Track Listing

1. Steppin' In A Slide Zone
2. Under Moonshine
3. Had To Fall In Love
4. I'll Be Level With You
5. Driftwood
6. Top Rank Suite
7. I'm Your Man
8. Survival
9. One Step Into The Light
10. The Day We Meet Again

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77773 in Music
• Released on: 1994-07-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 46 minutes

CD Description
The last album by the "classic" Moody Blues lineup that made DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. OCTAVE is typically lush, quasi-orchestral Moodies fare, but along with the big production ballads and wistful Justin Hayward tunes there are some surprises."Steppin' in a Slide Zone" opens with impressionistic touches that recall Pink Floyd circa DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, "I'm Your Man" could pass for early '70s Philly Soul, and "Top Rank Suite" seems to be the Moodies' version of rockabilly.

Customer Reviews

Pinder's Swan Song Album
The eighth album to be released by the Moody Blues, it captures much of the earlier magic, but frequently stumbles. This was during the late sixties, when the music industry was in a schizophrenic mode. The Moody Blues refused to change but were losing steam, giving the world a mediocre album.

There are some great cuts, however. "Steppin' In A Slide Zone" is a rockin' rock concert staple. "One Step Into The Light" and "The Day We Meet Again" showcase Mike Pinder's last songs. His mellotron jumps into high gear and gives the album a fine closure. The best cut, as usual, comes from Justin Hayward, who culls forth a melancholy, light, breezy mood with "Driftwood". This song alone saves the album.

Octave...The Moodies Return after a break
Octave is an explosion of creative fusion after the Moody Blues got back together after a 4 year sabbatical..and a return of Justin and John after their successfull venture as The Blue Jays.
This album was an instant hit with classics such as...Stepping In A Slide Zone reflecting the impressive album cover with the belting bass guitar..Dawn crept into my room Under Moonshine and stole My Dream..is a dreamy number...written by the groups flautist Ray Thomas who has recently left the band...Graeme edge the drummer sings I'll be Level With You...with words like little guy little hands, little eyes and lots of time...clever words of a rare writing composition by this band member...The highlight of this album is Justin Hayward's brilliant lean towards jazz (a classic) Driftwood a cool tranquel and timeless composition....wonderful..Time waits for no one at all no not even you...Just like the driftwood of a dream...it is yes the mood is great.Top Rank suite the rain on the river bursting with fiery melodies and thanks Justin a good one and not aired very much on your shows..Survival by John Lodge is a philisophical dream and it works I love it...Shadows of dreams falling out of the blue...great words John..One Step into the Light By Justin is of a simalar theme but holds it's own tangable and with a sense of spirit within and the stairs that lead into your open mind, a great number and not heard often...this ventures into the sad but moving reprieve of The Day We Meet Again in the garden down the road..this song so moves my emotions and the dramatic orchestration adds to its meaning..when the mist of time is lifting oh no I wasn't there...a fusion indeed of the group reincarnated and they continued producing more Albums afer this...Octave is a must-have for all lovers of the Moodies and Justin Hayward's accomlished songwriting.

1978, the Moodies are back!
The last album to feature Mike Pinder, this album, although not the most critically aclaimed, flows beautifully from one track to the next. The upbeat songs, (time zone, I'll be level with you, etc.) are on par with earlier recordings such as 'I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band' and 'ride my see-saw', but without the pycadaelic edge of the previous seven albums. It was recorded after a lenghty pause, when the existence of the band was in question. The slower songs are of the highest quality and play instrumentally after the song has finished in a wonderfully relaxed way, with many instrumental lines intertwining over and under each other in a wash of melodic beauty that the moody blues are so good at. The vocal harmonies in the songs are just the same as previous albums and I love this album. If you like the Moody Blues, buy this one, it's not as well known, but it is certainly of merit. 1978 was a year for the punks, but in the background the Moody Blues were being nice.