In Search of the Lost Chord

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In Search of the Lost Chord
Studio album by The Moody Blues
Released	July 1968
Recorded	1968
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	42:07
Label	Deram / Polydor
Producer(s)	Tony Clarke
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
The Moody Blues chronology
Days of Future Passed (1967)	In Search of the Lost Chord (1968)	On the Threshold of a Dream (1969)

In Search of the Lost Chord, released in 1968, was The Moody Blues' third album. It has twelve tracks, with a total running time of 42:07. The album was published by Deram Records.

The album is considered by some to be a concept album because several of the tracks deal with the theme of a person's search for spiritual fulfillment. Another concept dealt with in the album is the search for a mythical "lost chord," which is revealed to be the mantra "Om" (in the last stanza of Graeme Edge's poem "The Word").

After using the London Festival Orchestra on Days of Future Passed, the Moody Blues played all instruments themselves - approximately 33 - on In Search of the Lost Chord. Indian instruments such as the sitar (played by guitarist Justin Hayward) and the tamboura (played by keyboardist Mike Pinder) made audio appearances on several tracks (notably "Departure," "Visions of Paradise," and "Om"). Other unconventional (for the Moody Blues) 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.

Sessions for the album commenced in January 1968 with the recording of Thomas's "Legend of a Mind". The song's title does not appear in the lyrics, which reference LSD guru Timothy Leary and his astral plane. A prominent line in the song is "Timothy Leary's dead"/"No, no, no, he's outside looking in", which would carry new meaning upon Leary's death in 1997, when his ashes were launched into space.

Having already experimented with spoken word interludes on "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament" on Days of Future Passed, the Moody Blues tried the practice again on In Search of the Lost Chord, 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 example of Edge doing his own recitation.

In Search of the Lost Chord peaked at #23 on the U.S. album charts upon release in July 1968. In the UK, the album reached #5. Neither of the two singles from the album, "Ride My See-Saw" and "Voices in the Sky," charted in the top 40 on the Billboard charts.

On the Moody Blues' next album, On the Threshold of a Dream, the Indian instruments were not used on the album, as the group used more traditional instruments during the album sessions (the flute and Mellotron were still used). However, the sitar would be used on two further Moody Blues songs, "Sun Is Still Shining" (on 1969's To Our Children's Children's Children) and "Procession" (from 1971's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour).

In Search of the Lost Chord was remastered into SACD in March 2006 and repackaged into a 2 CD Deluxe Edition.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Departure" (Graeme Edge) – :48
2. "Ride My See-Saw" (John Lodge) – 3:37
3. "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" (Ray Thomas) – 2:58
4. "House of Four Doors" (Lodge) – 4:11
5. "Legend of a Mind" (Thomas) – 6:40
6. "House of Four Doors Pt. 2" (Lodge) – 1:43
7. "Voices in the Sky" (Justin Hayward) – 3:32
8. "The Best Way to Travel" (Mike Pinder) – 3:12
9. "Visions of Paradise" (Hayward/Thomas) – 4:15
10. "The Actor" (Hayward) – 3:09
11. "The Word" (Edge) – 0:49
12. "Om" (Pinder) – 6:27

Extra tracks on the Deluxe Edition are:

1. "Departure" (Alternate Mix) – 0:55
2. "The Best Way to Travel" (Additional Vocal Mix) – 4:03
3. "Legend of a Mind" (Alternate Mix) – 6:43
4. "Visions of Paradise" (Sitar Mix) – 4:30
5. "What Am I Doing Here?" (Alternate Mix) – 3:53
6. "The Word" (Mellotron Mix) – 1:01
7. "Om" (Full Version) – 6:07
8. "A Simple Game" (Justin Hayward Vocal Mix) – 3:26
9. "King and Queen" – 3:53
10. "Dr. Livingston, I Presume" (BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68) – 2:57
11. "Voices in the Sky" (BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68) – 3:52
12. "Thinking is the Best Way to Travel" (BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68) – 3:38
13. "Ride My See-Saw" (BBC Top Gear Session 16/7/68) – 3:49
14. "Tuesday Afternoon" (BBC Afternoon Pop Show 7/10/68) – 3:23
15. "A Simple Game" (Single Version) – 3:44

The Moody Blues
Justin Hayward | John Lodge | Graeme Edge Former members: Ray Thomas | Mike Pinder | Patrick Moraz | Denny Laine | Clint Warwick
Discography
Studio Albums: The Magnificent Moodies | Days of Future Passed | In Search of the Lost Chord | On the Threshold of a Dream | To Our Children's Children's Children | A Question of Balance | Every Good Boy Deserves Favour | Seventh Sojourn | Octave | Long Distance Voyager | The Present | The Other Side of Life | Sur La Mer | Keys of the Kingdom | Strange Times | December
Live: Caught Live + 5 | A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra | Hall Of Fame: Live at the Royal Albert Hall | Lovely To See You Again
Compilations: This is The Moody Blues | Greatest Hits | Prelude | Time Traveller (Box Set) | An Introduction to The Moody Blues
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