A NIGHT AT RED ROCKS WITH THE COLORADO SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA

When this album was released in 1993, a number of the customers in my CD store remarked upon how good this album was, so I had to request a copy from the vendor. Now this was the the first live album The Moody Blues had released since 1977's Caught Live +5, which demonstrated that, at least back then, the band was much more of a studio group than a live band, but many years had passed, perhaps this wwas better.

Well, the years had passed, and, with an orchestra replacing keyboardist Michael Pinder (and his replacement, Patrick Moraz), the band sounds quite good on the old material. However, in the sixteen years since the previous live album, The Moody Blues had become an adult contemporary radio staple, and their music shows it.

After an orchestral Overture and out of place Late Lament (I now prefer the parody "Breathe deep the gathering gloom. Pizza boxes fill your room. Roaches come to seal your doom...") the classics start with Tuesday Afternoon, which works quite well with an orchestra. For My Lady suffers some, without the chanted background vocals, and becomes overly melodramatic mush.

Five of the next seven songs are from more recent albums, and are nothing more than generic sounding AC fodder. Completely forgattable.

The album finally becomes worth it's cost with the last four songs. I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band), Nights In White Satin, Question and Ride My See- Saw are all so well done that it makes me wish they had played more of the classics, and skipped the more recent drivel.