1. The Golden Age of Steam -- Some people may not like this (I've even heard someone say it "should have been left on the cutting room floor"), but it's my clear favorite on the album. An unexpected style with a wonderful sense of suspense throughout.
2. Twice Around the Sun
3. Dreaming with Open Eyes
I mulled over "Steam" for a few seconds, only just missed my top 3. This is exactly the sort of left field thing that made Steve's stuff stand out. Oh, if only those days were back............
Twice around the sun (by a huge margin!), Jane Austin's door, and In memoriam. After voting, I see whoever else beat me to it voted for the same 3 tracks!
Oh no -- that's 3 of the classic 5 Moodies gone now, and all 5 of the original ones.
I know, the only other one, and I don't know about him, is Rod Clark, who was bass player for weeks between Clint and John Lodge.
Mike Pinder, keyboard player, songwriter and singer with the Moody Blues, 1964-1978. Most famous for his association with the Mellotron. If it were not for Mike, the Beatles would likely never have used one (and the start of "Strawberry Fields Forever would have been much different) as probably would much of late 60's pop, plus bands like Genesis, Watcher of the Skies would at the very least have been different, at most maybe not have happened at all.
Mike had worked for Streetly Electronics, makers of the tron, and so was more aware than anyone of it's possibilities (he was a set-up engineer, aligning and checking them as they left the production line) so as soon as he got one, he started modding them, removing the left hand rhythm/chord tapeset, and installing a second set of melody tapes. His mods continued, to the point where many later machines were referred to as "Pindertrons" by musicians who had them.
Dec 27, 1941 - April 24, 2024. RIP Mike, your final "one step into the light"!
Quote from email I've received:
"Pretty Vacant
25 Chwefror / February 2025
The Story of Punk and New Wave - For the first time all the hits, attitude and fashion are brought to the stage by this incredibly talented cast of musicians, singers and dancers" - Sorry about the language, it's Welsh! 
Anyway, point is, surely that's counter-intuitive? Incredible talent was the one thing they lacked, and eschewed. It's a bit like asking Prof. Brian Cox to play the part of the Pope during the condemnation of Galileo.
Busy week in Foxfeeder Tower's listening room (and letter box!). Earlier in week, it was the new Cock Robin box set, "Precious Dreams" the complete CBS recordings 1985-1990 (albeit incomplete, as it omits the single edit of Worlds Apart, and ironically, The Part That I MIss). Today it's 2 XTC 5.1 sets that went on sale last week at Burning Shed, half-price. Listened to Drums & Wires earlier, now playing Nonsuch!
If you are after a correct set of GA67-75, I have one, correct discs, book not in bits, I will happily sell, I never play it. Got GA76-92 as well, also surplus to requ.
Out now!
Bit rude! I was only trying to be helpful and informative.
OOOHHHH! I see what you mean! 
I guess I was thinking specifically of the Seconds Out version. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure it’s mellotron.
Seconds out version will be, hard to carry a 48 track mixer around for one song. And they're big, like 20 feet across, I've seen the one they have (had?) at BBC Llandaff back in the 1980's. The Mellotron was problem enough!
Great thread. I think people have already hit on just about all of my favorite Tony moments. I'd like to add the mellotron choir in Afterglow.
Even on FGTR, there are some incredibly catchy piano phrases.
Like everybody has mentioned, no improvisation. That's why I've always thought of Tony as a composer, rather than a songwriter.
Is there Mellotron choir on Afterglow? The main vocal effects at the end are Phil, assembled in the same way as the Voice of Necam by Steve Hackett, Steve's idea to use the computerised faders on the Neve of Croydon Computer Assisted Mixdown (NECAM!) as an instrument.
I think the issue was that they thought We Can't Dance would be a too long album if they included these two. In fact Genesis recorded in '91 enough songs to make 2 albums the length of We Can't Dance. It is known that We Can't Dance 2 is kept within The Farm's vaults. What is more, it was considered at the time the possibility of releasing it as a follow-up afterwards.
I hope not, cos the Farm has been sold now, so it might have gone in a skip! 
Justin Hayward, Venue Cymru (Wales in Welsh!) Llandudno, a town I know well, esp. as I was involved in the installation of the first 17 CCTV street cameras back in 1997. Anyway, great gig, with Mike Dawes as support act and in Justin's band on guitar, plus Julie Ragins on keyboards and vocals, and Karmen Gould on flutes, harmonica and percussion. Preceded by a great meal at "The Lilly", on the West Shore! Almost all songs were Moody Blues tracks, bar Blue Guitar in the encore, where Jus got his Gibson 335 out, and One Lonely Room as part of a long, several song medley. Out & In, a Mike Pinder song, made an appearance as part of the medley too.
Seems I got lucky the other night, I'd also looked into the New Brighton gig the following night, but decided on Llandudno as the seats were better, and we know better eating places there. New Brighton gig was cancelled after Monday afternoon soundcheck, as, to quote Justin:
"I’m so sorry, but for the first time ever (for me personally) I could not do the gig.
"I opened my mouth to sing at sound check and the voice just didn’t come out. Very strange, and disturbing.
"I’m told it is inflammation on the vocal chords. I apologise sincerely to everyone that has bought tickets to be here - me without my voice doesn’t add up to much. All things must pass I’ll be back of course."
Tuesdays Darlington gig was also cancelled, maybe he was still affected, but I guess he also wants to recover fully before April 5th, when the "On the Blue" cruise he hosts is due to sail from Miami. Imagine the problems cancelling a cruise!
Not a track I knew, but on first listen, much better than No Son Of Mine (Damning with faint praise!) but while it's OK, I find Phil's voice somewhat annoying on it. Never a huge fan of his singing, TBH, but there's something about it here.........
Justin Hayward, Venue Cymru (Wales in Welsh!) Llandudno, a town I know well, esp. as I was involved in the installation of the first 17 CCTV street cameras back in 1997. Anyway, great gig, with Mike Dawes as support act and in Justin's band on guitar, plus Julie Ragins on keyboards and vocals, and Karmen Gould on flutes, harmonica and percussion. Preceded by a great meal at "The Lilly", on the West Shore! Almost all songs were Moody Blues tracks, bar Blue Guitar in the encore, where Jus got his Gibson 335 out, and One Lonely Room as part of a long, several song medley. Out & In, a Mike Pinder song, made an appearance as part of the medley too.
100 years ago today, Bette McMurray was born. She gave 2 things to the world: Liquid paper, aka errorex, snopake, typing correction fluid, the last one is a hint to our younger members who probably don't even remember typewriters, it was like white paint you used to correct mistakes on documents. She also, after marriage, gave us her son, Michael Nesmith, most famous for the Monkees, but much more talented than that. Thank you Bette!
To add to the above commentary on streaming vs physical media, I just learned something new on Twitter that adds a LOT of fuel to argument in favor of owning physical media, for me. Apparently when old TV shows are added to streaming platforms, they strip a lot of the original songs out so they don't have to pay for them. They get replaced by muzak of some sort. I can't say I've noticed, since I haven't rewatched a show from my childhood, like the x files, on streaming yet. Thankfully now I know never to. The only good example I saw online was replacing In The Air Tonight on Miami Vice with some awful sounding generic fluff.
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This doesn't entirely solve the problem though. Sometimes, songs get changed on DVD/Blu-Ray releases due to rights issues. Couple of examples I can think of: A Pointer Sisters track changed for another Pointer Sisters track in some film or TV show, can't recall what. (Think I'd prefer the muzak), and an episode of "Life On Mars" (UK TV show) where a track called "When The City Sleeps" by Bombadil (actually Barclay James Harvest!) is substituted by "The Story In Your Eyes" by the Moody Blues.
Had Greatest Hits Radio on in the car earlier, Ken Bruce doing listeners "tracks of my years", the nominated listener picked Howzat by Sherbet, a great song, which, maybe oddly, always puts me in mind of another great song, Sky High by Jigsaw (which, from memory, is from the film "the man from Hong Kong"). Guess what said listeners next choice was? Maybe not so odd after all. 
Talking Pictures TV are airing "Stringray" on Saturday afternoons. Made in 1964, in colour, the picture quality is outstanding for the era, clearly Gerry Anderson's budget had few limits.
This showing proves me wrong. Back in the day, it would be one around 4.30pm, and, like Fireball XL5 and Thunderbirds, I would be badgering my mum if we had stopped in shops on the way home from school, home taping was not even something anyone had even imagined at that time, so I'd be urging mum to get a move on, this would be my only chance to see this episode, it would never be repeated! Now, it seems, I was wrong! Sorry mum!
Interestingly, these repeats are preceded by a warning that the show is rated "PG". Really? It's a kids show, no-one over the age of 12 was watching it back in the day. 
On the subject of ratings for shows, BBC have warnings of "Contains adult humour" - I wonder if they've ever seen it? 
Steve Harley/Cockney Rebel's first 2 hits were Mr Soft, and Judy Teen, both of which I felt had a little of "I know What I Like" about them at the time. RIP Steve, active until very recently.
