SACD release. With the higher sampling rates available on SACD, what is captured is more faithful to the original vinyl release than anything previous. And since this is actually taken from the quadrophonic release, you're getting a mix that not many people have had the equipment to enjoy until now. For those that like surround music, this is one of the best sounding albums I've ever listened to. As others have stated, the box claims "5.1 surround" but in reality it is 4.0 surround given they used the original quadrophonic mixes for this release.
You will receive a top shelf, near highest quality CD release along with a stereo SACD mix that best almost anything out there, PLUS you receive the original quadrophonic release. All for about $20. What more can you ask for?
But wait, there's more!
You want rare bonus tracks? Rare BBC session recordings? Longer, original versions? How about 9 such tracks? Each, as best I can tell, has also been remastered and treated with the same level of respect and care as the rest. The only caveat here is that these bonus tracks are CD audio ONLY. They are not SACD, neither stereo SACD nor multichannel SACD. In fact, a couple are MONO releases. Don't let this fact steer you away though, as these tracks are of the highest quality.
Over all I am very impressed with what's been done to the original 7 (or 6 that I've heard) Moodies albums with the SACD releases. After hearing the Mo-Fi releases, I didn't think we'd ever have a better digital version available. It's nice to be proven wrong from time to time.
If you're a Moodies fan and have an SACD player, you NEED to purchase these releases. No question. If you have just a regular CD player, the standard CD release is probably an upgrade to any previous releases, other than the venerable Mo-Fi CD releases that not many people have or can afford.
If you're not a Moodies fan, this album in SACD, nor any of the others, will change your opinion, and in which case, you should avoid purchasing these releases.
On the Threshold of a Dream Poster
Full title, 'On The Threshold Of A Dream'. Japanese reissue of the British rock icon's 1969 album. Limited to 5,000 pieces, it's packaged in a miniature LP sleeve.Released in 1969, just eight months after In Search of the Lost Chord, Threshold continues the Moody Blues's journey as cosmic seekers but in a less exotic manner. Here, Justin Hayward packs away the sitar and the band has swept most of the mystical and Eastern influences under the Kilim rug, replacing them with a science-fictional search for meaning and futuristic production methods. As on two earlier albums, Graeme Edge regales listeners with esoteric poetry, this time adding a whimsical, ironic edge to his ponderous verse. The songs have also undergone a similar overhaul, allowing the band's talent for melody to overcome the psychedelic whirls that embellished the earlier albums. John Lodge's assertive bass takes control of the bucolic "Lovely to See You," Roy Thomas's deceptively cheerful "Dear Diary," and the upbeat "Lazy Days," which also contains an unexpected lyrical sting. Indeed, the entire album is underpinned with a wistful melancholy as the grandiose rockers capture the bittersweet fleeting moments of the '60s. --Jaan Uhelszki
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