On the Threshold of a Dream [Bonus Tracks]

Performer: The Moody Blues
Engineer: Derek Varnals...
Producer: Tony Clarke...
Distributor: n/a

Notes: The Moody Blues: Mike Pinder, Justin Hayward, Ray Thomas, John Lodge, Graeme Edge. Additional personnel: Pete Jackson (triangle). Originally released on Deram (1035). Includes liner notes by John Reed. Digitally remastered by Steve Fallone (PolyGram Studios). The Moody Blues: Mike Pinder, Justin Hayward, Ray Thomas, John Lodge, Graeme Edge. Additional personnel: Pete Jackson (triangle). Includes liner notes by David Lymonds and Lionel Bart. Audio Remasterers: Justin Hayward ; Paschal Byrne; Alberto Parodi. Liner Note Author: David Symonds. Recording information: Decca Studio One, West Hampstead, England (01/14/1969-02/23/1969); Decca Studio One, West Hapstead (01/14/1969-02/23/1969); Decca Studio One, West Hampstead, England (01/14/1969-04/02/1969); Decca Studio One, West Hapstead (01/14/1969-04/02/1969). Photographers: Terence Abbott; David Wedgbury; Barry Plummer. Unknown Contributor Roles: Graeme Edge; John Lodge; Michael Pinder; Ray Thomas. Where this album's predecessor IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD dipped deeply into Eastern-flavored psychedelia, THRESHOLD is more of a straightforward rock record. Things open up experimentally enough, with a spoken-word vignette over electronic drones, but this leads straight into one of the Moodies' poppiest, most up-tempo songs, "Lovely to see You," which would remain a concert favorite for decades. Even notoriously theatrical flautist/vocalist Ray Thomas keeps his eccentricities in check on his effective ballad "Dear Diary." Keyboardist Mike Pinder takes a surprisingly lascivious vocal turn on the anomalous, leering rocker "So Deep Within You." Justin Hayward provides the lion's share of ear-tickling moments with pretty folk-rock tunes such as "Never Comes the Day" and "Are you Sitting Comfortably," while the most adventurous piece "Have you Heard/The Voyage" extends over three discrete tracks, featuring complex instrumental passages and lush harmonies. THRESHOLD doesn't come off as an attempt to cater to the mainstream, it's just a more song-based, less exotic recording than its predecessors.

Uncut (p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[The album deserves] a prominent place in the pantheon of British prog/pscyh classics." Mojo (Publisher) (9/00, p.121) - "...They Gregorian chanted as well as the Yardbirds, they structured their song cycles wonderfully, they made better use of the Mellotron than anyone, and nobody sang daft lyrics more beautifully..."

One of rock's longest-running acts, the Moody Blues began as a mid-1960s British R&B band � la the Rolling Stones, turning to psychedelic pop later in the decade. In the '70s, they evolved into purveyors of melodic, classically influenced songs that bridged the distance between progressive rock and pop, a sound they carried through several decades.

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