AMG Review of Berlin: A Concert for the People

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

Cut live at the Reichstag in the German city, Berlin is very different from The Live Tapes, with a rather leaner, harder-rocking sound, and more of a dance-rock feel as well, and is also miked much closer for a more intimate sound. "Mockingbird," "Child of the Universe," and "Hymn" are all performed rather more tightly than earlier live renditions, and with more flamboyant electronic effects. "Sip of Wine" represents the group's harder, post-progressive-era sound, while "Nova Lepidoptera" is a pretty piece of space rock, and "Life Is for Living" is so upbeat with its disco-dance sound that it could almost pass for an ABBA cut. Except on the latter, where the keyboards rule, John Lees' and Colin Browne's guitars are the most prominent component of the group's sound, and it's easy to see why this album, covering so many bases so well, took British audiences by storm -- the Moody Blues in their post-psychedelic era have wanted to make a live record this tight and bracing for ages. And the CD is even better than the LP.