The Moody Blues are a group who have achieved some fame on the current R&B scene. They play a mixture of soulful music and rhythm and blues, but with a strong ‘pop’ music influence. It would be wrong to say that this is jazz or even the blues, but it does represent the better type of R&B which is being played around the clubs at present. They play a variety of instruments, all reasonably well and their sound is powerful and rhythmic with a surging heavy beat. The coordination of the group is competent and the solos are inventive, particularly those by pianist Mike Pinder.
This is their first album, and taking everything into consideration it is not a bad effort. A lot of thought seems to have gone into the choosing of the well varied material. I found the interpretation of the late Sonny Boy Williamson’s Bye Bye Bird to be the most interesting number, with Denny Laine’s harmonica playing building to an effective climax. If not a record for the blues purists, it should appeal to the enthusiasts of the current vogue of rhythm and blues.
Discography
I’ll Go Crazy; Something You Got; Go Now!; Can’t Nobody Love You; I Don’t Mind; I’ve Got A Dream (18½ min) – Let Me Go; Stop; Thank You Baby; It Ain’t Necessarily So; True Story; Bye Bye Bird (15 min)
(Decca LK 4711 12inLP 32s.)
