The Moody Blues - Live at Montreux 1991 (DVD, 2005)

This is a nice concert DVD with the Moody Blues performing 15 of their greatest hits and, of course, this was way before Ray Thomas, their flutist, retired, so it was nice to see him perform his classic "Legend of a Mind" (the Timothy Leary song). But technically this is not a great tape. The images are dark, the sound isn't pure, and the camera angles flash around so quickly it gave me a headache. I guess the film editor thought this was "arty" or exciting, but it is just dizzying and doesn't give you a chance to appreciate what's going on in each shot, whether it is Justin's incredible virtuosity on his guitar strings or Graeme Edge's or Gordon Marshall's drum beats. The following year the concert with the Colorado Symphony was filmed at Red Rocks, and this is a far superior concert recording, with many of the same songs.

Live performances are always fun to watch, if for nothing more than the spontaneity inherent in them. This filmed performance offers a spontaneous slice of Moody favourites.

As with many Moody Blues concerts, they need time to warm up to their audience--for the synergy to begin. The energy builds slowly, and by the time they reach "Question," their finale, the musicians and audience are surfing the wave. The encore of "Seesaw," as always, leaves us wanting more.

The sound on the recording is not well balanced, leaving the listener with instruments dominating voices. Lodge's voice is prominent throughout the performance, while Hayward's microphone could have used a boost.

"Live at Montreaux" is a worthwhile watch and listen, and would be a welcome addition to your vintage prog rock collection. It shows that "Boys just wanna have fun!"

This DVD is a tape of a 1991 performance. There was no orchestra, just the Moodies and some backup musicians and singers. Their performance was beyond excellent and captured beautifully on tape. It contained some really nice shots of the four. Very nice indeed- a real plus for the Moodies collector!

HAVE BEEN A FAN OF THIS BAND SINCE IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CORD, AND I MUST TELL YOU I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS DVD, I HAVE SEEN THE BAND SEVERAL TIMES AND I MUST TELL YOU THEY NEVER SOUNDED THIS POORLY.JUSTINS AND JOHN VOCALS SEEMED A BIT OFF THE WHOLE CONCERT, I DON'T KNOW IF ITS THE MIX OR WHAT BUT I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND

There is no such thing as a bad Moody Blues concert but the quality of this one is not up to what the Moodies actually do. It is probably the least favorite of any of the shows I've seen.