The Moody Blues - On the Threshold of a Dream
|
List Price: Our Price: $8.97 You Save: $3.01 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $4.20 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for On the Threshold of a Dream
Free Music Review: The Thinking Man's Babe Magnet...
Hit: 5 Stars
Threshold is unquestionably one of the greatest albums of all time. Back in the UK in 1969, if you wore an RAF greatcoat and carried Threshold or a Led Zep album under your arm, you were most definitely considered 'hip'.
Everything about this superb album, from the haunting cover art to the incredible song selection screams out 'Classic!' This is one of those albums that really illustrates the collective genius that made the band so strong, with every member contributing some stunning material.
I remember at the time that Lovely To See You and Dear Diary seemed to be playing everywhere you ever went; but they are just two of the many unforgettable songs that stamped the Moodies' authority on the progessive music scene.
The breathtaking Never Comes The Day (which is also covered on Moody Bluegrass) is another Hayward classic and a foretaste of the endless genius to come in masterpieces such as New Horizons, from Seventh Sojourn.
That this incredible album should close with one of Mike's most majestic epic pieces is just the icing on the cake.
What a band.
Free Music Review: "Live hand in hand, and together we'll stand on the threshold of a dream."
Hit: 5 Stars
The Moody Blues third concept album "On the Threshold of a Dream" mesmerises the heart, mind and soul with musical themes on romantic and universal love. "Are you sitting comfortably?" Give this 13-song album a spin, and let the Moodies cast their spell.
"In The Beginning" (by Graeme Edge) starts off with Pinder's mellotron droning, melding in harmony with an organ , then acting as ambient filler in a dialogue between the Individual Everyman and The Establishment.
"Lovely To See You" (by Justin Hayward) is a electric guitar driven song juxtaposed with an peppy bass line about meeting up with and inviting a friend to "walk along to the next bend".
"Dear Diary" (by Ray Thomas) is a jazzy bass and flute inspired song about a person noting a few events in his day.
"Send Me No Wine" (by John Lodge) has Lodge and Hayward harmonising to a robust country and western type tune, accompanied by Pinder's mellotron.
"To Share Our Love" (by John Lodge) is a throbbing bass, electric guitar and percussion song with superb vocal counterpoint built around the lyrics. Surprisingly, Pinder is the lead singer.
"So Deep Within You" (by Mike Pinder) is a jazzy upbeat song, reminiscent of the original Moodies' line-up, using timpani, guitar and flute to excellent effect. Pinder sings it with passion and conviction, "Your love is like a forest fire. I want to touch the fire, so deep within you"
"Never Comes The Day" (by Justin Hayward) opens with a softly strumming guitar and Hayward pensively singing "Never comes the day for my love and me," then building to a crescendo with mellotron, harmonica and the Moodies in harmony. Great song!
"Lazy Day" (by Ray Thomas) is a song describing a typical English Sunday at home. Fine vocal harmony!
"Are You Sitting Comfortably" (by Hayward/Thomas) is a track with a folksong quality structured around flute, guitar and mellotron The lyrics are enchanting. Listen and "let Merlin cast his spell".
"The Dream" (by Graeme Edge) is a poem recited by Mike Pinder with mellotron in the background. It essentially sums up the album's concept: "...Love of love, love of life and giving without measure gives in return a wondrous yearn of a peace almost seen. Live hand in hand, and together we'll stand on the threshold of a dream."
"Have You Heard - Part I" (by M. Pinder) concludes by telling the listener, "Now that you know you are real. Show your friends that you and me belong to the same world, turned on to the same word," suggesting we've heard the Moodies' message of love.
"The Voyage" (by M. Pinder) is an instrumental journey using piano, timpani, organ and mellotron. The piece is grand, reflective and moving!
"Have You Heard - Part II" (by M. Pinder) reprises the lyrics and music -- "Now you know how nice it feels. Scatter good seeds in the field. Life's ours for the making. Eternity's waiting, waiting for you and me. Now that you know you are real. Show your friends that you and me belong to the same world, turned on to the same word. Have you heard? Have you heard? Have you heard?"
"On The Threshold Of A Dream" is definitely one of the best albums ever composed and performed by the Mk. II Moody Blues. It's a pity the original gatefold, lyrics booklet and some pictures are absent from this Universal issued CD; in which case you'll have to make due with the interview of the four original Moodies, minus Pinder, plus some of the album photos. If you are fortunate enough to find the defunct 24 kt. gold CD offered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, these items are certainly worth the extra bucks, as they help set the ambience for this wonderful 1969 concept album.
Free Music Review: Not Gonna Do It!
Hit: 4 Stars
That is, I'm not going to give this "core 7" Moodies outing 5 stars despite the fact that I use one of their best songs as my reviewer tag. It's simply not as good as the others, and that is that. Still, it yields good enough things to make it a solid 4.
It is interesting that this album opens so onimously with an individual being challenged by the establishment which means to asphyxiate the belief that any one person is capable of thinking for themselves, and even more remarkable that our computerized society fits this mini-dialogue with such clairvoyant fruition over 35 years later. In spite of some bright tunes on this album, there is also enough negative aura off the opening to affect most everything else on this album unless you play the tracks in shuffle mode or skip a few.
"Lovely to See You" is indeed an odd sort of segue from that intro, but it's a great, positive Justin Hayward song that almost seems to be saying you will need to return to this song after your journey with this album is through. By itself, this is a good rocker and one of the songs buying Threshold dignifies.
"Dear Diary" is a rather creep-along, yet quietly whimsical contribution by Ray Thomas that sounds a bit as if it could fit onto Days of Future Passed. The song almost contradicts itself in tone as he has a rather cavalier attitude about not being where he should have been, then begins to wonder what's happening to his indifference and wonderment at the blindness of others: "It's over, will tomorrow be the same? I know they're really not to blame. If they weren't so blind then surely they'd see there's a much better way for them to be." What always strikes me is at the very end when he mentions "Somebody exploded an H-bomb today, but it wasn't anybody I knew..." If nothing else about this song caught your attention, THAT will!
Here's where we slip into some territory that weighs the validity of this album being a classic down. I am convinced that the only reason this album is regarded as such is because it's part of the 7, and on its own the following tracks would leave it in the dust: John Lodge's hippie country offering, oddly enough, while okay to listen to as a track is pathetically weak and should be left to somebody like the Monkees' Mike Nesmith who had a natural gift for that style of writing. "To Share Our Love" is simply one horrible song that sounds like the band is singing one thing and John is yelling another song over them. The word discordant comes to mind, and these are some of his worst contributions on any Moodies album that I can think of offhand.
Mike Pinder is not to be outdone in the not-so-hot offerings either. "So Deep Within You," in spite of very good, direct lyrics and some of Mike's sharpest vocals, still manages to suffer from an ennui that's saved only by Ray Thomas's flute that's punctuated by Graeme Edge's percussion.
By far the best songs on Threshold are Hayward's beautiful "Never Comes the Day," a simple song about a couple that needs to try harder to take their love easier as they seem to have let life get in the way a bit--at least that's my interpretation--and Ray's "Lazy Day," a sympathetic little tribute to the English mothers who make Sundays such a delight each week for their families. Best of all, though, is Thomas and Hayward's "Are You Sitting Comfortably," truly beautiful and uplifting in every way as it charms with its magical lyrics about Merlin and Camelot. You are really able to lapse into a vivid daydream, except the song is too short!
Pinder's little three-part opus, "Have You Heard 1 and 2 with "The Voyage" in between, was so strange to my ears the first few times I played it that it took a long time to decide if I liked it at all. I do understand that it ties the album together neatly when you go back to the introduction. The song acknowledges that we share the same world, we are real and free. Something of an answer to the establishment that would try and mold us all into the same mindset. By the time you come out of this track, however, and to the end of the journey, you are gasping for the air and sunshine that was semi-obscured by the initial tone set for this disc. Herein also lies the problem with the album. The concept is a bit choppy, so you are never quite sure with the lighter songs what the point is. I guess that the point is to read into the lyrics yourself and interpret them your own way. I feel this one is a bit all over the place in spots, but there are still enough great songs here to make this a valuable addition to your Moodies collection. If anything, it will set your mind into a contemplative mode.
Free Music Review: Pleasant dreams
Hit: 4 Stars
The third of their "classic 7" albums, On the Threshold of a Dream was one of two albums that the Moody Blues would release during 1969. The general feel is more subdued and laid back than its grandiose predecessor, In Search of the Lost Chord, and this is appropriate because the themes of this album centre on dreams, imagination and personal identity. Although it is probably the least essential of the "classic 7," it would become the band's first number 1 album in Britain.
The concept of On the Threshold of a Dream is not as prominent as the concepts for the band's previous two albums, but it is clearly there at the beginning and the end of the record, with the eerie opening and closing shimmer of the mellotron suggesting a dream-like state. The creepy and unusual opener, Graeme Edge's In the Beginning, also explores the theme, as does his other poetic contribution, The Dream. Elsewhere, the beautiful Justin Hayward/Ray Thomas collaboration Are You Sitting Comfortably evokes memories of childhood stories and Arthurian legend, and Mike Pinder's epic closing suite, consisting of Have You Heard parts 1 and 2 and The Voyage, is wonderfully atmospheric and dream-like. A tour de force for Pinder's mellotron playing, these closing three tracks are probably the highlight of the album.
There are other very good songs here, which are less obviously to do with the concept. Most notable are Hayward's bouncy Lovely to See You, an excellent pop tune, and another of his trademark yearning ballads, the sublime Never Comes the Day; these two tracks showcase Hayward's skill at writing both slow and fast numbers. Ray Thomas also demonstrates his unique songwriting skills with the downbeat and bleakly humorous Dear Diary and Lazy Day, an excellent evocation of the traditional British Sunday.
Unfortunately, however, the album isn't quite as consistent as the Moodies' other releases between 1967 and 1972. This is mainly because of a weak middle section consisting of two forgettable John Lodge songs and an uncharacteristically lightweight contribution from Pinder, So Deep within You. Despite this, the quality of the rest of the album means On the Threshold of a Dream is still well worth a listen, and no self-respecting Moody Blues fan should be without it.
Free Music Review: "On the Doorstep of Nirvana"
Hit: 5 Stars
At least that's what Justin Hayward says in the new liner notes that they could have just as easily titled their 1969 album. "That's what the music meant to us. We wanted to collect religious and psychedelic influences onto an album and turn them into a pathway of enlightenment."
That might be asking a lot of any album, but ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM continues the magical blend of the Moodies glorious harmonies and grandiose themes. Gone, however, are the eastern influences of the previous album. You'll find no sitars or tablas on this album.
The album topped the UK chart for two weeks and peaked at No. 20 in the U.S. where it would stay on the charts for a whopping 136 weeks. The single "Never Comes the Day," however, would barely crack the Hot 100 where it stalled at No. 91. But the Moodies were an album band, and this is perhaps their best. There is not a weak track on the album, which culminates with the majestic Mike Pinder medley "Have You Heard (Part 1)"/"The Voyage"/"Have You Heard (Part 2)."
My only disappointment with this remastered edition is that it does not include a replica of the original 12-page booklet of lyrics and liner notes included in the 1969 vinyl pressings of this album. The CD booklet does, however, replicate the photos from the original gatefold album jacket. Any of the Moodies seven albums beginning with DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED are worth owning, but this one is essential for the serious fan. [Running Time - 37:06] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED