Classical Composer Reacts to One More Time To Live (The Moody Blues) | The Daily Doug (Episode 191) 

Any of the first seven Moodies albums starting with Days Of Future Passed are absolutely essential listening. Perfection.

I wish that those who think the Moodies are defined by "I know you're out there somewhere" and other of their more commercial songs, would listen to this song and the many others that don't get the attention and then let us know what they think of the Moody Blues. There are dozens of brilliant compositions laid within the first 7 albums and this one is a great example.

Oh how I love the Moodies. Funny how their music resonates perfectly in these hate filled times. Each of their "core 7" lps is worth a deep dive. No other band hits me quite like they do.

This entire album is GREAT. Play it from beginning to end...every track is beautiful. Takes me back to the year I was 18.

I was listening to The Moody blues in 1971. They were magic then and they are magic today... Thanks for this video...

This song completes themes begun in the first track of the album. Their first seven albums all have themes to them. The Beatles are given credit for brilliance, but the Moody Blyes lyrics are deep and brilliant in the things they talk about. This is music with a powerful message.

While I love many bands and feel Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest I feel that listening to the first 7 Moody Blues albums is a must for anyone who is interested in the best that rock has to offer. Nothing else compares.

The clipped ending of this track is a characteristic of Moodies' tracks from this era because the next track pretty much always flowed from the preceding one [there was never a silent section]. So if your recording hadn't ended when it did you would have heard the opening notes of the next track before the previous one had finally ebbed away. It played havoc with picking out tracks on a LP, but then you always listened to a Moody Blues album from the beginning to the end, so that didn't matter.

The MB were an interesting mix of pop and prog rock at the same time. They were a one of. No one else did their style of music: lush, intelligent, complex and unique. So glad I grew up with their music. Mike Pinder took their music to a higher plane that only Tangerine Dream has been able to equal.

just heard Jolhn Lodge sing this song last night in concert....surreal and beautiful there will never be a another group like the Moodies very spiritual message

We the people who grew up with the Moody Blues still love their music…We Are The Boomer Generation & a lot of us are still alive enjoying their music, it’s beautiful!👍

The Moody Blues was one of miraclle of Rock Music ever.

It is John Lodge on lead vocal, joined by Justin, Ray and Mike as they go along. Love how you know the key they are in and the chords they are playing just by listening. All instruments were played by the Moody Blues.

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour - EGBDF - the notes on the lines of the treble clef. Another magnificent Moodies album. I started listening to them in 1967 and eagerly awaited each forthcoming album. I was fortunate (and old enough) to see them 5 times in their prime, every show was great. RIP Mike Pinder

I hear that chromatically descending line like a camera pulling BACK from a view, panning out, widening its scope. "Look out of my window" (very personal and narrow scope), featuring very "small" music, at the top of the verse, growing (panning out) to a view of worldly issues (Desolation, Evolution, etc.), with very big, orchestral music, by the end. I've always loved this song. Thank you for this album, Aunt Llinda, you rock! XO

They don't get enough credit. Released a ton of great music in a short amount of time

For your next Moodies adventure, i’d like to suggest a Mike Pinder epic from the On the Threshold of a Dream album, Have You Heard/ The Voyage/ Have You Heard Part 2. Lots of piano in that one 👍

Yes! More Moody Blues! They are a wonderful band that I've loved for years.

this song has so much meaning, ESPECIALLY NOW. may god have mercy on us.🚴

Please do the complete album: Seventh Sojourn. It’s their masterpiece.

Hits me right in the heart strings everytime; changes in my life... compassion, solution.

The reason to do the entire DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED album (besides the fact that it's brilliant), to see how they link the symphonic orchestral pieces to the "rock" pieces because the Moodies had flute and Mellotron. They help make the links between the two different aspects of the album absolutely seamless.

Being almost 68, I listened to the Moody Blues when they first came out and, along with Simon & Garfunkel (yes...S&G!), providing my bridge into progressive rock...like ELP, Yes, Jethro Tull, Genesis, Camel, etc. Another great analysis, Doug! As a former clarinetist, I remember Every Good Boy Deserves Favour being the mnemonic we used to remember the notes on the lines of the treble clef. :-) (Funny...I wrote this RIGHT before you mentioned it! Great minds... )

He who wants to fight begins the end of time. I've had 56 years of the Moodies and loved every minute of it

LOVE the 'Core 7' Moodies records! The Mike Pinder tracks are among my favourites. Have You Heard/The Voyage/Have You Heard, Part 2, Out and In and Melancholy Man are fabulous!

From the same album I would suggest reacting to the two opening tracks: Procession and The Story In Your Eyes. They must be played back to back to get (and enjoy) the full experience. Cheers!

I found this to be fascinating. You have a very nice way about you Doug - friendly, intelligent, enthusiastic and never patronising. Explaining the chords at the end was so interesting, especially to someone like me who knows little of music theory. I am English and in my 60s and, for some strange reason, never took much notice of the Moody Blues, even though Justin Hayward’s mum was a teacher at my school in West London. Well, I really appreciate them now. Also, they seem such a nice group of musicians - very self-effacing. Thank you.

I always look at that album cover and interpret the boy as being more interested in what the old man has rather than all the normal playthings that the children behind him are offering. There's some magic in that. Welcome to the Moody Blues Doug 🤠

Love the Moody Blues. On the same album, try "Story in Your Eyes."

After watching your video I thought to myself, I wish I still had that album. Today on a whim I stopped in a local used record shop. I was pleasantly surprised to find a near mint copy for $3!! I'd gotten a copy way back in the early 70's, lost it along the way. I always wanted to replace it if for only the cover art. So I owe you a Thank you for the reaction video, it helped me add a long lost LP to my collection.

You noted a " clippped" ending. Most all Moody's albums ran concurrently with overall album themes...driving us crazy trying to tape specific songs onto cassette tape back in the day...They made seven great albums with this five man lineup.

Doug, I recommend a complete album reaction to "To Our Children's Children's Children". 🙂

The Moodies are masters of chord progressions.

Excellent choice. And yes, they're telling the story of humanity (not your typical rock song). Their combination of music and lyrics was stunning then... and still is today, all these decades later. They are their own genre.

I’ve been a fan of the Moodies for 40 years. It is very cool to watch and hear initial reactions to their music here on the RU-vid. It reminds me of my introduction to the Core 7 so many years ago. Thank you for sharing!

I have the lyrics to this song, One more time to live, posted on my bulletin board in my office. And the cover art is fantastic. A perfect album. The meaning and wording is fantastic. I bought the album when it came out, and still have it.

Doug, the very beginning of this album tells the story of music in less than a moment. As a general rule in this band the composer sings the lead vocal.

This is one of my very favorite albums by them. The song doesn't clip off; it actually flows immediately into the next song.

Hi there Doug. One of the members on Ray Thomas: Legend Of A Mind FB page has posted your video. As an Admin, I approved the post and hope it'll be seen by our 4000+ membership. I thoroughly enjoyed all of this YT video and so I know will many of us Ray Thomas and Moody Blues fans. Thank you for picking this brilliant track! All the very best.

The Moodies' strength was that all five of them were composing songs for the group. The period from 1967 to 1972 will not be surpassed in rock music for productivity. One of their recurring themes is that if mankind can free itself from greed and pride, absolutely nothing will remain beyond our reach. Their message was so positive and made such a strong impression that fans were asking them to touch their children as if they could bestow Papal blessings. Naturally they wanted to get away from this.

Thank you for this, I absolutely love the Moody Blues. They've done so many great songs. I would love it if you would lend your thoughts on my favourite song of theirs, The Voice from the Long Distance Voyager album. Thank you once again!

Ah... My favorite Moody Blues album. I do like how the opening track Procession is reprised in this one. It's really great to listen to Procession/The Story in Your Eyes as one piece, and then listen to this one. Both pieces are the opening track on their respective sides. Oh, and the gate sleeve album art, basically depicting Procession, is amazing!

Wow! I'm totally shocked anyone would react to an obscure song like this, as beautiful as it is. Thanks for doing that, Doug! Yes, the lead singer is John Lodge, who is perhaps the least naturally talented vocalist of all the Moodies (except for Graeme Edge who doesn't sing at all as far as I know, though he does have some speaking parts). In his defense, Lodge does provide some great high notes here and there when called upon to do so, and he did contribute some fantastic songs to the Moodies' catalogue, this being one of them. The song cuts out abruptly at the end because traditionally all Moody Blues records from 1967 all the way through the 70s had the songs flow directly one into the next without pause, thereby creating a seamless experience for the listener. So when the song fades out quickly at the end, the next song (Nice To Be Here) is just about to start. By the way, I'm not sure the quadraphonic version is the right one to listen to without a quad system, as the background vocals (and perhaps some instruments too) get lost in the mix and the song loses a lot of its power. So to get the full impact, if I were you I would listen to the regular stereo version, though preferably one that's been remastered. Cheers!

I've been a fan since forever when I first heard Days of Future Passed, the next six albums were pure majik and have left an indelible memory in my life. The lyrics together with the music created an imagery for me which has helped me live. I'm 70 years old today and this song still makes me cry. Such energy and togetherness in all that they did. Doug I enjoyed your review, especially the analysis of the musical composition. The Moodies had something very special to give us and they did.

Love the Moody Blues. Love this song. Love the whole album. Most of their 67-72 catalog would be fun for you to do. Each album is a concept and each is really aided by listening to the whole album in it's entirety.

John’s Masterpiece. To me it’s a song about a world destroying itself with endless war and disrespect for ecology. It was true in 1971 and sadly today.

what an absolutely fantastic introduction, for you, to the Moodies.....there is so much more....

In Search Of The Lost Chord I think is their best. Thanks for doing the Moody Blues, I am reminiscing here and enjoying it so much

The Moodys and R.E.M. are my favorite band. I Lionel the Moodys because the are harmonically amazing and the lyrics too. Some have that jangle but are so down to earth lyrical. Melancholy Man, Tuesday Afternoon, Nights in White Satin. All of them are amazing musicians without being pompous

This song contains probably the most important line in any rock song: “He who wants to fight/ Begins the end of time”.

This is one of my very favorite Moody Blues songs. It still makes me cry when I put it on and i’m extra in my feelings 😂.

My granddaughters have grown up to the. music of the Moody Blues. I played it from the day they were born They know they are my favorite band. The lyrics are so powerful and insightful and led many fans to believe the group were enlightened beings with all the answers. It lead them to write a song called I am Just A Singer In A Rock in Roll Band. The song was performed live as a PBS special concert in the year 2000 from the Royal Albert Hall in London. I think it would be a good song to reflect on in the future.

Such a great obscure Moodies song. Love it. Doug...suggest you consider "Isn't Life Strange"...a majestic Moodies epic!

The Moodies are so underrated ... very unique

Of ALL albums EVER; at 70 years of age, this is my FAVORITE ALBUM.

The second half of this album, which this song is the lead off of (B-Side of the vinyl) was the sound track for a film my dad made of Vietnam while he was there in the war. The film he made was setup to be synchronized with this song along with Nice to Be Here and the beginning of You Can Never Go Home... I grew up listening to this album in conjunction with that film he created. The ending of the song ends so abruptly because the end of the song blends right into Nice to Be Here. The entire album is a concept album, so there are very small breaks (if any) between songs.

Wow Doug, watching your eyes light up at the chord changes which I have always loved. Nice to know others are turned on to the same chords.

Ive grown up in that time. I remember when this album was released. I was in junior high school. My music teacher introduced it to the class. The riches...are humankind..

I have a whole new appreciation for this song. Thank you!

John Lodge was a master of writing tunes that move from majors to minors of the same chord. His best one was Tortoise and Hare from the Question of Balance album where he moves from Em, E , Am, A, Dm , D , A, G, A, G and so on.....

My first introduction to the Moody Blues was the album "In Search of the Lost Cord." I could never get enough.

This is one of their most amazingly beautiful songs

Oh my goodness! I heard this on a pirate radio station on a wireless hidden under the blankets so my parents couldn't hear, back in the day (10 years old!). I loved it and have always remembered those opening lines but never could recall the name of the band playing it. Wow! Shiver up the spine moment. Thank you for the visual demonstration Doug, it's really helpful.

my favorite moody blues record… thanks for giving it some love…

This is one of my favorite songs by them. 2nd favorite to be exact.

None of the Moody's could read music! Love them!

Great stuff, Doug. Really enjoy your reviews and reactions to your picks.

In search of the list chord is also great. Particularly Eternity Road. Candle of Life is a great Moodies tune.

Great analysis of this beautiful Moodies track. Amazing that the group rose above being an average band to Superstars of Symphonic Rock.

thank you so much. i've been looking for someone to do this. i could never pick a favorite Moody Blues song but this one is in my top 5, and definitely a top 20 in my entire playlist. What they SAY. (sing?) still sooooo relevant. still so beautiful.

The quick ending is because, in the record, one music begins just after the other. There is no space between one music and the follow. So when you pick up only one music, the final is always a hard cut. The Moody Blus records were projects to be heard from the beginning to the end, without stop

Such a great find! Thank you Doug for sharing this. There are many more Moody songs that warrant a deep dive!

Genius... Beautiful acoustic guitar.... flute...just Beautiful ....lyrics apt for today. I have the original on vinyl...... gatefold cover....Moodiness always insisted on this, inserts too.... art for the fans

"To Our Children's Children's Children", in its entirety would be another great choice. All the songs run together in a kind of song cycle for 40 min., so you would have to treat it like you did "Tarkus", pausing every so often to give your spin.

I have always thought that the rhyming in the main chorus using nothing but "tion" but still telling a one word progression story/Idea was increditably unique. Then they come back in with the vocals to fill in the thoughts the words presented. Show me another band that did this? I present you..........The Moody Blues ! a Fan since 1973.

Definitely John singing lead vocal on this one. You can hear Justin and Ray clearly on background vocals and maybe Mike too.

Seventh Sojourn was released in 1972. It was on my 19th birthday, November 1st. It was something I never forgot.

I like the EGBDF reference in the album title. I learned it as Every Good Boy Does Fine. Great album.

The Moody's are one of my favorites from my misspent youth. Can I have more please?

Illustrates one of their great strengths as a vocal band. Stunning harmonies and combo of voices to add dynamism to the singing. Hayward, Lodge, Thomas, Pinder altogether, which got de-emphasised as the years went on with Pinder's departure and more of a solo approach per song. Graeme Edge's songs also tend to feature the choral approach, as he doesn't sing at all, e.g. After You Came on this album and I'll Be Level with You on Octave.

Great review. It’s why I think you’ll like Big Big Train, with either Victorian Brickwork or East Coast Racer, both of which have great live videos. Terrific harmonies as almost everyone can sing as well as incredible musicianship.

Metal music’s intensity! Such wise words from our ‘the’ kindest music theory teacher of RU-vid!!

Pinder did absolutely wonderful things with tape keyboards.

Thanks for selecting this somewhat overlooked song. This is revelatory. I was impressed by how dynamic the piano was in this version.

I also think this era of Moody's albums are so good it's not necessary to rate them.They each have great music & lyrics.Thank GOD I got to see them.What a show.

Doug instructed The Moody Blues how to really understand the moods they were in.

So glad you picked this one as your first Moody Blues reaction. It's one of my all-time favorites of the Moodies or any band. John Lodge is an amazing songwriter who covers a great variety of music over the Moodies 50 year repertoire. In some people's minds I think he gets overshadowed by Hayward, who wrote more radio hits - but at times I think Lodge is every bit as good or better - so talented with melodies, unexpected chord changes, thoughtful lyrics, etc. And don't get too hung up on the "core 7" thing. Lodge still wrote some great songs for the band into the 80s and 90s - and continues now as a solo artist to put out new music. I'd love to see you react to some other Lodge/MB songs - "Isn't Life Strange" (very classical), "Candle of Life", "House of Four Doors" (a progressive piece full of surprises), ""Talking Out of Turn", "Rock & Roll Over You" (an 80s era track that shows the more, rockin', high energy side of his writing, but with unusual chord choices & a lot more going on in the background than it seems at first), & "Forever Now" (a beautiful, Lennon-esque ballad from the band's last proper studio album in 1999).

Spiritual message.

Mike Pinder played the Mellotron. Which was the flutes, strings, in the background. I would suggest "To Our Children's, children's, children" as a high point. Thanks for letting me relive my childhood.

The wonderful Moodies

Telling the story of humanity. Indeed. All their albums songs lead into the next so that’s why the clipped ending.

Magical songwriters♡♡

Modern remixing has made the classic LP recording into a WHOLE 'nother sonic experience! I'm hearing instrumentation, vox, and subtleties that were buried in the initial mix. Incredible to hear it all now, a half-century later!

One of the absolute best songs on that album! The MB music is timeless!

Appreciate your analysis. I've been a Moody Blues fan since the early 1970s. It's hard to pick a favorite but I'd really like you to listen and comment on "New Horizons" on the Seventh Sojourn, written and lead-sung by Justin Hayward.

I LOVE Justin's beautiful song,"I Dreamed Last Night", on the Blue Jays album.

Ray Thomas had an amazing timbre on flute. Sometimes he sounds like he's going flat on notes, but not quite. Creates a great tension in their songs. It's a shame the band was FINALLY inducted into the Rock HOF just after Ray's passing.

Come on Doug, do more Moody Blues...

Love your song reactions. Best channel for music reactions i've ever watch on youtube, not just a reaction but you also do musical analysis. 👍

Doug, again I will suggest: "Days Of Future Passed" and " In Search Of The Lost Chord" . Both of these should be heard as a whole, but splitting them in two is alright for the sake of your video management. I cannot recommend these two albums high enough considering your background. All that aside, I have noticed that some of your reactions are in a church sanctuary? Just a little critique, it is difficult to understand sometimes with the piano and all. Thanks for great content Doug! I don't subscribe lightly, and you have earned my subscription.