Thread: Your Vote: Electric Light Orchestra vs. The Moody Blues

For me, it depends on the day. But I'll give the slight edge to the Moody Blues.

Jeff Lynne is without doubt a very talented tunesmith but sadly ELO were one of those groups that seemed determined to annoy the hell out of me - the white flairs/shirts with long pointy collars/aviator shades ensemble (I know they weren't the only ones to wear dodgy clobber like this during the 70s but it seemed to be almost a uniform for the band well into the 80s), a horrendously stodgy drum sound, more staccato piano than a thousand Paul McCartney overdubs and...well, IMO ELO were just a wee bit naff at times, really...

As for the Moodies, when they were hot they were fantastic but far too often the music fluctuated between the bombastic and the twee (sometimes within the same song) but, man, could they SING - harmonies to die for....In Search of the Lost Chord is one of THE great late 60s records and I don't think any of the subsequent albums from their heyday quite matched it.

Days of Future Passed is better. And yeah Electric Light Orchestra can be annoying at times. Almost too catchy.

Originally Posted by neoshredder

Days of Future Passed is better. And yeah Electric Light Orchestra can be annoying at times. Almost too catchy.

That's very sporting of you to award a 'like' seeing I've criticised a group that I assume you are fond of - no offence originally meant, of course!

DoFP was a daring step bearing in mind the fallow period and personnel shake-up the MB's had after 'Go Now' - it almost had a whiff of 'last chance saloon' about it - all or nothing. Although it's not a favourite of mine it was still without doubt the bravest album they ever made - had it stiffed then it may well have become one of the Great Noble Failures of the Late 60s (like the Kinks' Village Green or either of Kaleidoscope's albums), Nights in White Satin a cult classic rather than an eventual massive hit and the MB's a mere footnote of Britbeat history.

ELO all the way.

Moody Blues for the early stuff. I've got no use for the rest, or ELO.

Moody Blues all the way.

The first four or five Moody Blues albums are unbelievably advanced for popular music in terms of harmonic structure. Not so much the later stuff, but the Moodies win this one for sure. Just listen to the haunting beauty of "Dawn: Dawn Is A Feeling" or "The Afternoon (Tuesday)" and tell me they were not doing novel things for a popular music band.

I'm curious...why pit these two random groups against each other? Why not Max Bygraves v The Dead Kennedys?

Cause they are 2 pop bands that like to use Orchestra in their music and have multiple successful albums during their time.

Originally Posted by neoshredder

Cause they are 2 pop bands that like to use Orchestra in their music and have multiple successful albums during their time.

Fair enough.

I suppose I'd vote for ELO, given that they were the first band I splashed out for two albums (On The Third Day and El Dorado) and I never purchased a Moody Blues record of any description. I no longer have the albums, though I do still have a 45 - Turn to Stone, but was never likely to pursue the Moody Blues either after Justin Hayward turned his hand to the execrable War of the Worlds.

I think that the Moody Blues up to Seventh Sojourn win over anything ELO did, even though I enjoy ELO. The Moodies also had a decent comeback in the late 80s with The Other Side of Life and Sur La Mer but their earliest stuff is almost unsurpassed.

Kevin

Moody Blues, definitely.

No love for Electric Light Orchestra? Out of the Blue and Time are great albums. New World Record and El Dorado are quite good as well.

I like more work by The Moody Blues moreso than ELO. I think they both produced great music though. Out of the Blue is brilliant, Days of Future Past is amazing.