A Question of Balance

"A Question of Balance" is the sixth album by the Moody Blues, released in 1970. The album reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom and No. 3 in the United States.

The album was an attempt by the group to strip down their previously lush, psychedelic sound in order to be better able to perform the songs in concert. Guitarist Justin Hayward remembers, "From the beginning of our recording sessions we were all convinced that we had to record an album of songs that could easily translate into effective live performances. In a way, we almost reverted to performing live in the studio, without venturing too much into the world of overdubs." He continues, "It was quite refreshing, actually, doing the A Question of Balance album... getting back to that place where we could just get a bunch of songs together with a bit less instrumentation going on, that we could just sit around in a room and play."

Still, the album does convey a theme of asking questions and finding meaning in the world. Explains Hayward, "On the first side, we were asking ourselves the question, and on the second side, we are starting to answer it. Looking for the answers will keep us going for a long time." The album title takes its name from the first and last tracks on the album, "Question" and "Balance." According to drummer Graeme Edge, "We very much wanted to reflect what the title says: that maintaining yourself is a question of balance. That was the start of where we were almost treated as semi-deities. It's very hard to maintain your equilibrium under those pressures." Mike Pinder adds, "All in all, it was one of the peaking albums for me. I listen to it now, and I can see why people are still discovering it. We never wanted to be a sock-it-to-me band. We all wanted to just express ourselves. The whole idea of individual growth and being able to transfer that into our music. Much of A Question of Balance did exactly that."