Octave
	Produced by Tony Clarke
	Released on June 1978
	UK CHART POSITION #6 . . . US CHART POSITION #13 . . . PLATINUM RECORD (1/26/79)
	Find it at GEMM
PS 708 cover [high resolution photo]

H ere I go again, finding it so hard to explain what makes one Moodies record better than another. The band had actually broken up following Seventh Sojourn, or taken a break from one another or whatever you call it when a band stops making albums together to indulge solo careers that no one expected would take off and really amounted to little more than a pissing contest captured on plastic. In this respect, there are parallels between the Moodies and Yes, so feel free to see Octave as their Going For The One Last Time. Honestly, I expected this album was a reconciliation fueled by financial interests, that while they might have crossed the threshold together one last time the marriage was clearly over. But Octave rekindled my interest, featuring a handful of songs that reminded me of the way things were: “Had To Fall In Love,” “Driftwood,” “Survival.” Using Beatlesque arrangements and orchestral accompaniment in spots, the album flows with a grace that bands like BJH could only aspire to. I’m always amazed when a band can take years off and then pick up right where they left off. Going For The One, Who Are You, Discipline... it’s a pretty short list. Of course, it’s hard to hear this album without getting sentimental, as Michael Pinder and producer Tony Clarke left the fold after this album. I would have wished for a better swan song from Pinder than “One Step Into The Light,” but Clarke at least leaves on a high note, giving the band a lush backdrop that invites comparison to latter-day Beatles (John Lodge also sounds like he’s a got a Hohner in his hands). The album produced two singles: “Steppin’ In A Slide Zone” (which doesn’t do a thing for me) and “Driftwood” (which never fails to give me chills). But it’s the songs you haven’t heard, like “The Day We Meet Again” and “Under Moonshine,” that will determine whether you reach for Octave on the shelf or not. It’s an unlikely source for so much good music, this Octave, and belongs in any serious Moodies collection. Not surprisingly, the band shook off the rust just as easily for Long Distance Voyager, but that’s another story.

PS 708 inner gatefold	PS 708 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. STEPPIN' IN A SLIDE ZONE    (John Lodge)    5:28
2. UNDER MOONSHINE    (Ray Thomas)    5:00
3. HAD TO FALL IN LOVE    (Justin Hayward)    3:38
4. I'LL BE LEVEL WITH YOU    (Graeme Edge)    3:47
5. DRIFTWOOD    (Justin Hayward)    5:02
6. TOP RANK SUITE    (Justin Hayward)    3:40
7. I'M YOUR MAN    (Ray Thomas)    4:20
8. SURVIVAL    (John Lodge)    4:09
9. ONE STEP INTO THE LIGHT    (Mike Pinder)    4:28
10. THE DAY WE MEET AGAIN    (Justin Hayward)    6:18

CREDITS

GRAEME EDGE --
JUSTIN HAYWARD --
JOHN LODGE --
MIKE PINDER --
RAY THOMAS --
Jimmy Haskell -- string arrangement & conductor (8)
Dr. Terry James -- string arrangements, conductor (2,7)
R. A. Martin -- saxes, horns, horn & sax arrangements (5,6)
Garry Ladinsky, Chris Brunt, Richard Kaplan, Pete Carlsen, Dennis Hansen -- recording engineers
David Alexander -- photography
Kosh -- design & art direction
Richard Roth -- cover co-ordination

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