To Our Children's Children's Children

Infobox Album | Name = To Our Children's Children's Children
Type = Album
Artist = The Moody Blues


Released = 21 November 1969
Recorded = May-September 1969
Genre = Progressive rock
Length = 40:15
Label = Threshold Records
Producer = Tony Clarke
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:8c851v0jzzpa link]
Last album = "On the Threshold of a Dream"
(1969)
This album = "To Our Children's Children's Children"
(1969)
Next album = "A Question of Balance"
(1970)

"To Our Children's Children's Children" is an album by The Moody Blues, first issued in late 1969. It was the first album released on the group's newly formed Threshold Records label, which was named after the band's previous album from the same year, "On the Threshold of a Dream".

It is the fourth of what are popularly considered the group's "core seven" albums from 1967-72, and as such represents the peak of their career to some. While the song chosen for the single, "Watching and Waiting," by itself was not a major hit, taken as a whole the album is remarkably balanced, featuring strong songwriting contributions from all five band members.

It was inspired by the 1969 moon landing, and the songs center around the twin themes of space travel and children, with minor-key tonalities and a distinct psychedelic influence.

"To Our Children's Children's Children" was critically well-received and sold well, reaching #2 in the UK and #14 in the US. The band found most of the songs impossible to perform live, due to extremely lush orchestrations and a great deal of overdubbing. The only songs from the album that were performed live were "Higher and Higher," "Gypsy" and, to a limited extent, "Candle of Life." For this reason their following album, "A Question of Balance", was more stripped down and basic in instrumentation. This change only lasted for one album and the next, "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour", saw a return to their earlier orchestral sound.

In March 2006 the album was remastered into SACD format and repackaged as a 2CD Deluxe Edition.

The song "Out and In" originally was credited to both Mike Pinder and John Lodge, their only collaboration noted as such; but on the 1997 CD rerelease, Lodge's co-writing credit was omitted.

Track listing

ide one

#"Higher and Higher" (Graeme Edge) – 4:11
#"Eyes of a Child I" (John Lodge) – 3:34
#"Floating" (Ray Thomas) – 3:02
#"Eyes of a Child II" (Lodge) – 1:20
#"I Never Thought I'd Live to be a Hundred" (Justin Hayward) – 1:06
#"Beyond" (Edge) – 3:00
#"Out and In" (Mike Pinder/Lodge) – 3:44

ide two

#"Gypsy (Of a Strange and Distant Time)" (Hayward) – 3:35
#"Eternity Road" (Thomas) – 4:17
#"Candle of Life" (Lodge) – 4:19
#"Sun is Still Shining" (Pinder) – 3:35
#"I Never Thought I'd Live to be a Million (Hayward) – 0:34
#"Watching and Waiting" (Hayward/Thomas) – 4:17

Bonus tracks

Bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition:

#"Gypsy" (Full version)
#"Candle of Life" (Full version)
#"Sun Is Still Shining" (Alternate mix)
#"Gypsy" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969)
#"Sunset" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969)
#"Never Comes the Day" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969)
#"Are You Sitting Comfortably" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969)
#"The Dream" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969)
#"Have You Heard" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969)
#"Nights in White Satin" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969)
#"Legend of a Mind" (BBC radio concert 17 December 1969)

Chart positions

Personnel

*Justin Hayward – vocals, guitar, sitar
*John Lodge – vocals, bass
*Ray Thomas – vocals, flute, tambourine
*Graeme Edge – drums, percussion, vocals
*Mike Pinder – vocals, Mellotron, organ