Question of Balance [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

The Moody Blues

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 15, 2008)
• Original Release Date: April 18, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Polydor / Umgd
• ASIN: B0018PJEYY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,742 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
2008 reissue of their 1970 album, Question of Balance. 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. For the first time, The Moody Blues used political strife as a basis for songwriting with the UK number two hit in May 1970, "Question", which dealt with the controversy resulting from the ongoing Vietnam War. The album reached #1 in the UK and #3 in the U.S. In 2008, Moody Blues reissues its first seven album releases, each with bonus content and each release in this set of their first seven evolutionary albums includes a varying number of special mixes or versions of songs that are also represented in their final form on the respective albums from their highly spectacular career. 10 original tracks plus six bonus.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Question No More About The Best In Sound!, April 18, 2006

By	Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Question of Balance (Audio CD)

"Question Of Balance" was a high-hitter for the Moody Blues and with this set, not only do you get the fantastically crisp sound of SACD, but they have finally released some rare tracks. All the bonus and alternate mix tracks are of fine quality and the difference may be as subtle as additional back-up vocals or extra instruments. Here is the complete list:

Question
How Is It (We Are Here)
And The Tide Rushes In
Don't You Feel Small
Tortoise & The Hare
It's Up To You
Minstrel's Song
Dawning Is The Day
Melancholy Man
Balance

Extra songs:
Mike's Number One (Bonus Track)
Question (Alternate Version) (Bonus Track)
Minstrel's Song (Original Mix) (Bonus Track)
It's Up To You (Original Mix) (Bonus Track)
Don't You Feel Small (Original Mix) (Bonus Track)
Dawning Is The Day (Full Original Mix) (Bonus Track)

No previous Moody Blues album has contained such rare BBC sessions, outtakes and alternate mixes. The differences are subtle but many include backup vocals, new instruments and a different pacing to the songs. One needs no other recording of this classic album. The box is half plastic and half cardboard which might not last as long as a regular CD package. However, the liner package notes are exhaustive with many new pictures and a complete history.

(Note: This is an SACD mix made from the original quadraphonic tapes. The extra songs are the original remastered quadraphonic tapes - not SACD).

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Question Of Mix, January 12, 2007

By	Dark Star-The Other One (The Bus To Never Ever Land) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Question of Balance (Audio CD)

Okay, let's start off by addressing some of the complaints that most people have. As far as the bass being mixed too low on this release I have to say after owning this in every lp and cd edition that the bass was always a bit lower on this album than on some of the other Moodies albums. The mix itself is from the original quad lp versions done by producer Tony Clarke in early 1972. The quad mixes were different in order to take advantage of the four way split instead of the regular stereo two way split. This meant mixing the album differently from a conventional stereo album. Many of the "effects" that are in the backgroud of the stereo version are turned up here changing the overall "balanced" sound of the album in order to give the best quad sound. As far as the music itself, this album has a much more basic feel than the band's last, To Our Children's Children's Children which might have had in part something to do with the fact that it wasn't the big hit the band wanted at the time it was released. That was the first released for their label Threshold. The opening song Question had been released on single a few months before this album's release and had become a big hit for the band. This album includes many Moodies classics and doesn't have a bad song on the release. Songs like Question, Melencholy Man, And The Tide Rushes In, and It's Up To You sound just as well today as they did back when this album was released. If you like the Moodies, you'll love this album.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Why don't they care?, February 8, 2008

By	James A. Bartz (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Question of Balance (Audio CD)

I've read all the reviews here on QOB and am amazed that no one has mentioned what truly destroys this album. DISTORTION! I'm a pro recording engineer and have always been aware this moodies album suffers terribly! The Master crossfaded tape is horribly distorted. It also seems down a tape generation. Most engineers just splice the crossfades 'tween tracks into the master takes to avoid degradation of the body of the song... but I'm not convinced that road was taken by evidance in the dull muddy overall sound. The song 'The Balance' is absolutely destroyed with distortion!
If you listen to the bonus tracks on this sacd release (non-crossfaded full versions) you will here a major improvment in fidelity and NO DISTORTION! The bass is clean and round and all things are musch more well defined. If they cared about this record they would re-assemble it using these pre crossfaded versions and do the crossfades digitally..It needs to be rescued!!!!I've bought this album way too many times to be cheated like this again! Now that I know the clarity is there but they won't make it right! I'm disappointed and even pissed that they keep serving this fine wine in a old dirty plastic cup! Why don't they care???