The Moody Blues – Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971)

The Moody Blues is a strange band. I sometimes really like them and sometimes they seem really lame. I really liked the band as a teenager after having heard one album played by my father and after borrowing an extensive CD box set from the local library and copying it on minidisc. Then, for quite a few years afterwards, I thought Moody Blues was kind of lame. They sounded really old and outdated. Now that I'm listening to them years later, I can totally see what was so good about them and even if the sounds are a bit old, I truly enjoy their music. This album I bought on vinyl when I found it with a very affordable price in a record store in Helsinki. I haven't listened to this album that much since the purchase because quite soon after buying it, I moved to London and I don't have the album with me.



The sounds on this album are a bit more experimental and futuristic than on many other Moody Blues albums. There's quite a few good rock songs and even some noise experimentation that must have sounded quite modern at the time of the release of this album. Then again, there are also some songs that sound very old because of poorer recording technology and outdated English folk styles. I guess I have had an ambivalent relation with progressive rock since my teenage years when I was really into the genre. It became apparent in the following years that prog rock was really uncool and that's why I kind of lost interest even if I actually like the music. Peer pressure was too strong. Now I'm old enough to not be embarrassed about what I like.

The album starts with a strange mostly instrumental noise bit Procession. There are interesting and futuristic synth sounds that remind me of early video games. Back in 1971 these sounds must've been really strange. In the midst of the noise, comes some yells, rain, storm and jungle noises that lead to the first proper song on the album through some tribal yells and sitar psychedelia. The first proper song is The Story In Your Eyes, which is one of the best songs The Moody Blues ever released. This song has a nice rock tempo and catchy melody. The guitars sound excellent. I think with a bit of remixing, this song could be made to sound timely even today. Our Guessing Game is more classic Moody Blues with some classical instruments in the background creating that fairytale sound. The vocal harmonies are very much influenced by traditional English folk. Emily's Song is a folk rock song that has a nice melody sounding a bit like a lullaby. There's a horn section in the background. After You Came follows straight from the song with rolling rock beat. This is kind of traditional prog rock because there's a variety of different sounding parts and tempo changes in the song. One More Time to Live brings in folk flutes and dreamlike mood. I like the psychedelic bit in the middle that turns the mood darker. Nice to Be Here sounds like a proper medieval folk song in the beginning. There's a certain type of flower power hippy mentality in this song that hasn't been popular since. In a way it sound childish today. You Can Never Go Home is another fairlytale-style song that takes its time to properly start. I feel like there should be even more growth in the song to make it a bit more interesting. The album ends with My Song that has beautiful melancholic melodies and simple piano backgrounds.

I think what I most like about The Moody Blues is that they are not afraid to jump into complete fantasy in their music. They are creating music that makes me think of fantasy films and fairytales. Many of these sounds may sound a bit cheesy, but I don't really care. I think it's very beautifully crafted music that certainly is recognisable, unique and interesting.

Listen to the album on Spotify.