The Moody Blues were in a weird spot in 1983. They’d just come off the massive, unexpected success of Long Distance Voyager, which had somehow dragged a bunch of 60s symphonic rock icons into the Reagan era without them looking like total fossils. But then came the follow-up. The Moody Blues The Present album is often treated like the awkward middle child of their 80s output. It doesn’t have the "comeback kid" energy of Voyager, and it lacks the slick, synth-pop chart dominance of 1986’s The Other Side of Life.
Honestly? That’s exactly why it’s great.
It’s a transitional record. It’s the sound of a band trying to figure out if they could still be "The Moodies" while the Roland Jupiter-8 was taking over the world. Most people remember "Sitting at the Wheel" or maybe "Blue World," but the deeper you dig into this tracklist, the more you realize it’s actually the last time the classic core—Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge, and Patrick Moraz—sounded like a cohesive, experimental unit before the big MIDI sheen of the late 80s took over completely.
The Patrick Moraz Factor and the Sound of 1983
You can’t talk about this era without talking about Patrick Moraz. He’d replaced Mike Pinder, the man who basically defined the band's sound with the Mellotron. Moraz was a different beast entirely. He was a prog-rock wizard, a guy who had toured with Yes and brought a frenetic, jazzy, digital energy to the table.
On The Present, Moraz isn't just a session guy. He’s the engine.
While the 1981 record was still dipping its toes into the new decade, The Moody Blues The Present album dived headfirst into the deep end of digital synthesis. You hear it immediately on "Sitting at the Wheel." That driving, pulsing bassline isn't just rock; it’s a precursor to the "stadium synth" sound that would define the rest of the decade.
It was recorded at Strawberry Studios South in Dorking. The band brought back Pip Williams to produce. Pip is the guy who knew how to balance the band's natural inclination for lush orchestration with the demands of modern radio. But the tension is visible. You have Justin Hayward writing these gorgeous, sweeping melodies like "Running Water," which could have fit on any of their 70s records, smashed right up against John Lodge’s attempt to write high-energy, New Wave-adjacent rockers.
It shouldn’t work. Sometimes, it barely does. But that friction is what makes it a human record. It’s not perfect. It’s striving.
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Breaking Down the Big Hits (And the Misses)
"Blue World" is arguably one of the best things Justin Hayward ever wrote. It’s got that signature Hayward yearning—that specific, melancholic "blue" feeling—but the production is crisp. It peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100, which, looking back, feels like a crime. It’s a sophisticated piece of pop-rock that manages to feel timeless even with the 83-era drum sounds.
Then you have "Sitting at the Wheel."
This was the "hit." It reached #27. It’s a polarizing track for old-school fans because it’s so... aggressive? It’s a driving song, literally and figuratively. It’s the band trying to prove they can still play fast. If you listen to the 12-inch remix—yes, the Moody Blues had 12-inch dance remixes in the 80s—it’s a wild artifact of its time.
But the real heart of The Moody Blues The Present album is in the deep cuts.
- "Meet Me Halfway": A classic Hayward/Lodge collaboration that feels like a bridge between their Blue Jays project and the modern era.
- "Going Nowhere": This is Ray Thomas’s contribution. Ray was the soul of the band, the guy with the flute and the baritone voice who kept them grounded in their psychedelic roots. By this point, the band’s sound was moving away from the whimsical, flute-heavy arrangements, but "Going Nowhere" is a beautiful, slightly tragic reminder of what he brought to the table.
- "It's Cold Outside of Your Heart": Pure Hayward sentimentality, but executed with such precision that it avoids becoming sappy.
Why "The Present" Flopped (Relatively Speaking)
It didn’t sell as well as Long Distance Voyager. That’s just a fact. It reached #26 in the US and #15 in the UK. For most bands, that’s a massive success. For a band that spent the late 60s and early 70s living at the top of the charts, it felt like a decline.
Why?
The musical landscape was crowded. 1983 was the year of Thriller, Synchronicity, and Let’s Dance. The "Old Guard" was being pushed out unless they completely reinvented themselves as MTV stars. The Moodies weren't quite there yet. They looked a bit older, their videos were... let's say "earnest," and the younger generation wasn't sure what to make of them.
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Also, the internal dynamics were shifting. Patrick Moraz was pushing for more input. Ray Thomas was starting to feel sidelined. You can hear that struggle in the mix. The album feels like it’s pulling in three directions at once: the symphonic past, the pop present, and a tech-heavy future.
Ironically, the title The Present was a play on words. It was meant to be a gift to the fans, and also a statement about being in the "here and now." But the album cover—a direct homage to Maxfield Parrish’s "Daybreak"—suggested something more ethereal and timeless. That disconnect between the high-art cover and the synth-heavy "Sitting at the Wheel" probably confused some casual listeners.
The Technical Side: The Last of the Analog-Digital Hybrids
If you're an audiophile, The Moody Blues The Present album is a fascinating listen because of how it was tracked. This was the era of the "Great Transition." They were using 24-track analog tape but starting to integrate early digital sequencers and samplers.
The drum sound is a perfect example. Graeme Edge was a fantastic, feel-based drummer, but on this record, his playing is often augmented or layered to compete with the drum machines that were dominating the airwaves. It gives the album a stiff, almost robotic backbone that clashes beautifully with Hayward’s fluid guitar solos.
Hayward’s guitar work on this album is actually some of his most underrated. He’s using that crisp, clean 80s tone—likely a mix of his famous 335 and maybe some newer Stratocaster sounds—and his solos are melodic as ever. He wasn't trying to be Van Halen. He was just trying to find space between the layers of Moraz’s synthesizers.
The Legacy of the 1983 Tour
The tour for this album was a big deal. They were still filling arenas. If you look at setlists from that era, the band was playing a heavy chunk of the new material, confident it would land. They were right; the songs worked better live. "Sitting at the Wheel" became a high-energy staple, and "Blue World" sounded massive in a hockey arena.
But after this tour, things changed. The band took a longer break. When they returned with The Other Side of Life, the transformation was complete. They’d become a synth-pop band. Ray Thomas was virtually absent from the songwriting process.
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That makes The Present the final "true" collaboration of that five-piece lineup where everyone still had a distinct voice. It’s the last gasp of the Moody Blues as a progressive rock band before they became a legacy pop act.
Reassessing the "Middle Child"
Is it their best album? No. Days of Future Passed or Seventh Sojourn usually take that crown.
Is it their worst? Not even close.
It’s a record for people who like to see the "seams" in a band’s career. It’s for the listeners who appreciate the struggle of veteran artists trying to remain relevant without losing their souls. When you listen to "Running Water," you aren't hearing an 80s pop star. You’re hearing a man who has been writing songs about the human condition for twenty years, just doing it with a different set of tools.
If you haven’t listened to it in a while, go back and skip the singles first. Listen to the transitions. Listen to the way Patrick Moraz tries to turn a standard rock song into a mini-symphony. Listen to the backing vocals, which remained some of the best in the business.
How to Experience The Present Today
If you’re looking to dive back into this era, don’t just settle for a muddy streaming upload.
- Seek out the 2008 Remaster: It includes some interesting bonus tracks and the soundstage is much wider, which helps Patrick Moraz’s synth layers breathe.
- Watch the "Blue World" Video: It’s a time capsule. It’s peak 80s aesthetic, but it also captures the band’s genuine attempt to engage with the visual medium of MTV.
- Listen to "I Am" and "Sorry" back-to-back: These are the final two tracks. They represent the two sides of the band—the philosophical and the melodic. It’s a perfect microcosm of why they’ve lasted so long.
The Moody Blues were never just one thing. They weren't just the "Nights in White Satin" guys, and they weren't just the "Your Wildest Dreams" guys. They were a bridge. And The Moody Blues The Present album is the most interesting part of that bridge. It’s the sound of a band refusing to fade away, even if they weren't entirely sure where they were headed.
Take a Saturday afternoon, put on some decent headphones, and give it a real spin from start to finish. You’ll find that "The Present" has aged surprisingly well, mostly because its themes of longing and navigating a changing world are, ironically, timeless.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
- Vinyl Hunting: Look for original Polydor pressings from 1983. They are relatively inexpensive compared to the 60s albums but were mastered exceptionally well for the era's turntables.
- Deep Listening: Pay attention to the track "Under My Feet." It’s one of the few times the band experimented with a more funk-inspired groove, showcasing a side of the Lodge/Edge rhythm section that rarely got the spotlight.
- Comparative Analysis: If you enjoy this album, check out Patrick Moraz’s solo work from the same period, specifically Time Code. It explains a lot about the textures you hear on The Present.