A Question of Balance
A Question of Balance | ||||
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Studio album by The Moody Blues | ||||
Released | 7 August 1970 | |||
Recorded | January – June 1970 at Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, folk rock | |||
Length | 38:41 | |||
Label | Threshold Records | |||
Producer | Tony Clarke | |||
The Moody Blues chronology | ||||
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Singles from A Question of Balance | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Rolling Stone | (favorable) [2] |
A Question of Balance is the sixth album by The Moody Blues, released in 1970. The album was an attempt by the group to strip down their well-known lush, psychedelic sound in order to be able to better perform the songs in concert. Released in 1970, the album reached #1 in the United Kingdom and #3 in the United States.
In March 2006 the album was remastered into SACD format and repackaged with six extra tracks. In 2008 a remaster for standard audio CD was issued with the same bonus tracks. The cover was changed slightly to hide the face of Colonel John Blashford-Snell who had objected to an image of an explorer wearing a pith helmet and wielding a Webley .455 pistol on the cover of the original LP, which he felt was derived from a photograph of himself. The relevant part of the cover was changed to show a generic individual in response to his law suit.
Original track listing
Side One
- "Question" (Justin Hayward) – 5:40 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
- "How Is It (We Are Here)" (Mike Pinder) – 2:48 (lead singer: Mike Pinder)
- "And the Tide Rushes In" (Ray Thomas) – 2:57 (lead singer: Ray Thomas)
- "Don't You Feel Small" (Graeme Edge) – 2:40 (lead singers: Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas; whisper by Graeme Edge)
- "Tortoise and the Hare" (John Lodge) – 3:23 (lead singer: John Lodge)
Side Two
- "It's Up to You" (Hayward) – 3:11 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
- "Minstrel's Song" (Lodge) – 4:27 (lead singer: John Lodge)
- "Dawning Is the Day" (Hayward) – 4:22 (lead singer: Justin Hayward)
- "Melancholy Man" (Pinder) – 5:49 (lead singer: Mike Pinder)
- "The Balance" (Edge, Thomas) – 3:33 (narrator: Mike Pinder)
2006 SACD Expanded Edition Bonus Tracks (also 2008 remaster)
- "Mike's Number One (Previously unreleased)" (Pinder) – 3:36
- "Question (Alternate version)" (Hayward) – 6:08
- "Minstrel's Song (Original mix)" (Lodge) – 4:35
- "It's Up to You (Original mix)" (Hayward) – 3:19
- "Don't You Feel Small (Original mix)" (Edge) – 3:02
- "Dawning Is the Day (Full original mix)" (Hayward) – 4:36
Chart positions
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
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1970 | UK Albums Chart[3] | 1 |
Billboard 200 | 3 | |
Danish Albums Chart[4] | 7 | |
1975 | ||
Danish Albums Chart[5] | 17 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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1970 | "Question" | UK Singles Chart | 2 |
Billboard Hot 100 | 21 |
The "Question" single released in North America was a 4:55 edit of the song, in a substantially different mix from the album version that eliminated many of the Mellotron overdubs featured in the latter.
Personnel
- Justin Hayward - vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin
- John Lodge - vocals, bass
- Ray Thomas - vocals, flute, tambourine
- Graeme Edge - drums, percussion, whispered vocal on "Don't You Feel Small"
- Mike Pinder - vocals, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, piano, maracas, acoustic guitar
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ "Number 1 Albums – 1970s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ↑ http://danskehitlister.dk/?song_id=6402
- ↑ http://danskehitlister.dk/?song_id=2197
External links
Preceded by Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel |
UK Albums Chart number-one album 22 August 1970 – 12 September 1970 |
Succeeded by Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival |