"Two excellent albums on one CD! A real bargain! Balance would have deserved so much more attention! This band, with the powerful singer Peppy Castro and guitar genious Bob Kulick is AOR at its very best. Make no mistake about it! In my personal opinion the latter of the two, "In For The Count" will have to be my favourite. But why not grab both of them? Here's your chance! The entire Balance collection on 1 CD! Very good indeed. To sum this band up: Loverboy meets Toto meets FM. Could be worse, couldn't it?"
In for the Count
Linda Parrott | UK | 03/24/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I first heard this product on cassette in the mid 80's I was astonished at the high quality of musicanship and songwriting of this hitherto unknown band (certainly unknown in the UK). Being a musician from this era I was delighted to see that the album has since been released on CD. It is a shame that this band does not reform - I am sure today's young musicians could learn a great deal relative to crafting a fine product of such excellence."
"Toto Jr." Has More Misses Than Hits (But Hits Are Catchy)
Barnaby Bye Brat | 02/29/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"An early 80s Toto wannabe, Balance features fine LA-styled rock/pop musicianship, on-the-money singing/harmonizing, and tasty arrangements. Their short, well-crafted songs are succinct and hook-laden, but most of them miss being truly memorable. However, with songs like SLOW MOTION, HAUNTING, FLY THROUGH THE NIGHT, LOOKING FOR THE MAGIC and, best of all, the three minutes and thirty-seven seconds of driving pop confection called ON MY HONOR, Balance would do early Toto proud. (The bigger question: is there still a place for such middle-of-the-road professionalism in the recording business?)"
Great AOR 2-on-1
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 04/28/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This out of print 2-on-1 release features both studio albums by the AOR band Balance, which featured Bob Kulick on guitar. Balance served up keyboard drenched melodic pop/rock with great harmonies that was just perfect for early 80's radio consumption.
The band's 1981 self-titled debut makes up the first 10 tracks of this CD, and has a decidedly lighter approach than the disc's second half. This is a straightforward pop album, and gets a bit cheesy at times. It reminds me of lighter Ambrosia and Toto material. It does, however, contain a fantastic hard rock song called "Fly through the Night" that is as good an 80's rock tune as you could hope to find.
Fortunately the band decided to rock a bit more for their 1982 album In for the Count. Compare the guitar-driven album opener "In for the Count" to the first album's unbelievably cheesy leadoff track "Looking for the Magic" and you immediately know you're getting an entirely different album. The second half of the disc more than makes up for the first half. In For the Count has a REO Speedwagon/Touch/April Wine sound. It's "roller rink rock", but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Balance is one of my guilty pleasure bands. Sure, I'll hit the skip button on a couple of these songs, but for the most part this is a great collection of 80's rock.
NOTE: In for the Count was recently reissued with a pair of bonus tracks. If you can't find a copy of this 2-on-1, that may be the way to go. Besides, that is the album with just about all of Balance's best songs.
"
If You Look For The Magic, You'll Find Peppy Castro!
Barnaby Bye Brat | Stanfield, NC | 10/13/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD was a total PLEASANT surprise for me. It was like revisiting a part of my Jr./Sr. High School years that I'd totally forgotten about! I was introduced to Peppy Castro thanks to the Alessi Brothers when they reformed their early 70s band "Barnaby Bye." In doing research for a press release I was writing in my efforts to get the word out about Bye's new CD "Thrice Upon A Time" and their availability to perform live, I delved into Peppy's impressive resume. Not only did I find that he was part of the pioneer psychedelic group, "The Blues Magoos," but also the early 80s trio known as "Balance." After sampling some snipets of the tunes for Balance/In For The Count, I discovered that this was the group that I remember hearing played from the boombox when the cheerleaders at my school were practicing their routines. To risk coining the title of one of Peppy's songs from Barnaby Bye, "Happy Was The Day" when I found and bought this CD. On the personal side, Peppy is a warm and outgoing person, that I had the pleasure of meeting at Bye's sold out kick off concert in April. It's evident that he is very appreciative of his fans...even if they came by the way of his fellow bandmates, the Alessi Brothers. My favorite songs from this CD are: Looking For The Magic, Breaking Away, No Getting Around My Love (this is much better performed as Barnaby Bye with Peppy on lead vocals), Fly Through The Night and Undercover Man. Every song is a keeper...and, I must say, sounds like it could have been a fantastic soundtrack for an 80s cop show...like Hunter starring Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer. Enough said...fabulous CD...fabulous music...fabulous lead singer!!! Go "Bye" It NOW!!!"
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1
