A QUESTION OF BALANCE

The Moody Blues sixth record "A question of Balance" is a fine and well done soft progressive album with a big part of musicality. After the very good "To our Children's Children's Children is isn't very strange that this record must be considered a little decline. As before the group has a wonderful cover picture on their record. I takes place somewhere in space and we can both see Albert Einstein, a car, a bike, a rocket and someone with huge cotton hair. I like it very much. The musicians were Justin Hayward (guitars, vocals), John Lodge(bass, vocals), Michael Pinder(keyboards, vocals), Ray Thomas (harmonica, flute and vocals) and Graem Edge(drums, percussion).

The music has warmth and the composition here as before are very well performed. The sound is partially truely progressive and there are some hightligts from this album. You also got an even record in your hand which I think you'd like to hear. The sound is honest and quite old. When the music feels old, the progressive patterns make the listener a bit confused. The best song is "Melancholy man" which is almost a masterwork(9/10). It is also the album's most dark and heavy track(but it's not fast). It really has feeling. Beside from this song there are seven tracks that are a little bit extra in terms of honesty and richness. I'm talking about: "How is it(we are here)" where at least parts are very good, "And the tide rushes in" which is cosy, "Tortoise and the hare" where the guitars are good and rough, "It's up to you", "The balance" where a nice narrator tells us a story and "Question" which is partially great but not enough coherent(all 7/10). The other three tracks aren't bad but not very good either.

What I mostly will take with me from "A question of Balance" is "Melancholy man" which I recommend you. It is surely an even record with no bad features. My rating= 3,45 = Three stars