The album may be considered a concept album because several of the tracks deal with the theme of a person's search for spiritual fulfillment. Another concept dealt with in the album is the search for a mythical "lost chord," which is revealed to be the mantra "Om" (in the last stanza of Graeme Edge's poem "The Word").


   1. "Departure" (Graeme Edge) – 0:48
   2. "Ride My See-Saw" (John Lodge) – 3:37
   3. "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume" (Ray Thomas) – 2:58
   4. "House of Four Doors" (Lodge) – 4:11
   5. "Legend of a Mind" (Thomas) – 6:40
   6. "House of Four Doors (Part 2)" (Lodge) – 1:43
   7. "Voices in the Sky" (Justin Hayward) – 3:32
   8. "The Best Way to Travel" (Mike Pinder) – 3:12
   9. "Visions of Paradise" (Hayward, Thomas) – 4:15
   10. "The Actor" (Hayward) – 4:38
   11. "The Word" (Edge) – 0:49
   12. "Om" (Pinder) – 5:27
   13. A Simple Game (Justin Hayward Vocal Mix)
   14. The Best Way To Travel (Additional Vocal Mix)
   15. Visions of Paradise (Instrumental Version)
   16. What Am I Doing Here  (Original Version)
   17. The Word (Mellotron Mix)
   18. Om (Extended Version)
   19. Dr. Livingstone, I Presume (BBC 'Top Gear' Session)
   20. Thinking Is The Best Way To Travel (BBC 'Top Gear' Session)
   21. A Simple Game (1968 Single B-Side)


After using the London Festival Orchestra on Days of Future Passed, the Moody Blues played all instruments themselves - approximately 33[citation needed] - on In Search of the Lost Chord. Indian instruments such as the sitar (played by guitarist Justin Hayward) and the tambura (played by keyboardist Mike Pinder) made audio appearances on several tracks (notably "Departure," "Visions of Paradise," and "Om"). Other unconventional (for the Moody Blues) instruments were also used, notably the oboe (played by percussionist/flute player Ray Thomas) and the cello (played by bassist John Lodge, who tuned it as a bass guitar). The mellotron, played by Pinder, produced many string and horn embellishments.

Sessions for the album commenced in January 1968 with the recording of Thomas's "Legend of a Mind". The song's title does not appear in the lyrics, which are about LSD guru Timothy Leary.

Having already experimented with spoken word interludes on "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament" on Days of Future Passed, the Moody Blues tried the practice again on In Search of the Lost Chord, on the Graeme Edge-penned pieces "Departure" and "The Word." The latter was recited by Pinder, who was the primary reciter of Edge's poems on this and other Moody Blues albums. "Departure", which escalates from mumbling to hysterical laughter, is a rare example of Edge doing his own recitation.

In Search of the Lost Chord peaked at #23 on the U.S. album charts upon release in July 1968.[citation needed] In the UK, the album reached #5. Neither of the two singles from the album, "Ride My See-Saw" and "Voices in the Sky," charted in the top 40 on the Billboard charts, although the latter reached #27 on the UK singles chart.