Moody Blues Collected

This is the Moody Blues installment in Universal Music's Collected series. The 54 selections span the band's nearly 40-year career -- from early British Invasion-era songs through to the 2003 seasonal offering December. The original lineup hailed from Birmingham, England, and featured Ray Thomas (harmonica/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Denny Laine (vocals/guitar), Graeme Edge (drums), and Clint Warwick (bass/vocals). They had a massive worldwide smash with a remake of Bessie Banks' "Go Now" in early 1965. However, they suffered from the inability to provide a suitable follow-up, despite the undeniable groove heard on the blue-eyed soulful "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)." Ultimately, Warwick and then Laine exited, replaced by John Lodge (bass/vocals) and Justin Hayward (guitar/vocals). They continued with minimal notice, even as Hayward immediately unleashed the pre-psychedelia pop of "Fly Me High" and "Cities," or the slightly more esoteric "Love and Beauty" and "