The Moody Blues - Prelude CD

AllMusic Review

Prelude Review by Bruce Eder

A collection of little known "transitional" period tracks in the group's history, dating from the period after bassist/vocalist Clint Warwick and guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine had exited and John Lodge and Justin Hayward had replaced them, but before the band had fully hit upon a new sound. Some of the stuff is surprisingly Beatlesque, and "Love and Beauty" marks the group's first use of the Mellotron and the layered vocals that would define their later psychedelic-era sound. And all of this is rounded out by the presence of the late-'60s studio tracks that filled out their 1978 compilation Caught Live + 5. This disc is worth tracking down for fans.