The Present
Studio album by
The Moody Blues
ReleasedAugust 1983
Recorded8 March 1982 – 10 December 1982
StudioStrawberry Studios South, Dorking, Surrey
GenreArt rock, synthpop, new wave
Length41:47
LabelThreshold
ProducerPip Williams
The Moody Blues chronology
Long Distance Voyager
(1981) 		The Present
(1983) 		Voices in the Sky: The Best of The Moody Blues
(1984)
Singles from The Present
  1. "Blue World"
    Released: August 1983
  2. "Sitting at the Wheel"
    Released: November 1983
  3. "Running Water"
    Released: December 1983 (US only)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

The Present is the eleventh album by the Moody Blues, released in 1983. This was the group's last original studio album to be released on their custom label, Threshold Records.

Overview

The album is the second of the Patrick Moraz era. It provided three minor hit singles in the U.S. with "Blue World" (#62), "Sitting at the Wheel" (#27) and "Running Water".

The album has a track sequence designed to capitalise on the legacy of the more successful Long Distance Voyager, with Justin Hayward's songs at the beginning and Ray Thomas's at the end. In November 2008 the album was remastered and released on CD with two extra tracks.

The cover is a pastiche of Maxfield Parrish's painting Daybreak.

Original track listing

Side One

  1. "Blue World" (Justin Hayward) – 5:20 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
  2. "Meet Me Halfway" (Hayward, John Lodge) – 4:08 (lead singers: Justin Hayward, John Lodge)
  3. "Sitting at the Wheel" (Lodge) – 5:40 (lead singer: John Lodge)
  4. "Going Nowhere" (Graeme Edge) – 5:33 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)

Side Two

  1. "Hole in the World" (Lodge) – 1:54 (instrumental)
  2. "Under My Feet" (Lodge) – 4:51 (lead singer: John Lodge)
  3. "It's Cold Outside of Your Heart" (Hayward) – 4:27 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
  4. "Running Water" (Hayward) – 3:23 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
  5. "I Am" (Ray Thomas) – 1:40 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)
  6. "Sorry" (Thomas) – 5:02 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)

2008 remastered CD expanded edition

The 2008 release contains two extra tracks:

  2. "Blue World" (Single Edit)" – 3:38
  3. "Sitting at the Wheel (Steve Greenberg Remix)" – 7:32

Personnel

Sources: [3]

The Moody Blues

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1983) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[4] 11
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] 26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6] 33
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] 26
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[8] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 35
UK Albums (OCC)[10] 15
US Billboard 200[11] 26

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Connolly, Dave. The Present at AllMusic
  2. ^ Somay, Errol (27 October 1983). "The Moody Blues: The Present : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  3. ^ The Present. Albumlinernotes. Accessed February 14, 2024. http://albumlinernotes.com/The_Present.html.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4335a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Moody Blues – The Present" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Moody Blues – The Present" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Charts.nz – The Moody Blues – The Present". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Moody Blues – The Present". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Moody Blues – The Present". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  10. ^ "The Moody Blues | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  11. ^ "The Moody Blues Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Moody Blues – The Present". Music Canada.

External links

The Moody Blues
Authority control databases
Categories