EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR

I think this was the last of the 'Magnificent 7' of their 'classic' 1st 7 seven releases that I got into. Then they broke up, following Seventh Sojourn to pursue individual projects. I bought all of those except for 'Kick of your muddy boots' (Graeme Edge). Although there were a lot of good songs on these various missions, the dilution proved that the individual parts lost something that the whole brought to the table. They finally reunited for Octave (1978?), which at the time, I thought 'sucked' by comparison with previous efforts. However, over the years I got to like it. Only 'Long Distance Voyager' from their later albums holds a candle to the original 7 in terms of a very good set of songs, sounding like the whole thing was tied together somehow - but maybe it was the artwork on that cover that elicited the feeling that it somehow belonged with those other 7.

'Every Good Boy' had a beautiful album cover .. it just doesn't look or feel the same on a CD. That cover was highly memorable, and I thought of myself as the young boy being rewarded by the wise old man (Merlin?). He looks sad, seeing himself in the boy, longing for lost youth(?). Years later in Australia, I commissioned an artist to paint this album cover onto a sweatshirt for me.

The cover suggests that there is wisdom to be found by listening to the album's contents. I have to say on first listening (1975?) I was quite disappointed. This is one that grows on you, but overall the song quality is not as consistent, and it doesn't gel as well as earlier albums. The grunting sounds on Procession, along with sounds of thunder, rain set an experimental, 'Progressive' tone, that quickly evaporates on the straightforward, (albeit good) 'Story in your Eyes'. By the time we get to 'Our guessing Game', the album's starting to sound very 'middle of the road'/ 'easy listening' that your Granny might like. That's not to say I didn't enjoy singing along to it, just it sounded/sounds rather 'square' (that's old-fashioned).

For me, 'Emilys song' saves what was the first side of the LP from total disappointment. As another reviewer here said, it does have a childlike ambience, set off by something that sounds like a xylophone. I remember being stoned to this, and just being captivated by the beautiful pink glow produced by some lovely fairy lights I had, and being drawn out of time. But this is pretty, hardly progressive. The illusion is quickly shattered by 'After you Came', which I found the most dispensible track. Just a bit too noisy, and nothing special.

The second side fields much stronger songs. 'One more time to live' revisits and expands on 'Procession' "Look out of my window, see the world passing by" he sings. Can I relate to that sentiment! However, the song is still merely good. But there is a much easier transition from song to song on this side, as we blend into 'Nice to be here'. This one was made to play on a beautiful Spring day, when the sun is shining, a gentle breeze blowing, and you're full of the joy of life, as echoed so admirably in it's clever lyrics. This one lightens up the tone on what is for the most part a ponderous, heavy going album. It's hard not to like it However, the mood quickly changes (The Moodies) with 'You can never go home'

If we were just in Spring, we have now shifted dramatically to 'the winter of our discontent'. This song is grim, sombre, solemn,depressing. It has the anthemic quality of 'Tuesday Afternoon', but none of it's lightness. I found myself singing this one with so much feeling (like 'Tuesday Afternoon'), longing for those times that are now just memories ... "You can NEVER go HOME, anymore". If there's any hope/wisdom in this song, it's "Don't deny the feeling that is stealing through your heart, every happy ending needs to have a start'.

Finally, we move into possibly the best song on the album, 'My Song'. Although it is long and overblown (like this review), Mike Pinders use of the mellotron is marvellous, the song has a bittersweet feel about it, not to mention an ending to die for, that can only be described as 'Cosmic'. Defiantly he says "I'm going to sing my song ... a song that NEVER ENDS". The fade out is terrific, the album ends on a note of high optimism, and I find myself playing the last minute or so of that track again and again, cranking the volume up higher and higher on the songs dying volume. Pinder wasn't as prolific as Hayward and Lodge, but his songs were generally of a very high standard, particularly this, 'Out and In', (with a highly memorable Cosmic synth ending/beginning), and 'How is it we are here'. He gave them backbone, and their later albums were weaker following his departure.

Overall, not really essential(unless you're a Moodies fan (I am), probably I'd score it around 3.5