MOODY BLUES

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. Graham Edge's short spoken-word pieces provide a properly arty framework for the Moodies' blend of swooping mellotron, haunting flute, and rich, multi-tracked harmonies. The slightly Hollies-ish "Ride my Seesaw," one of the band's strongest rockers, is a highlight. Flutist/vocalist Ray Thomas provides the quirky Britishness so essential to '60s UK pop-rock with his music-hall-on-acid number "Dr. Livingstone I Presume." The soaring harmonies of "Legend of a Mind" work in praise of Timothy Leary and his "trips to astral planes." IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD is the most exotic, trippy album in the Moodies' catalog.

Estimated despatch 5-10 days after ordering.