Discord & Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Discord and Rhyme is a podcast where we discuss the albums we love, song by song.

119: The Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager (1981)

“I had an unbelievable amount of gear. I had an Oberheim keyboard with 16 oscillators.”

Patrick Moraz

It’s time to follow the Moody Blues into the 1980s. After a long hiatus and a disappointing comeback album, the Moodies reconvened with a new keyboard player and a new producer to start a new decade in their long career. Music production styles had changed quite a lot since their classic period in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and the new personnel came with a new aesthetic that sounds quite different from the Moody Blues music we’re all used to. However, if you can forgive Patrick Moraz for not being Mike Pinder, and Pip Williams for not being Tony Clarke, and the ‘80s for not being the ‘70s, you’ll find that there is some fantastic music to be found on Long Distance Voyager. And there is also “Veteran Cosmic Rocker.” 

Miscellany

  • So, that extremely decadent release party that Decca threw for Octave. It must be seen to be believed. It starts with a wind ensemble playing “Consider Yourself” and really takes off when the convoy of security guards  rolls up on motorcycles. Watch for the armored trucks covered in gold records and the lengthy shot of a woman rubbing her nose like she’s just done a bump of cocaine. 

  • Mike Pinder kept on living his best life after leaving the Moody Blues, and actually spent many years working for Atari as a music consultant. 

  • Of course the Moody Bluegrass team did not forget about Long Distance Voyager! There are bluegrass covers of “The Voice” and “Meanwhile.” They are unfortunately not that great, but let’s all be thankful they didn’t attempt “Gemini Dream.” 

  • The Pinder/Clarke lawsuit was not the last time the Moody Blues would end up in court. After they let go of Patrick Moraz in 1991, he sued for unpaid royalties and the entire trial was aired on Court TV. The whole thing is available on YouTube, but we’ll warn you, it’s very boring.

  • FYI, we have Moody Blues-themed t-shirts available in our store! You can pick your favorite of two different designs featuring our tagline, “Keep as cool as you can.” (Thank you, Graeme Edge.)

  • The greatest hits CD that Amanda mentioned and the Legend of a Band CD that John mentioned are the same album. It was first issued as Greatest Hits in 1989 and repackaged as Legend of a Band a year later. That’s where you’ll find those orchestral re-recordings of “Question” and “Isn’t Life Strange.”  

Other links

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call 

  • Mike DeFabio

  • Phil Maddox

  • John McFerrin

  • Amanda Rodgers

Long Distance Voyager tracklist 

  1. The Voice

  2. Talking Out of Turn

  3. Gemini Dream

  4. In My World

  5. Meanwhile

  6. 22,000 Days

  7. Nervous

  8. Painted Smile

  9. Reflective Smile

  10. Veteran Cosmic Rocker 

Other clips used 

The Moody Blues:

  • A Simple Game

  • This Morning (Hayward/Lodge)

  • King and Queen

  • One Step Into the Light

  • The Spirit

  • Lovely to See You

  • Rock n Roll Over You

  • Higher and Higher

  • Hole in the World

  • Going Nowhere

  • After You Came

  • Candle of Life

  • Isn’t Life Strange

  • Steppin’ in a Slide Zone

  • The Afternoon

  • Here Comes the Weekend

  • Departure

  • Nice to Be Here

  • Foolish Love

  • My Little Lovely

  • Meet Me Halfway

  • Gemini Dream (live) 

Others:

  • Yes - Sound Chaser

  • Jeff Wayne etc. - The Eve of the War

  • Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting

  • Ween - Tried and True

  • Neil Young - Sample and Hold

  • Giorgio Moroder - Knights in White Satin

  • ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man

  • ABBA - On and On and On

  • Dire Straits - Why Worry?

  • Def Leppard - Animal

  • Electric Light Orchestra - Big Wheels

  • Supertramp - If Everyone Was Listening

  • Justin Hayward - I Heard It

  • Hällas - Carry On

Band/album personnel 

  • Justin Hayward – vocals, guitars

  • John Lodge – vocals, bass guitar

  • Ray Thomas – vocals, flute, harmonica

  • Graeme Edge – drums, percussion

  • Patrick Moraz – keyboards, synthesizers, arrangements

  • B. J. Cole – pedal steel guitar on "In My World"

  • New World Philharmonic – orchestrations

  • Pip Williams – string arrangements 

  • Dave Symonds – poetry recitation 

Credits 

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of:

  • Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

  • Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste

  • The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...

  • Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

  • Herbie Hancock - Hornets

  • Kraftwerk - Autobahn

  • Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen

  • The Moody Blues - 22,000 Days (this episode only) 

You can buy or stream Long Distance Voyager and other albums by the Moody Blues at your local record store or the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Twitter @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing is by Amanda Rodgers, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for production and original music. See you next album, and keep as cool as you can.

This website and all episodes' discussion/commentary © 2018—2024 Discord & Rhyme. Excerpts from recordings appearing in episodes are included for purposes of review only, and all rights to such material remain property of their copyright holders. Please note that we make a good-faith effort to ensure all information included in these episodes is accurate, but if we get something wrong, let us know at discordpod@gmail.com and we will print a correction in the show notes. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Website design by Amanda Rodgers. Thank you for visiting, and keep as cool as you can.

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