A Question of Balance

by The Moody Blues

Overview

The Moody Blues' first real attempt at a harder rock sound still has some psychedelic elements, but they're achieved with an overall leaner studio sound. The group was trying to take stock of itself at this time, and came up with some surprisingly strong, lean numbers (Michael Pinder's Mellotron is surprisingly restrained until the final number, "The Balance"), which also embraced politics for the first time ("Question" seemed to display the dislocation that a lot of younger listeners were feeling during Vietnam). The surprisingly jagged opening track, "Question," recorded several months earlier, became a popular concert number as well as a number two (or number one, depending upon whose chart one looks at) single. Graeme Edge's "Don't You Feel Small" and Justin Hayward's "It's Up to You" both had a great beat, but the real highlight here is John Lodge's "Tortoise and the Hare," a fast-paced number that the band used to rip through in concert with some searing guitar solos by Hayward. Ray Thomas' "And the Tide Rushes In" (written in the wake of a fight with his wife) is one of the prettiest psychedelic songs ever written, a sweetly languid piece with some gorgeous shimmering instrumental effects. The 1997 remastered edition brings out the guitar sound with amazing force and clarity, and the notes tell a lot about the turmoil the band was starting to feel after three years of whirlwind success. The only loss is the absence of the lyrics included in earlier editions. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	07/15/2008
Label:	Polydor / Universal / Universal Music
UPC:	0600753066263

Tracks

1. Question
2. How Is It (We Are Here)
3. And the Tide Rushes In
4. Don't You Feel Small
5. Tortoise and the Hare
6. It's Up to You
7. Minstrel's Song
8. Dawning Is the Day
9. Melancholy Man
10. The Balance
11. Mike's Number One
12. Question
13. Minstrel's Song
14. It's Up to You
15. Don't You Feel Small
16. Dawning Is the Day

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Moody Blues   Primary Artist,Multi Instruments
Graeme Edge   Percussion,Drums
Ray Thomas   Harmonica,Bass,Horn,Flute,Vocals
Mike Pinder   Keyboards
John Lodge   Guitar,Vocals,Bass
Michael Pinder   Vocals,Keyboards
Justin Hayward   Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Tony Clarke   Audio Production,Producer
John Lodge   Composer
Michael Pinder   Composer
David Rohl   Photography
Adrian Martins   Engineer
John Reed   Interviewer,Sleeve Notes,Liner Notes
Steve Fallone   Digital Remastering,Mastering
Phil Travers   Paintings,Cover Design,Cover Painting
Ray Thomas   Composer
Justin Hayward   Composer
Robin Thompson   Engineer
Mike Pinder   Composer
Derek Varnals   Engineer
Graeme Edge   Composer