IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD

"In Search of the Lost Chord" is the 3rd full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act The Moody Blues. The album was released through Deram Records in July 1968. It´s the successor to "Days Of Future Passed" from November 1967. The band had created quite a stir with the predecessor as it´s one of the first pop/rock albums featuring what back then was the innovative cocktail of pop/rock instrumentation and classical orchestra.

On "In Search of the Lost Chord" the band opted for a different approach though, and chose not to emply the use of a classical orchestra, instead opting to play a lot of unconventional instruments in addition to guitar, bass, and drums, in order to create a layered and sometimes symphonic rock sound. There are about 30 different instruments played on the album including citar (which is dominant on a song like "Om") and of course the omnipresent flute playing by Ray Thomas. The most enchanting thing about the soundscape on the album is the extensive use of mellotron though. The string mellotron sounds provide the album with an epic and often symphonic atmosphere, that you won´t hear often on a 1968 album release. In many ways The Moody Blues were pioneers in the use of the mellotron in rock music and they were definitely a huge influence on the progressive rock wave which was to follow in the near future.

Most tracks feature simple vers/chorus structures but tracks like "House of Four Doors" and "Legend of the Mind" are sligthly more adventurous in structure. So The Moody Blues had one foot in more conventional 60s pop/rock vers/chorus songwriting and one foot in the proto-progressive rock compositional camp. The high level musicianship can carry both styles, although the band sometimes has a tendency to be a little too polished, predictable, and nice. It´s mostly the vocals and some of the simpler song arrangements which aren´t that remarkable, compared to the more challenging parts of the album. The vocals are otherwise very well performed, featuring harmonies and choirs which are well arranged. Upon conclusion "In Search of the Lost Chord" is a good quality proto-progressive rock album and it´s certainly one of the better albums in the band´s discography. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.