In Search of the Lost Chord
	Produced by Tony Clarke
	Released on July 1968
	UK CHART POSITION #5 . . . US CHART POSITION #23 . . . GOLD RECORD (12/9/70)
	Find it at GEMM
DES 18017 cover [high resolution photo]

B e your own guru! The Moodies’ followup to Days features a mantra (“Om”), a yantra, and can’t you just see where this is going? In Search of the Lost Chord is the band’s most overtly psychedelic album, a travelogue for the inner eye (and ear) to accompany the listener’s (wink, wink) meditative state. As good as Days of Future Passed was (is? will be?), you wouldn’t want that orchestra following the Moodies everywhere. So the band became, as producer Tony Clarke puts it, “the smallest symphony orchestra in the world.” Justin Hayward plays the sitar, Graeme Edge plays the tabla, John Lodge plays the cello, Mike Pinder plays the harpsichord, and Ray Thomas’ flutes play a large role in the arrangements (inviting the comparison to Chris Wood). The result is a native genius where Days’ felt tacked on sometimes; i.e., all glories to the Moodies on “Voices In The Sky” and the instrumental sections that inhabit “House of Four Doors.” The record starts out with another spoken piece from Graeme Edge, an invitation to drop out and tune in for a wild ride: “Ride My See-Saw,” the album’s most energized moment (it still gives me chills). There are a handful of indelible moments that mark the Moodies’ career, and the moment that “Ride My See-Saw” comes hurtling toward the listener is one of them. Just slightly below it in esteem are songs like “Legend of a Mind,” which begins with the cryptic claim that “Timothy Leary’s dead,” and a pair of tracks from Justin Hayward that show the sensibilities of “Nights In White Satin” are still in flower (he’s just put them in a different pot): “Voices in The Sky” and “The Actor.” In Search of the Lost Chord, like most of the Moodies’ “classic” albums, is a group effort in the truest sense, each member using their personal talents to advance a collective tale. Within that loose binding is the allowance for individuality, and so Ray Thomas’ “Dr. Livingstone, I Presume” may tread too lightly for some, Lodge’s “House of Four Doors” may tread where few can follow, and Mike Pinder’s “Om” may not tread on the ground at all. But the album is predicated on the idea that their audience would be open minded, receptive to the idea that “thinking is the best way to travel” and looking for “visions of paradise” among the “sounds of color.” (Okay, I think I’ve used up my quota of quotes for one day.) This album and On The Threshold of a Dream represent what’s best about The Moody Blues: ambitious storytellers, master songwriters, boundless musicians. The concept of pop music as art didn’t start with the Moodies, but it did take root under their tutelage.

DES 18017 inner gatefold	DES 18017 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. DEPARTURE    (Graeme Edge)    0:48
2. RIDE MY SEE-SAW    (John Lodge)    3:37
3. DR. LIVINGSTONE, I PRESUME    (Ray Thomas)    2:58
4. HOUSE OF FOUR DOORS    (John Lodge)    4:11
5. LEGEND OF A MIND    (Ray Thomas)    6:40
6. HOUSE OF FOUR DOORS (PART 2)    (John Lodge)    1:43
7. VOICES IN THE SKY    (Justin Hayward)    3:32
8. THE BEST WAY TO TRAVEL    (Mike Pinder)    3:12
9. VISIONS OF PARADISE    (Justin Hayward/Ray Thomas)    4:15
10. THE ACTOR    (Justin Hayward)    3:09
11. THE WORD    (Graeme Edge)    1:35
12. OM    (Mike Pinder)    6:27

CREDITS

GRAEME EDGE -- drums, timpani, tamourine, tablas, piano
JUSTIN HAYWARD -- twelve string guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, sitar, tablas, piano, ellotron, bass guitar, harpsichord, percussion, vocals
JOHN LODGE -- bass guitar, cello, tambourine, snare drum, acoustic guitar, vocals
MIKE PINDER -- mellotrons, piano, harpsichord, cello, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, auto-harp
RAY THOMAS -- 'C' flute, alto flute, soprano saxophone, vocals
Derek Varnals -- engineer
Philip Travers -- cover

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