In Search of the Lost Chord

In Search of the Lost Chord
Studio album by The Moody Blues
Released 26 July 1968
Recorded January–June 1968
Studio Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London
Genre Progressive rock, psychedelic rock
Length 42:07
Label Deram
Producer Tony Clarke
The Moody Blues chronology
Days of Future Passed
(1967)Days of Future Passed1967		 In Search of the Lost Chord
(1968)		 On the Threshold of a Dream
(1969)On the Threshold of a Dream1969
Singles from In Search of the Lost Chord
  1. "Voices in the Sky"
    Released: 28 June 1968
  2. "Ride My See-Saw"
    Released: 12 October 1968

In Search of the Lost Chord is the third album by The Moody Blues, released in July 1968 on the Deram label.

Content

In Search of the Lost Chord is a concept album around a broad theme of quest and discovery, including world exploration ("Dr. Livingstone, I Presume"), music and philosophy through the ages ("House of Four Doors"), lost love ("The Actor"), spiritual development ("Voices in the Sky"), knowledge in a changing world ("Ride My See-Saw"), higher consciousness ("Legend of a Mind"), imagination ("The Best Way to Travel"), and space exploration ("Departure"). Space exploration would go on to become the theme of the Moodies' 1969 album To Our Children's Children's Children, inspired by and dedicated to the Apollo 11 mission. The mysterious "lost chord" of the title is revealed to be the mantra "Om" (in the last stanza of Graeme Edge's poem "The Word"). According to keyboardist Mike Pinder, the title was inspired by Jimmy Durante's humorous song, "I'm the Guy that Found the Lost Chord," itself a reference to "The Lost Chord" by Sir Arthur Sullivan.[1]

Recording

Sessions for the album commenced in January 1968 with the recording of Thomas's "Legend of a Mind." Whereas the London Festival Orchestra had supplemented the group on Days of Future Passed, the Moody Blues played all instruments themselves (approximately 33) on In Search of the Lost Chord.[2] Indian instruments such as the sitar (played by guitarist Justin Hayward), the tambura (played by keyboardist Mike Pinder) and the tabla (played by drummer and percussionist Graeme Edge) made audio appearances on several tracks (notably "Departure", "Visions of Paradise" and "Om"). Other unconventional (for the Moodies) instruments were also used, notably the oboe (played by percussionist/flute player Ray Thomas) and the cello (played by bassist John Lodge, who tuned it as a bass guitar). The mellotron, played by Pinder, produced many string and horn embellishments.

Having already experimented with spoken word interludes on "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament" on Days of Future Passed, the group tried the practice again on the Graeme Edge-penned pieces "Departure" and "The Word." The latter was recited by Pinder, who was the primary reciter of Edge's poems on this and other Moody Blues albums. "Departure," which escalates from mumbling to hysterical laughter, is a rare studio example of Edge reciting his own words.

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[4]

In Search of the Lost Chord was released on 26 July 1968. It peaked at number 5 in the UK[5] and reached number 23 on the US album charts.[6] Neither of the two singles from the album, "Ride My See-Saw" nor "Voices in the Sky", charted in the top 40 on the Billboard charts, although the latter reached number 27 on the UK singles chart.

In Search of the Lost Chord was remastered into SACD in March 2006 and repackaged into a 2-CD Deluxe Edition. Although the other Moody Blues albums released in Deluxe Editions in 2006 featured their original quadrophonic mix (encoded as 5.1 surround sound), In Search of the Lost Chord had never been released in this format, and a new mix was not released. In 2008 a remaster for single standard audio CD was issued with the nine bonus tracks.

Legacy

In the Q and Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album was placed at number 37 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".[7]

Track listing

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Departure"Graeme EdgeGraeme Edge (narration)0:44
2."Ride My See-Saw"John LodgeJohn Lodge, Ray Thomas, Justin Hayward, Mike Pinder3:38
3."Dr. Livingstone, I Presume"Ray ThomasRay Thomas2:58
4."House of Four Doors"LodgeJohn Lodge4:13
5."Legend of a Mind"ThomasRay Thomas6:37
6."House of Four Doors (Part 2)"LodgeJohn Lodge1:42
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s) Length
1."Voices in the Sky"Justin HaywardJustin Hayward3:30
2."The Best Way to Travel"Mike PinderMike Pinder3:12
3."Visions of Paradise"Hayward, ThomasJustin Hayward4:15
4."The Actor"HaywardJustin Hayward4:39
5."The Word"EdgeMike Pinder (narration)0:49
6."Om"PinderMike Pinder, Ray Thomas5:47

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Chart positions

Album
Year Chart Position
1968 UK Albums Chart 5
Billboard 200 23
Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1968 "Voices in the Sky" UK Singles Chart 27
"Ride My See-Saw" UK Singles Chart 42
Billboard Hot 100 61

References

  1. ↑ Moody Blues documentary, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKP3sYEUAm0
  2. ↑ "Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  3. ↑ Allmusic review
  4. ↑ "The Moody Blues: In Search Of The Lost Chord : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Moody Blues | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  6. ↑ Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums, p.214 (revised & enlarged 3rd ed. 1995).
  7. ↑ Q Classic: Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, 2005.
  8. ↑ "In Search of the Lost Chord - The Moody Blues - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 September 2018.

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