The Other Side of Life

The title track was inspired by the atmosphere in the London neighbourhood surrounding the studio where the band recorded the album. Justin Hayward remembers, "It came about because of where Tony’s studio was, right in the middle of Soho in London and what we would do after we finished recording and [what was happening in] the clubs up and down Water Street. It's a part of London and a part of the world that I hadn’t seen since I was 16 or 17 years old when I first came to London. So I wanted to express that in the song and it was a very odd kind of place and an odd sort of atmosphere, where Tony had his little haven of peace and serenity in the middle of this madness in the middle of London. That definitely came through in the song."Wardlaw, Matt. Justin Hayward on His New Solo Album and Possible New Music from the Moody Blues. Ultimate Classic Rock. February 28, 2013. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/justin-hayward-moody-blues-interview/.

The Other Side of Life was the third recording with Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz and the first for flutist and vocalist Ray Thomas not to play a major role. The main songwriters were vocalist/guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist John Lodge, with only one song, "The Spirit", composed by Moraz (his only songwriting credit with the band) and drummer Graeme Edge. The music on the album is characterized by the heavy use of synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines, to the point that it could be classified as synth-pop, a sharp change in style for a band that had stood at the origins of symphonic rock.

The album was recorded at Good Earth Studios in London and produced by Tony Visconti. Visconti would also produce the group's follow up, Sur la Mer. Bassist John Lodge remembers working with Visconti, and his help using computers to produce the record: "They are interesting albums for me because Tony Visconti, he was a producer, as against Tony Clarke who was a friend and a producer. I became a very good friend of Tony Visconti's, anyway. But it was a time of computers and certainly I think the control of songs went into the control room, instead of being controlled by the artists in the studio. That was a different period of time but he made great records for us. He showed me a lot of things about how to work computers and that stayed with me."Interview: John Lodge (Solo, the Moody Blues) - Hit Channel. November 6, 2020. https://hit-channel.com/interview-john-lodge-solo-the-moody-blues-190584/.

Anthony DeCurtis in his review for Rolling Stone suggested that the album for the most part "plays to the Moodys' longstanding musical strengths: luscious symphonic textures, rich, stately melodies and densely overlaid vocal arrangements" and praised the band for successfully avoiding pompous lyrics, which he felt were present only on "The Spirit".{{cite journal |last=DeCurtis |first=Anthony |date=17 July 1986 |title=The Moody Blues: The Other Side of Life : Music Review |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/themoodyblues/albums/album/179926/review/5944932/the_other_side_of_life |journal=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209091202/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/themoodyblues/albums/album/179926/review/5944932/the_other_side_of_life |archive-date=9 February 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=1 August 2018}}

Midder critic Will Fenton rated three songs from The Other Side of Life – "Your Wildest Dreams", "The Other Side of Life" and "Running Out of Love" – as being among the Moody Blues top seven of all time.{{cite web|title=13 Best Moody Blues Songs Of All Time (Greatest Hits)|date=9 August 2023|author=Fenton, Will|accessdate=2024-02-14|publisher=Midder|url=https://middermusic.com/moody-blues-songs/}} On the other hand, Allmusic critic Bruce Eder found the title track to be "more lugubrious than lyrical" and described "Running Out of Love" as "a terrible song with a great chorus."{{cite web|title=The Other Side of Life|author=Eder, Bruce|accessdate=2024-02-14|publisher=Allmusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-other-side-of-life-mw0000194914}}

Daily Oklahoman critic Chuck Davis described "Rock 'n' Roll Over You" as "a rollicking, upbeat, great-sounding rocker."{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=2024-01-31|author=Davis Chuck|newspaper=Daily Oklahoman|title=The Other Side of Life|date=May 18, 1986|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/451944005/?terms=%22the%20other%20side%20of%20life%22&match=1}} New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung critic Tom Labinski said that the song "is bouncy enough and picks up steam as it goes."{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=2024-02-01|newspaper=New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung|author=Labinski, Tom|title=Moodies stay ahead of pack|date=May 15, 1986|page=14B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/9776871/?terms=%22the%20other%20side%20of%20life%22&match=1}} Eder said that it "ultimately runs about a minute too long for its own good, and mostly succeeds in recalling older (and better) hard rock numbers by [John Lodge], such as 'Gemini Dream' and 'Steppin' in a Slide Zone.'" "Rock 'n' Roll Over You" was included in the soundtrack for the film The Karate Kid Part II.{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=2024-01-31|newspaper=Evening Express|author=Bartlett, Stephen|title=Moody Blues bring happiness|date=July 12, 1986|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/853483482/?terms=%22the%20other%20side%20of%20life%22&match=1}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Your Wildest Dreams

| writer1 = Justin Hayward

| length1 = 4:52

| title2 = Talkin' Talkin{{'-}}

| writer2 = Hayward, John Lodge

| length2 = 3:56

| title3 = Rock 'n' Roll Over You

| writer3 = Lodge

| length3 = 4:51

| title4 = I Just Don't Care

| writer4 = Hayward

| length4 = 3:29

| title5 = Running Out of Love

| writer5 = Hayward, Lodge

| length5 = 4:25

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| total_length = 42:10

| title6 = The Other Side of Life

| writer6 = Hayward

| length6 = 6:53

| title7 = The Spirit

| writer7 = Graeme Edge, Patrick Moraz

| length7 = 4:19

| title8 = Slings and Arrows

| writer8 = Hayward, Lodge

| length8 = 4:29

| title9 = It May Be a Fire

| writer9 = Lodge

| length9 = 4:57

}}

• Justin Hayward – vocals, guitar
• John Lodge – vocals, bass
• Ray Thomas – tambourine, backing vocals, flute
• Graeme Edge – drums, percussion
• Patrick Moraz – keyboards, synthesizers

(1) Note: After Patrick Moraz was fired from the band, the Moody Blues claimed that he was never a member of the Moody Blues, and simply a sideman/contract player, a mere hired musician. Moraz sued the band for breach of contract and royalties owed to him as a full member of the band, and in 1992 the court ruled in his favour.

• Tony Visconti – producer, engineer
• Alwyn Clayden – art direction, design
• Bruce Gill – design
• Michael Hoppen – photography
• Karl Lloyd – illustration

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{{certification Table Entry|artist= Moody Blues|title= The Other Side of Life|type=album|region=Canada|award=Platinum|relyear=1986|certyear=1986}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=The Other Side of Life|artist=The Moody Blues|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1986|refname=RIAA certification}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{The Moody Blues}}

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Category:The Moody Blues albums

Category:1986 albums

Category:Polydor Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Tony Visconti