1969: En el umbral de un sueño

Contenido de esta entrada:

Introducción

Lanzamiento del álbum

Enlaces, letras y opinión personal

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Introducción

En el anterior artículo continuamos la historia de los Moody Blues con la publicación del álbum In Search of the Lost Chord  y la repercusión que tuvo.

En enero 2022 estará disponible el nuevo álbum de John Lodge

Este artículo lo dedicamos a su siguiente álbum (el cuarto): On the Threshold of a Dream.

Contraportada del álbum On the Threshold of a Dream

Lanzamiento del álbum On the Threshold of a Dream

El álbum comienza con un poema acompañado de sonidos electrónicos, y estos sonidos también aparecen al final del álbum: la mayoría de los vinilos en Europa del álbum continúan sonando a la salida del álbum, lo que hace que se reproduzcan continuamente hasta que se levante el brazo de tono del tocadiscos. Las versiones en cinta y CD del álbum emplean un desvanecimiento lento. Para los sonidos electrónicos utilizan por primera vez un sintetizador: el EMS VCS 3. Fue lanzado en 1969, por lo que los Moody Blues fueron de los primeros en utilizarlo. Con el tiempo, se hizo muy popular entre los grupos de rock progresivo. A diferencia del sintetizador Moog carecía de teclado. La ventaja era su pequeño tamaño que permitía la portabilidad.

EMS VCS 3

On the Threshold of a Dream fue lanzado el 25 de abril de 1969 en el Reino Unido y el 30 de mayo de 1969 en los Estados Unidos. On the Threshold of a Dream proporcionó a los Moody Blues su primer álbum número uno británico (permaneciendo 69 semanas en lista), y también impulsó su éxito en Estados Unidos al convertirse en su primer álbum top 20 allí.

Pantallazo de las listas británicas

El álbum, junto con el posterior To Our Children's Children's Children's Children, fue una de las cintas llevadas por el astronauta del Apolo 15 Al Worden a la luna.

Al Worden

En marzo de 2006 el álbum fue completamente remasterizado en formato SACD y reempaquetado con nueve pistas extra. En 2008 se publicó una remasterización para CD de audio estándar con los mismos bonus tracks.

Contraportada del CD de la edición de 2006

Enlaces, letras y opinión personal

CARA 1

A1  In the Beginning    0:44

(Poema escrito y recitado por Graeme Edge, otras voces: Hayward, Pinder).

Hayward, Edge y Pinder comparten la narración de apertura en "In The Beginning". 

Enlaces

In The Beginning

In The Beginning (Full Version)

Moody Blues On The Threshold Of A Dream 01 In The Beginning

Letras

[First Man:] I think, I think I am, therefore I am, I think.

[Establishment:] Of course you are my bright little star,

I've miles

And miles

Of files

Pretty files of your forefather's fruit

and now to suit our

great computer,

You're magnetic ink.

[First Man:] I'm more than that, I know I am, at least, I think I must be.

[Inner Man:] There you go man, keep as cool as you can.

Face piles

And piles

Of trials

With smiles.

It riles them to believe

that you perceive

the web they weave

And keep on thinking free.

A2 Lovely to See You   2:35

(Escrita y cantada por – Justin Hayward)

Una grabación completa en vivo de la canción se puede encontrar en la edición de lujo de su álbum en vivo A Night at Red Rocks con la Orquesta Sinfónica de Colorado.

Lovely To See You (Live At Red Rocks/1982)

Enlaces

Lovely To See You

Moody Blues-Lovely To See You

Lovely To See You

Moody Blues On The Threshold Of A Dream 02 Lovely To See You

Letras

A wonderful day for passing my way.

Knock on my door and even the score

With your eyes.

Lovely to see you again, my friend.

Walk along with me to the next bend.

Dark cloud of fear is blowing away.

Now that you're here, you're going to stay

'Cause it's...

Lovely to see you again, my friend.

Walk along with me to the next bend.

Tell us what you've seen in faraway forgotten lands

Where empires have turned back to sand.

Wonderful day for passing my way.

Knock on my door and even the score

With your eyes.

Lovely to see you again, my friend.

Walk along with me to the next bend.

Videos

En vivo en la Taverne De L'olympia, Paris 1970.

The Moody Blues - Lovely To See You (1970) - YouTube

MOODY BLUES Lovely To See You Again 2007 Live @ Gilford - YouTube

En el programa de Howard Stern en 1989:

The Moody Blues live at Howard Stern - Lovely to see you - YouTube

En directo en Estocolmo en 2008:

Moody Blues Lovely to see you again - YouTube

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Tema animado con buen ritmo, con mucho guitarreo que proporciona el toque rockero.

A3 Dear Diary   3:56

(Escrita y cantada por – Ray Thomas)

Enlaces

Dear Diary

Moody Blues-Dear Diary

Dear Diary

Moody Bluesgrass - Dear Diary

Dear Diary

Letras

Dear diary, what a day it's been.

Dear diary, it's been just like a dream.

Woke up too late. Wasn't where I should have been.

For goodness sake, what's happening to me?

Write lightly, yours truly, dear diary.

It was cold outside my door.

So many people by the score.

Rushing around so senselessly.

They don't notice there's people like me.

Write lightly, yours truly, dear diary.

They don't know what they're playing.

They've no way of knowing what the game is.

Still they carry on doing what they can.

Outside me, impolitely, dear diary.

It's over. Will tomorrow be the same?

I know that they're really not to blame.

If they weren't so blind then surely they'd see.

There's a much better way for them to be.

Inside me, yours truly, dear diary.

Somebody exploded an H-bomb today.

But it wasn't anyone I knew.

Dear diary. It was cold today.

But the sun came out later. So, I went out and strolled about looking at the shops.

Didn't really see anything I liked, so I didn't buy anything.

On my way home, I posted a letter.

Been quite a nice day.

Somebody exploded an H-bomb today, but it wasn't anybody I

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Las voces son procesadas produciendo un efecto innovador.

A4 Send Me No Wine  2:20

(Escrita por – John Lodge; cantada por - Hayward, Lodge, Thomas, Pinder)

Enlaces

Send Me No Wine

Moody Blues-Send Me No Wine

Moody Blues On The Threshold Of A Dream 04 Send Me No Wine

The Moody Blues:-'Send Me No Wine'

The Moody Blues: Send Me No Wine

Letras

Send me no wine

To make an invitation.

Leave me no time

In your imagination.

Only to find

Words in your mind

They're gonna make you, leave your,

Leave your heart behind.

Send me, send me no wine,

To send my love away.

Send me, send me no wine,

To send my love away.

(For) once in my life

I need no conversation.

All of my time

I'll spend in fascination.

Give me my love,

With you in my life.

If only everybody

Found the answer in love.

Send me, send me no wine,

To send my love away.

Send me, send me no wine,

To send my love away.

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Canción folk con aires country.

A5 To Share Our Love   2:54

(Escrita por – John Lodge; cantada por - Lodge, Pinder)

Enlaces

To Share Our Love

Moody Blues-To Share Our Love

Moody Blues On The Threshold Of A Dream 05 To Share Our Love

The Moody Blues: To Share Our Love

The Moody Blues:-'To Share Our Love'

Letras

Makes me feel good,

Now I can see

It takes more than one to give

The life we need.

[Partes A y B van simultáneas]

[A]

I can't think why

I never thought of this before

Now I know what it means to share

To share my love.

Now I know why

I've found the answer for myself

What a day it would be to share

To share your love

[B]

Can't think

Why I never thought

Of this before, now I know

What it means to me

To share, share all my love with you,

To share, share all my love with you.

Can't think

Why I never thought

Of this before, now I know

What it means to me

To share, share all my love with you,

To share, share all my love with you.

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Canción de rock & roll

Página del libreto de la edición de 2006

A6 So Deep Within You  3:07

(Escrito y cantado por Mike Pinder) 

Ocupó la cara B del sencillo Never Comes the Day que se lanzó el 2 de abril de 1969.

Portada del sencillo en España.

Enlaces

So Deep Within You

So Deep Within You (Full Version)

Moody Blues: So Deep WithIn You

The Moody Blues - So Deep Within You

So Deep Within You (4.0 quad mix): The Moody Blues

Letras

Talk to me baby, I want to sleep at night

My heart is heavy, it's weighed down by the night

And now I'm lonely, I want to see the light

So deep within you

Cool wind is blowing through your crazy hair

Warm colours flowing, this feeling we have shared

And now I'm lonely I want to feel the love

So deep within you

Your love's a never ending dream

A castle by a stream of sweet understanding

I know you're thinking of me too, the messages

From you are my inspiration

Love's incense lingers, it never fades away

Like you I'm waiting for our special day

And now I'm lonely I want to feel the love

So deep within you

My love is burning, like a forest fire

My heart is yearning, I feel a warm desire

And now I'm lonely I want to touch the fire

So deep within you

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Canción de rock progresivo. Me recuerda a los Jethro Tull que por aquel entonces también estaban evolucionando hacia el rock progresivo.

CARA 2

B1 Never Comes the Day   4:43

(Escrita y cantada por – Justin Hayward)

Never Comes the Day  fue el único sencillo lanzado de su álbum On the Threshold of a Dream. La canción fue editada desde la versión del álbum de 4:43 hasta 2:42. La edición única omite el segundo verso y simplemente entra en el coro más largo después del primer verso. Una edición similar se hizo en la canción de Justin Hayward / John Lodge (Blue Jays) "I Dreamed Last Night", pero esa versión termina de golpe. A pesar del hecho de que el álbum fue un éxito número uno en el Reino Unido, "Never Comes the Day" fue un fracaso comercial como sencillo, y no entró en las listas en el Reino Unido. En el Billboard 100 alcanzó el puesto 91. El sencillo también incluyó "So Deep Within You" de Mike Pinder, otra canción del mismo álbum, como cara B.

Portada del sencillo en Alemania

Enlaces

Never Comes The Day

Moody Blues On The Threshold Of A Dream 07 Never Comes The Day

Moody Blues: Never Comes The Day

Never Comes The Day

Letras

Work away today, work away tomorrow.

Never comes the day for my love and me.

I feel her gently sighing as the evening slips away.

If only you knew what's inside of me now

You wouldn't want to know me somehow,

But

You will love me tonight,

We alone will be alright,

In the end.

Give just a little bit more

Take a little bit less

From each other tonight

Admit what you're feeling

And see what's in front of you,

It's never out of your sight.

You know it's true,

We all know that it's true.

Work away today, think about tomorrow

Never comes the day for my love and me.

I feel her gently sighing as the evening slips away.

If only you knew what's inside of me now

You wouldn't want to know me somehow,

But

You will love me tonight,

We alone will be alright,

In the end.

Give just a little bit more

Take a little bit less

From each other tonight

Admit what you're feeling

And see what's in front of you,

It's never out of your sight.

You know it's true,

We all know that it's true.

Videos

THE MOODY BLUES-NEVER COMES THE DAY-1969 - YouTube

En vivo en París en 1970:

Moody Blues - Never Comes The Day (1970) - YouTube

En directo en 2007:

MOODY BLUES Never Comes The Day 2007 LiVe - YouTube

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Bonita balada.

B2 Lazy Day          2:43

(Escrita por – Ray Thomas; cantada por - Ray Thomas, Justin Hayward)

Enlaces

Lazy Day

The Moody Blues: Lazy Day

Moody Blues-Lazy Day

Moody Blues - Lazy Day

Letras

Lazy day, Sunday afternoon

Like to get your feet up, watch TV

Sunday roast is something good to eat

Must be lamb today 'cause beef was last week

So full up, bursting at the seams

Soon you'll start to nod off, happy dreams

Wake up, for tea and buttered scones

Such a lot of work for you Sunday Moms

It's such a crying shame

Week after week the same

Today's heaven-sent and you're feeling content

You worked all week long

Still, it's quite sad tomorrow's so bad

And I don't feel too strong

Lazy day, Sunday afternoon

Like to get your feet up, watch TV

Sunday roast is something good to eat

Now it's almost over till week

That's how your life goes by

Until the day you die

Videos

En vivo en París en 1970:

Moody Blues - Lazy Day (1970) - YouTube

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Buen tema con aires folk

B3 Are You Sitting Comfortably?       3:29

(Escrita por – Justin Hayward y Ray Thomas; cantada por Justin Hayward)

Es la segunda colaboración para escribir una canción entre Hayward y Thomas. 

Enlaces

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Moody Blues - Are You Sitting Comfortably

Are You Sitting Comfortably ~ Moody Blues

The Moody Blues: Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Letras

Take another sip my love and see what you will see,

A fleet of golden galleons, on a crystal sea.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Let Merlin cast his spell.

Ride along the winds of time and see where we have been,

The glorious age of Camelot, when Guinevere was Queen.

It all unfolds before your eyes

As Merlin casts his spell.

The seven wonders of the world he'll lay before your feet,

In far-off lands, on distant shores, so many friends to meet.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Let Merlin cast his spell.

Videos

Actuación para la televisión el 6 de noviembre de 1969:

The Moody Blues -【are you sitting comfortably?】- SUB ESPAÑOL - YouTube

En vivo en la Taverne De L'olympia, Paris 1970. 

Moody Blues - Are You Sitting Comfortably (1970) - YouTube

En directo en 2004:

MOODY BLUES Are You Sitting Comfortably 2004 Live - YouTube

En directo en Estocolmo en 2008:

Moody Blues Are You Sitting Comfortably - YouTube

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Canción relajada.

B4 The Dream   0:57

(Poema escrito por Graeme Edge recitado por Mike Pinder)

Enlaces

The Dream

Letras

When the white eagle of the North is flying overhead

The browns, reds and golds of autumn lie in the gutter, dead.

Remember then, that summer birds with wings of fire flaying

Came to witness springs new hope, born of leaves decaying.

Just as new life will come from death, love will come at leisure.

Love of love, love of life and giving without measure

Gives in return a wonderous yearn of a promise almost seen.

Live hand-in-hand and together we'll stand on the threshold of a dream.

B5 Have You Heard (Part 1)    1:30

(Escrito y cantado por Mike Pinder) 

Esta canción se usó al principio y al final del episodio final de invierno de Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. el 21 de febrero de 2017.

Enlaces

The Moody Blues - Have you heard? part I

Have You Heard (Pt. 1)

The Moody Blues:-'Have You Heard) Part 1)'

Letras

Now you know that you are real,

Show your friends that you and me

Belong to the same world,

Turned on to the same word,

Have you heard?

Now you know that you are free,

Living all your life at ease.

Each day has its always,

A look down life's hallways, doorways,

To lead you there.

B6 The Voyage    3:58

(Pieza instrumental escrita por Mike Pinder) 

Enlaces

The Voyage

The Moody Blues The Voyage

Moody Blues On The Threshold Of A Dream 12 The Voyage

The Voyage (Original Take)

The Moody Blues:-'The Voyage'

Letras

(instrumental)

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Puro rock progresivo.

B7 Have You Heard (Part 2)    1:30

(Escrito y cantado por Mike Pinder) 

Enlaces

Have You Heard (Pt. 2)

The Moody Blues - Have you heard? part II

Have You Heard (Part 2)

The Moody Blues:-'Have You Heard (Part 2)'

Letras

Now you know how nice it feels,

Scatter good seed in the fields.

Life's ours for the making,

Eternity's waiting, waiting,

For you and me.

Now you know that you are real,

Show your friends that you and me

Belong to the same world,

Turned on to the same word,

Have you heard?

Have you heard?

Have you heard?

Have you heard?

Have you heard?

Mi opinión sobre la canción:

Bonita música relajante

Mi opinión personal sobre el álbum:

Disco con mezcla de estilos. Abandonan el rock psicodélico y la música hindú, manteniendo el rock progresivo.

Créditos

The Moody Blues

- Justin Hayward  – voz, guitarras, violonchelo, Mellotron

- Mike Pinder – voz, Mellotron, órgano Hammond, piano, violonchelo

- John Lodge – voz, bajo, violonchelo, contrabajo

- Ray Thomas – voz, armónica, flauta, pandereta, oboe, piccolo, EMS VCS 3

- Graeme Edge – voz (incluyendo recitar versos), batería, percusión, EMS VCS 3

Personal adicional

Tony Clarke - Productor

Pete Jackson – triángulo

Phil Travers – portada