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Initial pressings of TIME TRAVELLER contained a limited edition bonus disc. Beginning with the single "Fly Me High" (released just prior to DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED) and concluding with "Highway" (an outtake from The Moody Blues' most recent album, KEYS OF THE KINGDOM), TIME TRAVELLER documents the recorded output of The Moody Blues. Included in the 4-CD set is a 48-page booklet containing essays, detailed credits and photos. The Moody Blues: Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder, Patrick Moraz, Graeme Edge. Producers include: Tony Visconti. This four-disc set effectively chronicles the long, varied career of the Moody Blues. The history of the Moody Blues as most fans know them began with the arrival of Justin Hayward and the release of DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED. This pioneering effort was one of the first progressive rock albums. A concept piece featuring a suite of songs linked together both musically and thematically, it also broke ground in its adept marriage of rock group and orchestra. The orchestral sound was expanded even further by Mike Pinder's use of Mellotron. This album, well-represented here, not only set the Moodies on a path they would follow for years, but also proved enormously influential to subsequent prog-rockers like King Crimson and Yes. As the band progressed, their sound expanded to include pop, psychedelia, folk, and hard rock. The key element of their sound, though, remained the orchestrated ballad. The band's '80s comeback--a phase successfully chronicled here--found former Yes member Patrick Moraz replacing Pinder, and the band stripping down its sound for a more radio-friendly, synth-laden sound. Aside from the mid-'60s Denny Laine period, all the band's phases are covered here, and a handsome, detailed booklet is included in the bargain. |