| | Moody Blues Question Of Balance CD Moody Blues Discography of CDs
 (3 Customer Reviews)
The beautifully remastered version of the Moody Blues's 1970 back-to-basics album (translation: they cut way back on the overdubs) strips away the original aural murk at last, and includes informative liner-note interviews with the band about the recording process. Standout tracks include the classic sort-of protest song "Question" and "It's Up to You," one of singer/guitarist Justin Hayward's most authoritatively wistful riff-rockers.
There is a clear attempt to pare back the lush excesses of their earlier work in favor of a leaner rock sound, as heard on cuts like John Lodge's pell-mell "The Tortoise and the Hare." Still, one of the album's standouts is Ray Thomas's "And the Tide Rushes In," a lovely psychedelic ballad of the sort that moved the Who's Pete Townshend to remark that the Moody Blues' albums were so gorgeously produced that listening to them was like "being in church." A QUESTION OF BALANCE is a fine album, and a clear preparation for its successor EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR, one of the band's finest moments.
A beautifully remastered version of the Moodies' 1970 back-to-basics album (translation: they cut way back on the overdubs) with the original aural murk stripped away at last, and informative liner-note interviews with the band about the recording process. Standout tracks include the classic sort-of protest song "Question" and "It's Up to You," one of singer/guitarist Justin Hayward's most authoritatively wistful riff-rockers. The prettiest track is Ray Thomas's "And the Tide Rushes In," a psychedelic ballad of the sort that moved the Who's Pete Townshend to remark that the Moody Blues' albums were so gorgeously produced that listening to them was like "being in church."
Includes liner notes by John Reed.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
The Moody Blues: Ray Thomas (harmonica); Mike Pinder (keyboards); John Lodge (bass instrument); Graeme Edge (percussion); Justin Hayward.
Personnel: Justin Hayward, John Lodge (vocals, guitar); Ray Thomas (vocals, flute, horns); Michael Pinder (vocals, keyboards); Graeme Edge (drums).
Liner Note Author: John Reed.
Photographer: David Rohl.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Justin Hayward; John Lodge; Graeme Edge; Michael Pinder.
The Moody Blues: Justin Hayward, Graeme Edge, John Lodge, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas.
Engineers: Derek Varnals, Adrian Martins, Robin Thompson.
Rolling Stone (11/12/70, p.40) - "...an abundance of spiritual and other insights and poetry that recalled the best of - yes, I dare say it - Gibran, colossal Straussian orchestrations simulated by a mellotron and heavenly choirs....an unexaggerably beautiful record..."
Uncut (p.120) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[B]y 1970's A QUESTION OF TIME, they'd shifted to a simpler approach, easier to recreate live." Question Of Balance Music | Category | Rock Albums, Rock/Pop CDs, Art Rock | | Label | Polydor | | Orig Year | 1970 | | All Time Sales Rank |  1706  | | CD Universe Part number | 1094928 | | Catalog number | 844771 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | May 20, 1997 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Tony Clarke; Tony Clarke | | Recording Time | 38 minutes | | Additional Info | Remastered |
Moody Blues Question Of Balance Songs | 1. | Question | $0.99 | |
| 2. | How Is It (We Are Here) | $0.99 | |
| 3. | And the Tide Rushes In | $0.99 | |
| 4. | Don't You Feel Small | $0.69 | |
| 5. | Tortoise and the Hare | $0.99 | |
| 6. | It's Up to You | $0.99 | |
| 7. | Minstrel's Song | $0.69 | |
| 8. | Dawning Is the Day | $0.99 | |
| 9. | Melancholy Man | $0.99 | |
| 10. | Balance, The | $0.99 | |
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Question Of Balance Music Review Average Rating: (4.7 out of 5 stars)   Classic album of the seventies
This was one of earliest acquisitions in my album collection -- I think I was probably 15 yrs. old when I purchased it. I had already been a fan of the Moody Blues, ever since I had heard "Higher and Higher" (from the previous album) on the local university 500 watt radio station -- a song by Graeme Edge that blew my mind. (That was about two years earlier.)
What's funny is that later I had repeatedly heard the song "Question" on a progressive rock station (WWRH in Columbus, GA), but for at least a year I had no idea it was the Moody Blues! (It wasn't fashionable at that time for DJ's to talk a lot, and so song after song would play without any clue as to who the artists were -- not really a bad idea in a way, but it has its downside -- as there are still a lot of classic rock songs that exist in my mind. but which I still have no clue as to who the bands were!)
I really like ALL the songs on this album. Certainly "Question"(Hayward), "Melanchonly Man,"(Pinder) and "Ask the Mirror on the Wall"(Lodge) are some of my favorites. But it should be stated that all 7 of the first batch of Moody Blues albums (this was the 5th since "Days of Future Passed" not counting "Go Now"), all of them were absolute "stars in the firmament" in their own right, and yet made a perfect collaboration as well.
Submitted by longhair (Hurtsboro, AL) 
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Among Moody Blues' Very Best
"Question Of Balance", a 1970 release now remastered to ensure today's full rich sound capabilities, from its opening track (Question) to its closer (The Balance), is at least equal to the group's classic "Days of Future Passed" and "In Search of the Lost Chord" albums. It owes them nothing! Hear it once and you will want to hear it again; twice and you will want more; I guarantee you'll treasure the sound of this wonderful Moody Blues performance more and more every time you experience it.
Submitted by a reviewer (Connecticut, The United States of America)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  Fortelling the future
As a life-long fan of the Moodies, this album has always been one of my favorites. The best overall effort is Seventh Sojourn, and this ranks second. There are things about this album which echo today. For example, if you listen to "Tortoise and the Hare," you will hear a song very similar to "Steppin' in a Slide Zone" which would be recorded nearly a decade later. Both were John Lodge songs.
But the most important aspect of this album (as with Seventh Sojourn) is the influence of Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder. "The Tide Rushes In" is a simple yet beautiful song (music, lyric and vocal) written and vocalized by Thomas. The band never regains the balance that made every album an overall great piece, after Seventh Sojourn. This is because every subsequent album is dominated by Justin Hayward. And despite his greatness, the band's music became predictable and one-dimensional.
Question of Balance is a must have if you are any type of Moodies fan!
Submitted by Rod (Michigan, USA)
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