Label: Polydor
Release date: June 6, 1988
Producer: Tony Visconti
Length: 50:56
Rating: 4/10
“Sur la Mer” was the thirteenth studio album in the rich discography of English progressive rock pioneers The Moody Blues, and one of those rare studio efforts most of their fans would rather forget, since listening to it still brings back plenty of bitter memories. By the end of the eighties, The Moody Blues had fully mutated into a pop rock and synthpop outfit, which was already obvious on the previous album “The Other Side of Life” (1986). That record gave their career a brief commercial boost and unexpectedly won over the hearts of the so-called MTV generation. “Sur la Mer” had slightly more acoustic and rock moments, but it was all just a bad joke next to their golden days, i.e. the end of the sixties and the first half of the seventies, when they cut their best work.
Not much was left of the former masters of symphonic prog rock on “Sur la Mer,” and flutist Ray Thomas and Swiss keyboard wizard Patrick Moraz (ex-Yes) felt it the most. Moraz was growing increasingly unhappy with his status in the band and the new, openly commercial musical direction, while Thomas, for the first time in The Moody Blues’ history, didn’t contribute to a single “Sur la Mer” track as a flutist or singer, even though he was still officially a member of the group. The bosses at Polydor were pushing the two main singers and songwriters to the front, guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist John Lodge, whose ‘pretty boy’ looks also suited the music-and-visual trends of the day much better in the official video clips.
Even though longtime fans were anything but thrilled with the legendary band’s new sound, “Sur la Mer” had one more hit in the nostalgic soft rocker “I Know You’re Out there Somewhere,” which was really the successor to the “The Other Side of Life” hit “Your Wildest Dreams.” It was also their last big international hit and by far the best-known piece from this quickly forgotten album. Hardly anyone remembers the rest of “Sur la Mer” today, as it’s mostly pretty generic soft/pop rockers where Hayward and Lodge trade off the lead vocal scepter, while syrupy melodies and saccharine lyrics about eternal romances and broken hearts dominate, like on the sugary ballad “Want to Be With You,” which is something of a prototype for the bulk of the “Sur la Mer” material. Among the less generic and less sugary stuff, only the closing, solid “Deep” stands out, which, thanks to its mysterious atmosphere built on synth textures and a splendid guitar solo, slightly recalls pop rock era Genesis.
“Sur la Mer,” which had nothing to do with the classic The Moody Blues sound, landed squarely in the ‘quickly forgotten’ category, thanks to the label’s burning desire to cater as much as possible to the trends of the MTV generation. In terms of arrangements and performance, things were far from disastrous, but the whole thing, especially compared to the classic The Moody Blues catalog, came off as terribly boring and generic. On the next studio project, “Keys of the Kingdom” (1991), the Moodies decided it was high time to return to more rock-oriented waters, but by then Moraz had already made the decision to go his own way and devote himself entirely to a solo career.
review by: Peter Podbrežnik
track list:
1. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere
2. Want to Be with You
3. River of Endless Love
4. No More Lies
5. Here Comes the Weekend
6. Vintage Wine
7. Breaking Point
8. Miracle
9. Love Is on the Run
10. Deep
musicians:
Justin Hayward – guitar, keyboards, vocals
John Lodge – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
Graeme Edge – drums, percussion
Patrick Moraz – keyboards, arrangements
