MOODY BLUES

Where this album's predecessor IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD dipped deeply into Eastern-flavored psychedelia, THRESHOLD is more of a straightforward rock record. Things open up experimentally enough, with a spoken-word vignette over electronic drones, but this leads straight into one of the Moodies' poppiest, most up-tempo songs, "Lovely to see You," which would remain a concert favorite for decades. Even notoriously theatrical flautist/vocalist Ray Thomas keeps his eccentricities in check on his effective ballad "Dear Diary." Keyboardist Mike Pinder takes a surprisingly lascivious vocal turn on the anomalous, leering rocker "So Deep Within You." Justin Hayward provides the lion's share of ear-tickling moments with pretty folk-rock tunes such as "Never Comes the Day" and "Are you Sitting Comfortably," while the most adventurous piece "Have you Heard/The Voyage" extends over three discrete tracks, featuring complex instrumental passages and lush harmonies. THRESHOLD doesn't come off as an attempt to cater to the mainstream, it's just a more song-based, less exotic recording than its predecessors.

Estimated despatch 5-10 days after ordering.