A Simple Game [Single 'B' Side] - The Moody Blues, Pinder, Michael
2 CD set. After helping lay the groundwork for concept albums and progressive rock with 1967's orchestra-enhanced suite Days Of Future Passed, the Moodies retrenched for the follow-up. They abandoned the orchestra but kept... more » their sound as rich as before by playing a multitude of instruments themselves, including everything from sitar to cello to oboe. At the time, it was remarkable enough for these instruments to appear on a rock record, much less to be played by the band itself. The string-laden conceptual pieces of Days were replaced by shorter, more concise songs that leaned more toward Beatlesque pop and displayed a pronounced Eastern influence. In Search Of The Lost Chord is the most exotic, trippy album in the Moodies' catalog. Polydor. 2006.« less
2 CD set. After helping lay the groundwork for concept albums and progressive rock with 1967's orchestra-enhanced suite Days Of Future Passed, the Moodies retrenched for the follow-up. They abandoned the orchestra but kept their sound as rich as before by playing a multitude of instruments themselves, including everything from sitar to cello to oboe. At the time, it was remarkable enough for these instruments to appear on a rock record, much less to be played by the band itself. The string-laden conceptual pieces of Days were replaced by shorter, more concise songs that leaned more toward Beatlesque pop and displayed a pronounced Eastern influence. In Search Of The Lost Chord is the most exotic, trippy album in the Moodies' catalog. Polydor. 2006.
Member CD Reviews
Michelle D. from HAMPDEN, ME Reviewed on 3/9/2021...
I didn't know when I bought it, or when I listened to it, I only just learned now that this is an Super Audio CD. Only the main album part, however. Doesn't say that anywhere on the package. But In Search Of The Lost Chord is an awesome album. Let that be known. The second disc here is where it's at though. The first couple alternate mixes sound the same. Visions Of Paradise is my least favorite song on the album anyways so the instrumental is worse. What Am I Doing Here is amazing! One of the Caught live +5 five, it's mind blowing that this wasn't included on any albums. A Mellow tron mix of The Word, that has some music in between "And The Word Is..." and the beginning of Om. That doesn't quite make sense. Then there's an extended version of Om. 23 extra seconds doesn't quite do much for me. A Simple Game. It was released as the B-Side to Ride My See-Saw. It's my second favorite Moody Blues song. Specifically the alternate version, which is 18 seconds shorter and sounds different. King and Queen is cool. Another +5 Live. Tracks 10-14 are BBC sessions. I don't remember them much. Then there's the Simple Game original B-side. Yes, pretty good. If you're a fan of this album, get this deluxe edition. Pretty darn cool.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
CD Reviews
This is a hybrid SACD in STEREO only
D. Shawn McCann | Massachusetts | 04/20/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just because a disc is an SACD does not mean that it must be multi-channel. SACD is a high resolution format that's CAPABLE of delivering up to 6 channels, but that doesn't mean all SACDs must be multi-channel discs.
The multi-channel mixes on the new Moody Blues SACDs are based on the quadrophonic masters prepared in the 1970s and released on four-channel reel-to-reel tapes. To create 5.1 channels from the original 4 channel masters, a center channel was derived from the front right and left channels and the '.1' subwoofer channel was derived from all four channels by using some sort of low-pass filtering.
In Search of the Lost Chord was never mixed in quad according to what I've read elsewhere, so this release is a hybrid SACD in stereo only. It does not include a multi-channel version.
The first SACD discs ever released were high-resolution stereo only, and could not be played on regular CD players (e.g. Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual"). Multi-channel SACDs were introduced later, and these discs often also include a high-resolution stereo version of the same program on the SACD layer. Hybrid SACDs were introduced to provide backwards-compatibility with regular CD players. These discs have a normal CD layer as well as a SACD layer, and that SACD layer can be stereo only (like the Rolling Stones remasters from 2002) or stereo and multichannel (like the Elton John SACDs that came out in 2003 and 2004). There are even some classical SACDs that have stereo and 3 channel (left/center/right) versions of the same program (e.g. RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence discs that were originally recorded on three tracks back in the late 1950s and early 1960s). Thus ends today's lesson on SACD formats... :)
"
The Second Moody Blues Album in SACD Format Rocks!
Martin A Hogan | San Francisco, CA. (Hercules) | 04/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This second historical musical outing took a break from the orchestral pop of "Days Of Future Passes" and dove into the land of psychodelia and rock & roll. There are numerous special sound effects and fantastic song writing. All is emphasized in the SACD format. Here is a list of the extras on this set.
Ride My See Saw (BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68)
Tuesday Afternoon (BBC Afternoon Pop Show 7/10/68)
Simple Game (Single Version)
Departure (Alternate Mix)
Best Way To Travel (Additional Vocal Mix)
Legend Of A Mind (Alternate Mix)
Visions Of Paradise (Sitar Mix)
What Am I Doing Here? (Alternate Mix)
Word (Mellotron Mix)
Om (Full Version)
Simple Game (Justin Hayward Vocal Mix)
King & Queen
Dr Livingstone, I Presume (BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68)
Voices In The Sky (BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68)
Thinking Is The Best Way (BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68)
The alternate mixes of "Departure" and "Visions of Paradise" are worth the set alone. This is a true feast for the ears.
(Note: Disc 1 is an SACD mix made from the original quadraphonic tapes, however, for some odd reason, of all the seven original albums, this disc is SACD stereo - not multi-channel! It is not the typical Moody Blues 4.1 mix (the center speaker was never developed from the quad mix). Disc 2 is the original remastered quadraphonic tapes, but mixed in stereo only - not SACD. This is seen as Disc 1 is gold colored and Disc 2 is silver. Also note that because this was originally a quadrophonic mix, the center front speaker is not used).
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Never sounded this good
C. S. Junker | Burien, WA USA | 05/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've bought a number of stereo only SACDs that sounded good, but not noticeably better than the CD.
Happily, that's not the case with this stunning remaster of the Moodies' best album. I've been listening to "Lost Chord" for 38 years, and it's never sounded anywhere near this good. SACD does offer a more precise soundstage (that is, the location of the channels) and a fuller, richer sound, and this is the best example of this I've heard so far.
Like others, I'd have liked a surround sound mix, but with sound quality this good, I can live without it. If you have an SACD player, you should get this disc. As Eric Burdon once said, "It *will* be worth it!""
The sound I have heard in your hello
Dark Star-The Other One | The Bus To Never Ever Land | 06/13/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Okay, yes this seems to be a stereo only SACD but in my humble opinion, it has never sounded better and I know the MFSL versions as well as just about every other version out there. Having grown up around this album, I can honestly say that there are things on here that I've never even noticed before. The echo that Tony Clarke uses on here gives this album an almost ghostly feeling that really comes through on this version. the backing vocals on Voices In the Sky sound like a heavenly cosmic chior. Justin's acoustic has never come across better than it does on this version but really the same can be said for every thing else. Ray's flute on Visions Of Paradise reminds me of light drifting through the cosmos. One of my all time favorite Moodies songs, the Actor sounds so clean and the drums are so crisp that I think I've fallen in love with it all over again. the bonus disc is a wonderful addition and I'm glad that they aqdded Michael's A Simple Game as this was the only problem with the original version of the album as it was only a single B side to one of the songs here. It's also nice to hear Justin try it although Mike's is the keeper. The two outtakes that originally appeared on + 5 actually fit better here What Am I Doing Here and King And Queen have never sounded better. the live stuff is wonderful. It's a shame that the SACD format has gotten such a bad rap with some as I myself would love to see other artists and bands put out more SACD's. Imagine SACD albums by artists like King Crimson and Traffic."
Great Remasters
Raven Shaddock | USA | 05/20/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The first CD is the original album. Some of my favorite tracks are "Ride My See-Saw", including Grame Edge's intro "Departure" w/ his mad laughter, "The Actor", "Voices In The Sky" and my favorite "Legend of a Mind". One thing that amazes me are the members are so talented they can pick up an instrument for the first time & learn how to play it for a certain song. Such as John Lodge playing the Cello on "House of Four Doors", Mike Pinder exploring the sounds of the Mellotron, Justin Hayward on Sitar in "Visions of Pardise". On the inside CD cover Producer Tony Clarke notes the studio resemble a museum of musical instruments that the Moody Blues played every single note. Clarke said it best "...Their versatility never ceases to amaze me from Album to Album, in fact to me they will always be the smallest symphony orchestra in the world."
The 2nd CD consist of 15 tracks some alternative, instrumental, extended and live recordings. "Legend Of A Mind" has an alternative flute solo by Pinder. Justin's instrumental of "Vision of Paradise", and Justin's lead vocals on "A Simple Game" that Mike Pinder is noted as lead vocalist for that song. Also the live BBC Radio Sessions.
The booklet includes photos and track by track background of the songs."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
Michelle D. from HAMPDEN, ME