Search - Moody Blues: Lovely to See You (2005) on DVD

A "must have" for a Moodies fan

Dennis O. Wasnich | Montpelier, Ohio United States | 02/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is basically the "Set" from the group's 2004 and 2005 tours, give or take a song, so it is very recent and covers the entire Moodies' span from "Tuesday Afternoon" to "December Snow." It's too bad that Ray Thomas isn't with them, but the flute is handled beautifully without him. For a complete concert, this disc may be the best overall. "Red Rocks" seemed to have good energy but in the early part of the concert, they seemed a bit "off," and the audio mix was weak on the vocals. "Hall of Fame" was a little better on the audio mix, but the energy didn't seem to be there and the song list was a bit short. On this latest disc, you get songs that don't appear elsewhere including Graeme's "Higher and Higher" dance, and Justin's "Forever Autumn" rendition. I've bought every Moody Blues DVD I can find, and I think this is the best one of the bunch so far. (And as a bonus, you get a half-hour of interview footage with the 3 remaining Moodies). Picture: A, Sound: A, Content: A-, Performance: A-, Overall: A-"

A Trip Back In Time! With DTS!

Martin A Hogan | San Francisco, CA. (Hercules) | 02/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Moody Blues are just getting better. Recorded in June of 2005 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, this `live' recording has no orchestra, however, it still brings back the feelings of the older songs. "Lovely To See You" might be an odd choice to open (other than its obvious title), but it is pitch perfect and a great prelude to what is to come. The original sound of the mellotron on "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights In White Satin" is more like the original than the orchestrated ones. In fact, it is great to hear the Moody's without an orchestra, proving their sound is just as good as it was in the sixties. Hayward's voice is in fine tune on great renditions of "The Actor" and "Question". "Higher & Higher" Is a great treat with Graeme Edge giving a chilling rendition exactly like the original. In fact, it is hilarious to see Edge do an (`Irish'?) dance gig during the song. Hayward and Lodge remain fairly conservative, as usual and although Ray Thomas is missed, he flutist replacement is amazing (Norda Mullen). She may not have the dramatization of Thomas, but she has stage presence and hits the notes perfectly. The entire feeling and sound is more of a trip back in time than any of the other live recordings. They are still the Moody Blues and are strong, tight and psychedelic to this day. The lights are bright and the backdrop is pure psychedelia.

The DVD includes detailed information about each song, who wrote it, who played what instrument, even each individual performers list of instruments down to the type and manufacturer. Who knew that Graeme Edge used Zildjian cymbals or that Hayward used a 100-watt Mesa dual rectifier? See what I mean? This is a complete and thorough history! AND, it is in DTS 5.1 surround sound!
"

The Moody Blues live on: 40 years and still great!!!!

Joseph Baker | Kurtistown, HI USA | 02/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nothing, not even this DVD, can capture the thrill, the excitelment, the enthusiasm and the joy of actually attending a Moody Blues concert. However, this DVD comes very, very close.

The sound is near perfect!!! I listened to the DTS 5.1 sound. I honestnly did not hear one sour note. The camera angles and shots were superb. They had shots over Graeme's shoulder looking toward the audience. They had many shots of the often overlooked drummer Gordon Marshall. There were many shots of Paul Bliss on keyboards and of Norda Mullen on flute. She is outstanding, in case you haven't seen or heard her.

If anything, they edited out the audience! You could see the crowd standing and clapping and really getting into it, but the crowd noise was minimumized. When I saw the Moodies in November 2005, the standing ovation after "Nights in White Satin" lasted over 2 minutes. On this DVD, it lasts 13 seconds!

No orchestra, no Ray Thomas and the band goes on. Just watching Graeme's performance of "Higher and Higher" makes this DVD a must for your collection. On this DVD, we don't get to see much of the stage show that accompanies the Moodies on tour. They can't capture everything on stage that is happening. That's why you must go see them for yourself!!

As an added bonus, there is a 29 minute interview with John, Graeme and Justin that is not to be missed.

This DVD is a "must-have" for every Moody Blues fan. Whether you were with them in the beginning or joined them along the way of their musical journey, you will not be disappointed."