Moody Blues

In hindsight, it's not too surprising that the Moody Blues became the poster boys for those cursed PBS Pledge Drives (which seem to dredge up new concert footage once a year). The band was brainy and literate enough to sate those craving high art, and its frilly-shirted softness that made them less threatening than their late-'60s psych/prog brethren. You may never need to hear "Nights in White Satin" again, but give another listen to its 1986 single, "Your Wildest Dreams." The song is some primo schmaltz and a total product of its time — the acoustic rhythm guitar is the only non-synthesized, MIDI-driven instrument on the track — but damn if it doesn't capture the longing for lost love and the fantasies we create to try to recapture it.