Search - Moody Blues :: On the Threshold of a Dream

Michelle D. from HAMPDEN, ME
Reviewed on 3/11/2021...

I think... I think I like this. Therefore, it is good. On The Threshold Of A Dream was the Moody Blues's third (Or fourth) album. I am going to be reviewing specifically this version, a SACD with 9 (count 'em, 9!) bonus tracks.
Starting the album is one of Graeme Edge's spoken word poems. This on seems to have three different characters. Pretty good.
Next up is Lovely To See You, one of my favorite moody blues songs.
After that is Dear Diary, another personal favorite.
Send Me No Wine is next and reminds me of their pre-Lodge and Hayward work. still good though.
To Share Our Love is pretty good.
So Deep Within you is up next and is pretty good.
Lazy Day is great. The past few songs have been building up for...
Are You Sitting Comfortably is in my top ten Moody Blues Songs. It talks about Merlin and Camelot.
The Dream is another poem. It's good.
Have You Heard Prt. 1 is pretty good.
The Voyage is a psychedelic instrumental trip. It's very good.
Have You Heard Prt. 2 sounds just like Prt. 1 in my opinion.
So that's the review for the core album. Now for the cool bonuses
In The Beginning (Full Version) is quite good. Better than the original since it has more noises.
So Deep Within You (Full Version) sounds quite different than the original. Better? Maybe not, since the original was a bit longer than it should've been.
Dear Diary (Alternate Mix) I prefer over the other since the vocals are a bit different.
Have You Heard (Original) I don't quite remember.
Voyage (Original) I don't remember much either.
The last couple tracks (Lovely To See You/Send Me No Wine/ So Deep Within You/Are You Sitting Comfortably) are all from BBC sessions. They all sound great! Sitting Comfortably had a little bit of feedback, but probably only noticeable because I was sitting right underneath a speaker that was on volume 45.
The fact that this is a Super Audio CD is pretty cool. This entire album is super psychedelic and is all over the place. Having surround sound was really cool. I'd rate the original album four stars because it didn't quite meet the standards set by DOFP and ISOLC, but this single version with the SACD and a bunch of bonus tracks, makes this five stars.

Not as good as earlier releases? Really?

Dennis Hawley | Asheville, NC | 07/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I hadn't really planned on writing a review of this CD until I read the recent (July 14, 2006) review by 'Micaloneus'. His review raised some interesting points, and was so at variance with other reviews that I was intriqued, so decided to offer my own take.

First off, I do not own the previous remastered versions of this or any other Moody Blues 'classic seven', so I cannot refute his claim. I am, however, able to respond to his primary criticisms.

The reviewer states that the original 'dynamics' have been compromised by excessive compression, resulting in 'ear fatigue', and that earlier releases sound more like the vinyl LPs, preserving the dynamics originally engineered. He also claims that the MFSL gold discs sound 'better' (at least on a Deep Purple record, so I presume he means on other titles as well). I happen to own a MFSL gold disc of 'Threshold', so I sat down and played it from start to finish, followed by this hybrid SACD version (played on a high-quality stereo, as I do not own an SACD player). I came away with a totally different perception. While the gold disc did sound a bit more like the vinyl record (I once owned over 2,000 LPs, including 'Threshold'), it does, then, have a bit of a 'warmer' sound (for want of a better word). Is it 'better'? Not in my book. In a direct A/B comparison, the hybrid SACD version sounded fuller, with much more separation and clarity. For example, on the fade-out on 'To Share Our Love', the refrain is barely audible on the gold disc, but is clear as glass on the hybrid version. I was able to pick up instrumentation on the hybrid that was buried in the gold disc. For me, the effect of listening to the hybrid was much more like being in the recording studio vs. listening to a record of that recording. No comparison. Also of note is the fact that of the 13 songs on the album, 9 of them had different playing times on the MFSL gold discs compared to the hybrids, ranging from one to seven seconds variance.

On the point about 'ear fatigue'...well, perhaps Micaloneus has a much more discerning ear than me; when I finished listening to the hybrid (which included all the great bonus tracks), I didn't get 'ear fatigue', but rather got a strong desire to play the hybrid release of 'In Search of the Lost Chord' immediately afterwards. Which I did.

On his general criticism of money-gouging regarding these hybrid releases, I disagree. They're only a few bucks more than a standard CD, and given the superior sound quality and first-rate bonus cuts, to me they're a bargain.

I do agree somewhat about the cover art. A better job should have been done in reproducing the depth of color found on the original albums.

Lastly, I cannot share at all his scathing declaration: "Shame on anyone involved in this SACD Deluxe Edition project," since Justin Hayward and John Lodge themselves oversaw the transfers. Instead, I praise them.

It is interesting to note that the exact same (verbatim) review by Micaloneus is found for each of the hybrid SACD titles of the Moody Blues. It seems as if a 'copy-and-paste' approach was taken, which raises questions as to whether all of the CDs were actually played.

If he and others are satisfied with the earlier remastered versions, then that's great. As for me, I cannot imagine any iteration of these great albums sounding any better than these superlative hybrid SACDs."

Another Classic Set On SACD!

Martin A Hogan | San Francisco, CA. (Hercules) | 04/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Moody Blues have re-released their albums as Remastered and a few in DTS, but finally they are now available in Hybrid SACD. This version is a keeper including some very rare and enormously well mastered and remixed songs.



These include:

In The Beginning

Lovely To See You

Dear Diary

Send Me No Wine

To Share Our Love

So Deep Within You

Never Comes The Day

Lazy Day

Are You Sitting Comfortably

Dream

Have You Heard - Part One

Voyage

Have You Heard - Part Two



Extra Songs:

In The Beginning (Full Version) (Bonus Track)

So Deep Within You (Full Version) (Bonus Track)

Dear Diary (Alternate Mix)

Have You Heard (Original Take)

Voyage (Original Take)

Lovely To See You (BBC Top Gear Session 2/18/69)

Send Me No Wine (BBC Top Gear Session 2/18/69)

So Deep Within You (BBC Tony Brandon Session Mono 4/2/69)

Are You Sitting Comfortably (Mono Version)



No previous Moody Blues album has contained such rare BBC sessions, outtakes and alternate mixes. One needs no other recording of this classic album. The box is half plastic and half cardboard which might not last as long as a regular CD package. However, the liner package notes are exhaustive with many new pictures and a complete history.



(Note: This is an SACD mix made from the original quadraphonic tapes. The extra songs are the original remastered quadraphonic tapes - not SACD. This means the extra songs revert back to stereo on your SACD player).





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