EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR

Where to begin on this fabulous album? In terms of favorites, this album lies between the masterpiece "Days of Future Passed" and "In Search of the Lost Chord". It is truly that good in my opinion, with delicate melodies, strong acoustic guitar, and and yet another solid lyrical journey.

The Moody Blues have come out of nowhere to be one of my very favorite bands. "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" is a story about finding the good things in life, but only as a child can find them. It celebrates and bemoans the state of this world and the unfortunate children that must grow up and learn all about it. Lessons are learned, love is found, and dreams are produced. This album, then, is incredibly human and fantastically relatable.

The album, while not featuring the lush orchestration or the mellotron lines of previous works, completely stands on its own with moog atmospheres that are dense and so colorfully played out in my mind. Pinder offers these keys with a richness that simply dazzles me. However, Hayward on guitar is marvelous. His guitar work is deliberate, strong, and masterful. Lodge on bass impresses me, too, with his stumbling, groovy bass lines that are very audible and so catchy. Thomas and Edge, as usual, are both outstanding, too.

But, what do The Moody Blues do best? They write melodies. Very, very memorable ones. "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" is no different, as every single track leaves a strong impression. From the strangely appropriate "Procession" to the beautiful flow of "The Story in Our Eyes", and from the delicacy of "Emily's Song" to the strong guitar work and rhythm of "After You Came", this album fires on all cylinders. Yet, the second half might be even stronger! Boasting the flute strains of "One More Time to Live", the funky mooginess of "Nice to Be Here", and the ballad "You Can Never Go Home", the album simply gets more incredible as it plays.

Finally, it ends with one of this band's very best song combinations, "My Song" and (on the remaster) "The Dreamer". The former is a melodically acute, piano-soaked song with a haunting, psychedelic interlude. The latter is a shorter, guitar-driven song with amazing melody and movement.

The Moody Blues need to be appreciated more, I believe. Albums such as "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" are gems, full of some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. I'm beginning to see their influence in many, many other bands, and I believe their influence will only get stronger as many young people I know are also in love with them. This album, then, is a masterwork, and only gets better with time.