ARGENT - ARGENT / CIRCUS - 1970 / 1975

Eighteen months after keyboard virtuoso Rod ARGENT left the famous sixties band The ZOMBIES, their single "Time Of The Season" from their last album "Odyssey & Oracle" topped the US charts and sold one million copies! There was a hugh demand to re-group The ZOMBIES but Rod ARGENT preferred to form his own band to make more progressive music. He recruted bass player John Rodford, drummer Bob Henritt and guitarist Russ Ballard and called the quartet ARGENT.

Under this name they released the eponymous debut album "Argent" in '70, the song "Liar" became a USA hit and was covered by THREE DOG NIGHT. With the next albums "Ring Of Hands" ('71) and "All Together Now" ('72) ARGENT gained more appreciation and the single "Hold Your Head Up" became a smash hit all over the world. The following album "In Deep" and single "God gave Rock 'N' To You" charted good but the increasing musical problems between Rod ARGENT and Russ Ballard finally escalated after the next album "Nexus" ('74): Russ wasn't pleased at all with Rod's synthesizer escapades, he liked the shorter and more catchy rocksongs. In '74 Russ departure was a fact but without hard feelings. Later that year ARGENT released the double-live record "Encore". Russ was replaced by multi-instrumentalist John Grimaldi and guitarist/vocalist John Verity. Rod was so excited about this new ARGENT that he refused an offer to join YES after WAKEMAN's departure! In '75 ARGENT made the album "Circus" but despite good critics the sales were poor. In '76 ARGENT released the disappointing LP "Counterpoints", ARGENT took his conclusions and broke up his band.

The early ARGENT made catchy heavy progressive rock with powerful organplay by Rod ARGENT. Their most progressive and acclaimed album is "Nexus": the Hammond organ has almost dispappeared in favor of the Fender Rhodes - and Hohner electric piano, the Mellotron, Grand piano and the famous Moog synthesizer. The album shows great sense of dynamics and splendid shifting moods: lush symphonic, slow and dreamy and fluent and powerful with strong electric guitar and tasteful keyboard play. In '95 their was the release of a great live album titled "In Concert" (on the Windsong label) including most of their best songs, superior to the rather excellent live album "Encore" ('74).
- Erik Neuteboom

Not wanting to destroy a good band, but Argent were never groundbreaking and uncovered new areas of musical exploration: they were simply followers of a movement and added to the sheer mass of excellent albums of those years (70's) and had a lot more commercial success than other band who had more talent (Audience, Comus, etc.....) but always remained somewhat of a second-league act (as opposed to the prog giants). Is it normal that Argent had more commercial success at the time than Caravan, Gentle Giant and others? Nowadays, of course, it seems that Caravan and Argent are regarded with more lucidity and to their more proper artistic value.

Russ Ballard's solo career would take a while to develop, but he was also writing songs for other artistes as well. But one would have to wait for 79's Barnett Dog to find a real good reason for his departure: a strong album filled with solid dramatic RnR lyrics and a widely heard single On The Rebound. His next album Into The Night is probably his best album though, with some very good and diverse songwriting.

While John Verity would go on to form his own band for two albums, Rod Argent will return to his side business of music equipment (he can still be seen in his Denmark street shop in Soho, when not touring with the reformed Zombies) and concentrated on studio work (including The Who) before releasing a solo album Moving Home in 79 (with many star friends) then the Masquerade musical in 82, then worked with Closseum's Hiseman and Barb Thompson on the jazzy Siren Song (83), and then movie scores and new age albums (Red House in 88) and production work (Tikaram in the 90's). He tours now and again with the re-formed The Zombies and plays so
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