Argent - Argent & Circus (2 LP's On 1 CD) (1970 & 1975)

Argent (1970):
The first Argent album sounds uncannily like the Zombies in their Odessey period - little surprise, considering that Rod Argent and Zombies ex-bassist Chris White (which acted as 'contributing' member to the new band) produced it and wrote seven songs out of ten; the other three are credited to Argent's 'second best' member, guitarist Russ Ballard. While the record has been severely underrated by the critics, I must frankly say that there ain't even a single bad cut on here - all the songs are short, crisp, melodic, and catchy as hell. Seriously, on a general level I can't even start to think of how to complain about this record; melody-wise, it's immaculate. I guess the main flaw of the record is that it is a bit too Zombie-sounding: the flowery, shining pop formula of Odessey is followed to a tee, except that the overall mood is a bit darker, most probably due to the presence of Ballard: an impressive guitarist, he was all too eager to display his gritty chops, but on this particular release Rod still manages to keep him in the background, not allowing any of the songs to turn into contemporary heavy metal fiestas, a thing that would occur from time to time in latter days. On the other hand, Ballard is a terrific singer - his range and ability to change key is impressive, and on some tracks he even manages to remind one of Colin Bluntstone, which pumps the Zombie nostalgia even further.
Circus (1975):
The first of the two Ballard-less albums, for which as much as two guitarists (John Grimaldi and John Verity) were required. Maybe the fact that he had to be replaced by two players could be flattering for Russ, but on the other side, at least we don't have any more danger of the guy going ahead and penning another 'God Gave Rock'n'Roll To You'. Yet on another side, though, both of those guitarists kinda lack personality... they're just there and that's that. They're playing decent solos and decent guitar riffs from time to time, but it's clear they weren't really supposed to be much more than sidemen, contributing their sonic effects merely to provide a counterpoint for Argent's Hammond organ, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hohner electric piano, Moog, Mellotron, and vocals (okay, John Verity also sings, but it's not like I notice that a hell of a lot of times).
(Full Review: starling.rinet.ru/music/argent.htm)