Victor Rust Publications

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I have been listening to the boxed set for the whole weekend, cycling round to listen again. Although I irregularly listen to my 1989 CDs of the albums, it is great to hear the albums cleaned up and to be able to hear different things in the mixes. For me, Ray is an underrated singer and composer - certainly he had a battle in comparison to Justin Hayward, for instance - and his easy, rounded baritone enhances any song he sings. But here are my thoughts on the new release:

From Mighty Oaks - After Blue Jays, this is easily my favourite Moodies solo with its orchestral accompaniment and dramatic songs like I Wish We Could Fly, the sentimental but powerful Adam and I and the joyfully beautiful Rock-a-Bye Baby Blues. I listened to this new album for the first time on Friday when I got home from the signing and was instantly taken by the cleaned-up vocal harmonies and other aspects such as the intricate bass lines and some of the keyboard parts.

Hopes, Wishes & Dreams - As with From Mighty Oaks, there are different things to hear in this album, particularly on the fantastic The Last Dream, the simple but evocative Migration and the witty Carousel. A forgotten gem from Ray, it is great to hear a dusted off and remastered version of the album.

From Mighty Oaks (quad release) - Wow! You get to hear even more than on the standard stereo album. In addition, played on a DVD player or computer, you get the visual images of close-ups of Phil Travers' superlative artwork, with the camera/scanner moving over the entire album cover revealing bits that you might not have been previously aware of. Be aware that, while the CD plays in a standard player, part of the sound will be lost because it is designed for surround sound. But it is the separation of the sound that is the joy for this version of the album giving you even more opportunity to revel in how the songs are pieced together (now if that could only happen for a number of the other albums!). Best songs for this are I Wish We Could Fly and Hey Mama Life.

The Trouble with Memories - the best till last. On this CD, there is the original 'interview' album released in the US in 1975 alongside the original From Mighty Oaks album, which was intended for disc jockeys to appear to be asking Ray questions as if he was in the studio. It came with an insert with suggested questions to trigger the pre-recorded answers. So this is what you get here: Ray answering the questions in 1975 but with Mike Pinder (yay!) asking the questions, pretty much as they appear on the insert although some are changed to make it more personal (e.g. on the insert "you started the Moody Blues twice..." and Mike's version "we started the Moody Blues twice...." and so on). It is effective, although the question about going on tour with the album obviously feels anachronistic and is only included for completion. Next come the single and B-side edits from both albums with the addition of Keep on Searching and its intended B-side which were never released as the Moodies at the time embarked on the Octave project. Then... finally... the pearl! The new song The Trouble with Memories is a sad but optimistic song, a witty musing on what people remember and the effect it can have. As with a lot of Ray's later work, it has a strong Celtic influence, particularly with the Uillean pipes supporting the accompaniment of guitar and keyboards. Ray's voice is mellifluous and flowing throughout and reminds us just what has been missing since his retirement. And it is so great to hear Ray back in the studio performing a song that is quintessentially Ray Thomas, yet has strong echoes of his time with the Moodies.

In summary, I would exhort anyone who is unsure whether to buy the new set to go ahead and spend the money. It is very much worth it and will give you hours of listening pleasure.

© 2010 Victor Rust

A Boxed Set with Ray Thomas

Ray Thomas was the flautist, singer and songwriter with the legendary Moody Blues, until he retired for health reasons in 2002. In 1975 and 1976, he recorded two exquisitely beautiful solo albums, From Mighty Oaks, and Hopes, Wishes & Dreams. In 2010, all of his solo works, including an interview album for the first solo outing, a quad mix, and a brand new track were collated for release in a beautifully packaged boxed set. The following is an article I wrote for the Moody Blues Attitude site reviewing the release on 19th October 2010.