29 May 1970
Remember ‘Spaceman’ by Babylon Zoo, that ’90s chart-topper from a jeans ad that used its catchy electronica opening, only for the track itself to be a stodgy rocker? I wonder if ‘Question’ by The Moody Blues’ gave the music punters of 1970 a similar bout of buyer’s remorse. Its opening verses of urgent Who-like blues-rock, featuring that driving bassline, unexpectedly give way to three minutes of dreary acoustic prog-rock balladry. Those opening verses come back in for the ending, but by then I’ve already moved on with my life.
If you want to hear rock music moving from the ’60s into the ’70s in one track, The Moody Blues’s only number one in Ireland is for you. For the rest of us, that’s not necessarily what we look for in a single. I’m not a fan of blues rock or prog rock anyway, so ultimately ‘Question’ and its chart-topping success leave me scratching my head.
