SEVENTH SOJOURN

Often considered the last of the classic Moody Blues albums, this one really is a classic. While tensions and depressions were mounting within the band the music seemed to be wildly affected by it. The band, more often known for their happy, somewhat manic songwriting, would create a very moody opus with this album - more emotional and erking than anything they had done before. People who fear the band and their orchestral ''rompage'' of Days Of Future Past will find themselves highly surprised at just how dark and solemn the album is while still maintaining the Moody Blues sound.

The album does still maintain an uplifting quality to it, somehow. Even if right off the top of the album you're hit with a darker side of the Blues. Lost In A Lost World immediately rewrites what most people know about the band, and like most other songs on the album it's dark and engaging, the music becoming an ethereal vortex that sucks the listener in, but in a much different way than was done on previous albums. More 'upbeat' songs do exist on the album, although they're really just as happy as the darkest songs on some of the band's other works. For My Lady is a more subtle tune that uses some of the more orchestral elements of the band's previous albums without actually having to use an orchestra. Some wonderful, almost sea-worthy instrumental breaks turn this one into a tune to remember. The Land Of Make-Believe is another song in very much the same style, this one a little bit longer. It's almost dreamy in its approach and makes the best of voicing with more subtle instrumentation.

To make a good comparison as to the style of this album take this into consideration (for those who have heard Days Of Future Past): Imagine the entire album being done in the same style of Twilight Time, only without the orchestra. What you're left with is simply dark and emotional music. I keep stressing this point because it's simply amazing how good the album is if you're into this kind of music and may have been turned off by previous albums. Of course, the album also contains the hit I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) which is the last song on the album and probably the least representative of the style. It is, however, a scorching track that is well appreciated at the end of the album - some good hard rocking to end of an otherwise mellow and somewhat dreary (tone wise) album.

Highly recommended, this is an album for people who don't fancy themselves as fans of the classic Blues era. 4 barren landscapes out of 5 for an excellent album that has incredible potential to surprise. It's a shame that the band had their first breakup immediately afterward, because they were really good in this state - although it was obviously a necessary move for the sanity of the band members.

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