The Other Side of Life is the twelfth studio album by English progressive rock band the Moody Blues, released in April 1986 by Polydor Records.

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.

"[4] 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".

[6] 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.

"[9] 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.