Keys of the Kingdom

For other uses, see Keys of the Kingdom (disambiguation).

1991 studio album by the Moody Blues

Keys of the Kingdom

Studio album by

the Moody Blues

Released| 1 July 1991
Recorded| October 1990 – May 1991
Studio| Olympic, Mayfair, The Hit Factory and RG Jones, London, UK
Genre| Rock
Length| 53:02
Label| Polydor (US)
Threshold (UK)
Producer| Christopher Neil
Alan Tarney
Tony Visconti
The Moody Blues chronology
| Greatest Hits
(1989)  | Keys of the Kingdom
(1991)  | A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
(1993)

|
|

Singles from  Keys of the Kingdom

1. "Say It with Love"
Released: June 1991
2. "Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)"
Released: August 1991

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic|  [1]
Chicago Tribune|  [2]
Entertainment Weekly| C−[3]

Keys of the Kingdom is the fourteenth album by the rock band the Moody Blues, released in 1991. Although some of the tracks recall the songwriting on Sur la Mer, the failure of Keys of the Kingdom to produce any major hit singles would mark the beginning of the Moodies' decline in popularity with mainstream audiences after their success in the MTV video generation.

The album saw the band beginning to return to a more airy rock oriented sound (similar to The Present), rather than the previous two albums' forays into synthesiser pop. Flautist Ray Thomas plays more of a substantial role on this record, with his first ambient flute piece in eight years. It was recorded and mixed at four London studios: Olympic Studios, RG Jones Recording Studios, Mayfair Studios and The Hit Factory (not to be confused with the NYC-based studio of the same name). Drum machines are still used heavily; Graeme Edge only performs on three songs, with session drummer Andy Duncan providing live drums on two more, and the rest being programmed.[4]

Keyboardist Patrick Moraz was fired from the band after completing only a few tracks for this album, and he is listed as an 'additional' keyboard player. After a lawsuit (broadcast by Court TV) filed by Moraz, their future album and re-release booklets would distance themselves from Moraz – e.g. removing him from photographs that originally featured him - and they never had any future keyboardists become official members of the band.

This was the last Moody Blues album before their extravagant concert at Red Rocks and a series of symphonic tours with orchestras.

## Original track listing

[edit]

### Side one

[edit]

1. "Say It with Love" (Justin Hayward) – 3:57
2. "Bless the Wings (That Bring You Back)" (Hayward) – 5:10
3. "Is This Heaven?" (Hayward, John Lodge) – 4:04
4. "Say What You Mean (Parts 1 & 2)" (Hayward) – 5:31
5. "Lean on Me (Tonight)" (Lodge) – 4:58

### Side two

[edit]

1. "Hope and Pray" (Hayward) – 5:03
2. "Shadows on the Wall" (Lodge) – 5:07
3. "Once is Enough" (Hayward, Lodge) (Not put on vinyl LP (Europe only) or cassette, but included on CD format and 7-inch single) – 4:03
4. "Celtic Sonant" (Ray Thomas) – 5:02
5. "Magic" (Lodge) – 5:11
6. "Never Blame the Rainbows for the Rain" (Hayward, Thomas) – 4:57

## Personnel

[edit]

* Justin Hayward – vocals, guitars
* John Lodge – vocals, bass guitar
* Ray Thomas – vocals, flute
* Graeme Edge – drums, percussion

### Additional personnel

[edit]

* Patrick Moraz – keyboards on "Say What You Mean", "Celtic Sonant" and "Magic"
* Bias Boshell – keyboards, drum machine
* Paul Bliss – keyboards, drum machine
* Andy Duncan – drums on "Is This Heaven?" and "Magic"
* Nigel Hitchcock – alto saxophone
* Jamie Talbot – tenor saxophone
* Pete Beachill – trombone
* Guy Barker – trumpet

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1991)  | Peak
position

|

Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5] | 29
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6] | 67
UK Albums (OCC)[7] | 54
US Billboard 200[8] | 94

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Connolly, Dave. Keys of the Kingdom at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
2. ^ Kampert, Patrick (11 July 1991). "The Moody Blues – Keys of the Kingdom". Chicago Tribune.
3. ^ DiMartino, Dave (23 August 1991). "Keys of the Kingdom Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 December 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
4. ^ "The Moody Blues – Keys of the Kingdom Lyrics". Webwriter.f2s.com. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
5. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1629". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
6. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Moody Blues – Keys of the Kingdom" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
7. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
8. ^ "The Moody Blues Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

The Moody Blues

* Graeme Edge
* Mike Pinder
* Ray Thomas
* Justin Hayward
* John Lodge

* Denny Laine
* Clint Warwick
* Rod Clark
* Patrick Moraz

Studio albums|

* The Magnificent Moodies
* Days of Future Passed
* In Search of the Lost Chord
* On the Threshold of a Dream
* To Our Children's Children's Children
* A Question of Balance
* Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
* Seventh Sojourn
* Octave
* Long Distance Voyager
* The Present
* The Other Side of Life
* Sur la Mer
* Keys of the Kingdom
* Strange Times
* December

Live albums|

* Caught Live + 5
* A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
* Hall of Fame
* Lovely to See You: Live
* Live at the BBC: 1967-1970
* Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
* Days of Future Passed Live

Compilations|

* This Is The Moody Blues
* Voices in the Sky: The Best of The Moody Blues
* Prelude
* Greatest Hits
* Time Traveller
* The Best of The Moody Blues
* Anthology
* Gold
* An Introduction to The Moody Blues

Singles|

* "Go Now"
* "I Don't Want to Go On Without You"
* "Life's Not Life"
* "Nights in White Satin"
* "Tuesday Afternoon"
* "Voices in the Sky"
* "Ride My See-Saw"
* "Never Comes the Day"
* "Question"
* "Melancholy Man"
* "The Story in Your Eyes"
* "Isn't Life Strange"
* "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)"
* "Steppin' in a Slide Zone"
* "Driftwood"
* "Gemini Dream"
* "The Voice"
* "Talking Out of Turn"
* "Blue World"
* "Sitting at the Wheel"
* "Running Water
* "Your Wildest Dreams"
* "The Other Side of Life"
* "I Know You're Out There Somewhere"
* "Here Comes the Weekend"
* "No More Lies"
* "Say It with Love"
* "English Sunset"

Related articles|

* Band members
* Discography
* Threshold Records
* Justin Hayward and Friends Sing the Moody Blues Classic Hits
* Moody Bluegrass
* Blue Jays

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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