(Classic rock) Michael Pinder (ex-Moody Blues) - "The Promise" - 1976 - 2000, APE (image+.cue) lossless

Как, наверное, всем известно, данный альбом на треккере присуствует в формате МР3. Полагаю, что возможно он будет интересен и коллекционерам музыки во "взрослом" формате, особенно поклонникам the Moody Blues.

Michael Thomas "Mike" Pinder (born 27 December 1941, Erdington, Birmingham, England) is an English rock musician, who established his reputation with the Moody Blues during the height of their success in the 1960s and 1970s. He is especially noted for his technological contribution to music.
Early life
Pinder was born to Bert and Gladys Pinder in Erdington, and as a young adult played in El Riot and the Rebels, a rock band that achieved some regional success. Bandmates in El Riot included future Moody Blues members Ray Thomas and John Lodge. Later, Pinder and Thomas played together in a band called the Krew Cats; the band wound up in Germany playing at some of the cellars where The Beatles had polished their musicianship; however the Krew Cats' fortunes were not so bright - Pinder and Thomas, completely broke, wound up walking across northern Europe to get back home to England.
Around this time, Pinder was employed by Streetly Electronics, a firm that manufactured the Mellotron.
The Moody Blues
Pinder, Thomas, and members of other successful Birmingham bands (Denny Laine, Clint Warwick, Graeme Edge) formed The Moody Blues in 1964. After their chart hit "Go Now" in 1965, Pinder obtained a mellotron from Streetly and used it on numerous Moody Blues recordings, beginning with their single "Love and Beauty". He introduced the mellotron to The Beatles, and subsequently they used the instrument on "Strawberry Fields Forever".
Pinder was one of the first musicians to use the mellotron in live performance, relying on the mechanical skills garnered from his time with Streetly to keep the unreliable instrument in working order. Typical of his travails was the Moodies' first US concert; when the band struck their first harmony, the back of the Mellotron fell open and all of the tape strips cascaded out. Pinder grabbed his tool box and got the instrument back into working order in 20 minutes time, while the light crew entertained the audience by projecting Disney cartoons and non-Disney cartoons.
Pinder wrote several of the Moodies more progressive numbers including the innovative symphonic rock piece "Have You Heard/The Voyage" which appeared on their 1969 album, On the Threshold of a Dream. Parts of this track later featured on the Loving Awareness jingles on Radio Caroline during the 1970s.
The Moody Blues took a break from recording in 1974, and Pinder relocated to California, releasing a solo album The Promise in 1976 through the Moodies' Threshold label. In 1977 the band returned to recording and performing; Pinder declined participation, although he collaborated on the 1978 release Octave. In 1979 he made his final departure from the band.
Later life
Pinder took employment as a consultant to the Atari computer corporation (primarily working on music synthesis), remarried, and started a family in Grass Valley, California. He remained out of the public eye until the mid 1990s, when he began to grant interviews and to work on new recording projects. 1994 saw the release of his second solo album, Among the Stars, on his own One Step label, to limited success. Another One Step release, A Planet With One Mind (1995), capitalised on Pinder's experience as chief reciter of Graeme Edge's poetry on the seminal Moody Blues albums; in this recording, Pinder reads seven children's stories from different world cultures, accompanied by appropriate world music. As his first spoken word album, it was well received among its contemporaries in the genre - it was a finalist for the Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence in Audio as an outstanding children's recording.
Pinder has continued to work in the studio on his own and others' projects, and in developing new artists and nurturing the creative process. Most recently, he has started a songwriters' contest website called Songwars.[2]
Family
All three of his sons are musicians.
His eldest son Daniel is a film music editor and consultant, with many credits, including Pirates of the Caribbean and The Da Vinci Code.
Matt and Michael Lee perform as The Pinder Brothers. They have two CDs, Jupiter Falls and Ordinary Man. Several songs from both albums can be heard on their website,[3] and their myspace page.[4]; Mike Pinder plays his trademark mellotron on a few of the songs.

Review
A very well-produced solo album filled with lush sounds, but Pinder's narrow vocal range and the absence of any balancing love songs by Justin Hayward or rockers by John Lodge limits the appeal of this album. Unfulfilled promise and dated mystical trappings. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Credits
Michael Pinder (Synthesizer), Michael Pinder (Guitar (Acoustic)), Michael Pinder (Guitar), Michael Pinder (Piano), Michael Pinder (Arranger), Michael Pinder (Keyboards), Michael Pinder (Vocals), Michael Pinder (Guitar (12 String)), Michael Pinder (Producer), Michael Pinder (Engineer), Michael Pinder (Mellotron), Michael Pinder (Arp), Michael Pinder (Mixing), Michael Pinder (Cover Art Concept), Michael Azevedo (Conductor), Michael Azevedo (Conga), Fred Beckmeier (Bass), Steve Beckmeier (Guitar), Steve Beckmeier (Guitar (Electric)), Bill Berg (Percussion), Bill Berg (Drums), Joel DiBartolo (Bass), Jim Dillan (Guitar), Jim Dillan (Vocals), Gerry Hoff (Coordination), Jimmy Johnson (Bass), Richard Kaplan (Graphic Design), Richard Kaplan (Assistant Engineer), Richard Kaplan (Photography), Bobby Keys (Saxophone), Bobby Keys (Sax (Tenor)), Jean King (Vocals), Steve Madaio (Trumpet), Robert Margouleff (Associate Producer), Robert Margouleff (Mixing), Susan McDonald (Harp), Dean Olch (Flute), Dean Olch (Shakuhachi), Dean Olch (Wind), Tom Peterson (Flute), Tom Peterson (Sax (Tenor)), Tom Peterson (Wind), Julia Tillman Waters (Vocals), Howard Siegel (Tape Operator), Maxine Willard Waters (Vocals), Maxine Willard Waters (Vocals (Background)), William D. "Smitty" Smith (Organ), Smitty Smith (Organ), Julia Tillman (Vocals (Background)), Rick Collins (Mastering), Jimmy Dillon (Guitar (Acoustic)), Jimmy Dillon (Guitar (Electric)), Jimmy Dillon (Slide Guitar), Jimmy Dillon (Guitar (Classical)), Jimmy Dillon (Sitar (Electric)), Jimmy Dillon (Vocal Harmony), Terry Lamb (Graphic Design), Terry Lamb (Calligraphy), Jeanne King (Vocals (Background)