Friday, December 16, 2011

Hits List: Moody Blues

What can I say about this group?  The truth is, I can't say enough good things about them.  When they were starting out in the 1960's, the general consensus was that they were years ahead of their time.  Which means that now, they should be one of the most popular acts in the world.  I had the great fortune of seeing them live and I thought going in, "Man, it's going to be hard to replicate the incredible sound they achieved in the studio."  I walked away floored of how great they were live.  They do incredibly sensitive ballads and can also do straight rock and roll with the best of them; hence one of the more appropriate names of the Rock Era--Moody Blues.

I'll preface this Hits List by saying that, since they were indeed years ahead of their time, they have many songs that were highly underrated.  Even with the world taking time to catch up with the Moodies, they stil rank as one of The Top 100 Artists of the Rock Era*.

1964:  "Steal Your Heart Away"
           "Go Now" (#10, #1 U.K., #2 Canada, #8 Netherlands)
1965:  "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" (#33 U.K.)
          "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" (#93, #22 U.K., #23 Canada)
          "Everyday" (#44 U.K.)
1966:  "Stop!"  (#98, #88 Canada)
          "This Is My House (but Nobody Calls)"

1967:  "Life's Not Life"
          "Fly Me High"
          "Love and Beauty"
          "Nights in Whte Sain" (#2, #9 U.K., #1 Canada, #2 Netherlands)
1968:  "Tuesday Afternoon" (#24, #12 Canada)--highly underrated.
           "Voices in the Sky" (#27 U.K.)
           "Ride My See-Saw" (#61, #42 U.K., #33 Canada, #16 Netherlands)--highly underrated.
1969:  "Never Comes the Day" (#91, #74 Canada)
          "Watching and Waiting"

1970:  "Question" (#21, #2 U.K., #8 Canada, #1 Netherlands)--highly underrated in U.S.
1971:  "The Story in Your Eyes" (#23, #7 Canada, #11 Netherlands)--underrated
1972:  "Isn't Life Strange" (#29, #13 U.K., #9 Canada)
1973:  "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" (#12, #36 U.K., #4 the Netherlands)--underrated.
1978:  "Steppin' in a Slide Zone" (#39, #41 Canada)
          "Drfitwood" (#59, #60 Canada)
          "Had to Fall in Love" (#18 the Netherlands)
1981:  "Gemini Dream" (#12, #13 Mainstream Rock, #1 Canada)
           "The Voice" (#15, #1 Mainstream, #9 Canada, #46 the Netherlands)--underrated.
           "Talking Out of Turn" (#65, #27 Canada)
1983:  "Blue World" (#62, #32 Mainstream, #35 U.K., #40 Canada)
           "Sitting at the Wheel" (#27, #3 Mainstream, #18 Canada)
1984:  "Running Water"

1986:  "Your Wildest Dreams" (#9, #1 Adult Contemporary, #2 Mainstream, #55 Canada)
          "The Other Side of Life" (#58, #18 A, #11 Mainstream)
1988:  "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" (#30, #9 AC, #2 Mainstream, #52 U.K., #15 Canada)
          "No More Lies" (#15 AC)
1991:  "Say It with Love" (#22 Mainstream, #36 Canada)
          "Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)"
1999:  "English Sunset"
2003:  "December Snow"

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