ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM

I may call myself a die-hard Moody Blues fan, ridiculous as it seems in the light of their eighties, hm, efforts, but this very album strikes me as somewhat half-baked. And it is very uneven - its diveristy is distracting rather than inspiring. Alongside true classics (Pinder's mini-suite) there are some lightweight ditties like Send Me No Wine (which is fine, but not at all prog - actually this song would have worked better without the mellotron, as Beatlesque pop), slightly undercomposed Lovely To See You and very weak So Deep Within You (this might be one of the best arranged Moody Blues tracks, but it's marred by both the primitive flute riff and uninventive verse melody). In the Beginning doesn't make any sense musically, I treat it a a waste of vinyl. The only track that benefits from the album's unstated mood is To Share Our Love. It is really captivating, unlike the too polished rockers on "Children", Lodge's cello only adds to the spirit of love-induced elevation. There is also an impressive nocturnal Hayward/Thomas collaboration Are You Sitting Comfortably?, slightly naive lyrically, but fully satisfying musically: it sets a serious, sombre tone at the same time lacking the usual Moody touch of pretentiousness (welcome elsewhere, but not against such an evocative melody, speaking for itself). The song feature some faraway vocals by Hayward, low in the mix, between the fist and the second verse: by far the best moment on the album. Overall impression: slightly disappointing, though occasionally dazzling.