Moodies mellow in maturity

THERE IS LITTLE left to say and about the Magnificent Moodies. The Moodies in Maturity are a consistent, high quality act that will survive as long as there is a Justin Hayward still able to mount the stage and sing. The voice is as strong and as brittle as its creator intended and his Novello-award-winning songwriting endures because, as his bassist John Lodge rightly says, the Moodies' material charts the life of their contemporaries, decade through to decade.

Drummer Graeme Edge reminded the full house that it's all very well recalling an album they produced 3 years ago but remember, the next number coming up is 3 decades old.

The set is more or less the same. Night In White Satin comes at the boil, Question sends the overflowing saucepan spitting onto the hob and the encore, Ride My See-Saw, differed only from their previous two appearances here, in that Hayward played a sunburst Fender Telecaster instead of his white Stratocaster. It all works. It does for all the world - including now, even, the sheep of New Zealand. Because it does for lovers of classy, emotional pop and rock songwriting.

I intimated, just as long that Hayward is there. Others have gone: Mike Pinder withdrew like Scott Walker, Ray Thomas retired, possibly having become a superflous tambourine player and singer of songs latterly even more embarrassingly sentimental musically than the Lean On Me of Lodge, that on this night was a tender song, sung and played with not quite enough of the same. Lodge wrote Seesaw, mind, and that's proved indispensible.

I'd like, not to laud once again the surviving Moodies, whose enduring professionalism and energy, and tour-grossing capability, is carefully maintained and a credit to rock and pop in the greater scheme of showbusiness longevity.

No, it's time to spotlight the superbly talented and versatile people who have replaced Pinder (later Patrick Moraz) and Thomas. Three musicians, none of whom get more than a credit in the glossy programme.

Paul Bliss deserves more than just his name in the book. He's been there more than a dozen years, I'd hazard. He has always made his job look effortless. He also adds acoustic six-string for the guitarry ones.

Then, likewise long-serving, there's second drummer Gordon Marshall who not only simplifies life for Edge - one minute the thumping bedrock of everything, the next adding dramatic, live overdubs on top of Edge's fundamentals. He also played second keyboard with Bliss and Hayward in the second-set opener, Forever Autumn. As if that wasn't enough, he added second flute for Are You Sitting Comfortably? - for me an especially rewarding live rarity, as was Never Comes The Day. These were two of several successes on the night with Hayward, on fingerstyle acoustic.

Instead of Thomas, who provided high harmonies, there are two women and their voices are the answer. But it's not just voices. Julie Ragins brings a second keyboard and Norda Mullen is a solid flautist and acoustic guitarist. Both are, of course, younger and prettier tambourinists than our dear old Ray .

So here's to the musicians that make the live Moodies act genuine, authentic, and still possible.

After this, it was onwards to playing three nights, filling the Royal Albert Hall.

Richard Amey