The Present (Moody Blues album)
| The Present | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 August 1983 (UK) 2 September 1983 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 8 March 1982 – 10 December 1982 at Strawberry Studios, South London | |||
| Genre | Art rock, synthpop, new wave | |||
| Length | 41:47 | |||
| Label | Threshold | |||
| Producer | Pip Williams | |||
| The Moody Blues chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Present | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
The Present is the eleventh album by the Moody Blues, released in 1983. It is the second album of the Patrick Moraz era. It provided three minor hit singles in the U.S. with "Blue World" (#62), "Sitting at the Wheel" (#27) and "Running Water". The album has a track sequence designed to capitalise on the legacy of the more successful Long Distance Voyager, with Justin Hayward's songs at the beginning and Ray Thomas's at the end.
In November 2008 the album was remastered and released on CD with two extra tracks.
The cover is a pastiche of Maxfield Parrish's painting Daybreak.
Original track listing
Side One
- "Blue World" (Justin Hayward) – 5:20 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
- "Meet Me Halfway" (Hayward, John Lodge) – 4:08 (lead singers: Justin Hayward, John Lodge)
- "Sitting at the Wheel" (Lodge) – 5:40 (lead singer: John Lodge)
- "Going Nowhere" (Graeme Edge) – 5:33 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)
Side Two
- "Hole in the World" (Lodge) – 1:54 (instrumental)
- "Under My Feet" (Lodge) – 4:51 (lead singer: John Lodge)
- "It's Cold Outside of Your Heart" (Hayward) – 4:27 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
- "Running Water" (Hayward) – 3:23 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
- "I Am" (Ray Thomas) – 1:40 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)
- "Sorry" (Thomas) – 5:02 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)
2008 remastered CD expanded edition
The 2008 release contains two extra tracks:
- "Blue World" (Single Edit)" – 3:38
- "Sitting at the Wheel (Steve Greenberg Remix)" – 7:32
Personnel
The Moody Blues
- Justin Hayward – vocals, guitar
- John Lodge – vocals, bass guitar
- Ray Thomas – vocals, harmonica, flute
- Graeme Edge – drums
- Patrick Moraz – keyboards
Additional personnel
- Pip Williams – sequencing
Charts
Album – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Pop Albums | 26 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Blue World" | Mainstream Rock | 32 |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 62 | ||
| "Sitting at the Wheel" | Mainstream Rock | 3 | |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 27 |
References
- ^ Connolly, Dave. The Present at AllMusic
- ^ Somay, Errol (27 October 1983). "The Moody Blues: The Present : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2012.