Long Distance Voyager
Their second US number one, a turnaround after Octave.
The Moody Blues, 1981
Hayward said "The Voice" was the first song recorded and the album a turnaround after Octave. Pip Williams produced and arranged strings with the New World Philharmonic, Moraz played keyboards and synthesizers, B. J. Cole played pedal steel on "In My World" and Greg Jackman engineered and mixed. "Gemini Dream" grew from a Lodge demo called "Touring in the USA"; "22,000 Days" came from Edge's calculation of a lifespan in days; the title "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" came from a reporter's phrase about Thomas. It reached number one on the Billboard 200 and in Canada, 7 in the UK, is platinum in the US and triple platinum in Canada. Singles were "Gemini Dream" (12 in the US), "The Voice" (15) and "Talking Out of Turn" (65). Billboard praised its gorgeous melodies, harmonies and poetic lyrics, and AllMusic and Rolling Stone each gave four of five stars, per Wikipedia. A 2008 remaster adds the single edit of "The Voice" at 4:17.
Track listing
- The Voice5:21
- Talking Out of Turn7:18
- Gemini Dream4:09
- In My World7:22
- Meanwhile4:08
- 22,000 Days5:25
- Nervous5:45
- Painted Smile3:18
- Reflective Smile0:36
- Veteran Cosmic Rocker3:18
More from The Moody Blues
Go Now The Moody Blues #1 (1965), The Magnificent Moodies (1965), In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968), To Our Childrens Childrens Children (1969), On The Threshold Of A Dream (1969), A Question Of Balance (1970), Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971), Answer To The Mystery Of Life (1971), Seventh Sojourn (1972), Bushbuck (1972), October 1972 (1973), The Moody Blues' Grande Toure (1975), Octave (1978), The Present (1983), The Other Side Of Life (1986), Sur La Mer (1988), Keys Of The Kingdom (1991), Legend Of A Band (1991), A Night At Red Rocks With The Colorado Symphony Orchestra (1993), Strange Times (1999), December (2003)
Sources
- Long Distance Voyager, Wikipedia
- The albums that saved prog: Long Distance Voyager, Louder (2024-12-29)