With a career that has spanned over forty years, The Moody Blues are true musical legends combining classical music and rock to create their unique progressive rock sound. In 1991, the Montreux Jazz Festival was celebrating its 25th anniversary during which The Moody Blues performed at Montreux for the first and only time in their career. To mark this special occasion, the performance was recorded and recently released on DVD by Eagle Rock Entertainment.
The lineup for the show included John Lodge on bass, Justin Hayward on guitar, Ray Thomas on flute, and Graeme Edge on drums along with a few other musicians to round things out. The DVD includes their entire 15 song set and includes such classics as “Tuesday Afternoon” and “Nights In White Satin” along with the popular “Gemini Dream” and “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock and Roll Band).” The show is simple with the focal point being on the quality of the songs and the talent of the musicians without any distractions. Although not the most exciting of performances, The Moody Blues sound great and deliver a solid set. My personal favorites were the flute work and extended jams of “Legend of a Mind” and the encore “Ride My See Saw” which showed the band at its liveliest and completely rocking it out.
The DVD is pretty no frills with no additional material or bonus footage included. However, an audio CD which features most of the performance is part of the set. “Live At Montreux 1991” is a good compilation for people who want to add some Moody Blues to their collection and a must own for long time fans who wish to own a part of history with this legendary show. The music of a great band like this will always stand the test of time.
