Sur la Mer

After the big commercial success of their 1986 release, "The Other Side Of Life," the Moody Blues followed it up with 1988's "Sur La Mer" (or "On The Sea" in French), and while it can be said that "Sur La Mer" is basically a sequel album to "The Other Side Of Life"---glossy, polished Moodies music tailor-made for the 80's---this is an excellent Moody Blues album all the same. The proof is in the high quality of the songs, all written or co-written by singer/guitarist Justin Hayward and singer/bassist John Lodge, including the charming Top 40 hit "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," the great rock of "River Of Endless Love," the light & breezy "No More Lies," the lovely acoustic pop of "Vintage Wine," the dancefloor grooves of "Miracle," and the brilliant album-closer, Justin Hayward's "Deep," an outstanding and surprisingly *sultry* Moody Blues number (amazingly, the band have never played it live, but it's a firm, all-time personal favorite Moodies song of mine). The only debit to "Sur La Mer" is, although still listed on the album as a band member, flautist Ray Thomas, like he was on "The Other Side Of Life," is completely absent (once again, the band's explanation was that Ray didn't write anything for the album). But other than that, "Sur La Mer" is a highly enjoyable Moody Blues album with wonderful songs and performances from the band. It's great stuff! And just look at the video, a sequel to In Your Wildest Dreams