As a founding member of The Moody Blues, Ray Thomas (1941-2018) played the haunting flute solo on the band's 1967 hit "Nights in White Satin."  He also was responsible for writing many of the Moodies' most beloved songs including "Twilight Time," "And the Tide Rushes In," and "Legend of a Mind."  A multi-instrumentalist and singer, Thomas recorded two solo albums for the group's Threshold Records label: 1975's From Mighty Oaks and 1976's Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams.  This fall, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint has compiled the best of Thomas' solo recordings, with a dash of the Moody Blues and a couple of rare tracks, on Words and Music.  This compendium also includes a DVD with the 5.1 surround mix of From Mighty Oaks, out of print for almost a decade.

It's appropriate that the CD portion of Words and Music starts at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with three tracks from the early days of The Moody Blues including "It Ain't Necessarily So," the band's first song to feature Thomas on lead vocals.  That was a cover of the George and Ira Gershwin/DuBose Heyward classic from Porgy and Bess; Thomas also took the lead on Denny Laine and Mike Pinder's "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" and the Moodies' treatment of Tim Hardin's "How Can We Hang on to a Dream."  But Thomas soon found his own voice as a songwriter and eventually wrote almost 30 songs for the Moodies.  His first solo album, From Mighty Oaks, was primarily self-penned with his friend Nicky James (who had also played in bands with Mike Pinder and Denny Laine as well as John Bonham, Bev Bevan, John Walker, and other luminaries).  Five tracks have been culled from that album for the CD portion of this set, while the entire album is available on the DVD in a 5.1 surround mix adapted from the original, unreleased quad mix.

Thomas pulled out all of the stops for From Mighty Oaks, with layered vocals and lush Richard Hewson orchestrations abounding on the majestic "I Wish We Could Fly."  The intimate "Adam and I" was inspired by the birth of Thomas' son, revealing the singer-songwriter at his most tender and vulnerable.  The earnest "Love Is the Key" is a pretty slice of midtempo soft rock adorned with swirling strings; B.J. Cole's prominent pedal steel lends a country air to the languid "Rock-a-Bye-Baby Blues."  Thomas deployed the full power of his brass section on the swaggering, showbizzy rocker "High Above My Head," which one could imagine Ringo Starr having recorded.  While strong and supple, Thomas' baritone wasn't quite booming enough for the grandiosity of these big compositions but he coasts quite admirably on his abundant charm.  (No joke, Engelbert Humperdinck would have been wise to pick up on a couple of these songs!)

A further five songs have been plucked from the follow-up to From Mighty Oaks, 1976's Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams.  Nicky James once again collaborated with Thomas on the lion's share of the songwriting, but Terry James took Hewson's place as arranger-conductor.  The sound was a bit subtler but the compositions, including "Migration" and "Within Your Eyes," no less deeply felt.  (Thomas' flute added color to the latter.)  The wistful, reflective "Didn't I" is another one of those adult contemporary ballads at which Thomas excelled, with smoky trumpet enhancing the sentiment but the choir proving a bit much.  The same goes for "We Need Love," on which the added vocals give the song an almost countrypolitan sheen.  (That said, the background group was quite distinguished, with Liza Strike, Helen Chappelle, Barry St. John, and Nicky James among the singers.)  Thomas' tendency towards grandiosity is in evidence on the sweeping "The Last Dream," a fine summation of his solo work's combination of heart and ambition.

The compendium concludes with two recent, rather elegiac tracks.  2010's touching "The Trouble with Memories" was co-written with Bias Boshell ("I've Got the Music in Me") and premiered on Esoteric's 2010 box set From Mighty Oaks...Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams.  The latter song, 2018's "Dada's Song," was Thomas' final recording, and makes its debut on this set.  "Dada's" was a collaborative effort with Ryland Teifi who sings and plays guitar and keyboards on the track.

The DVD presents the 5.1 surround mix of From Mighty Oaks in Dolby Digital, as on the 2010 release.  It's based on the unreleased original quad mix, meaning that the action is primarily in the four corner speakers with some reverb in the center channel and subwoofer.  As the album is so orchestral, it's often quite beautiful in surround, as on the thunderous title track which doubles as an overture. The mix isn't flashy but isn't too understated, either, making for a balanced listen.  The DVD also has the 1975 promotional video for "High Above My Head" and a newly-created 2020 video for "Dada's Song" as bonus features.

The 20-page booklet doesn't feature traditional liner notes but instead offers an array of tributes and testimonials to the late Thomas from friends and collaborators including Mike Pinder, Denny Laine, Bias Boshell, David Symonds, reissue producer Mark Powell, and others.  The booklet and discs are housed in a six-panel digipak.  Paschal Byrne is responsible for the fine mastering.

As worthwhile as this set is, one wishes Esoteric had instead opted to reissue the complete From Mighty Oaks...Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams.  That out-of-print (and now quite pricey) 3-CD/1-DVD box contained both of Thomas' solo albums in full plus the 5.1 mix of From Mighty Oaks and a disc of bonus rarities; an expanded version adding "Dada's Song" would have brought that chronicle of Thomas' solo career full circle.  But as a substitute that happily brings the surround mix of From Mighty Oaks back into print, this anthology is a fine tribute to the musical legacy of Ray Thomas.  It's available now at the links below.

Ray Thomas, Words and Music (Esoteric/Cherry Red ECLEC 22727, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Cherry Red)

CD:

1. It Ain't Necessarily So - The Moody Blues
2. From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You) - The Moody Blues
3. How Can We Hang on to a Dream - The Moody Blues
4. I Wish We Could Fly
5. High Above My Head
6. Adam and I
7. Love Is the Key
8. Rock-a-Bye Baby Blues
9. Migration
10. Didn't I
11. Within Your Eyes
12. We Need Love
13. The Last Dream
14. The Trouble with Memories
15. Dada's Song

Track 1 from The Magnificent Moodies, Decca LK 4711, 1965

Track 2 from Decca single F.12166, 1965

Track 3 included on The Magnificent Moodies: Official 50th Anniversary Edition, Esoteric ECLEC 22473, 2014

Tracks 4-8 from Ray Thomas, From Mighty Oaks, Threshold THS 16, 1975

Tracks 9-13 from Ray Thomas, Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams, Threshold THS 17, 1976

Track 14 from Ray Thomas, From Mighty Oaks...Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams, Esoteric ECLEC 44219, 2010

Track 15 previously unreleased

DVD - From Mighty Oaks (5.1 Mix adapted from unreleased quadraphonic mix of Threshold THS 16, 1975)

1. From Mighty Oaks
2. Hey Mama Life
3. Play It Again
4. Rock-a-Bye Baby Blues
5. High Above My Head
6. Love Is the Key
7. You Make Me Feel Alright
8. Adam and I
9. I Wish We Could Fly
10. High Above My Head (1975 Promotional Film)
11. Dada's Song (2020 Promotional Video)​