In Search of the Lost Chord

One of psychedelic rock’s truly seminal albums, In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968) caught the Moody Blues at their most mind-expansive. After the lush romanticism of Days Of Future Past, the quintet channeled their creativity towards inner exploration and came up with this immaculately-crafted, mystically-slanted song-cycle. The sonic landscapes here are delineated by Justin Hayward’s layered guitars, Ray Thomas’ billowing flute and the eerie orchestral textures of Mike Pindar’s mellotrone. Tracks like “Visions of Paradise” and “Voices In The Sky” invoke scenes of astral glory, while “House Of Four Doors” speaks to the psychic sojourner in every listener. Chemical inspiration is strongly implied in “Ride My See-Saw” and the quirky mini-suite “Legend Of A Mind” (known for its refrain “Timothy Leary’s dead…”). The Moodys end their journey with “Om,” marrying Indian raga motifs with an exalted vocal arrangement. Overall, the album is sonically ambitious, lyrically earnest and almost completely irony-free. If its kaleidoscope-eyed idealism has faded with time, the grandeur of its music has not. In Search Of The Lost Chord is a gorgeous artifact of its era, whatever the condition of your consciousness.