Once upon a time, in the DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED, a group of intrepid musicians known as the MOODY BLUES set off IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD. They asked their Muse to point them in the right direction. "You must listen to THE VOICE within to know the way," she told them. "Remember that you must tell NO MORE LIES if you ever want to find the lost chord. You may not always see me - but I will never be far from you. From time to time I will send VOICES IN THE SKY to help guide you. And remember that the lost chord is not an OCTAVE. GO NOW - the journey awaits you."
Still HAUNTED by the appearance of their Muse, the band members followed her directions and started their journey. First they passed through a BLUE WORLD where they saw every shade of their namesake color. Then they came to THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE. In this land it was very hard to tell reality from fantasy. "WHAT AM I DOING HERE?" each of them asked. "How can I DECIDE WHICH IS RIGHT AND WHICH IS AN ILLUSION?" They came upon someone who appeared to be a LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER. They asked him is he had any suggestions as to how to proceed with their journey. "In order to leave this land and continue your journey, you must give THE PRESENT to the KING AND QUEEN." Our band members were thankful for this information, but were still puzzled.
What sort of present are their majesties looking for?" they asked him. However, he just smiled and continued on his journey, leaving them to continue wondering what gift they could give the monarchs. They pondered and discussed the problem together, and when they arrived at an answer, they headed for the palace, where the King and Queen spent their NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN. They told the guards that their present was ready and asked to be announced.
"Majesties: THIS IS THE MOODY BLUES," the footman announced. "LOVELY TO SEE YOU, " said the King and Queen.
"With your permission, Majesties, we have something to offer," said our musicians. The party then assembled in the palace's ballroom, the HALL OF FAME. Then with a PRELUDE they began a special performance of their music especially for the monarchs. "CAUGHT LIVE PLUS FIVE" it became known as. After the concert they were finally given the KEYS OF THE KINGDOM, which allowed them to pass through this land and resume their journey.
They continued on through the month of DECEMBER. They were able to spend A NIGHT AT RED ROCKS and take a break to rest
SUR LA MER. They were beginning to
lose sight of their objective and were hoping for help from their Muse when
she sent them THE DREAM. In
it she told them "IT'S UP TO YOU
if you are to continue. STRANGE TIMES
lie ahead. Soon you will be STEPPIN'
IN A SLIDE ZONE. If you make it through, you will
come out on THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE. I
will HOPE AND PRAY that you make
it through." She then disappeared into the swirling DECEMBER SNOW.
Things happened just as the Muse told them, landing THE MOODIES in the slide zone. This was a strange place where everything was skewed. Just doing things such as staying upright or walking were major challenges. "Isn't this more bizarre than anything in YOUR WILDEST DREAMS?" They asked each other. During their search for help, they met the Wizard. They asked him how they could leave the slide zone and continue their search for the lost chord.
"A QUESTION OF BALANCE," the Wizard replied. "When your self is in balance, the slide zone becomes navigable."
"But how do we achieve such balance?" they asked.
"Ah, many have asked that QUESTION, but I cannot give any answer. Each person must find that balance for him or her self. THE STORY IN YOUR EYES is a sure indication of balance or lack thereof." was his reply.
So they parted company and our band members spent their time in the slide zone trying to center and balance things. Eventually, as their searching within continued, they were able to manage the slide zone better and to exit that out-of-kilter place.
Things were relatively uneventful for a while - until their SEVENTH SOJOURN, when they met a TIME TRAVELER. "Since EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR and you look like good lads, I'd like to take you on a time trip." Our musicians thought this sounded fascinating, so of course they said yes. Soon they felt themselves spinning, rising off the ground, going HIGHER AND HIGHER. When they landed, they were in the past, watching and listening as primitive peoples sounded music on pipes. In a flash they landed in another time and heard a wandering troubadour perform for his liege. In another flash, they saw Beethoven, Mozart and other composers create their masterpieces. In yet another forward flash, they heard blues and rock artists give birth to those musical forms. They listened eagerly throughout all of these adventures, but were unable to find that lost chord. By then their heads were spinning, so the Time Traveler deposited them back ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM where they were met by their Muse.
"Have you been successful in your quest for the lost chord?" she asked.
"No Ma'am," they were forced to reply, "But we have stories enough to tell TO OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN."
"You have learned well, lads," she observed. "It is not the end, but the journey that is significant. Have you learned anything else?"
"Yes," the Moodies replies. "Along with our lessons on giving and balance, we've learned that THIS IS THE MOMENT - this is the time we have to live in, not the past and not yet the future."
"Well done! Now continue in THE SPIRIT as you resume your search for the lost chord" said their Muse.
"ISN'T LIFE STRANGE?" they each thought. "What we thought was the end is really only the beginning."
Although this is not a TRUE STORY, fans of the MOODY BLUES hope that their musical journey is just beginning. May THE BEST OF THE MOODY BLUES still lie ahead!
Mollie
P. S. Please forgive me if I missed some compilations - there are so many of those, I just couldn't use them all!
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