ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM

On the tHreshold of a Dream is the continuation of In Search of the Lost Chord in teh sesne that The Moody Blues are determined to further explore their twist in the mainstream rock in pursue of artsy pastures. This album isn't as consistent as its predecessor, but as an ensemble the band has shown clear signs of maturation, especially regarding the way that the instruments are ensembled and the slightly more pompous use of orchestral ambiences in tha album's most ambicious passages. The album kicks off with a delicious dialogue between the Establishment and the Ego, which gives an existential variation to the Cartesian fundational thought - the closing morals gives way to the uptempo 'Lovely to See You', a nice homage to the beauty of communication. 'Dear Diary' has Thomas bring a journey into the fields of lazy intorspection in a jazz-pop scheme, and the same happens with his other input 'Lazy Day': nice tunes with nothing special to them. The same can be said about Lodge's efforts 'Send Me No Wine' and 'To Share Your Love': the former is a country-based serenade while the latter is an early Who-like rocker... again, nice tunes with a recognizable structure and catchy melodies, yet far from the greatness of other Lodge- penned tracks in some other albums. Pinder also rests comfortably on pop-oriented ground with a slight artsy component: 'So Deep Within You' shows him mixing Beatles and Yardbirds with a dicrete use of mellotron layers along the way. The album's second half is the most interestin in terms of progressive music. 'Never Comes the Day' is the mandatory Hayward-penned candid song - acoustic guitar bases, emotionally driven vocal lines, evolving mellotron harmonies, all these are here in good shape. Thomas' harmonica replaces his usual flute, in this way stating the subtle coauntry-inspired colors of the nuclear composition. 'Are You Sitting Comfortably?' is more pastoral, bringing soft Celtic moods, a bit less exotic than 'Visions of Paradise' from the previous album: it includes beautiful flute flourishes. The sequence of the last tracks brings the long expected climax. The poem 'The Dream' inserts the solemnity of a philosophical event, with the Pinder-penned 'Have You Heard' and 'The Voyage' bringing a lyrical approach to the matter. The two 'Have You Heard' sections are captivating prog ballads delivered in a controlled fashion. The interlude 'The Voyage' is the album's finest moment, an amazing tribute to Grieg and Debussy wrapped in a sort of mysterious vibe, in this way giving coherence to the concept of having a dream as a liberation of the mind. The multiple mellotron colors, the flute solo, the cellos and the symphonic percussions are put together in a very disciplined way without letting go of an inch of emotional drive - intelligence and emotion fused in one single sonic force. Thsi album is not as big asother Moodies' efforts, but it happens to be essential for teh collector to grasp the sustained evolution of The Moody Blues during their 67-72 era.