THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE

Indeed this is a very disappointing album by the Moody Blues standards. I found 'The Present' a brilliant and mellow album. This album is too uptempo, too pop, no creativity and no Ray Thomas. Hence, only 9 tracks. Not having Ray is noticeable, in the juvenile whimsy essential element he brings and his organic flute playing. Also, that baritone voice is missing. It is not all a failure, there are four nice tracks. 'Your wildest dreams' is a sumptuous melodic Justin Hayward tune, and 'The other side of life' is a slower, but very slightly progressive number. The synths are slightly more subtle here than on many other tracks that are ruined by Moraz's indulgences. The other two tracks I like, that don't seem to be so popular here, are 'I just don't care', which I think is a beautiful melodic soft ballad - this is the sort of track Justin excells in, in his sleep. Love this song. Also, 'it may be a fire' is a nice song and has a lovely instrumental break, where the electric guitars and synths work in melodic harmony. Rest of the tracks are forgettable. But 'rock and roll over you' is total garbage. One of the worst tracks in their whole repertoire.