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The Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn [2008 Remastered+Expanded] (1972)

Genre: Progressive Rock

sojourn - a temporary stay (e.g., as a guest)

This seventh offering from "the blokes from Birmingham" is sort-of the end of a chapter in this classic band's history. Following the chain of albums Days of Future Passed, In Search of the Lost Chord, On the Threshold of a Dream, To Our Children's Children's Children, A Question of Balance, and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, this set would prove to be not only one of the band's most reflective albums to date, but semi-prophetic via the title, conveying a stopping-point along the way of the meteoric rise to fame the Moodies enjoyed to this point.

Unfortunately, this skyrocket to stardom had forced the band into having to distance themselves from the fans who had made them who they were by that stage in their already illustrious career. The combined adulation and intrusion of such had caused the guys to suck up into the vacuum of their own success, and therefore need to "take a break" as it were, from the trappings of the lifestyle in which they now found themselves.

As an aside note, this album and Days of Future Passed, were well favored by US astronauts and played on many space missions between the early 70s and late 90s. These tapes taken into space were mounted and framed and given back to the band by legendary pilot Chuck Yeager, then subsequently donated back to the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, by the band themselves..

This album opens with Mike Pinder's "Lost in a Lost World", reflective of the confusion and sadness of a Vietnam-era world, and is followed by Ray Thomas' classic love ballad "For My Lady", a rather Celtic-flavored tune, and probably Thomas' best. The next track, one of my personal favorites from this collection, "New Horizons" features some of singer Justin Hayward's best vocals AND lyrics. Very heartfelt and emotive, this track seems autobiographical in nature, in the sense that its lyrics reflect Hayward's new roles as both a husband and a father. Having first owned this album on vinyl, the last track on Side One is John Lodge's "Isn't Life Strange?" I would classify this as Lodge's tour-de-force because it is by far one of his most complex and vocally challenging songs EVER.

The second side (for vinylheads) commences with a rollicking and very hookish guitar solo by Hayward, with a bit of Pinder's Mellotron magic, and Lodge's trademark thumping bassline thrown in for good measure. "You and Me" is possibly the brightest point on what otherwise seems to be one of the Moodies' darker albums. "Land of Make-Believe" is a rather dreamy piece that takes the listener far away from a dismal and confusing world, once again reflecting the time period in which this album was released. Both hopeful and introspective, its lyrics range from the musings of the hippie-types these guys truly were, to commentary on the current events of the day.

Pinder's "When You're A Free Man" is a bit of a melancholy piece dedicated to the band's friend and pied-piper of LSD, Timothy Leary. This song would be the second song in the band's repertoire (after the upbeat tribute by Thomas, which appeared on the In Search of the Lost Chord album, "Legend of A Mind") that would pay homage to Leary. "When You're A Free Man" is a testament to how Leary was both maligned and misunderstood, and outright exiled for his strong stance on the use and benefits of LSD. He was incarcerated and fled to Canada for his actions, hence the title of this song. Pinder and Co. had become friends with the man who had urged his "followers" to "Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out."

The album closes with what has become the anthem for The Moody Blues, as well as a retort to all the hype and hysteria that, for that time, led to a three year hiatus for the band. "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock n' Roll Band)" is the biggest rocker the Moodies would ever produce, and is one of the most recognizable and anticipated numbers for those who love them live.

Seventh Sojourn stands up, to this day, as one of The Moody Blues' best works, as well as one of the finest albums in rock history. Spawning so many hits, it is no wonder why not only I, but scores of Moody Blues fans out there, rate this one so highly among their favorites. Well and truly a classic!

Tracklisting:

1. Lost In A Lost World (4:42)

2. New Horizons (5:10)

3. For My Lady (3:57)

4. Isn't It Strange (6:08)

5. You And Me (4:19)

6. The Land Of Make Believe (4:51)

7. When You're A Free Man (6:05)

8. I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) (4:22)

9. Isn't Life Strange (Original version) (8:14)

10. You And Me (Bechthorns backing track) (6:33)

11. Lost in a Lost World (Instrumental demo) (4:41)

12. Island (4:30)

Total Time: 63:32

Line-Up:

- Justin Hayward / guitars, vocals

- John Lodge / bass guitar, vocals

- Michael Pinder / keyboards, vocals

- Ray Thomas / harmonica, flute, vocals

- Graeme Edge / drums, percussion

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