i would disagree about the band not being the same when he stopped touring- have seen them at least ten times without Thomas (most recently last April) and they’ve been spectacular...then again they don’t do any Ray songs...
funny, i was the same in HS- waited anxiously for Octave then stayed up all night when they used to play new albums in their entirety at midnight on 95.1 in Connecticut when Long Distance Voyager was released..
"Nights in White Satin" is probably their best song but I never liked the longer version where they bring in the strings and spoken word poetry. That seemed a bit melodramatic and over the top to me.
Interesting sidenote, I don't watch much daytime TV but there was a court show along the lines of "People's Court" - or maybe it was Court TV, that cable channel that shows trials in their entirety, that featured a trial involving Patrick Moraz, the singer used during that 1980s era. He was suing the band for back royalties. I was fascinated with that trial as it seemed so sordid and petty for such a famous band. Anyway, if I remember, Patrick won the lawsuit but was awarded only a fraction of what he was asking for.