Long Distance Voyager [LP]

The Moody Blues: Justin Hayward (vocals, guitar); Ray Thomas (vocals, flute, harmonica); John Lodge (bass, background vocals); Patrick Moraz (keyboards); Graeme Edge (drums). Additional personnel: The New World Philharmonic. The Moody Blues: Justin Hayward (vocals, guitar); Ray Thomas (vocals, flute, harmonica); Patrick Moraz (keyboards); John Lodge (bass, background vocals); Graeme Edge (drums). Additional personnel: The New World Philharmonic. LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER signaled the revitalization of the Moodies. After a six-year layoff, they'd regrouped for 1978's OCTAVE, which met with mixed reviews. Three years later, the updated sound of VOYAGER brought them back to the top of the charts. Ex-Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz's synthesizers replace Mike Pinder's Mellotron, and there's a distinct early-'80s sheen to the upbeat hits "Gemini Dream," which chronicles the band's comeback efforts quite literally, and "The Voice." "Talking out of Turn" sounds like nothing so much as a more sophisticated Little River Band, but one cannot deny its gentle, bouncy appeal. Gentle, acoustic ballads like "In my World" and "Nervous," however, wouldn't sound out of place on ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM. For the diehards, Ray Thomas (whose flute is conspicuously absent in much of this '80s-centric production) provides that essential element of quirky British theatricality with his closing, self-referential triptych of "Painted Smile," "Reflective Smile," and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker." The last of these offerings proves that the Moodies have more self-knowledge than their critics would like to believe.