August 31, 2009 Reflections

I am so excited this Saturday Night in St. Louis, yet another Night in White Satin. I can't believe its finally here. Have made plans to make this a mini vacation. Making stops in Jackson and Memphis before the prime destination of St. Louis....I know its going to be a fantastic concert!!!

August 17, 2009 Reflections:

Getting all excited about the St. Louis show. Luckily and so far no hurricanes have entered the Gulf...Nothing like competing for Hotel rooms with everyone evacuating.

Speaking of Hurricanes, Camille hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast 40 years ago today and lets not forget the mouth of the Mississippi River here in Louisiana got the eyewall too... I was just about to make 7 when it hit...I remember breaking out the candles that night and the next morning going in the backyard and seeing the damage it had caused. Camille was a Cat. 5 and had winds of 190 mph. I heard tonight it was a storm that was intensifying when it hit the coast...Unlike Hurricane Katrina that had weakened when it hit. It will be 4 years since Katrina August 29th.


July 1, 2009 Reflections:

Well I ordered my tickets to the summer finale. I order 5 tickets to the Fox Theater in St. Louis for the show over the Labor Day Weekend. I will be taking my family, yes even the kids...trust me they listen to the Moody's often and when they have them on their I-pods, well you just know they found their sound.

My lastest picture, I used my imagination and think of the Moody's music as insurance, like my life insurance policy....just to see me thru another day, to get my daily dose, a concert, or just cruising down the lakefront with the windows down and the music cranked up...its insurance we all could use.

Going on 2 months since my mom died. With each passing day, I try not to tear up...somedays are better than others and often a song, or a part in a movie, gets me thinking of her. I know she's out there somewhere, shining down on me.

Looking forward to the concert...and taking plenty of pictures.


April 30, 2009 Reflections:

I added 3 pictures from our recent snow fall on December 11, 2008. The first is the lot that is adjacent to my property and the others are taken from driving around the neighborhood. It was the most snow I can ever remember New Orleans ever getting...Unfortunately, it was too warm that day and by night fall most snow had melted. The 4th picture comes from December 23, 1989. The 5th photo is from December 25, 2004.


April 23, 2009 Reflections:

Finally past April 15th, so I can breath a little sigh of relief. Like every tax season, it gets rougher than the year before. Something always happens to put a wrench into it that makes it a season to remember and this year was no exception. Still having Moody's music in the background helps pass the day and sooths the stress! Don't know how their music does it but it does. I have about 7 hr playlist that gets me thru the day. I did add a few tunes this year...always expanding my new horizons.

An album that I never gave a chance when it came out, I finally blew the dust off of and listened. It was Strange Times and I added..Haunted, All that is Real is You, Foolish love, The Swallow and Nothing Changes to my daily listening. From EGBDF I added Our Guessing Game and After You Came...funny how songs just grow on you after you heard them a few times...for some reason these songs just click when I listen to them now...Must be Justin soothing voice on Strange Times. I just wonder why it took so long to pick up this disk and put them on the playlist???

February 27, 2009 Reflections

Wow almost two months into 2009, thats hard to believe, time just passes much to quickly..when were together laughing.....hmm thats another group.

Hey, during the week of parades during Mardi Gras, I listened to the Moody's for the first time...the first time on an I-pod and I have to admit they sounded excellent. I was quite impressed with my daughters new purchase. Yep to think she wanted Moody Blues songs on there. Wonder where that came from? I listened to
The Actor and New Horizons...and wow did it sound rich. I was singing out loud and didn't care what people thought...Soon, we had some friends arrive and I turned it off.

Now it makes me want to get her older I-pod in sync with the music I love.

December 3, 2008 Reflections

Wow its been awhile since I visited this. There were a few gaps in time...the first around Hurricane Gustav and Ike..and again in mid-November where I didn't listen that much to the Moody's. Its always great rediscovering their music. No matter how many times you have listened to those fav songs, they just rekindle that magic, to fill your heart, mind, and soul with music, like a shot in the arm..its then that you then realize how much you missed them. While I have my favorite groups and songs....no other band does this quite like the Moody's. It quite amazes me.

I also have taken a likening to Strange Times. When I first got that CD, I never gave it time to grow on me and basically shelved it, but after listening to it a number of times there are some songs I have taken too. Just goes to show you that after all these years you can still discover the Moody Blues all over again.


July 16, 2008 Reflections

I thinks John adds toughness to the band the others do not. His songs seem to Rock more than the others and thats not to say the others don't have songs that jam...He is also able to write and do songs that have that inner thought reflections that Justin does so well. Candle of Life and Isn't Life Strange tells me he digs deep in the soul too. I also love the original version off ILS from the SACD...it truly changes the song to give a totally new perspective and meaning and love listening to the extended version. It makes it such a beautiful song. I wish they would have done that original version in the LTSY DVD. First they played it to accompany Norda and her flute and made it a slow ballad. She could had taken the extended part as a solo. It would have worked well, however the band did an excellent job with the way they played it.

When I listen to those live BBC recording from my SACD's....so evident in the Moody's style was John's whining high pitched cry....His harmony blends in with the music well especially on Days. But you hear it in "Please Think About it." I also loved it came back on "The Present" on Ray's song Sorry...."Laid back uptown people lie...LIE John voice is so evident in that second lie...

Today one of my fav John songs, is One More Time to Live. Originally I did not care for it...I thought the rhyming words in the middle made the song sound strange....but today so many different emotions and meaning go thru my head when I hear those words being sang out...and Ray's flute contribution is just awesome. You just cannot mention the style of one members song without mentioning another.....they all blended so well together.

Oh the Core 7 simply is a work of art that will never repeat itself....simply brilliant.

June 30, 2008 Reflections

Yes I love the lyrics of the Moody as much as the music...the lyrics too are for the heart, mind and soul. Thoughts go thru my mind and wonder what was going thru theirs when they were creating it. I realize that there is such deep personal meaning in many of the songs. Having studied Moodies lyrics they seem to be effective by using the same words and simple words...as if using simple words give the songs more meaning or allow different interpretations of the song.....like saying a more with less or even silence. Its quite mysterious, don't you think? Or maybe its easier to put a musical note and a melody to certain words that are simple in nature...after all there is a lot of the same words used throughout their lyrics.....hence what creates their style.

June 21, 2008 Reflections

You can't mention the Moody's without mentioning their poetry. The Core 7 is filled with it. Graeme's voice, so deep, spoken with so much passion...added so much meaning to the spoken word and to the style of the band. I love hearing..."The browns, reds and golds of autumn, lie in the gutter, dead." and "Prinprick holes in a colourless sky, let insipid figures of light pass by" ... Like Ray's flute. poetry is unique in rock and this too added to their style. I remember in my teenage days, staying up late listening to the radio and hearing"Nights" in the days before I knew who the Moody Blues were. I remember thinking how cool it was to have poetry in music....Today its almost a lost art for them. Today. I hear Graeme speak Late Lament in concert and all that passion is gone, just words in concert and that is sad.

I wish I would have known the band when Mike was around. Just not born at the right time I guess. I have so much respect for this man especially since watching the newly released 3-DVD set of the history of the band. He, just like any other member of the band was responsible for their early success. His expertise on the melletron helped polish the sound of the band today and the Core 7 would not be complete without his contribution. The success of the band today could not have been achieved without his input. Mike contributed so much to the style and sound of the Moody's as we know it today. So thanks Mike for being a vital part of this band.

Original Reflections

The Moody Blues are a part of my everyday life, like food and water, their music and lyrics are for the heart, mind and soul. There is such passion for listening to this band. It seems the older I get, the more I listen, the deeper more personal the songs become.

Justin is a musical genius. From the music, the formations of songs, the way he sings songs, how he uses his voice, enphasizes certain words and of course lyrics and the placement of lyrics. He simply blows me away.

He simply is a romantic. Songs like New Horizons and The Actor, where it just sounds like he is pouring his heart out . Is he is still searching for that special someone. Maybe someone he knows and cannot have??? So many songs of his have this recurring theme. Or is his writings fit anyone...We all can relate to his songs and wonder if he just expresses our inner thoughts, wants and needs that longs in all of us.

I sure do miss Ray. When you look back at the Core 7 each member had the unique style and contribution to the band. And each members style was not too far off and blended so well with each others style. But to have a flute in Rock n Roll music is rare, not to mention it blends in and complements their style of music. I always knew when Ray picked up his flute they were playing something from the Core 7 and it was going to be great. Plus he also wrote some awesome songs. You cannot mention the Moodies without mentioning him!
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Love listing 1960's & 70's Classic Rock. I love to bowl, and throwing the football and shooting baskets with my boys. I enjoy taking them to see the New Orleans Saints & Hornets play.

Favourite Line

I let my music take me where my heart wants to go

My favourite Justin solo songs

Broken Dream
Something to Believe In
The Way of the World
I Heard it
The Promise Land
Troubadour
Shame
Songwriter
Raised on Love
Nostradamus
Silverbird
Lost and Found
Goodbye
Moving Mountains