Couldn't have said it better. Even though I found other bands, the Moodies were still the first rock that attracted me, and after Seventh Sojourn, something ineffable was lost. The band was still good, the music sounded very similar, but Mike's contribution to the band was so unique that nobody could fill his shoes. Sic transit gloria mundi...
"I had always wondered why he left the Moodies--was it the
wear and tear of traveling, or did he just feel he was running out of
creative ideas and considered himself a floundering member of the band?
The Mellotron story he told nearly moved me to tears. What an
adventure to work in the very factory making those things (let alone
being the talented keys player he is), and with the Streetly crew, of
whom I've always had the impression as a great bunch of witty folks
very much involved in keeping these creatures alive."