Long Distance Voyager



Long Distance Voyager is the tenth album by The Moody Blues, first released in May 1981 on the group's Threshold record label. It was the group's first album featuring keyboardist Patrick Moraz (who previously had worked with bands such as Refugee and Yes) in place of co-founder Mike Pinder, who left after Octave in 1978.

Upon release in 1981, Long Distance Voyager became the Moody Blues' second American number one album, and was also the source of the Top 20 singles "Gemini Dream" (#12) and "The Voice" (#15). It also continued their winning streak in their native United Kingdom, reaching #7 there.

In November 2008, the album was remastered and released on CD with one extra track.

Overview
The songs on Long Distance Voyager were recorded at the band's own Threshold Studios. The songs were recorded and mixed by Greg Jackman, while Pip Williams was the album's producer. Supplementing the Moody Blues—Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge, and Patrick Moraz—was a string section performed by the New World Philharmonic, which Pip Williams arranged.

Long Distance Voyager is only partially a concept album, as only half of the songs relate to the "voyager" referred to in the album's title. The final three tracks comprise a mini-suite that combines themes of carnival jesters and the chaos experienced backstage at a rock show.

The cover for the album was a painting from the Arts Union Glasgow, while the sleeve was based on a concept by the Moody Blues which was designed by Cream, who were in charge of the album's artwork. NASA's Voyager spacecraft is at the top of the front side of the album cover. Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 ' s flybys of Saturn were in the news in 1980-81.

Original track listing

 * Side One
 * 1) "The Voice" (Justin Hayward) – 5:21 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
 * 2) "Talking Out of Turn" (John Lodge) –  7:18 (lead singer: John Lodge)
 * 3) "Gemini Dream" (Hayward, Lodge) – 4:09 (lead singers: Justin Hayward, John Lodge)
 * 4) "In My World" (Hayward) – 7:22 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
 * Side Two
 * 1) "Meanwhile" (Hayward) –  4:08 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
 * 2) "22,000 Days" (Graeme Edge) – 5:25 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)
 * 3) "Nervous" (Lodge) – 5:45 (lead singer: John Lodge)
 * 4) "Painted Smile" (Ray Thomas) – 3:18 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)
 * 5) "Reflective Smile" (Thomas) – 0:36 (narrator: Dave Symonds)
 * 6) "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" (Thomas) – 3:18 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)

2008 remastered CD expanded edition

 * 1) "The Voice (Single edit)" (Hayward) – 4:17

Personnel

 * Justin Hayward – vocals, guitars
 * John Lodge – vocals, bass
 * Ray Thomas – vocals, flutes, harmonicas
 * Graeme Edge – drums
 * Patrick Moraz – keyboards

Additional personnel

 * B.J. Cole – pedal steel guitar on "In My World"
 * Pip Williams – producer, string arrangements
 * The New World Philharmonic – string section
 * Greg Jackman – recording engineer, mixing
 * Norman Goodman – assistant to Greg Jackman
 * Melvyn Abrahams – mastering
 * Cream – sleeve design, artwork